[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 166 (Friday, August 26, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53482-53483]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21879]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R8-ES-2010-N198; 80221-1113-0000-C2]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of
Availability of a Revised Recovery Plan for the Mojave Population of
the Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of a revised recovery plan for the Mojave population of
the desert tortoise under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (Act). This species is found in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts
in southern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, and the southwestern
tip of Utah in the United States, as well as in Sonora and northern
Sinaloa in Mexico. The listed Mojave population of the desert tortoise
includes those animals living north and west of the Colorado River in
the Mojave Desert of California, Nevada, Arizona, and southwestern
Utah, and in the Sonoran (Colorado) Desert in California.
ADDRESSES: An electronic copy of the revised recovery plan is available
at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/recovery-plans.html.
Alternatively, the revised recovery plan and reference materials are
available by appointment, during normal business hours, at the
following location: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Nevada Fish and
Wildlife Office, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Suite 234, Reno, NV 89502
(telephone: 775-861-6300). Requests for copies of the revised recovery
plan should be addressed to the State Supervisor at the above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roy Averill-Murray, Desert Tortoise
Recovery Coordinator, at the above address or telephone number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Recovery of endangered or threatened animals
and plants is a 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. Recovery plans describe actions considered
necessary for the conservation of the species, establish criteria for
downlisting or delisting listed species, and estimate time and cost for
implementing the measures needed for recovery. The Recovery Plan for
the Mojave Population of the Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) was
first published in 1994, and presented the status of the species, along
with threats, recovery actions, and recovery criteria. Since that time
a great deal of effort has been dedicated to recovery and conservation
activities, and additional information has been obtained through
research and observation that allows us to better focus our recovery
strategy. The revised recovery plan for the Mojave Population of the
desert tortoise is the focus of this notice.
Section 4(f) of the Act directs the Secretaries of Interior and
Commerce to develop and implement recovery plans for species listed as
endangered or threatened, unless such plans will not promote the
conservation of the species. We and the National Marine Fisheries
Service, as appropriate, have been delegated responsibility for
administering the Act. As per Section 4(f) of the Act, we published a
notice of availability for public review and comment on the draft
revised recovery plan on August 4, 2008. We considered all information
we received during the public comment period and revised the recovery
plan accordingly.
The desert tortoise is a large, herbivorous reptile that can reach
20 to 38 centimeters (cm) (8 to 15 inches (in)) in carapace (upper
shell) length and 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) in shell height. Hatchlings
emerge from eggs at about 5 cm (2 in) in length. Adults have a domed
carapace and relatively flat, unhinged plastrons (lower shells). Their
shells are high-domed and greenish-tan to dark brown in color, with tan
scute (horny plate on the shell) centers. Adult desert tortoises weigh
3.6 to 6.8 kilograms (8 to 15 pounds). The forelimbs have heavy, claw-
like scales and are flattened for digging. Hind limbs are more
elephantine.
Throughout most of the Mojave Desert, the desert tortoise occupies
a variety of habitats: From flats and slopes dominated by creosote bush
(Larrea tridentata) scrub at lower elevations, to rocky slopes in the
blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) scrub, and juniper (Juniperus spp.)
woodland interface at higher elevations. Records of desert tortoises
range from below sea level to an elevation of 2,225 meters (7,300
feet), with typical habitat characterized as creosote bush scrub below
1,677 meters (5,500 feet). Desert tortoises most commonly occur on
gently sloping terrain with sandy gravel soils that are friable for
burrowing and where there is sparse cover of low-
[[Page 53483]]
growing shrubs and a high diversity of both perennial and annual
plants.
The desert tortoise occurs in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts in
southern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, and the southwestern tip
of Utah in the United States, as well as in Sonora and northern Sinaloa
in Mexico. The listed Mojave population of the desert tortoise includes
those animals living north and west of the Colorado River in the Mojave
Desert of California, Nevada, Arizona, and southwestern Utah, and in
the Sonoran (Colorado) Desert in California. The first recovery plan
was published in 1994, and critical habitat was also designated in all
four States supporting the species.
Three tortoise species in the genus Gopherus occur in the United
States, and another occurs in Mexico; however, all are geographically
separated from the Mojave population. With the exception of a
geographically undefined Mojave-genotype population (that also shares
Mojave phenotype and habitat-use characteristics with the Mojave
population) in the vicinity of the Black Mountains in Mohave County,
Arizona, the Sonoran population of the desert tortoise is significantly
different both genetically and ecologically, but it could be confused
visually with tortoises of the Mojave population; therefore, the
Service determined the Sonoran population also warranted protection as
a threatened species under section 4(e) of the Endangered Species Act
(similarity of appearance) when located outside of its natural range.
On December 14, 2010, in response to a petition to list the Sonoran
population of the desert tortoise under the Endangered Species Act, the
Service found that listing the Sonoran population is warranted but
precluded by higher priority actions to amend the Lists of Endangered
and Threatened Wildlife and Plants.
The vast majority of threats to the desert tortoise or its habitat
are associated with human land uses. The threats identified in the 1994
Recovery Plan, and that formed the basis for listing the tortoise as a
threatened species, continue to affect the species. Habitat loss,
degradation, and fragmentation from urbanization, off-highway vehicle
use in the desert, linear features such as roads and utility corridors,
poor grazing management and mining, and military activities were cited
as some of the primary reasons for the decline in desert tortoise
populations. Disease and increased incidence of fire in the Mojave
Desert have also been implicated in desert tortoise declines.
Despite clear demonstration that these threats impact individual
tortoises, there are few data available to evaluate or quantify the
effects of threats on desert tortoise populations. While current
research results can lead to predictions about how local tortoise
abundance should be affected by the presence of threats, quantitative
estimates of the magnitude of these threats, or of their relative
importance, have not yet been developed. Thus, it would be challenging
to recover the desert tortoise by singling out a particular threat or
subset of threats to the exclusion of others. In the revised recovery
plan, we underscore the need to build on our understanding of
individual threats but also place new emphasis on understanding their
multiple and synergistic effects, due to the failure of simple threat
models to inform us about tortoise abundance.
The revised strategy emphasizes partnerships to direct and maintain
focus on implementing recovery actions, and a system to track
implementation and effectiveness of those actions. The strategic
elements listed in the revised Recovery Plan are part of a multi-
faceted approach designed to improve the 1994 Recovery Plan. The goals
of the revised recovery plan are recovery and delisting of the desert
tortoise. The objectives and recovery criteria address demography
(maintain self-sustaining populations of desert tortoises within each
recovery unit into the future); distribution (maintain well-distributed
populations of desert tortoises throughout each recovery unit); and
habitat (ensure that habitat within each recovery unit is protected and
managed to support long-term viability of desert tortoise populations).
The strategic elements include the following: (1) Develop, support,
and build partnerships to facilitate recovery; (2) protect existing
populations and habitat, instituting habitat restoration where
necessary; (3) augment depleted populations in a strategic manner; (4)
monitor progress toward recovery; (5) conduct applied research and
modeling in support of recovery efforts within a strategic framework;
and (6) implement a formal adaptive management program through which
information gained while implementing the above strategic elements is
used to revise and improve the recovery plan and recommend management
actions on a regular basis. The success of this revised recovery
strategy will rely heavily upon the involvement of our partners and our
commitment to implementing the strategic elements listed above, coupled
with a functioning adaptive management program.
We developed our recovery plan under the authority of section 4(f)
of the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f). We publish this
notice under section 4(f) Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended
(16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: August 22, 2011.
Ren Lohoefener,
Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2011-21879 Filed 8-25-11; 8:45 am]
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