Sample Letter Requesting Furbearer Report

IN REPLY REFER TO: OMB No. 1018-0093

FWS/DMA/CEP 1-07 Expires: XX/XX/XXXX

<<Title>><<FirstName>><<LastName>>, <<JobTitle>>

<<Company>>

<<Address1>>

<<Address2>>

<<City>>, <<State>><<PostalCode>>

Dear <<Title>><<LastName>>:

This letter is our annual request for information on your State’s implementation of the furbearer export program related to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has a legal obligation to ensure that export levels of species listed in Appendix II of CITES will not be detrimental to the survival of the species. We also must determine that any exported specimens have been legally acquired. For bobcat (Lynx rufus) and river otter (Lontra canadensis), we made these findings for certain State and tribal export programs in a series of rulemakings between 1984 and 1999, and for subsequent years in administrative findings.

To fulfill our CITES obligations for allowing the continued export of bobcat and river otter, we are requesting information for the 2009-2010 season and ask that you submit this information to us by October 31, 2010.

In 2005, the Service made a 5-year nationwide non-detriment finding for bobcat. In 2008, the Service made a 5-year non-detriment finding for river otter for approved States and tribes, which was updated in 2010 to include 10 additional tribes. Commensurate with those findings and additional information provided to us by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, for this past harvest season we will only be requesting information as to whether or not the status of bobcat or river otter has changed in your State.

Based on your review of the 2009-2010 season, and your most current information on bobcat and river otter that are approved for export from your State, please provide responses to the following:

1. Has the status of bobcat or river otter changed in your State (yes or

no)? If yes, please advise whether the relative abundance has increased or

decreased.

<<Title>><<FirstName>><<LastName>> 2

2. Have there been any changes to legislation or regulations in your State related to

your tagging program? If so, please provide copies of the new legislation or

regulations.

Although not required, we would appreciate receiving copies of reports or publications on bobcat, river otter, or any other CITES-listed furbearer species that you have prepared this year as part of your management program, or web addresses where this information is posted electronically. (Please note that we are not asking for you to produce any new reports or information, but rather reports that you may already have available.)

We have provided a courtesy copy of this letter to the individual that we have in our records as the person who implements the CITES furbearer program in your State. If this is not the correct person responsible for implementing your CITES furbearer program, we would appreciate your providing a copy of this letter to the appropriate individual.

Please send replies to Clifton Horton, Wildlife Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Management Authority, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Room 212, Arlington, VA 22203; by fax, 703-358-2298; or by E-mail, [email protected]. Please note that this is a combined request for information from both the Division of Scientific Authority and the Division of Management Authority.

Thank you for your continuing cooperation. If you have any questions, please contact Clifton Horton of my staff at 703-358-1908.

Sincerely,

Robert R. Gabel, Chief

Division of Management Authority

cc: Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies

Division of Scientific Authority

State CITES Furbearer Contact

<<Title>><<FirstName>><<LastName>> 3

Notice

Information requested herein is purely voluntary. However, submission of requested information is required to maintain program approval. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless a currently valid Office of Management and Budget (OMB) control number is displayed. The OMB Control Number for this information collection is 1018-0093, which expires November 30, 2010.

The reporting burden on the applicant for this information collection is 60 minutes. This burden estimate includes time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and completing and reviewing the report. You may direct comments regarding the burden estimate or any other aspect of the information collection to the Service Information Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mail Stop 222, Arlington Square, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20240.