Under IC 4-22-2-24, notice is hereby given that on February 26, 2008, at 6:30 p.m., at the Atterbury Fish and Wildlife Area, 7970 South Rowe Street, Edinburgh, Indiana, the Natural Resources Commission will hold a public hearing on a proposed rule to amend 312 IAC 9-3-11, 312 IAC 9-3-12, 312 IAC 9-3-13, and 312 IAC 9-3-14 by adding a hunting season for striped skunks and eliminating possession restrictions for the following furbearing mammals: beavers, foxes, skunks, minks, muskrats, long-tailed weasels, opossums, and raccoons, to add 312 IAC 9-3-14.5 governing possession restrictions for furbearers, to amend 312 IAC 9-3-18 to clarify prohibited methods of pursuing and taking wild animals and identify limited exceptions, and to amend 312 IAC 9-10-11 to clarify the methods of taking wild animals and the checking of traps under a nuisance wild animal control permit.

With the exception of amendments proposed in 312 IAC 9-10-11, the proposed rule amendments would not impose requirements or costs under IC 4-22-2-24(d)(3). With respect to 312 IAC 9-10-11, the proposed amendment will impose a requirement upon approximately 250 permit holders authorized to take nuisance wild animals. The requirement imposed upon these permit holders involves the existing obligation to check traps and snares at least one time for every 24 hour period and adds the requirement to remove animals caught in a trap or snare from that trap or snare on the same calendar day. The Department estimates that there will be no costs imposed as a result of this requirement. There is no federal or state statutory requirement for these rules. The number of businesses who have nuisance wild animal control permits was provided by the DNR's Division of Fish and Wildlife from the database of permit holders.

Copies of these rules are now on file at the Indiana Government Center-North, 100 North Senate Avenue, Room N501 and Legislative Services Agency, One North Capitol, Suite 325, Indianapolis, Indiana and are open for public inspection.