ILLINOIS AUDUBON BULLETIN 19 
9/24/76) are identical with those in 
the original proposal (F.R. 
12/16/75). They become effective 
on October 22, 1976. 
However, in response to com- 
ments received from the States of 
Missouri, Indiana, Kentucky, and 
Tennessee, the Service is consider- 
ing addition of more caves at a 
later date. Under section 7, the 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will 
need to evaluate possible adverse 
effects of the Meramec Park Lake 
project in Missouri on several of 
the caves. The bat, numbering sev- 
eral hundred thousand, is losing 
the special caves it needs for winter 
hibernation. About 75 percent of 
the known populations hibernate 
in 13 caves and mines in Illinois, 
Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ten- 
nessee, and West Virgina. These 
places are all listed as Critical 
Habitat. 
American Crocodile 
Critical Habitat for the American 
crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) as 
determined in the final rulemaking 
(F.R. 9/24/76) includes portions of 
Everglades National Park and keys 
in Biscayne and Florida bays. The 
ruling is effective October . 22, 
1976. National Audubon Society 
recommendations to add _ addi- 
tional areas remain under consid- 
eration. The final rulemaking re- 
quires appropriate Federal 
agencies to evaluate and possibly 
modify dredge and fill permits af- 
fecting nesting in the Key Largo 
area and motorboat traffic in Ever- 
glades National Park. 
The Critical Habitat lies mostly 
in the national park and the north- 
ern keys in Dade and Monroe 
Counties. Of the estimated 200- 
300 crocodiles, only about ten are 
nesting females. The species de- 
pends on the quiet waters of 
Florida Bay and associated 
marshes for feeding and nesting. 
Florida Manatee 
The final rulemaking (F.R. 
9/24/76) for the Florida manatee 
(Trichechus manatus) maintains 
the original Critical Habitat 
boundaries set forth in the pro- 
posed rulemaking (F.R. 12/16/75). 
This becomes effective on October 
22, 1976. However, the Service is 
considering possible future habitat 
additions in Georgia and Florida 
proposed by the Georgia Conser- 
vancy and the Florida State Mu- 
seum. All of the waterways in the 
rulemaking are in Florida, where 
most of the 600-1,000 manatees 
are concentrated. The rulemaking 
will require the U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers to evaluate the potential 
habitat effects of a number of pro- 
posed bridges and dredging opera- 
tions in the area. 
Keep the statewide rare-bird hotline working! 
