[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 45 (Monday, March 9, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12521-12522]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05029]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R8-ES-2015-N021; FXES11130000-156-FF08E00000]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Recovery Plan and
Initiation of Status Review for Four Subspecies of Island Fox (Urocyon
littoralis)
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability and initiation of status
reviews.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the
availability of the final recovery plan for the four subspecies of
island fox (Urocyon littoralis). Each of the four subspecies, San
Miguel Island fox (Urocyon littoralis littoralis), Santa Rosa Island
fox (U. l. santarosae), Santa Cruz Island fox (U. l. santacruzae), and
Santa Catalina Island fox (U. l. catalinae), is endemic to the Channel
Island off southern California for which it is named. The recovery plan
includes recovery objectives and criteria, and specific actions
necessary to achieve downlisting and delisting from the Federal Lists
of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. With the publication
of this notice, we are also initiating status reviews of these four
subspecies. A status review is based on the best scientific and
commercial data available at the time of the review; therefore, we are
requesting submission of any such information that has become available
since the listing of these subspecies.
DATES: To ensure consideration, we are requesting submission of new
information for use in the status review no later than May 8, 2015.
However, we will continue to accept new information about any listed
species at any time.
ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of the recovery plan from our Web
site at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/recovery-plans.html. You
may also request a copy of the recovery plan from the Ventura Fish and
Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2493 Portola Road,
Suite B, Ventura, CA 93003 (telephone 805-644-1766). You may submit new
information to be considered in the status reviews to the same address
or by email to fw8islandfox@fws.gov.
For more about submitting information, see ``Request for
Information'' in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Henry, Field Supervisor, at the
above street address or telephone number (see ADDRESSES). Individuals
who are hearing impaired or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay
Service at 800-877-8339 for TTY assistance.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Recovery of endangered or threatened animals and plants to the
point where they are again secure, self-sustaining members of their
ecosystems is a primary goal of our endangered species program and the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.). Recovery means improvement of the status of listed species to
the point at which listing is no longer appropriate under the criteria
specified in section 4(a)(1) of the Act. The Act requires the
development of recovery plans for listed species, unless such a plan
would not promote the conservation of a particular species.
On March 5, 2004, four of the six subspecies of island fox endemic
to the California Channel Islands were listed as endangered following
catastrophic population declines (69 FR 10335). The San Miguel Island
fox declined from an estimated 450 individuals to 15, the Santa Rosa
Island fox declined from over 1,750 individuals to 14, the Santa Cruz
Island fox declined from approximately 1,450 individuals to
approximately 55, and the Santa Catalina Island fox declined from over
1,300 individuals to 103. The San Clemente Island fox (Urocyon
littoralis clementae) and the San Nicolas Island fox (U. l. dickeyi)
were not federally listed in 2004, as their population numbers had not
experienced similar declines.
The two primary threats that resulted in the listing of the four
subspecies of island fox as federally endangered were: (1) Predation by
golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) (San Miguel Island fox, Santa Rosa
Island fox, and Santa Cruz Island fox); and (2) disease (Santa Catalina
Island fox). Additionally, because the size of each island fox
population was drastically reduced, they were highly vulnerable to
stochastic events and the effects of low genetic diversity.
Recovery Plan
The Draft Recovery Plan for Four Subspecies of Island Fox (Urocyon
littoralis) was developed by the Island Fox Recovery Team's Recovery
Coordination Group and was published on September 14, 2012. In
developing the plan, we coordinated with the California Department of
Fish and
[[Page 12522]]
Wildlife, and a team of stakeholders, which included scientific
experts, landowners and managers, agency representatives, and non-
government organizations.
Section 4(f) of the Act requires us to provide an opportunity for
public review and comment prior to finalization of recovery plans. We
made the draft of this recovery plan available for public comment from
September 14, 2012, to November 13, 2012 (77 FR 56858). We considered
all information we received during the public comment period and
revised the recovery plan accordingly.
Recovery Plan Goals
The purpose of a recovery plan is to provide a framework for the
recovery of species so that protection under the Act is no longer
necessary. A recovery plan includes scientific information about the
species and provides criteria that enable us to gauge whether
downlisting or delisting the species is warranted. Furthermore,
recovery plans help guide our recovery efforts by describing actions we
consider necessary for each species' conservation and by estimating
time and costs for implementing needed recovery measures.
To achieve these goals, we have identified the following objectives
in the recovery plan:
(1) Each federally listed subspecies of island fox exhibits
demographic characteristics consistent with long-term viability; and
(2) Land managers are able to respond in a timely fashion to
predation by nesting golden eagles or significant predation rates by
transient golden eagles, to potential or incipient disease outbreaks
and to other identified threats using the best available technology.
Because some or all of the subspecies may meet their recovery
criteria, we are initiating a status review of each subspecies.
Why do we conduct a status review?
Under the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), we maintain Lists of
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants (which we collectively
refer to as the List) in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50
CFR 17.11 (for animals) and 17.12 (for plants). Section 4(c)(2)(A) of
the Act requires us to review each listed species' status at least once
every 5 years. Our regulations at 50 CFR 424.21 require that we publish
a notice in the Federal Register announcing those species under active
review. For additional information about status reviews, go to http://www.fws.gov/endangered/what-we-do/recovery-overview.html, scroll down
to ``Learn More about 5-Year Reviews,'' and click on our factsheet.
What information do we consider in our review?
A status review considers all new information available at the time
of the review. In conducting these reviews, we consider the best
scientific and commercial data that have become available since the
listing determination or most recent status review, such as:
(A) Species biology, including but not limited to population
trends, distribution, abundance, demographics, and genetics;
(B) Habitat conditions, including but not limited to amount,
distribution, and suitability;
(C) Conservation measures that have been implemented that benefit
the species;
(D) Threat status and trends in relation to the five listing
factors (as defined in section 4(a)(1) of the Act); and
(E) Other new information, data, or corrections, including but not
limited to taxonomic or nomenclatural changes, identification of
erroneous information contained in the List, and improved analytical
methods.
Any new information will be considered during the review and will
also be useful in evaluating the ongoing recovery programs for the
species.
Request for Information
To ensure that a status review is complete and based on the best
available scientific and commercial information, we request new
information from all sources. See ``What Information Do We Consider in
Our Review?'' for specific criteria. If you submit information, please
support it with documentation such as maps, bibliographic references,
methods used to gather and analyze the data, and/or copies of any
pertinent publications, reports, or letters by knowledgeable sources.
Public Availability of Submissions
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
Comments and materials received will be available for public
inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the offices
where the comments are submitted.
Authority
We developed our recovery plan and initiate these reviews under the
authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.).
Dated: February 27, 2015.
Alexandra Pitts,
Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2015-05029 Filed 3-6-15; 8:45 am]
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