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Petition to List Cerulean Warbler in East On October 21, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stated that it would expand its review of the status of the cerulean warbler, a neotropical migratory bird which uses Eastern woodlands -- primarily the Mississippi and Ohio River basins -- as breeding habitat, based on a finding of merit in a petition filed two years ago by the Southern Environmental Law Center. The petition to list the bird cited its declining populations, primarily due to loss of woodland habitat. The coming stage of the listing evaluation will include a 90-day public comment period to allow public, private, tribal, and scientific interests, as well as the general public, to submit information. Following that evaluation, USF&WS will decide whether to propose a "Threatened" listing for the bird. Since the bird's historical range is said to comprise almost the entire U.S. territory east of the Mississippi, the process is of concern to a broad range of land and resource users. The lead association on this issue is the American Forest & Paper Association. Please contact Chip Murray (202/463-2782) at AF&PA for more detailed information.
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