[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 133 (Monday, July 13, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37584-37587]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-17671]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Notice of Availability of a Technical/Agency Draft Multi-Species
Recovery Plan for the Threatened and Endangered Species of South
Florida
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability and public comment period.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the
availability for public review of Volume II of a two-volume draft
multi-species recovery plan for the threatened and endangered species
of South Florida and the ecosystems upon which they depend. Volume II
provides an ecosystem approach toward restoration of the South Florida
Ecosystem, and discusses the biological composition, status, trends,
management, and restoration needs of 23 major ecological communities in
this region. This volume integrates the needs for species of concern in
addition to the federally listed species discussed in Volume I. A
notice announcing the availability of Volume I was published in the
Federal Register on March 6, 1998 (63 FR 11304). The Service solicits
review and comments from the public on Volume II of the draft recovery
plan.
DATES: Comments on the draft recovery plan must be received on or
before September 30, 1998, to ensure consideration by the Service.
[[Page 37585]]
ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft recovery plan can be obtained by
contacting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Publications Unit,
National Conservation Training Center, c/o Aramark, Rt. 1 Box 166,
Shepherd Grade Rd., Shepherdstown, West Virginia 25443. The Service is
encouraging that requests for copies be for the CD-ROM version as the
hard copy encompasses approximately 850 pages. Additionally, this
document may be viewed or downloaded from the Service's South Florida
Ecological Service's Field Office website at: http://www.fws.gov/r4eao/
esvb.htm.
Written comments and materials regarding the plan should be
addressed to Dawn Jennings, South Florida Field Office, 1360 U.S.
Highway 1, Suite 5, Vero Beach, Florida 32960. Comments and materials
received are available on request for public inspection, by
appointment, during normal business hours at the South Florida Field
Office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dawn Jennings at the South Florida
Field Office (561) 562-3909 for information on the recovery plan; the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Publications Unit (304) 876-7203 for
additional copies of the draft recovery plan.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Restoring endangered or threatened animals and plants to the point
where they are again secure, self-sustaining members of their
ecosystems is a primary goal of the Fish and Wildlife Service's
threatened and endangered species program. To help guide the recovery
effort, the Service prepares recovery plans for most of the listed
species native to the United States. Recovery plans describe actions
that may be necessary for conservation of these species, establish
criteria for the recovery levels for reclassification from endangered
to threatened status or removal from the list, and estimate the time
and cost for implementing the needed recovery measures.
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended (16 U.S.C. et
seq.) 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 requires that public notice and an
opportunity for public review and comment be provided during the
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 will
take these comments into account in the course of implementing approved
recovery plans.
The Multi-Species Recovery Plan identifies the recovery and
restoration needs of 68 threatened and endangered species and their
habitats in the South Florida Ecosystem--an area encompassing 67,346
square kilometers covering the 19 southernmost counties in Florida,
using an ecosystem-wide approach. The species addressed in this plan
are found throughout South Florida. Some are endemic to this area,
others range outside of South Florida, and some of the species included
in this plan migrate through or winter in South Florida. These species
use every vegetative, terrestrial, and aquatic community present in
South Florida. The status of these species varies, although very few
show an increasing trend. These species include:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Status Species Scientific name
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mammals
------------------------------------------------------------------------
E............... Florida panther........... Puma (=Felis) concolor
coryi.
E............... Key deer.................. Odocoileus virginianus
clavium.
E............... Key Largo cotton mouse.... Peromyscus gossypinus
allapaticola.
E............... Key Largo woodrat......... Neotoma floridana smalli.
E............... Silver rice rat........... Oryzomys palustris natator
(=O. argentatus).
E............... Lower Keys marsh rabbit... Sylvilagus palustris
hefneri.
T............... Southeastern beach mouse.. Peromyscus polionotus
niveiventris.
E............... West Indian manatee....... Trichechus manatus.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Birds
------------------------------------------------------------------------
T............... Audubon's crested caracara Polyborus plancus
audubonii.
E............... Bachman's warbler......... Vermivora bachmanii.
T............... Bald eagle................ Haliaeetus leucocephalus.
E............... Cape Sable seaside sparrow Ammodramus (=Ammospiza)
maritimus mirabilis.
E............... Snail kite................ Rostrhamus sociabilis
plumbeus.
E............... Florida grasshopper Ammodramus savannarum
sparrow. floridanus.
T............... Florida scrub-jay......... Aphelocoma coerulescens.
E............... Ivory-billed woodpecker... Campephilus principalis.
E............... Kirtland's warbler........ Dendroica kirtlandii.
T............... Piping plover............. Charadrius melodus.
E............... Red-cockaded woodpecker... Picoides (=Drendrocopos)
borealis.
T............... Roseate tern.............. Sterna dougallii
dougallii.
E............... Wood stork................ Mycteria americana.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reptiles
------------------------------------------------------------------------
E............... American crocodile........ Crocodylus acutus.
T............... Atlantic salt marsh snake. Nerodia clarkii
(=fasciata) taeniata.
T............... Bluetail (blue-tailed) Eumeces egregius lividus.
mole skink.
T............... Eastern indigo snake...... Drymarchon corais couperi.
E............... Green sea turtle.......... Chelonia mydas.
E............... Hawksbill sea turtle...... Eretmochelys imbricata.
E............... Kemp's (Atlantic) ridley Lepidochelys kempii.
sea turtle.
E............... Leatherback sea turtle.... Dermochelys coriacea.
T............... Loggerhead sea turtle..... Caretta caretta.
[[Page 37586]]
T............... Sand skink................ Neoseps reynoldsi.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Invertebrates
------------------------------------------------------------------------
E............... Schaus swallowtail Heraclides (=Papilio)
butterfly. aristodemus ponceanus.
T............... Stock Island tree snail... Orthalicus reses.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Plants
------------------------------------------------------------------------
E............... Avon Park harebells....... Crotalaria avonensis.
E............... Beach jacquemontia........ Jacquemontia reclinata.
E............... Beautiful pawpaw.......... Deeringothamnus
pulchellus.
E............... Britton's beargrass....... Nolina brittoniana.
E............... Carter's mustard.......... Warea carteri.
E............... Crenulate lead-plant...... Amorpha crenulata.
E............... Deltoid spurge............ Chamaesyce (=Euphorbia)
deltoidea.
T............... Florida bonamia........... Bonamia grandiflora.
E............... Florida golden aster...... Chrysopsis (=Heterotheca)
floridana.
E............... Florida perforate cladonia Cladonia perforata.
E............... Florida ziziphus.......... Ziziphus celata.
E............... Four-petal pawpaw......... Asimina tetramera.
E............... Fragrant prickly-apple.... Cereus eriophorus var.
fragrans.
T............... Garber's spurge........... Chamaesyce (=Euphorbia)
garberi.
E............... Garrett's mint............ Dicerandra christmanii.
E............... Highlands scrub hypericum. Hypericum cumulicola.
E............... Key tree-cactus........... Pilosocereus (=Cereus)
robinii.
E............... Lakela's mint............. Dicerandra immaculata.
E............... Lewton's polygala......... Polygala lewtonii.
E............... Okeechobee gourd.......... Cucurbita okeechobeensis
ssp. okeechobeensis.
T............... Papery whitlow-wort....... Paronychia chartacea
(=Nyachia pulvinata).
T............... Pigeon wing............... Clitoria fragrans.
E............... Pygmy fringe-tree......... Chionanthus pygmaeus.
E............... Sandlace.................. Polygonella myriophylla.
E............... Scrub blazing star........ Liatris ohlingerae.
T............... Scrub buckwheat........... Eriogonum longifolium var.
gnaphalifolium.
E............... Scrub lupine.............. Lupinus aridorum.
E............... Scrub mint................ Dicerandra frutescens.
E............... Scrub plum................ Prunus geniculata.
E............... Short-leaved rosemary..... Conradina brevifolia.
E............... Small's milkpea........... Galactia smallii.
E............... Snakeroot................. Eryngium cuneifolium.
E............... Tiny polygala............. Polygala smallii.
E............... Wide-leaf warea........... Warea amplexifolia.
E............... Wireweed.................. Polygonella basiramia
(=ciliata var. b.).
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Service has completed recovery plans for many of these species
at various times between 1980 and 1996 to identify actions necessary to
effect recovery. The ivory-billed woodpecker, Bachman's warbler, silver
rice rat, Key Largo woodrat, Key Largo cotton mouse, and Okeechobee
gourd do not have approved recovery plans. Since the approval of many
of the recovery plans for South Florida species, identified tasks have
been completed, and new information has become available on the
biology, distribution, life history, and needs of these species. In
addition, some species with a South Florida population had no tasks
identified for recovery in this area. This plan updates some existing
recovery plans, serves as the recovery plan for other species, or
identifies South Florida's contribution to recovery. The plan also
addresses new threats and needs for all the species identified within
it. This plan is a two-volume effort to identify recovery needs of the
species of South Florida and the ecosystems upon which they depend. The
focus of Volume I is the individual species, while Volume II integrates
the species needs with those of the ecological communities in which
they reside.
Paper copies of both volumes of the draft recovery plan are
available for public inspection at the following locations:
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, South Florida Field Office, U.S.
Highway 1, Suite 5, Vero Beach, Florida 32960. 561-562-3909
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Merritt Island National Wildlife
Refuge, 4 miles east of Titusville, State Road 402, Titusville, Florida
32782. 407-861-0667
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, J.N. ``Ding'' Darling National Wildlife
Refuge, 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel, Florida 33957. 813-472-1100
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida Panther National Wildlife
Refuge, 3860 Tollgate Boulevard, Suite 300, Naples, Florida 34114. 941-
353-8442
U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Key Deer Refuge, Winn Dixie
Shopping Plaza, Big Pine Key, Florida 33043-1510. 305-872-2239
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge,
10216 Lee Road, Boynton Beach, Florida 33437-4796. 561-732-3684
University of Florida, Smathers Library West, Gainesville, Florida
32611
University of Miami Library, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, Florida
33149
University of Central Florida Library, 4000 Central Florida Blvd.,
Orlando, Florida 32816
Florida Atlantic University Library, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton, Florida
33431
[[Page 37587]]
Florida International University Library, FIU University Park, 11200 SW
A St., Miami, Florida 33199
University of South Florida Library, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa,
Florida 33620
Florida Gulf Coast University Library, 19501 Ben Hill Griffin Parkway,
Ft. Myers, Florida 33965-6565
Archbold Biological Station Library, P.O. Box 2057, Old State Road 8,
Lake Placid, Florida 33852
Fairchild Tropical Garden Library, 11935 Old Cutler Road, Miami,
Florida 33156
Big Pine Key Branch Library, 213 Key Deer Boulevard, Big Pine Key,
Florida 33043
Public Comments Solicited
The Service solicits written comments on the recovery plan
described. All comments received by the date identified above will be
considered prior to approval of the plan.
Authority
The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered
Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Dated: June 24, 1998.
James J. Slack,
Project Leader.
[FR Doc. 98-17671 Filed 7-10-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P