[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 163 (Monday, August 24, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51297-51298]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-20846]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R8-ES-2015-N138; FXES11130000-156-FF08E00000]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Recovery Plans for
the Pallid Manzanita and the Baker's Larkspur
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability of documents.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the
availability of final recovery plans for two plants, the pallid
manzanita and the Baker's larkspur. The recovery plan for pallid
manzanita includes recovery objectives and criteria, and specific
actions necessary to achieve removal of the species from the Federal
Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. The recovery
plan for Baker's larkspur includes downlisting objectives and criteria,
and specific actions necessary to reclassify the species from
endangered to threatened on the Federal Lists of Endangered and
Threatened Wildlife and Plants.
ADDRESSES: You may obtain copies of the recovery plans from our Web
site at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/recovery-plans.html.
Alternatively, you may contact the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2800 Cottage Way, Suite W-2605,
Sacramento, CA 95825 (telephone 916-414-6700).
[[Page 51298]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Norris, Field Supervisor, at
the above street address or telephone number (see ADDRESSES).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Recovery of endangered or threatened animals and plants to the
point where they are again secure, self-sustaining members of their
ecosystems is a primary goal of our endangered species program and the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.). Recovery means improvement of the status of listed species to
the point at which listing is no longer appropriate under the criteria
specified in section 4(a)(1) of the Act. The Act requires the
development of recovery plans for listed species, unless such a plan
would not promote the conservation of a particular species.
The purpose of a recovery plan is to provide a framework for the
recovery of species so that protection under the Act is no longer
necessary. A recovery plan includes scientific information about the
species and provides criteria that enable us to gauge whether
downlisting or delisting the species may be warranted. Furthermore,
recovery plans help guide our recovery efforts by describing actions we
consider necessary for each species' conservation and by estimating
time and costs for implementing needed recovery measures.
Section 4(f) of the Act requires us to provide an opportunity for
public review and comment prior to finalization of recovery plans,
including revisions to such plans. We made the draft recovery plan for
pallid manzanita available for public comment from March 3, 2014,
through June 2, 2014 (79 FR 11816). We made the draft recovery plan for
Baker's larkspur available for public comment from January 13, 2015,
through March 16, 2015 (80 FR 1659). We did not receive comments during
the public comment periods for either of the draft recovery plans.
Recovery Plan for Pallid Manzanita (Arctostaphylos pallida)
Species' History
We listed pallid manzanita throughout its entire range on April 22,
1998 (63 FR 19842). The species is endemic to the San Francisco East
Bay, and currently consists of two naturally occurring populations and
an out-planted population, totaling 1,353 mature plants. Pallid
manzanita requires frequent summertime fog, and, as a component of the
maritime chaparral vegetation type, it occurs on relatively cool,
moist, and stable sites in close proximity to the San Francisco Bay. It
is highly shade intolerant and adapted to a particular fire regime. The
species requires fire for natural seed germination; however, too
frequent a fire regime, one that depletes the soil seed bank before
enough seeds have become deeply buried enough in the soil to withstand
fire, represents a significant threat to the species. Approximately
one-third of all plants occur within the backyards of homeowners, and
almost all individuals occur in close proximity to human-built
structures. These plants represent an extreme wildfire hazard to human-
built structures, and have been targeted for removal to reduce the
threat of wildfire. Finally, an incurable and virulent nonnative
pathogen, Phytophthora cinnamomi, has been identified as killing pallid
manzanita plants at two locations.
Recovery Plan Goals
The ultimate goal of this recovery plan is to recover pallid
manzanita so that it can be delisted. To meet the recovery goal, the
following objectives have been identified:
1. Minimize the spread of Phytophthora cinnamomi.
2. Treat stands infected with Phytophthora cinnamomi.
3. Manage native and nonnative vegetation that shades pallid
manzanita.
4. Expand existing stands.
5. Establish additional stands.
6. Ensure stands are protected from incompatible uses and
incompatible wildfire fuels-reduction activities.
As pallid manzanita meets reclassification and recovery criteria,
we will review its status and consider it for removal from the Federal
Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants.
Recovery Plan for Baker's Larkspur (Delphinium bakeri)
Species' History
We listed Baker's larkspur throughout its entire range on January
26, 2000 (65 FR 4156). The species is endemic to Marin and Sonoma
Counties, California, and is currently known from one small historical
occurrence along Marshall-Petaluma Road in west Marin County. The
remaining historical occurrence of Baker's larkspur occurs on
decomposed shale in the mixed woodland plant community at an elevation
range of 295 feet (ft) (90 meter (m)) to 672 ft (205 m) in moderately
moist, shaded conditions on a shallow veneer of soil along an extensive
north-facing slope. These habitat requirements limit the availability
of suitable reintroduction sites with appropriate habitat conditions
and compatible land use. Although habitat conversion and road
maintenance were historically responsible for decreasing numbers, those
threats have been curtailed. Because of the extreme range restriction
of this already-narrow endemic, and its small population size, the
plant is highly vulnerable to extinction from random events, including
wildfire, herbivory, disease and pest outbreaks, and human disturbance.
Recovery Plan Goals
The goal of this recovery plan is to improve the status of Baker's
larkspur so that it can be downlisted. Due to the current lack of
information about the species' biology and habitat requirements, the
magnitude of current threats, and the precarious environment where the
single historical population of the species persists, we are unable to
determine appropriate delisting criteria; therefore, we focus on
meeting the goal of downlisting. To meet the recovery goal of
downlisting, the following objectives have been identified:
1. Expand the existing populations of Baker's larkspur and
establish additional self-sustaining populations of Baker's larkspur
throughout its known ecological and geographical range, while
preserving extant genetic diversity.
2. Ensure existing and future populations are protected from
incompatible uses, such as road maintenance.
3. Reduce herbivory by slugs, snails, and gophers to the point that
it does not affect the species at a population level.
As Baker's larkspur meets reclassification criteria, we will review
its status and consider it for downlisting on the Federal Lists of
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants.
Authority
We developed our recovery plan under the authority of section 4(f)
of the Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f). We publish this notice under section
4(f) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531
et seq.).
Polly Wheeler,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2015-20846 Filed 8-21-15; 8:45 am]
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