[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 15 (Wednesday, January 23, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4865-4866]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-01293]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R1-ES-2012-N199; FXES11130100000C2-123-FF01E00000]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Recovery Plan for
the Columbia Basin Distinct Population Segment of the Pygmy Rabbit
(Brachylagus idahoensis)
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the
availability of the approved Recovery Plan for the Columbia Basin
Distinct Population Segment of the Pygmy Rabbit (Brachylagus
idahoensis). The recovery plan includes recovery objectives and
criteria and prescribes specific recovery actions considered necessary
to achieve downlisting of the population from endangered to threatened
status on the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and
Plants.
ADDRESSES: An electronic copy of the recovery plan is available at
http://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/recovery-plans.html and http://www.fws.gov/pacific/ecoservices/endangered/recovery/plans.html. Copies
of the recovery plan are also available by request from the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, Eastern Washington Field Office, 11103 East
Montgomery Drive, Spokane, Washington 99206 (phone: 509-891-6839).
Printed copies of the recovery plan will be available for distribution
within 4 to 6 weeks of publication of this notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Warren, Fish and Wildlife
Biologist, at the above Spokane address and telephone number.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We announce the availability of the approved
Recovery Plan for the Columbia Basin Distinct Population Segment of the
Pygmy Rabbit (Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit).
Background
Recovery of endangered or threatened animals and plants is the
primary goal of the Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973, as amended
(16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Recovery means improvement of the status of a
listed species to the point at which listing it is no longer required
under the criteria set forth in section 4(a)(1) of the Act and its
implementing regulations at 50 CFR 424. The Act requires the
development of recovery plans for endangered or threatened species
unless such a plan would not promote the conservation of the species.
Recovery plans help guide the recovery effort by prescribing actions
considered necessary for the conservation of the species, establishing
criteria for downlisting or delisting listed species, and estimating
time and cost for implementing the measures needed for recovery.
In 2007 we developed a draft recovery plan (Draft) for the Columbia
Basin pygmy rabbit in coordination with the Columbia Basin Pygmy Rabbit
Recovery Team, which included representatives from two U.S. Department
of the Interior bureaus (Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land
Management), one U.S. Department of Agriculture bureau (Natural
Resources Conservation Service), two State agencies (Washington
Department of Fish and Wildlife and Washington Department of Natural
Resources), Washington State University, The Nature Conservancy, Oregon
Zoo, Foster Creek Conservation District, and several adjunct expert
contributors. In order to address available new information, ongoing
implementation of adaptive management measures, and prescribed changes
to specific actions defined in the Draft, we developed an amendment to
the draft recovery plan (Amendment) for the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit
in 2011. Several of the above recovery team members also contributed to
development of the Amendment and the final approved recovery plan.
Section 4(f) of the Act requires public notice and an opportunity
for public review and comment during recovery plan development. From
September 7 through November 6, 2007, we provided the Draft to the
public and solicited comments (72 FR 51461). From June 29 through
August 29, 2011, we provided the Amendment to the public and solicited
comments (76 FR 38203). We considered all information we received
during the public comment periods, along with comments solicited from
expert peer reviewers, and have summarized that information and our
responses to comments in an appendix to the final recovery plan. We
welcome continuing comment on the recovery plan, and we will consider
all substantive comments on an ongoing basis to inform the
implementation of
[[Page 4866]]
recovery activities and future updates to the recovery plan.
Large-scale loss and fragmentation of native shrub steppe habitats,
primarily for agricultural development, likely played a primary role in
the long-term decline of the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit. By 2001, the
Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit was imminently threatened by its small
population size, loss of genetic diversity, and inbreeding depression,
coupled with a lack of suitable protected habitats in the wild. To
varying degrees, these influences continue to impact the Columbia Basin
pygmy rabbit.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife began a captive
breeding program for the Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit in 2001 and an
intercross breeding strategy in 2003. Due to severe inbreeding
depression in the purebred captive animals, intercross breeding was
conducted to facilitate genetic restoration of the Columbia Basin pygmy
rabbit, and is considered essential for recovery efforts. Intercross
breeding was accomplished through carefully controlled matings between
the founding purebred Columbia Basin animals and pygmy rabbits of the
same taxonomic classification from a discrete population in Idaho. The
last known wild subpopulation of pygmy rabbits within the Columbia
Basin was extirpated by early 2004, although other wild subpopulations
may still exist on lands that have not yet been surveyed.
In March of 2007, 20 captive-bred, intercrossed pygmy rabbits were
reintroduced to habitats historically occupied by the species in the
Columbia Basin of central Washington. Through monitoring it was
determined that these captive-bred animals experienced very high
mortality over the first several weeks following their release, and
none are believed to have survived. Following the development and
implementation of appropriate adaptive management measures,
reintroduction efforts were resumed in the summer of 2011. The new
measures that have been implemented include additional releases of the
captive-bred intercrossed pygmy rabbits, the capture and translocation
of wild pygmy rabbits from populations outside of the Columbia Basin
for inclusion in the reintroduction program, initiation of partially
controlled field-breeding efforts, and improved protective measures
during releases. As these new measures have been implemented, the need
for continuing captive breeding efforts has steadily diminished, and
captive breeding operations at the three cooperating facilities were
discontinued by the end of July 2012.
The recovery plan prescribes a phased approach for recovery: (1)
Removal or abatement of imminent threats to the population and
potentially suitable shrub-steppe habitats in the Columbia Basin; (2)
reestablishment of an appropriate number and distribution of free-
ranging subpopulations over the near term; and (3) establishment and
protection of a sufficiently resilient, free-ranging population that
would be expected to withstand foreseeable long-term threats. This
recovery strategy is oriented to dynamic adaptive management of the
Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit and its habitat, consistent with the
Service's Strategic Habitat Conservation process, which calls for an
iterative process of biological planning, conservation design,
conservation delivery, and monitoring and research. The biological
planning and conservation design set forth in this recovery plan lay
out the criteria for recovery and identify localities for implementing
actions, while the recovery actions describe a process for implementing
conservation on the ground, outcome-based monitoring to assess success,
and ongoing assumption-driven research to test biological hypotheses
important to management. To facilitate this strategy, specific near-
term (i.e., 2012 to 2021) and more general long-term objectives and
criteria have been established. In addition, revised implementation
schedules will be developed, as necessary, to reflect the knowledge
gained, accomplishments met, potential future constraints encountered,
and consequent refinements to near-term recovery objectives, criteria,
and/or actions as recovery progresses.
Authority: The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the
Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Dated: December 11, 2012.
Richard R. Hannan,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-01293 Filed 1-22-13; 8:45 am]
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