[Federal Register: February 3, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 22)]
[Notices]
[Page 5567-5568]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr03fe98-91]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Availability of a Draft Recovery Plan for the Pawnee Montane
Skipper (Hesperia leonardus montana) for Review and Comment
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability.
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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service announces the availability for
public review of a draft recovery plan for the pawnee montane skipper
(Hesperia leonardus montana). The pawnee montane skipper currently
exists on 38 square miles in the South Platte River drainage system in
Colorado. The Service solicits review and comment from the public on
this draft recovery plan.
DATES: Comments on the draft recovery plan must be received on or
before June 3, 1998 to ensure they receive consideration by the
Service.
ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review the draft recovery plan may obtain
a copy by contacting the Partnerships Coordinator, Fish and Wildlife
Service, P.O. Box 25486, Denver Federal Center, Denver, Colorado 80225.
Written comments and materials regarding this plan should be sent to
the above address. Comments and materials received are available on
request for public inspection, by appointment, during normal business
hours at the above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Bettina Proctor, Partnerships Coordinator (see ADDRESSES above), at
(303) 236-8155, extension 259.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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 the Service's endangered species program. To help
guide the recovery effort, the Service is working to prepare recovery
plans for most of the listed species native to the United States.
Recovery plans describe actions considered necessary for conservation
of the species, establish criteria for recovery levels for downlisting
or delisting them, and estimate time and cost for implementing the
recovery measure needed.
The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.), 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, as amended in 1988, requires that
public notice and an opportunity for public review and comment be
provided during recovery plan development. The Service will consider
all information presented during a public comment period prior to
approval of each new or revised recovery plan. The Service and other
Federal Agencies also will take these comments into account in the
course of implementing approved recovery plans.
The pawnee montane skipper was listed as threatened on September
25, 1987 (52 FR 36176). The skipper occurs only on the Pikes Peak
Granite Formation in the South Platte River drainage system in Colorado
involving portions of Jefferson, Douglas, Teller, and Park counties.
The total known habitat within the range is estimated to be 37.9 square
miles.
At the time of listing, the skipper habitat was threatened with the
construction of Two Forks Dam and Reservoir by the Denver Water
Department, and associated development. In 1990, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency did not approve the construction of the dam, removing
the immediate principal threat to the skipper's habitat. In the long
term, plans to develop a reservoir in the South Platte drainage which
might negatively affect skipper habitat may resurface.
Because of the limited habitat and range of the Pawnee montane
skipper, unexpected environmental, random (stochastic) events could
also have a major deleterious effect on the
[[Page 5568]]
population. Population biologists (Ehrlich and Murphy 1982) assert that
random population changes due to stochastic events are more likely to
cause the loss of small populations than are genetic changes.
Recovery Objectives: To protect and maintain through proper
vegetation management, all of the defined skipper habitat on public
land in the South Platte River drainage so that fragmentation of
habitat is avoided and skippers are distributed throughout the range.
Recovery efforts will concentrate on creation of Memoranda of
Understanding between land management agencies to provide for
maintenance and enhancement of habitat; monitoring skipper presence;
monitoring skipper habitat quality and trends, determination of
management criteria for habitat maintenance; and education of private
landowners and seeking opportunities for conservation agreements to
allow enhancement of skipper habitat on private lands.
Public Comments Solicited
The Service solicits written comments on the recovery plan
described above. All comments received by the date specified in the
DATES section above will be considered prior to approval of the
recovery plan.
Authority
The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered
Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Dated: January 21, 1998.
Terry Terrell,
Deputy Regional Director, Denver, Colorado.
[FR Doc. 98-2159 Filed 2-2-98; 8:45 am]
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