The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) has scheduled a public hearing in Sacramento on December 18, 2014 to hear public comment on the proposed critical habitat designations for the western distinct population segment of the Yellow-Billed Cuckoo (Cuckoo).  This is the only hearing that will be conducted in California on the proposal before the January 12, 2015 comment deadline.  

The proposed critical habitat designation corresponds with the listing of the Cuckoo as threatened in October 2014.  The critical habitat proposal was originally released in August 2014 for a 60-day comment period, but the USFWS reopened the comment period for an additional 60 days in November in response to numerous public requests and pressure from Congress for a deadline extension.  The designation will impact eight RCRC member counties – Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Sutter, and Tehama – and will cover mostly riparian areas along certain rivers where the Cuckoos tend to nest. 

Full details on the public hearing can be accessed here.