[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 4 (Thursday, January 6, 1994)]
[Notices]
[Pages 777-778]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-187]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: January 6, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service

 

Availability of Draft Recovery Plans for the Key Largo Woodrat, 
Key Largo Cotton Mouse, Gulf Sturgeon, Two Hernando County Plants, and 
Four Apalachicola Plants for Review and Comment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the 
availability for public review of four draft recovery plans for the 
following species: The Key Largo woodrat (Neotoma floridana smalli) and 
cotton mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus allapaticola), Gulf sturgeon 
(Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi) two Hernando County plants (Campanula 
robinsiae, Justicia cooleyi), and four Apalachicola plants (Euphorbia 
telephioides, Macbridea alba, Pinguicula ionantha, Scutellaria 
floridana). The Key Largo woodrat and Key Largo cotton mouse are 
restricted to the north half of Key Largo, Monroe County, Florida. The 
Gulf sturgeon occurs in most major rivers from the Mississippi River to 
the Suwannee River, and marine waters of the central and eastern Gulf 
of Mexico and Florida Bay. The two Hernando County plants occur in the 
hilly countryside north of Tampa. The four Apalachicola plants occur in 
the pinelands and wetlands in Liberty, Franklin, Gulf, and Bay Counties 
in the Florida panhandle. The Service solicits review and comment from 
the public on these draft plans.

DATES: Comments on the draft recovery plans must be received on or 
before March 7, 1994, to receive consideration by the Service.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review the draft recovery plans for the 
Key Largo woodrat and cotton mouse, two Hernando County plants, or the 
four Apalachicola plants may obtain a copy by contacting David J. 
Wesley, Field Supervisor, Jacksonville Field Office, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, 6620 Southpoint Drive, South, suite 310, 
Jacksonville, Florida 32216 (Telephone: 904-232-2580, FAX 904-232-
2404). Persons wishing to review the draft recovery plan for the Gulf 
sturgeon may obtain a copy by contacting Ms. Gail A. Carmody, Field 
Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1612 June Avenue, Panama 
City, Florida 32244 (Telephone: 904-768-0552, FAX 904-763-2177). 
Written comments and materials regarding these plans should be 
addressed to the appropriate above individual. Comments and material 
received are available upon request for public inspection, by 
appointment, and during normal business hours at the above addresses.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
For information on the Key Largo woodrat and cotton mouse recovery 
plan, contact Linda Finger at the Jacksonville, Florida, address. For 
information on the two Hernando County Plants and the four Apalachicola 
plants recovery plan, contact David L. Martin at the Jacksonville, 
Florida address. For information on the Gulf sturgeon recovery plan, 
contact Lorna Patrick at the Panama City, Florida address.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Restoring endangered or threatened animals and plants to the point 
where they are again secure self-sustaining members of their ecosystems 
is a primary goal of the Service's endangered species program. To help 
guide the recovery effort the Service is working to prepare recovery 
plans for most of the listed species native to the United States. 
Recovery plans describe actions necessary for the conservation of the 
species, establish criteria for the recovery levels for downlisting or 
delisting them, and estimate time and cost for implementing the 
recovery measures needed.
    The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended (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. Section 4(f) of the Act, as amended in 1988, 
requires that public notice, and an opportunity for public review and 
comment be provided during recovery plan development. The Service will 
consider all information presented during a public comment period prior 
to approval of each new or revised recovery plan. The Service and other 
Federal agencies will take these comments into account in the course of 
implementing approved recovery plans.
    The Key Largo woodrat and cotton mouse were listed as endangered 
species on August 31, 1984. Both species require tropical hardwood 
hammock forests for food and cover. An estimated 6,500 woodrats and 
18,000 cotton mice occur on 2,100 acres of forested uplands. Both 
species originally occurred throughout all of the hardwood hammocks of 
Key Largo, but are now restricted to only north Key Largo, representing 
about one-half their original distribution. Primary threats to these 
species include habitat destruction and fragmentation, road mortality, 
and vulnerability to catastrophic events such as storms or fires. 
Current habitat acquisition by both the State and Federal governments 
will provide nearly complete public ownership for the remaining 
hardwood hammocks on north Key Largo. Specific recovery actions include 
additional habitat purchase and protection and the future 
reestablishment of both species to the southern portion of Key Largo.
    The Gulf sturgeon, a subspecies of the Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser 
oxyrinchus, was listed as a threatened species on September 30, 1991. 
The Gulf sturgeon is an anadromous fish which migrates from salt water 
into large coastal rivers to spawn and spend the warmer months. The 
majority of its life is spent in fresh water. The current population 
levels of Gulf sturgeon in rivers other than the Suwannee and 
Apalachicola rivers are unknown, but are thought to be reduced from 
historic levels. Historically, the subspecies occurred in most major 
rivers from the Mississippi River to the Suwannee River, and marine 
waters of the central and eastern Gulf of Mexico to Florida Bay. Major 
factors in the decline of the Gulf sturgeon include barriers (dams) to 
historical spawning habitats, habitat loss, water quality degradation, 
and overfishing.
    The recovery plan for the Gulf sturgeon was prepared by a Recovery 
Team containing members from the States of Louisiana, Mississippi, 
Alabama, and Florida, the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, the 
National Marine Fisheries Service, the National Biological Survey, 
university researchers, commercial fishing interests, conservation 
organizations, and the Service. The draft plan currently available for 
public comment resulted from a technical review during the summer of 
1992. Major recovery actions include identifying and restoring 
essential habitats of the Gulf sturgeon. Initial restoration efforts 
will focus on riverine habitats. Another recovery action includes 
reducing incidental catch of the fish by commercial fishermen. The 
ultimate recovery goal for the Gulf sturgeon is to establish population 
levels that would allow delisting of the fish in selected river 
systems. After delisting, the goal is to establish populations that 
could support commercial fishing in those selected river systems.
    The two Hernando County plants Campanula robinsiae (Brooksville 
bellflower) and Justicia cooleyi (Cooley's water-willow) were listed as 
endangered species on August 28, 1989. Brooksville bellflower inhabits 
wet ``prairies'' and lake margins in the hill country of Hernando 
County. Cooley's water-willow primarily inhabits hardwood forests, but 
appears to persist or thrive in clearings, pastures, and roadsides. Its 
distribution appears to be primarily in the hills of Hernando County, 
but it is also known from Sumter County, near Mascotte. The draft 
recovery plan emphasizes better information on the life history of the 
bellflower, an annual that grows in late winter and is often under 
water. For Cooley's water-willow, immediate efforts are needed to 
control the spread of alien pest vines, especially air-potato (a 
tropical yam that produces tubers on its vines) and skunkvine (an Asian 
vine that can cover the ground in a forest, and whose leaves have a 
fecal odor when brused). Recovery efforts for these plants will begin 
on land owned by Federal and State agencies.
    Three Apalachicola plants were listed as threatened species on May 
8, 1992: Euphorbia telephioides (Telephus spurge), Macbridea alba 
(white birds-in-a-nest), and Scutellaria floridana (Florida skullcap). 
The fourth species, Pinguicula ionantha (Godfrey's butterwort) was 
listed as a threatened species on July 12, 1993. These four plants 
overlap in their distributions and habitats in the low-lying outer 
Coastal Plain near the Apalachicola River, roughly from the 
southwestern portion of Apalachicola National Forest west to Panama 
City. Telephus spurge occupies low sand ridges. White birds-in-a-nest 
and Florida skullcap occur in grassy pinelands and savannahs; Godfrey's 
butterwort occurs in savannahs, bogs, and seasonal ponds. Three of the 
four species occur in Apalachicola National Forest, where ongoing 
management, especially prescribed burning, is needed to ensure that 
they are secure. Telephus spurge, which does not occur on public land, 
and the other species outside of Apalachicola National Forest are 
threatened by habitat degradation due to lack of prescribed fire and by 
forestry practices, including planting practices. The recovery plan 
calls for ensuring that habitat for the three plants is appropriately 
managed in the National Forest and, to the extent feasible, privately-
owned habitat be protected through conservation easements or purchase 
by public conservation agencies.

Public Comments Solicited

    The Service solicits written comments on the four recovery plans 
described. All comments received by the date specified will be 
considered prior to the approval of the plans.

    Authority: The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the 
Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).

    Dated: December 22, 1993.
David J. Wesley,
Field Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 94-187 Filed 1-5-94; 8:45 am]
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