[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 175 (Wednesday, September 10, 1997)] [Notices] [Pages 47677-47678] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 97-23938] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service Availability of Draft Supplemental Information Regarding the Recovery Plan for the Grizzly Bear (Ursus Arctos Horribilis) for Review and Comment AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of document availability. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the availability for public review of draft supplemental information to the recovery plan for the grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis). This information addresses certain aspects of the recovery plan. Portions of the information will be added to the Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan. The Service solicits review and comment from the public on this draft information. DATES: Comments on the draft supplemental information must be received on or before November 10, 1997 to ensure they receive consideration by the Service. ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review the draft supplemental information may obtain a copy by contacting the Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, University Hall, Room 309, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59812. Written comments and materials regarding this information should be sent to the Recovery Coordinator at the address given above. 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: Dr. Christopher Servheen, Grizzly Bear Recovery Coordinator (see ADDRESSES above), at telephone (406) 243- 4903. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Background Restoring an endangered or threatened animal or plan to the 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 recovery levels for downlisting or delisting them, and estimate time and cost for implementing the recovery measures needed. 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. The Plan approved in 1993 did not contain a complete chapter on the Bitterroot or North Cascade ecosystems because the specific information necessary to develop these chapters was not available. The Service approved the Bitterroot Ecosystem Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan Chapter and the North Cascades Ecosystem Recovery Plan Chapter on September 11, 1996, and June 23, 1997, respectively. In May 1994 The Fund For Animals, Inc., and 22 other organizations and individuals filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia over the adequacy of the Plan approved in 1993. Later in May 1994 the National Audubon Society and 19 other organizations and individuals also filed suit in the same court. The two cases were eventually consolidated. In September 1995 the court issued an opinion. The motions for summary judgment of both the plaintiffs and the defendants were granted in part and denied in part. The court ordered the Service to reconsider certain portions of the Plan, and to provide supplemental information. The information presented in the document being made available for review includes supplemental information that the Service was to provide and the results of its reconsideration. The Service is also in the process of developing habitat based recovery criteria to be added to the Plan. Those criteria are not included in the information being made available now. The habitat based recovery criteria will be made available for public review at a later date. Section 4(f) of the Act, as amended in 1988, requires that public notice and an [[Page 47678]] 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 also will take these comments into account in the course of implementing approved recovery plans. The grizzly bear was listed under the Act as a threatened species in the 48 conterminous States on July 28, 1995 (40 FR 31734). Threats to grizzly bear populations come primarily from habitat modification caused by human activities and from direct bear/human conflicts resulting from recreational and resource use activities, highway and railroad corridors, illegal mortality, etc. The grizzly bear population in each of the ecosystems included in the Plan can be delisted independently once recovery criteria stated in the Plan are met. Public Comments Solicited The Service solicits written comments on the supplemental information described above. All comments received by the date specified in the DATES section above will be considered prior to finalization of the information. Appropriate portions of the information will be appended to, and become part of, the Plan. Authority The authority for this section is section 4(f) of the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f). Dated: September 3, 1997. Terry T. Terrell, Deputy Regional Director, Denver, Colorado. [FR Doc. 97-23938 Filed 9-9-97; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-55-M