[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 13 (Friday, January 20, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Page 4189]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-1459]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Notice of Availability of the Agency Draft Recovery Plan for the 
Royal Snail for Review and Comment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability and public comment period.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the 
availability for public review of an agency draft recovery plan for the 
royal snail. The royal snail is known from only two spring runs on 
public lands in the Sequatchie River system, Marion County, Tennessee. 
The Service solicits review and comments from the public on this draft 
plan.

DATES: Comments on the agency draft recovery plan must be received on 
or before March 21, 1995 to receive consideration by the Service.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review the agency draft recovery plan may 
obtain a copy by contacting the Asheville Field Office, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, 330 Ridgefield Court, Asheville, North Carolina 28806 
(Telephone 704/665-1195). Written comments and materials regarding the 
plan should be addressed to the Field Supervisor at the above address. 
Comments and materials received are available on request for public 
inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the above 
address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. J. Allen Ratzlaff at the address and telephone number shown above 
(Ext. 229).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Restoring endangered or threatened animals or 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 considered necessary for 
conservation of the species, establish criteria for recognizing the 
recovery levels for downlisting or delisting them, and estimate time 
and cost to implement the recovery measures needed.
    The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
seq.) (Act), 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 a 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 also take these comments into account in the 
course of implementing approved recovery plans.
    Based upon available information concerning the range, biology, and 
threats to its continued survival, it is not yet possible to determine 
if or when full recovery of the royal snail is possible. Accordingly, 
this draft recovery plan outlines a mechanism that provides for the 
protection and maintenance of all known populations, with emphasis on 
determining the autecological factors necessary to manage the species. 
The royal snail was officially listed as an endangered species on April 
15, 1994, primarily because its extremely limited distribution and the 
limited amount of occupied habitat make this species extremely 
vulnerable to extirpation. Threats to the species include siltation; 
road construction; logging; agricultural, municipal, industrial, and 
mining runoff (both direct and from subsurface flows); vandalism; and 
pollution from trash thrown in the spring runs. Comments and 
information provided during this review will be used in preparing the 
final recovery plan.

Public Comments Solicited

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

Authority

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

    Dated: January 10, 1995.
Robert R. Currie,
Acting Field Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 95-1459 Filed 1-19-95; 8:45 am]
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