The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently proposed revising the designation of critical habitat for the bull trout (Salvelinus confluentus) under the 1973 Endangered Species Act. In total, approximately 22,679 miles of streams (which includes 985.30 miles of marine shoreline area in the Olympic Peninsula and Puget Sound), and 533,426 acres of reservoirs or lakes are being proposed for the revised critical habitat designation. The revised proposed critical habitat is located in Montana, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Nevada.

The proposal would require any federal agency or anyone using federal money for a project to make sure the work won’t hurt bull trout. According to the Outdoor Recreation Examiner, that could range from “U.S. Forest Service logging projects to a construction project on a riverbank that needs a federal permit to manage erosion problems.”

To find out more read the critical habitat proposal or see a summary. Written comments can be submitted online at www.regulations.gov or by regular mail to Public Comments Processing, attn: RIN 1018-AW88, Division of Policy and Directives, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 222, Arlington, VA 22203. Comments must be received or postmarked on or before March 15, 2010.