[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 178 (Thursday, September 14, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47756-47757]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-22852]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Notice of Availability of the Technical/Agency Draft Recovery 
Plan for Cumberland Rosemary 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 a technical/agency draft recovery 
plan for Cumberland rosemary (Conradina verticillata). This threatened 
species is presently known from only three populations: two of these 
are located in Tennessee and a third occurs in both Tennessee and 
Kentucky. Cumberland rosemary grows on sandy or gravelly stream banks, 
sandbars, and gravel/boulder bars associated with floodplains or 
islands. There are 91 known colonies of the species; however, most 
colonies are small and are threatened by stream alternations that would 
change normal flooding patterns; activities that degrade water quality; 
and habitat destruction by campers, hikers, white-water enthusiasts, 
and off-road vehicles. The Service solicits review and comments from 
the public on this draft plan.

DATES: Comments on the technical/agency draft recovery plan must be 
received on or before December 13, 1995, to receive consideration by 
the Service.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review the technical/agency draft 
recovery plan may obtain a copy by contacting the Asheville Field 
Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 160 Zillicoa Street, Asheville, 
North Carolina 28801 (Telephone 704/258-3939). 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 requests for public inspection, by appointment, during 
normal business hours at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Robert Currie at the address and telephone number shown above (Ext. 
224).

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 considered necessary for 
the conservation of the species, to establish criteria for recognizing 
the recovery levels for downlisting or delisting them, and to estimate 
time and cost for implementing the recovery measures needed.
    The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
seq.) (Act), requires the development of 

[[Page 47757]]
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 the 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.
    Th primary species considered in this draft recovery plan is 
Cumberland rosemary (Conradina verticillata). It is a small shrub in 
the mint family (Lamiaceae), known only from the banks of short reaches 
of three river systems in north-central Tennessee and adjacent 
Kentucky. The species is found within small areas of the following 
counties: Cumberland, Fentress, Morgan, Scott, and White Counties, 
Tennessee, and McCreary County, Kentucky. It is always found growing in 
close association with the floodplain of watercourses. Specific areas 
supporting the species include boulder bars, sand bars, gravel bars, 
terraces of sand on gradually sloping riverbanks and islands, and 
pockets of sand between large boulders on islands and stream banks. 
This species' distribution has probably been reduced by such factors as 
dam construction and the general deterioration of water quality 
resulting from silt and other pollutants contributed by coal mining, 
poor land use practices, and waste discharges. Many of these factors 
continue to impact the species and its habitat. Because the colonies 
inhabit only short river reaches, they are vulnerable to extirpation 
from accidental toxic chemical spills. Direct habitat destruction by 
recreational visitors to the species' habitat is a significant threat 
to its survival. Hikers, campers, white-water enthusiasts, and off-
road-vehicle users all impact the species and its habitat. Habitat 
protection, searches for new populations, the implementation of 
appropriate management actions, the completion of biological and 
genetic studies, and the preservation of genetic material are the major 
objectives of this 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: September 8, 1995.

Robert R. Currie,

Acting Field Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 95-22852 Filed 9-13-95; 8:45 am]

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