[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 215 (Thursday, November 6, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65982-65983]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-26362]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-ES-2014-N167; FXES11130400000C2-145-FF04E00000]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Final Recovery
Plan for Georgia Pigtoe Mussel, Interrupted Rocksnail, and Rough
Hornsnail
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability
of the final recovery plan for the endangered Georgia pigtoe mussel,
interrupted rocksnail, and rough hornsnail. The final recovery plan
includes specific recovery objectives and criteria the interrupted
rocksnail and rough hornsnail would have to meet in order for us to
downlist them to threatened status under the Endangered Species Act of
1973, as amended (Act). Recovery criteria for the Georgia pigtoe will
be developed after we complete critical recovery actions and gain a
greater understanding of the species.
ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of the recovery plan by contacting
Jeff Powell at the Alabama Field Office, by U.S. mail at U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, Alabama Field Office, 1208-B Main Street, Daphne, AL
36526, or by telephone at (251) 441-5858; or by visiting our recovery
plan Web site at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/recovery-plans.html.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff Powell (see ADDRESSES above).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
We listed the Georgia pigtoe mussel (Pleurobema hanleyianum),
interrupted rocksnail (Leptoxis foremani), and rough hornsnail
(Pleurocera foremani) as endangered species under the Act (16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.) on November 2, 2010 (75 FR 67512). All three species are
endemic to the Coosa River drainage of the Mobile River Basin in
Alabama and Georgia; the Georgia pigtoe also occurs in a Coosa River
tributary in Tennessee. All three species have disappeared from 90
percent or more of their historical ranges, primarily due to
impoundment of riverine habitats. A single population of interrupted
rocksnail is known to survive in the Oostanaula River, Georgia. There
are five localized populations of rough hornsnail, one each in
Yellowleaf Creek, Alabama; lower Walnut Creek, Alabama; lower Hatchet
and Weogufka Creeks,
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Alabama; and the lower Coosa River, Alabama. Surviving populations of
Georgia pigtoe occur in the Conasauga River, Georgia, and possibly in
the Coosa River (Weiss Bypass), Alabama. Both the rough hornsnail and
interrupted rocksnail are State listed as a Priority 1 (P1) species in
Alabama, while the Georgia pigtoe is State listed as endangered in
Georgia.
Approximately 258 km (160 mi) of stream channels in the Coosa River
drainage have been designated as critical habitat for the interrupted
rocksnail (101 km (63 mi)), rough hornsnail (27.4 km (17 mi)), and
Georgia pigtoe mussel (153 km (95 mi)). Critical habitat is located in
Cherokee, Clay, Coosa, Elmore and Shelby Counties, Alabama; Gordon,
Floyd, Murray, and Whitfield Counties, Georgia; and Bradley and Polk
Counties, Tennessee.
The Georgia pigtoe mussel has a Federal recovery priority number of
5, which indicates that the species faces a high degree of threat but
also has a low recovery potential. The interrupted rocksnail and rough
hornsnail both have a recovery priority number of 2, which indicates
that both species are facing a high degree of threat but have a high
recovery potential.
Background
Restoring an endangered or threatened animal or plant to the point
where it is again a secure, self-sustaining member of its ecosystem is
a primary goal of our endangered species program. To help guide the
recovery effort, we prepare recovery plans for most listed species.
Recovery plans describe actions considered necessary for conservation
of the species, establish criteria for downlisting or delisting, and
estimate time and cost for implementing recovery measures.
The Act requires the development of recovery plans for listed
species, unless such a plan would not promote the conservation of a
particular species. Section 4(f) of the Act requires us to provide
public notice and an opportunity for public review and comment during
recovery plan development. We will consider all information presented
during a public comment period prior to approval of each new or revised
recovery plan. We and other Federal agencies will take these comments
into account in the course of implementing approved recovery plans.
We made the draft of this recovery plan available for public
comment from July 3, 2013, through September 3, 2013 (78 FR 40162). We
received no public comments. We considered the information received
from peer reviewers in our preparation and approval of this final
recovery plan.
Recovery Plan Components
The Service's recovery objectives are to work to reduce threats so
that the interrupted rocksnail and rough hornsnail may be downlisted to
threatened status, and to prevent further decline of the Georgia
pigtoe's Conasauga River population and prevent extinction of the
species as a whole. Defining reasonable downlisting or delisting
criteria for the Georgia pigtoe is not possible at this time, given the
current low number of populations and individuals, lack of information
about the species' biology, and magnitude of threats. Therefore, this
recovery plan only establishes downlisting criteria for the two snails.
Instead of establishing downlisting or delisting criteria at this time
for Georgia pigtoe, we are identifying preliminary actions to help us
prevent its extinction until we can obtain further information on this
species and determine recovery criteria.
Downlisting of the interrupted rocksnail and rough hornsnail will
be considered when we:
1. Protect and manage at least three geographically distinct
populations for each species (to achieve this criterion, the
populations can include the Oostanaula for the interrupted rocksnail
and Yellowleaf Creek and Lower Coosa River for the rough hornsnail);
2. Achieve demonstrated and sustainable natural reproduction and
recruitment in each population for each species as evident by multiple
age classes of individuals, including naturally recruited juveniles,
and recruitment rates exceeding mortality rates for a period of 5
years; and
3. Develop and implement habitat and population monitoring programs
for each population.
The following actions are identified as necessary to help prevent
the extinction of the Georgia pigtoe:
1. Maintain, and where possible conduct efforts to improve, the
Conasauga River population;
2. Develop and implement a monitoring plan to evaluate population
size in response to management actions;
3. Develop a captive propagation program and establish an ark
population (a secure, maintained captive population) to help support
the Conasauga River population;
4. Conduct research, such as identification of an appropriate fish
host, that is important to gain better understanding of this mussel's
life history; and
5. Identify, monitor, and where possible improve potential
reintroduction sites in the species' historic range.
Authority
The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered
Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533 (f).
Dated: August 20, 2014.
Mike Oetker,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. 2014-26362 Filed 11-4-14; 8:45 am]
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