Subject and Purpose:  Documentation of the proposed listing of 45 plants, Astelia waialealae, Canavalia napaliensis, Chamaesyce eleanoriae, Chamaesyce remyi var. kauaiensis, Chamaesyce remyi var. remyi, Charpentiera densiflora, Cyanea dolichopoda, Cyanea eleeleensis, Cyanea kolekoleensis, Cyanea kuhihewa, Cyrtandra oenobarba, Cyrtandra paliku, Diellia mannii, Doryopteris angelica, Dryopteris crinalis var. podosorus, Dubautia imbricata ssp. imbricata, Dubautia kalalauensis, Dubautia kenwoodii, Dubautia plantaginea ssp. magnifolia, Dubautia waialealae, Geranium kauaiense, Keysseria erici, Keysseria helenae, Labordia helleri, Labordia pumila, Lysimachia daphnoides, Lysimachia iniki, Lysimachia pendens, Lysimachia scopulensis, Lysimachia venosa, Melicope degeneri, Melicope paniculata, Melicope puberula, Myrsine knudsenii, Myrsine mezii, Phyllostegia renovans, Pittosporum napaliense, Platydesma rostrata, Pritchardia hardyi, Psychotria grandiflora, Psychotria hobdyi, Schiedea attenuata, Stenogyne kealiae, Tetraplasandra bisattenuata, and Tetraplasandra flynii, and three animals (Drosophila attigua, picture-wing fly; Loxops caeruleirostris, Kauai akepa; and, Oreomystis bairdi, Kauai creeper) as endangered, and critical habitat designation for 47 of these species. 

Point of Contact:  Christa Russell, Pacific Islands Office, 300 Ala Moana Blvd., Rm 3-122, Honolulu, HI 96850, telephone (808) 792-9400, or by electronic mail at christa_russell@fws.gov

Importance of scientific information:  The proposed listing and critical habitat designation documents regulatory effects under the Endangered Species Act.

Timeline:  Letters to 18 peer reviewers requesting a peer review were distributed by October 31, 2008.  The comment period for 48 Kauai species will close on December 22, 2008.  The peer review report will be made available in 2009.

Type of review:  Letter

Number of reviewers:  25 potential peer reviewers were contacted, and 18 agreed to review and provide comments on the proposal.

Reviewer expertise:  Hawaiian plant biology and conservation, habitat restoration, Hawaiian vegetation ecology and management; Hawaiian forest bird biology and ecology, conservation and habitat restoration; or Hawaiian Drosophila sp. biology and ecology, conservation, and habitat restoration.

Selection of peer reviewers:  Peer reviewers will be selected based on their expertise with the subject matter and have no conflicts of interest as described in the Office of Management Peer Review Guidelines

Management of peer review:  The peer review will be managed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

Public comment procedures:  Public comments on the proposed rule were sought with a Federal Register announcement on October 21, 2008, and the distribution by mail and press release of that announcement to interested parties.  This peer review plan is made available on this website to allow the public to monitor our compliance with the Office of Management and Budget's Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review.