[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 56 (Friday, March 22, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 17709]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-06621]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R1-ES-2012-N198; FXES11130100000C2-123-FF01E00000]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Recovery Plan for
Rogue and Illinois Valley Vernal Pool and Wet Meadow Ecosystems
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 Rogue and Illinois
Valley Vernal Pool and Wet Meadow Ecosystems. The recovery plan
addresses two endangered plant species that are endemic to southern
Oregon, and also includes some recommendations for other species in
these ecosystems. The plan includes recovery objectives and criteria,
and prescribes specific recovery actions necessary to achieve
downlisting and delisting of the species from 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, Roseburg Field Office, 2900 NW. Stewart Parkway,
Roseburg, Oregon 97470 (phone: 541-957-3474). 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: Sam Friedman, Botanist, at the above
Roseburg address.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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
federally 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 part 424. The Act requires the
development of recovery plans for listed species unless such a plan
would not promote the conservation of a particular 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.
Section 4(f) of the Act requires public notice and an opportunity
for public review and comment during recovery plan development. From
September 22, 2006, through November 21, 2006, we provided the draft of
this recovery plan to the public and solicited comments (71 FR 55508).
We considered information we received during the public comment period
and comments from peer reviewers in our preparation of the final
recovery plan, and have summarized that information and our responses
to comments in Appendix G of the approved recovery plan. We welcome
continuing public comment on this recovery plan, and we will consider
all substantive comments on an ongoing basis to inform the
implementation of recovery activities and future updates to the
recovery plan.
In this recovery plan, we describe our recovery strategies and
objectives for two endangered plants: Lomatium cookii (Cook's desert-
parsley) and Limnanthes floccosa ssp. grandiflora (equivalent to
Limnanthes pumila ssp. grandiflora in current taxonomy) (large-flowered
woolly meadowfoam). The plan also provides recommendations for recovery
of the threatened vernal pool fairy shrimp (Branchinecta lynchi) within
Oregon, supplementing the existing rangewide recovery plan for the
species that was published on March 7, 2006 (71 FR 11441). In addition,
site-specific information and recommendations for long-term
conservation are provided for seven species of conservation concern.
The species addressed in this recovery plan occur in vernal pool,
swale, or seasonal wet meadow habitats within southern Oregon and are
largely confined to limited areas by topographic constraints, soil
types, and climatic conditions. Surrounding (or associated) upland
habitat is critical to the proper ecological function of these vernal
pool habitats. Most of the vernal pool plants and animals addressed in
the recovery plan have life histories adapted to the short period for
growth and reproduction within inundated or drying pools and meadows
interspersed with long dormant periods and extreme year-to-year
variation in rainfall. All of the species addressed in this recovery
plan are threatened by the continued degradation, loss, and
fragmentation of their native vernal pool or wet meadow ecosystems.
The recovery actions described in this recovery plan include: (1)
Protection, management, and restoration of vernal pool and wet meadow
habitat; (2) population status surveys and monitoring; (3) research on
biology and management of the species; and (4) enhancement of public
awareness and participation in species recovery. The recovery strategy
is oriented to adaptive management of vernal pool and wet meadow
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.
The objective of this recovery plan is to recover the two endangered
plants and the threatened animal species sufficiently to warrant
delisting, and to ensure the long-term conservation of the seven taxa
of concern. An interim goal is to downlist Lomatium cookii and
Limnanthes floccosa ssp. grandiflora from endangered to threatened
status.
Authority
The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered
Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533 (f).
Dated: November 6, 2012.
Richard R. Hannan,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-06621 Filed 3-21-13; 8:45 am]
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