[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 157 (Thursday, August 14, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43544-43545]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-21545]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Availability of Draft Recovery Plan for Kokia Cookei for Review 
and Comment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces the availability 
for public review of a draft recovery plan for Kokia cookei. This 
species is known only from the island of Molokai and is federally 
listed as endangered. There are no naturally occurring populations of 
Kokia cookei. It currently exists only in cultivation at two locations 
and in managed outplantings at three sites. The total number of 
individual plants remaining is 28.

DATES: Comments on the draft recovery plan must be received on or 
before October 14, 1997, to receive consideration by the Service.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft recovery plan are available for 
inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the 
following location: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands 
Ecoregion, Room 3108, 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, P.O. Box 50088, 
Honolulu, Hawaii 96850 (phone: 808/541-3441). A copy will also be 
available for inspection at the Molokai Public Library, 15 Ala Malama 
Street, Kaunakakai, Hawaii 96748 (phone: 808/553-5483). Requests for 
copies of the draft recovery plan and written comments and materials 
regarding the plan should be addressed to Field Supervisor-Ecological 
Services, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific

[[Page 43545]]

Islands Ecoregion at the Honolulu address given above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Rosa, Assistant Field 
Supervisor-Endangered Species, at the Honolulu address given above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Restoring endangered or threatened animals and plants to the point 
where they are again secure, self-sustaining members of their ecosystem 
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, its 
Territories and Commonwealths. 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 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 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. Substantive technical 
comments will result in changes to the plan. Substantive comments 
regarding recovery plan implementation may not necessarily result in 
changes to the recovery plan, but will be forwarded to appropriate 
Federal or other entities so that they can take these comments into 
account during the course of implementing recovery actions. 
Individualized responses to comments will not be provided.
    The species being considered in this recovery plan is Kokia cookei. 
Known only from the island of Molokai, Kokia cookei has been described 
as the rarest plant in the world. When first discovered in the 1860s, 
three trees of this species were known. By the twentieth century, only 
a single wild tree remained. The species became extirpated from the 
wild in 1918. Currently, only 28 cloned individuals of Kokia cookei 
exist. These individuals were produced by grafting to root stocks of 
the two related Kokia species, Kokia kauaiensis and Kokia drynarioides. 
Seven individuals are in artificial cultivation facilities on the 
islands of Maui and Oahu. The remaining 21 individuals are in small 
(10,000 square feet or less) outplanting sites on privately owned 
Molokai Ranch lands, at Puu Nana, about 365 meters (1200 feet) 
elevation.
    The destruction of dryland habitats throughout the Hawaiian 
Islands, which began 1,500 years ago with the coming of the Polynesians 
to Hawaii and increased greatly with the arrival of the Europeans a 
little over 200 years ago, has led to the elimination of Kokia cookei 
in the wild. Kokia cookei was directly impacted by browsing, bark 
stripping, and soil trampling by domestic and feral cattle, goats, and 
sheep. Currently, this species is most threatened by the extremely low 
number of individuals remaining, the lack of naturally rooted plants, 
and the lack of viable seed production by the remaining individuals.
    The objective of this plan is to provide a framework for the 
recovery of Kokia cookei so that its protection by the Act is no longer 
necessary. Recovery efforts will focus on increasing the numbers of 
cloned individuals while pursuing research into other methods, such as 
embryo culture methodology, for the production of individuals capable 
of setting viable seed. Suitable sites for outplanting of individuals 
on Molokai, Maui, and Lanai will be located and steps taken to manage 
these lands for the perpetuity of Kokia cookei and other native 
components of the dryland forest.

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 this plan.

Authority

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

    Dated: August 8, 1997.
 Thomas J. Dwyer,
Acting Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 1.
[FR Doc. 97-21545 Filed 8-13-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P