ETWP; Determination of Endangered Status for Nine Plants From the Grasslands or Mesic Areas of the Central Coast of California

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) determines endangered status pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act) for nine plants: Alopecurus aequalis var. sonomensis (Sonoma alopecurus), Astragalus clarianus (Clara Hunt's milk-vetch), Carex albida (white sedge), Clarkia imbricata (Vine Hill clarkia), Lilium pardalinum ssp. pitkinense (Pitkin Marsh lily), Plagiobothrys strictus (Calistoga allocarya), Poa napensis (Napa bluegrass), Sidalcea oregana ssp. valida (Kenwood Marsh checker-mallow), and Trifolium amoenum (showy Indian clover). These nine species grow in a variety of habitats including valley grasslands, meadows, freshwater marshes, seeps, and blue oak woodlands in Marin, Napa, and Sonoma Counties on the central coast of California. Habitat loss and degradation, competition from invasive plant species, elimination through plant community succession, trampling and herbivory by livestock and wildlife, collection for horticultural use, and hydrological alterations to wetland areas threaten the continued existence of these plants. This rule implements Federal protection and recovery provisions afforded by the Act for these nine species.