[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]
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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.
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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]
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