[Federal Register: June 29, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 124)]
[Notices]
[Page 37460-37461]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29jn10-92]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R1-ES-2010-N072; 10120-1113-0000-C2]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Recovery Plan for
the Prairie Species of Western Oregon and Southwestern Washington
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the
availability of the approved Recovery Plan for the Prairie Species of
Western Oregon and Southwestern Washington. The recovery plan addresses
three endangered and three threatened species. This plan includes
recovery objectives and criteria, and specific recovery actions
necessary to achieve downlisting and delisting of the species, and
their removal from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened
Wildlife and Plants. The plan also supplements the existing recovery
plan for one threatened species, providing recommendations for
reintroducing it to its historical range.
ADDRESSES: An electronic copy of the recovery plan is available at
http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/index.html#plans. Copies of the
recovery plan are also available by request from the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office, 2600 SE 98th Avenue,
Suite 100, Portland, OR 97266 (phone: 503-231-6179). Printed copies of
the recovery plan will be available for distribution within 4 to 6
weeks.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cat Brown, Fish and Wildlife
Biologist, at the above Portland address and telephone number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We announce the availability of the approved
Recovery Plan (plan) for the Prairie Species of Western Oregon and
Southwestern Washington. The plan addresses three endangered and three
threatened species, and includes recovery objectives and criteria, and
specific recovery actions necessary to achieve downlisting and
delisting of the species and their removal from the Federal List of
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. The plan also
supplements the existing recovery plan for one of the included
threatened species, Castilleja levisecta, providing recommendations for
reintroducing it to its historical range in the Willamette Valley.
The recovery plan addresses the following three species listed as
endangered: Fender's blue butterfly (Icaricia icairoides fenderi),
Erigeron decumbens var. decumbens (Willamette daisy), and Lomatium
bradshawii (Bradshaw's lomatium). The plan addresses the following
three threatened species: Lupinus sulphureus ssp. kincaidii (Kincaid's
lupine), Sidalcea nelsoniana (Nelson's checker-mallow), and Castilleja
levisecta (golden paintbrush).
Background
Recovery of endangered or threatened animals and plants is the
primary goal of the Endangered Species Act (Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.) and our endangered species program. Recovery means improvement of
the status of listed species to the point at which listing is no longer
required under the criteria set out in section 4(a)(1) of the Act and
its implementing regulations at 50 CFR 424. Recovery plans describe
actions considered necessary for the conservation of listed species,
establish criteria for downlisting or delisting species, and estimate
time and cost for implementing the measures needed for recovery.
The Act requires the development of recovery plans for endangered
or threatened species unless such a plan would not promote the
conservation of the species. Section 4(f) of the Act requires public
notice, and an opportunity for public review and comment, during
recovery plan
[[Page 37461]]
development. From September 22, 2008, through December 22, 2008, we
provided the draft Recovery Plan for the Prairie Species of Western
Oregon and Southwestern Washington to the public and solicited comments
(see Federal Register notices 73 FR 54603 of September 22, 2008, and 73
FR 58975 of October 8, 2008). We considered information we received
during the public comment period and comments from peer reviewers in
our preparation of the recovery plan, and have summarized that
information in Appendix F of the approved recovery plan. We welcome
continuing public comment on this recovery plan, and we will consider
all substantive comments on an ongoing basis to inform the
implementation of recovery activities and future updates to the
recovery plan.
The native prairies of western Oregon and southwestern Washington
are among the most imperiled ecosystems in the United States. Six
native prairie species in the region--one butterfly and five plants--
have been added to the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened
Wildlife and Plants since 1988. In this recovery plan, we elucidate our
recovery strategies and objectives for Fender's blue butterfly
(Icaricia icairoides fenderi), Erigeron decumbens var. decumbens
(Willamette daisy), Lomatium bradshawii (Bradshaw's lomatium), Lupinus
sulphureus ssp. kincaidii (Kincaid's lupine), Sidalcea nelsoniana
(Nelson's checker-mallow), and Castilleja levisecta (golden
paintbrush). This plan replaces and supersedes previously approved
recovery plans for Lomatium bradshawii and Sidalcea nelsoniana. It also
augments, but does not replace, the existing recovery plan for
Castilleja levisecta: this new Prairie Species Recovery Plan provides
recommendations for the reintroduction of Castilleja levisecta into its
historical range in the Willamette Valley, consistent with this
species' published recovery plan. In addition to recovery strategies
for the six listed species, the plan recommends conservation strategies
for one candidate species, Taylor's checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas
editha taylori), and six plant species of concern: Delphinium
leucophaeum (pale larkspur), Delphinium oreganum (Willamette Valley
larkspur), Delphinium pavonaceum (peacock larkspur), Horkelia congesta
ssp. congesta (shaggy horkelia), Sericocarpus rigidus (white-topped
aster), and Sisyrinchium hitchcockii (Hitchcock's blue-eyed grass). All
of the species addressed in this recovery plan are threatened by the
continued degradation, loss, and fragmentation of their native prairie
ecosystems.
We developed the draft recovery plan in coordination with the
Western Oregon and Southwestern Washington Prairie Species Recovery
Team, which includes representatives from two Department of the
Interior bureaus (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land
Management), two State agencies (Washington Department of Natural
Resources and Oregon Department of Transportation), the Confederated
Tribes of the Grande Ronde Community of Oregon, Washington State
University, and the academic and private sectors.
Our recovery strategy for the species addressed in this recovery
plan is to protect remaining fragments of upland and wet prairie
habitats and to restore them to fully functioning prairie ecosystems.
The recovery plan calls for viable populations of the listed prairie
species to be protected in a series of recovery zones distributed
across their historical ranges. Recovery actions will include habitat
management, restoration of historical disturbance regimes, control of
noxious nonnative plants, carefully planned reintroductions, population
monitoring, active research, and public involvement and outreach. The
recovery actions are designed to ameliorate threats and increase
population sizes of Fender's blue butterfly, Lupinus sulphureus ssp.
kincaidii, Erigeron decumbens var. decumbens, Lomatium bradshawii,
Sidalcea nelsoniana, and Castilleja levisecta to achieve recovery
goals, which, if successful, will allow their eventual delisting
(removal from the List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and
Plants).
The widespread loss and degradation of prairie habitats in western
Oregon and southwestern Washington have been responsible for the
decline of many other plant and animal species associated with these
communities. We believe that a holistic ecosystem-management approach
to the restoration of prairie habitats will not only contribute to the
recovery of the listed prairie species, but that such management will
also contribute to the protection of populations of the associated
prairie species of concern discussed in this plan, as well as other
native prairie species.
Authority: The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the
Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533 (f).
Dated: June 7, 2010.
Carolyn A. Bohan,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-15766 Filed 6-28-10; 8:45 am]
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