[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 207 (Friday, October 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57468-57470]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-23317]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R1-ES-2019-N094; FXES11130100000-190- FF01E00000]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Amendment to
the Recovery Plan for the Rough Popcornflower
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of a draft amendment updating the recovery criteria in the
Recovery Plan for the Rough Popcornflower (Plagiobothrys hirtus). Rough
popcornflower, listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act
(ESA), is an annual herb in the borage family (Boraginaceae), endemic
to wet swales and meadows in Douglas County, Oregon. We are updating
recovery criteria to better assist in determining when the species has
recovered to the point that it may be reclassified as threatened, or
that the protections afforded by the ESA are no longer necessary and
the species may be removed from the ESA's protections. We request
review of this draft recovery plan amendment and invite comments from
local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies, nongovernmental
organizations, and the public.
DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive written comments on or
before November 25, 2019. However, we will accept information about the
species at any time.
ADDRESSES: Reviewing documents: If you wish to review the draft
recovery plan amendment, you may obtain copies on our website, at
https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/Draft_Amendment_Rough_Popcornflower_Recovery_Plan_2019.pdf. You may
also request copies of the draft recovery plan amendment by contacting
Michele Zwartjes at the U.S. mail or email address below.
Submitting comments: If you wish to comment, submit your comments
by one of the following methods:
1. U.S. Mail or Hand-Delivery: You may submit written comments and
materials to Field Supervisor, Attention: Rough Popcornflower Recovery
Plan Amendment, Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service, 2600 SE 98th Ave., Suite 100, Portland, OR 97266; or
2. Email: You may send comments by email to fw1ofwo@fws.gov. Please
include ``Rough Popcornflower Draft Recovery Plan Amendment Comments''
in the subject line.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michele Zwartjes, Recovery
Coordinator, at the above Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office mailing
address and email, or by telephone at 503-231-6179. Individuals who are
hearing impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339 for
TTY assistance.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
[[Page 57469]]
availability of a draft recovery plan amendment, which updates recovery
criteria for the rough popcornflower.
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
ESA. Recovery means improvement of the status of listed species to the
point at which listing is no longer appropriate under the criteria set
out in section 4(a)(1) of the ESA. The ESA 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 feasible and
effective roadmap for a species' recovery, with the goal of improving
its status and managing its threats to the point at which protections
under the ESA are no longer needed. Recovery plans must be designed so
that all stakeholders and the public understand the rationale behind
the recovery program, whether they were involved in writing the plan or
not, and recognize their role in its implementation. We are requesting
submission of any information that enhances the necessary understanding
of the species' biology and threats and its recovery needs and related
implementation issues or concerns, to ensure that we have assembled,
considered, and incorporated the best available scientific and
commercial information into the draft recovery plan amendment.
Recovery plans provide important guidance to the Service, States,
other partners, and the general public on methods of minimizing threats
to listed species and objectives against which to measure the progress
towards recovery; they are guidance and not regulatory documents. A
recovery plan identifies, organizes, and prioritizes recovery actions
and is an important guide that ensures sound scientific decision-making
throughout the recovery process, which can take decades.
Recovery Plan Amendment
Keeping recovery plans current ensures that threatened species and
endangered species benefit through timely partner-coordinated
implementation of recovery actions.
A review of a recovery plan and its implementation may show that
the plan is out of date or that the plan's usefulness is limited and
the plan warrants modification. The need for, and extent of, recovery
plan modifications will vary considerably among recovery plans,
depending on the scope and complexity of the initial plan, the
structure of the document, and the involvement of stakeholders.
Recovery plan modifications can range from relatively minor updates to
a substantial rewrite that revises the existing plan in part (i.e., an
amendment to one of the sections that modifies the existing plan), or
in full (i.e., a full revision that completely replaces the existing
plan). The need for a recovery plan amendment or revision may be
triggered when, among other possibilities: (1) New information has been
identified, such as population-level threats to the species or
previously unknown life-history traits, which necessitates new or
revised recovery strategy, actions, or criteria, or revision of all
three in order to maintain the adequacy of the plan; and (2) the
current plan is not achieving its objectives. Amendments and revisions
benefit endangered and threatened species, our partners, and the public
by keeping recovery plans consistent with current information about
what is needed for species' recovery.
Substantive amendment of recovery plans requires public notice and
comment under section 4(f)(4) of the ESA, including: (1) A Federal
Register notice of availability to give opportunity for public review
and comment, (2) consideration of all information presented during the
public comment period, and (3) approval by the Regional Director. When
finalized, this recovery plan amendment will be made publicly available
on the internet through our Environmental Conservation Online System
(ECOS, https://ecos.fws.gov).
Recovery Plan for Rough Popcornflower
The Service approved a recovery plan for rough popcornflower in
2003; however, the original plan did not establish criteria for
removing rough popcornflower from the Federal List of Endangered and
Threatened Plants (delisting).
Since the publication of the recovery plan in 2003, new information
has been gathered on the species' biology, distribution, and threats,
leading us to propose modifiying the original downlisting criteria
(reclassifying rough popcornflower from endangered to threatened
status) and to develop new delisting criteria. Therefore, this document
describing these criteria will serve as a draft amendment to the 2003
recovery plan.
The recovery criteria established in a recovery plan (such as those
proposed in this draft recovery plan amendment) will serve as an
indicator that a review of the species' status is advisable, and we may
consider downlisting, or if appropriate, removal from the Federal List
of Endangered and Threatened Plants following a five factor analysis in
accordance with section 4(a)(1) of the ESA.
Request for Public Comments
Section 4(f) of the ESA requires us to provide public notice and an
opportunity for public review and comment during recovery plan
development. It is also our policy to request peer review of recovery
plans (July 1, 1994; 59 FR 34270). In an appendix to the approved
recovery plan amendment, we will summarize and respond to the issues
raised by the public and peer reviewers. Substantive comments may or
may not result in changes to the recovery plan; comments regarding
recovery plan implementation will be forwarded as appropriate to
Federal or other entities so that they can be taken into account during
the course of implementing recovery actions. Responses to individual
commenters will not be provided, but we will provide a summary of how
we addressed substantive comments in an appendix to the approved
recovery plan amendment.
We invite written comments on the draft recovery plan amendment. In
particular, we are interested in additional information regarding the
current threats to the species, ongoing beneficial management efforts,
and the costs associated with implementing the recommended recovery
actions.
Public Availability of Comments
All comments received, including names and addresses, will become
part of the administrative record and will be available to the public.
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other
personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware
that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--will be publicly available. If you submit a hardcopy
comment that includes personal identifying information, you may request
at the top of your document that we withhold this information from
public review. However, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do
so. Comments and materials we receive will be available, by
appointment, for public inspection during normal business hours at our
office (see ADDRESSES).
Authority
The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered
Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1533 (f)).
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Dated: August 8, 2019.
Robyn Thorson,
Regional Director, Pacific Region.
[FR Doc. 2019-23317 Filed 10-24-19; 8:45 am]
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