Notice of Availability of the Final Recovery Plan for the Pecos Sunflower (Helianthus paradoxus)

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the availability of the Final Recovery Plan for the Pecos sunflower (Helianthus paradoxus). The Pecos sunflower is a wetland annual plant that grows on wet, alkaline soils at spring seeps, wet meadows and pond margins. It occurs in seven widely spaced populations in west-central and eastern New Mexico and west Texas. Loss and/or alteration of wetland habitat is the primary threat to Pecos sunflower, primarily by surface water diversion and wetland filling for agriculture and recreational uses, and groundwater pumping and aquifer depletion for municipal uses. The Recovery Plan outlines the necessary criteria, objectives, and actions to reduce these threats and accomplish the goal of delisting the Pecos sunflower.