Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 29 Draft Recovery Plan Revisions for 43 Species in the Pacific, Southwest, and Southeast Regions of the United States

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the availability for public review and comment of 29 draft recovery plan revisions, which update recovery criteria for 43 endangered or threatened species located in 16 States (Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas), two unincorporated territories (the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands), Canada, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, the French West Indies, and Mexico. 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 of 1973, as amended (Act), are no longer necessary and the species may be removed from the Act'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.