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Boreal Community Media

USFWS Postpones the Effective Date for the Re-Classification of Northern Long-Eared Bats As Endangered

Jan 30, 2023 08:53AM ● By Content Editor
Photo: Gerda Nordquist

From the MN DNR - January 27, 2023

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is delaying the effective date of the final rule to reclassify the northern long-eared bat from threatened to endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The agency is extending the effective date by 60 days, from January 30, 2023, to March 31, 2023. The extension will allow the Service to finalize conservation tools and guidance to avoid confusion and disruption for landowners, federal partners and industry with projects occurring in suitable habitats within the northern long-eared bat’s 37-state range.

The Service is not accepting public comment on the extension. A Federal Register notice extending the effective date of the final reclassification for the northern long-eared bat was published on January 26, 2023, under Docket No. FWS-R3-ES-2021-0140.

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