Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 29 Draft Recovery Plan Revisions for 42 Species Across the United States

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce for public review and comment the availability of 29 draft recovery plan revisions, which update recovery criteria for 42 endangered or threatened species located in 11 States (Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, and South Carolina) and 4 unincorporated territories (Guam, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Virgin Islands). We are updating recovery criteria to better assist in determining when an endangered species has recovered to the point that it may be reclassified as threatened, or that the protections afforded by the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), are no longer necessary and the species may be removed from the Act's protections. We request review of these draft recovery plan revisions and comments from local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and the public.