[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 130 (Tuesday, July 8, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36568-36569]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-17716]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Notice of Availability of the North Cascade Ecosystem Recovery 
Plan Chapter for the Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

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SUMMARY: To further the recovery of the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos 
horribilis), the Fish and Wildlife Service announces the availability 
of the North Cascade Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan Chapter. The 
North Cascade ecosystem is located in Washington. This chapter has been 
appended to the existing Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan approved in 1993. 
The availability of the draft of the chapter was announced to the 
public in the Federal Register on November 15, 1993 (58 FR 60208).

DATES: The North Cascade Ecosystem Chapter of the revised Grizzly Bear 
Recovery Plan was signed by the Regional Director, Denver Regional 
Office, Fish and Wildlife Service, on June 23, 1997.

ADDRESSES: The document announced in this notice is available from: 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 510 Desmond Drive, SE, Suite 102, 
Lacey, Washington 98503-1273.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dave Frederick, Western Washington 
Office Supervisor (see ADDRESSES above), at telephone (360) 753-9440.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Restoring an endangered or threatened plant or animal to a point 
where it is again a secure, self-sustaining member of its ecosystem is 
a primary goal of the Fish and Wildlife Service's (Service) 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 the 
recovery levels for downlisting or delisting them, and estimate time 
and cost for starting the needed recovery measures.
    Under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act) as 
amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), the Service approved the revised 
Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan on September 10, 1993 (U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service 1993). The Plan approved in 1993 did not contain a 
complete chapter on the North Cascade ecosystem because the specific 
information necessary to develop this chapter was not available. On 
June 23, 1997, the Service approved the North Cascades Ecosystem 
Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan Chapter. The agencies responsible for 
development of this chapter included the Service, U.S. Forest Service, 
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, National Park Service, 
Washington Department of Natural Resources, and British Columbia 
Ministry of Environment. This chapter was developed by a cooperative 
effort of the involved agencies and a wide range of interested citizens 
from throughout the area. Public involvement in drafting the chapter 
identified issues that include livestock depredation, effects on 
recreation and big game species/hunting, human health and safety, land 
use policy/restrictions, the role of the grizzly bear in the ecosystem 
(naturalness), economics, State and Federal authorities, private 
property rights, illegal killing/parching, and effects of grizzly bears 
on other species (such as listed salmon). The availability of the draft 
of the chapter was announced to the public in the Federal Register on 
November 15, 1993 (58 FR 60208).

[[Page 36569]]

    The grizzly bear was once a common inhabitant of the North Cascades 
ecosystem in the northern Cascade Mountains of Washington. Grizzly 
bears were removed from the North cascades ecosystem by humans as they 
settled the area. Primary reasons for these removals included livestock 
protection, uncontrolled hunting, and trapping and shooting for sale of 
hides (Almack et al. 1993). From 1849 to 1851 Hudson Bay Company 
records show that at least 429 grizzly bear hides were processed at 
trading posts within or near the North Cascades area (Sullivan 1983). 
Recent records indicate a small population of grizzly bears remains in 
the North Cascades with 21 credible reports from 1964 to 1991 (Almack 
et al. 1993). In addition, grizzly bears still occur immediately north 
of the United States-Canada border in the Cascade Range of British 
Columbia. The grizzly bear was listed as a threatened species in the 
conterminous 48 States in 1975 under the Act. The Recovery Plan Chapter 
for the North Cascades ecosystem outlines the necessary actions to 
recover the grizzly bear in this ecosystem. Alternative actions to 
recovery grizzly bears in the North Cascades ecosystem, including 
adding bears from other areas to the small number of bears currently 
existing within the ecosytem, would be considered through the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. The public would be informed 
of the Service's intent to implement the NEPA process through press 
releases and a notice in the Federal Register.

References Cited

Almack, J.A., W.L. Gaines, R.H. Naney, P.H. Morrison, J.R. Eby, G.F. 
Wooten, M.C. Snyder, S.H. Fitkin, and E.R. Garica. 1993. North Cascades 
Grizzly Bear Ecosystem evaluation; final report. Interagency Grizzly 
Bear Committee, Denver, Colorado. 156 pp.
Sullivan, P.T. 1983. A preliminary study of historic and recent reports 
of grizzly bears in the North Cascades area of Washington. Washington 
Department of Game, Olympia, Washington.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 1993. Grizzly bear recovery plan. 
Missoula, Montana. 181 pp.

Authority

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

    Dated: June 30, 1997.
Terry T. Terrell
Deputy Regional Director, Denver, Colorado.
[FR Doc. 97-17716 Filed 7-8-97; 8:45 am]
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