[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 127 (Wednesday, July 7, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35824-35825]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-14304]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-ES-2021-N022; FXES11130400000C2-201-FF04E00000]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Recovery
Plan for Agave eggersiana
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability and request for public comment.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the
availability of the draft recovery plan for the Agave eggersiana, a
plant listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. We request
review and comment on this draft recovery plan from local, State, and
Federal agencies; nongovernmental organizations; and the public.
DATES: We must receive comments by September 7, 2021.
ADDRESSES:
Obtaining documents: You may obtain a copy of the plan by
contacting Maritza Vargas, by mail at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Caribbean Ecological Services Field Office, P.O. Box 491,
Boquer[oacute]n, PR 00622; by telephone at 787-851-7297; by the Federal
Relay Service (TTY) at 1-800-877-8339. Alternatively, you may obtain a
copy at http://www.fws.gov/southeast/caribbean.
Submitting comments: If you wish to comment, you may submit your
comments by mail to the Caribbean Ecological Services Field Office, at
the above address, or you may email comments to maritza_vargas@fws.gov.
Please include ``Agave eggersiana Draft Recovery Plan Comments'' in the
email subject line.
For additional information about submitting comments, see Public
Comments below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maritza Vargas at 787-851-7297.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), announce the availability for public review and comment of
the draft recovery plan for Agave eggersiana, a plant listed as
endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.). The draft recovery plan includes specific recovery objectives
and criteria we have identified to better assist us in determining when
the species has recovered to the point that it may be reclassified as
threatened, or that the protections of the ESA are no longer necessary.
We request review and comment on this draft recovery plan from local,
State, and Federal agencies; nongovernmental organizations; and the
public.
Background
Agave eggersiana (no common name) is a flowering plant of the
Agavaceae family (century plant family). The species is restricted to
six natural populations, and seven additional populations established
in different areas known to be part of its historical range. These
populations occur in small, disjunct areas on the northern and southern
coasts of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Agave eggersiana
commonly occurs on coastal cliffs with rocky formations covered with
sparse vegetation and dry coastal scrubland vegetation communities that
occur within the subtropical dry forest life zone.
The ESA states that a species may be listed as endangered or
threatened based on one or more of the five factors outlined in section
4(a)(1) of the ESA. The greatest threats to Agave eggersiana are loss
or degradation of habitat in unstable coastal cliffs (Listing Factor A)
and competition with non-native vegetation for light and space via
succession (Listing Factor E). The species' severely restricted range
and small population increase the likelihood of stochastic events
causing extirpation of stands or populations. As a result of these
threats, Agave eggersiana was listed as endangered under the ESA on
September 9, 2014 (79 FR 53303). Approximately 20.5 hectares (ha) (50.6
acres (ac)), distributed among 6 units on the northern and southern
coasts of St. Croix, were designated as critical habitat on September
9, 2014 (79 FR 53315).
Recovery Plan
Section 4(f)(1) of the ESA requires the development of recovery
plans for listed species, unless such a plan would not promote the
conservation of a particular species. The purpose of a recovery plan is
to provide an effective and feasible roadmap for a species' recovery,
with the goal of improving its status and managing its threats to the
point where the protections of the ESA are no longer needed. The ESA
requires that, to the maximum extent practicable, recovery plans
incorporate the following:
1. Objective, measurable criteria which, when met, would result in
a determination that the species is no longer threatened or endangered;
[[Page 35825]]
2. Site-specific management actions necessary to achieve the plan's
goal for conservation and survival of the species; and
3. Estimates of the time required and costs to implement recovery
plans.
Recovery plans provide important guidance to the Service, States,
other partners, and the general public on methods for minimizing
threats to listed species, as well as objectives against which to
measure the progress towards recovery. A recovery plan identifies,
organizes, and prioritizes recovery actions and is an important guide
that ensures sound scientific decision-making throughout the recovery
process, which can take decades.
Section 4(f)(4) of the ESA 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.
The draft recovery plan describes actions necessary for the
recovery of Agave eggersiana, establishes criteria for its delisting,
and estimates the time and cost for implementing specific measures
needed to recover the species. The ultimate goal of this draft recovery
plan is to ensure the long-term viability of the Agave eggersiana in
the wild to the point that it can be removed from the Federal List of
Endangered and Threatened Plants in title 50 of the Code of Federal
Regulations (50 CFR 17.12).
Recovery Criteria
The draft recovery plan proposes that the Agave eggersiana will be
considered for delisting when:
1. The six existing natural populations on St. Croix (South Shore,
Cane Garden Bay, Manchenil Bay, Protestant Cay, Great Pond, and West
Vagthus Point) are protected through long-term conservation mechanisms
(addresses Factors A, B, and E).
2. The six existing natural populations on St. Croix (South Shore,
Cane Garden Bay, Manchenil Bay, Protestant Cay, Great Pond, and West
Vagthus Point) show a stable or increasing trend, evidenced by natural
recruitment and multiple age classes (addresses Factors A and E).
3. Ten new populations have been established on protected areas
within the historical range of the species, showing a stable or
increasing population trend, evidenced by natural recruitment and
multiple age classes (addresses Factors A, C, and E).
4. Threats have been addressed and/or managed to the extent that
the species will remain viable into the foreseeable future (addresses
Factors A, B, C, D, and E).
Public Comments
We request written comments on the draft recovery plan. We will
consider all comments we receive by the date specified in DATES prior
to final approval of the plan.
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.
Authority
The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered
Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Leopoldo Miranda-Castro,
Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 2021-14304 Filed 7-6-21; 8:45 am]
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