[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 86 (Monday, May 5, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24503-24504]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-11568]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Notice of Availability of the Draft Conservation Strategy for the 
Southern Rocky Mountain Population of the Boreal Toad for Review and 
Comment

AGENCY: US Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service announces the availability of a 
Draft Conservation Strategy for the southern Rocky Mountain population 
of the boreal toad. (Bufo boreas boreas). This population of the boreal 
toad is a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act of 
1973. The Draft Conservation Strategy compliments a State recovery plan 
for this population of the boreal toad which the Colorado Division of 
Wildlife had the lead for preparing. Several agencies and organizations 
were involved in preparation of the recovery plan which appears as an 
appendix to the Draft Conservation Strategy. The Conservation Strategy 
was written by ad hoc members of the Boreal Toad Recovery Team and 
included personnel with the Biological Resources Division of the US 
Geological Survey, Bureau of Land Management, Colorado Division of 
Wildlife, National Park Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the 
US Forest Service. Earlier drafts of the Conservation Strategy 
underwent peer review by three scientists. One of the scientists is an 
amphibian expert, Dr. Paul Bartelt, who is a professor at Waldorf 
College in Iowa. Another amphibian expert, Dr. David Pettus, was a 
former professor at Colorado State University. The third person, Dr. 
David Cooper, is a wetland specialist at Colorado State University. The 
Conservation Strategy focuses on land management practices that can be 
applied to reduce or eliminate threats to the boreal toad that warrant 
its candidate status. Full implementation of the Conservation Strategy 
and recovery plan represents the best approach to the long-term 
survival of this population of the boreal toad. The Service solicits 
review and comment from the public on the Draft Conservation Strategy.

DATES: Comments on the Draft Conservation Strategy must be received on 
or before June 4, 1997, to be considered for preparation of the final 
Conservation Strategy.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review the Draft Conservation Strategy 
may obtain or request a copy from the US

[[Page 24504]]

Forest Service, Pike-San Isabel National Forest, 1920 Valley Dr., 
Pueblo, CO 81008, (719) 545-8737. Comments on the Draft Conservation 
Strategy should be sent to the Acting Assistant Colorado Field 
Supervisor, US Fish and Wildlife Service, 764 Horizon Dr., S. Annex A, 
Grand Junction, CO 81506. Comments and materials received will be 
available upon request, by appointment, during normal business hours at 
the Fish and Wildlife Service address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Terry Ireland, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, at the Fish and 
Wildlife Service's Grand Junction address or call (970) 243-2778.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The boreal toad (Bufo boreas boreas) is one of the two subspecies 
of the western toad which is found throughout western North America. 
The southern Rocky Mountain population is geographically isolated from 
boreal toad populations to the north and west by dry, non-forested 
intermountain valleys. It is genetically differentiated and probably 
represents an independently evolving lineage or species.
    The southern Rocky Mountain boreal toad occupies forest habitats 
between 2250 to 3600 m (7500-12000 ft.) in Colorado, southwest Wyoming, 
and north-central New Mexico. Boreal toad occupy three different types 
of habitat during the course of the year: breeding ponds, summer range, 
and overwinter refugia. All of these specific habitats occur within 
lodgepole pine or spruce-fir forests. Few boreal toads have been 
recorded from lower-elevation ponderosa pine forests and willow/sage 
communities.
    Southern Rocky Mountain boreal toads were once considered common to 
abundant throughout the higher elevations of Colorado and southeastern 
Wyoming along the Snowy and Sierra Madre ranges (Medicine Bow, Sierra 
Madre and Pole Mountains). The southern periphery of the species range 
was located in New Mexico along the San Juan Mountains at Lagunitas, 
Canjilon, and Trout Lakes.
    Boreal toad decline in New Mexico was first observed in the mid 
1980's. Surveys conducted in 1989 and 1993 at the three previously 
occupied boreal toad locations revealed no populations. Recent 
observations of boreal toads in Colorado, within 29 km (20 miles) of 
New Mexico's historically occupied areas provide some hope that boreal 
toads may still exist in New Mexico. Between 1974 and 1982, 11 
populations of boreal toads disappeared to the West Elk Mountains of 
west-central Colorado. By the late 1980's boreal toads were absent from 
85 percent of known localities in northern Colorado. Once known to 
occur in 25 of 63 counties, and potentially in 7 others, the boreal 
toad is absent in over 83 percent of previously known locations in 
Colorado. Rangewide, primarily in Colorado, and including a single 
breeding location in Wyoming, there are now 50 known breeding sites. 
However, most of the sites have only a few breeding adults.
    The Service received a petition to list the southern Rocky Mountain 
population of the boreal toad as endangered on September 30, 1993, by 
the Biodiversity Legal Foundation. The Service made a 90-day petition 
finding (59 FR 37439) on July 22, 1994, that stated that sufficient 
information existed to indicate that Federal listing may be warranted. 
Subsequently, the Service made a 12-month finding (60 FR 15281) on 
March 23, 1995, that stated that Federal listing was warranted, but 
precluded by higher listing priorities.
    In an effort to address the threats to the boreal toad prior to 
Federal listing the Colorado Division of Wildlife assembled a Recovery 
Team and published a recovery plan in 1994. The Recovery Team recently 
completed a revised recovery plan in 1997 that addressed the range of 
the boreal toad in Colorado as well as Wyoming and New Mexico and 
provided more details for research and management recommendations. It 
was also decided that a conservation strategy was needed to address 
more specific land management practices. A Conservation Agreement is 
also planned and signatory parties will be agreeing to follow 
recommendations in the recovery plan and Conservation Strategy. The 
Conservation Strategy focuses on eight general impacts to the boreal 
toad and ways to reduce or eliminate those impacts.

Author

    The primary author of this notice is Terry Ireland (see FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION section).

    Authority: Authority for this action is the Endangered Species 
Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et. seq.).

    Dated: April 25, 1997.
Terry T. Terrel,
Deputy Regional Director, Denver, Colorado.
[FR Doc. 97-11568 Filed 5-2-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-M