21 Draft Recovery Plan Revisions for 43 Southeastern Species; Notice of Availability

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability for public review and comment of 21 draft recovery plan revisions, which update recovery criteria for 43 endangered or threatened species located in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, and Tennessee, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. We are updating recovery criteria to better assist in determining when an endangered species has recovered to the point that it may be reclassified as threatened, or that the protections afforded by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) are no longer necessary and the species may be removed from the ESA's protections. We request review of these draft recovery plan revisions and invite comments from local, State, Tribal, and Federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and the public.