Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Reclassification of Lesquerella filiformis (Missouri Bladderpod) from Endangered to Threatened

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to reclassify Lesquerella filiformis (Missouri bladderpod) from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). We are proposing this reclassification because the endangered designation no longer correctly reflects the current status of this plant based on the plant's significant progress toward recovery, and in response to a petition from the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) to reclassify this species. Since the time of listing, the number of known populations of the plant has substantially increased and the threats to some of the larger populations have decreased because of land acquisition, landowner contact programs, and beneficial management initiatives. This proposal, if made final, would extend the Federal protection and recovery provisions for threatened plants provided by the Act to the Missouri bladderpod.