[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 16 (Friday, January 24, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4334-4336]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-01203]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[Docket No. FWS-R3-ES-2019-0100; FXES11130300000-190-FF03E00000]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Recovery
Plan for the Rusty Patched Bumble Bee
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability and request for public comment.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the
availability of the draft recovery plan for rusty patched bumble bee
for public review and comment. We request review and comment on this
draft recovery plan from local, State, and Federal agencies, and the
public.
DATES: We must receive comments by February 24, 2020.
ADDRESSES: Document availability: The draft recovery plan, along with
any comments and other materials that we receive, will be available for
public inspection at http://www.regulations.gov in Docket No. FWS-R3-
ES-2019-0100.
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Submitting Comments: You may submit comments by one of the
following methods:
Internet: http://www.regulations.gov. Search for and
submit comments on Docket No. FWS-R3-ES-2019-0100.
U.S. mail or hand-delivery: Public Comments Processing,
Attn: Docket No. FWS-R3-ES-2019-0100; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Headquarters, MS: JAO/1N; 5275 Leesburg Pike; Falls Church, VA 22041-
3803.
For more information, see Availability of Public Comments under
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tamara Smith, by phone at 952-252-
0092, via email at tamara_smith@fws.gov, or via the Federal Relay
Service at 800-877-8339.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(Service), announce the availability of the draft recovery plan for the
endangered rusty patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) for public review
and comment. The draft recovery plan includes objective, measurable
criteria and management actions as may be necessary for removal of the
species from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife. We
request review and comment on this draft recovery plan from local,
State, and Federal agencies, and the public.
Recovery Planning
Section 4(f) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended
(Act; 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. Also pursuant to section 4(f) of
the Act, a recovery plan must, to the maximum extent practicable,
include (1) a description of site-specific management actions as may be
necessary to achieve the plan's goals for the conservation and survival
of the species; (2) objective, measurable criteria that, when met,
would support a determination under section 4(a)(1) that the species
should be removed from the List of Endangered and Threatened Species;
and (3) estimates of the time and costs required to carry out those
measures needed to achieve the plan's goal and to achieve intermediate
steps toward that goal.
Species Background
Historically, the rusty patched bumble bee was broadly distributed
across the eastern United States and Upper Midwest, from Maine in the
United States and southern Quebec and Ontario in Canada, south to the
northeast corner of Georgia, reaching west to the eastern edges of
North and South Dakota (Figure 1; USFWS 2016, p. 49). Survival and
successful recruitment require floral resources (for food) from early
spring through fall, undisturbed nest sites in proximity to foraging
resources, and overwintering sites for the next year's queens. Prior to
listing (in 2017), the species experienced a widespread and precipitous
decline. The cause of the decline is unknown, but evidence suggests a
synergistic interaction between an introduced pathogen and exposure to
pesticides (specifically, insecticides and fungicides; USFWS 2016, p.
53). The remaining populations of rusty patched bumble bee are exposed
to a number of interacting stressors, including pathogens, pesticides,
habitat loss and degradation, managed bees, the effects of climate
change, and small population biology (USFWS 2016, p. 40). These
stressors likely operate independently and in combination, causing
synergistic effects. Refer to the Species Status Assessment Report
(USFWS 2016) for a full discussion of the species' biology and threats.
Under the Act, the Service published a final rule to add the rusty
patched bumble bee to the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened
Wildlife as an endangered species on January 11, 2017 (82 FR 3186). The
final rule took effect on February 10, 2017.
Recovery Criteria
The draft recovery criteria are summarized below. For a complete
description of the rationale behind the criteria, the recovery
strategy, management actions, and estimated time and costs associated
with recovery, refer to the Draft Recovery Plan for Rusty Patched
Bumble Bee (see ADDRESSES for document availability).
The ultimate recovery goal is to remove the rusty patched bumble
bee from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
(``delist'') by ensuring the long-term viability of the species in the
wild. In the recovery plan, we define the following criteria for
reclassification (``downlisting'' from endangered to threatened) and
delisting based on the best available information on the species.
Downlisting Criteria
Criterion 1: A minimum of 159 populations distributed across 5
Conservation Units, as specified in the table below.
Criterion 2: A minimum number of healthy populations within each
Conservation Unit, as specified in the table below.
For recovery purposes, a healthy population will be demonstrated
by:
2.1 Consistent detection of at least 5 distinct colonies over the
most recent 10 years. Individual colonies may be identified through
genetic analyses or by using the number of individuals detected (if
proven, through research, to be a reliable method). All 5 colonies do
not need to be detected in each of the 10 years but must be detected in
multiple years.
2.2 Evidence of genetic health over the most recent 10 years.
Genetic health must be demonstrated by at least two genetic metrics
(e.g., effective population size, heterozygosity, and allelic
richness).
2.3 Pathogen and pesticide loads are below levels that could cause
meaningful loss of reproductive capacity of the population.
2.4 A high level of certainty--demonstrated via a rigorous
analysis--that the population will persist given stressors and
environmental variation.
Criterion 3: Population clusters are distributed across a diversity
of habitat types, aspects, slopes, elevations, and latitudes within
each Conservation Unit. A population cluster is two or more healthy
populations that are adjacent to each other.
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Rusty Patched Bumble Bee Conservation Units (CU), Total Number of Historically Occupied Populations per
Conservation Unit, Minimum Number of Populations per Conservation Unit (Downlisting Criterion 1), and the
Minimum Number of Healthy Populations per Conservation Unit (Downlisting Criterion 2)
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Number of historically Minimum number of Minimum number of
Conservation Unit occupied populations populations per CU healthy populations
per CU (Criterion 1) per CU (Criterion 2)
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CU1: Upper West...................... 274 32 16
CU2: Lower West...................... 125 14 7
CU3: Midwest......................... 347 40 20
CU4: Southeast....................... 250 29 14
CU5: Northeast....................... 389 45 22
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Total............................ 1,385 159 80
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Delisting Criteria
Criterion 1: Downlisting criteria 1, 2, and 3 have been met.
Criterion 2: Mechanisms are in place that provide a high level of
certainty that downlisting Criteria 1, 2, and 3 will continue to be met
into the foreseeable future.
In achieving delisting Criterion 2, Conservation Unit-specific
mechanisms should ensure:
2.1 Population abundance, numbers, and distribution will be
maintained at the levels required to meet downlisting criteria,
2.2 Sufficient quality and quantity of suitable habitat will be
maintained, and
2.3 The negative effects of the primary threats (including but not
limited to pathogens, pesticides, climate change, and managed bees)
will be managed.
Availability of Public Comments
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--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
Authority
The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered
Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Lori Nordstrom,
Assistant Regional Director, Ecological Services, Midwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2020-01203 Filed 1-23-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P