[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 131 (Friday, July 9, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 37148]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-17276]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Availability of a Draft Revised Recovery Plan for the Santa Cruz 
Long-Toed Salamander for Review and Comment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the 
availability for public review of a Draft Revised Recovery Plan for the 
Santa Cruz Long-Toed Salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum). The 
salamander occurs near the Pacific Coast in Monterey and Santa Cruz 
Counties, California.

DATES: Comments on the draft revised recovery plan must be received on 
or before September 7, 1999 to receive consideration by the Service.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft revised recovery plan are available for 
inspection by appointment, during normal business hours at the 
following location: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2493 Portola Road, 
Suite B, Ventura, California 93003 (phone: 805/644-1766). Requests for 
copies of the draft revised recovery plan and written comments and 
materials regarding this plan should be addressed to Ms. Diane K. Noda, 
Field Supervisor, at the above Ventura address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Grace S. McLaughlin, 
Herpetologist, at the above Ventura address.

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. 
Recovery plans describe actions considered necessary for the 
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, 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 
public notice and an opportunity for public review and comment be 
provided during recovery plan development. The Service will consider 
all information presented during the public comment period prior to 
approval of each new or revised recovery plan. Substantive technical 
comments will result in changes to the plans. Substantive comments 
regarding recovery plan implementation may not necessarily result in 
changes to the recovery plans, 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.
    This salamander is listed as endangered. Currently it is known from 
no more than seven breeding sites comprising three metapopulations in 
the coastal areas of two Counties (Santa Cruz and Monterey) along the 
central coast of California. The Santa Cruz long-toed salamander 
inhabits temporary ponds for breeding and adjacent upland scrub and 
wooded areas during the nonbreeding season. These kinds of ponds and 
adjacent scrub and woodlands are restricted naturally to relatively few 
areas along the central coast of California. Direct habitat loss due to 
agriculture, urbanization, and road building is the main cause for 
decline. Other threats include pollution, siltation, and declining 
water quality in breeding ponds due to nearby development and 
agricultural activities; loss of non-breeding habitat and food 
resources due to the spread of exotic plants; predation by introduced 
fishes, bullfrogs, and tiger salamanders; and parasites.
    The objective of this plan is to provide a framework for the 
recovery of the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander so that protection by 
the Act is no longer necessary. The recovery strategy for the Santa 
Cruz long-toed salamander is focused on providing sufficient breeding 
and upland habitat to maintain self-sustaining populations of 
salamanders in each of the metapopulations, and minimizing or 
eliminating impacts and threats to salamander populations. This plan 
describes a five-part recovery strategy with specific tasks necessary 
to maintain healthy aquatic, riparian, and adjacent upland ecosystems 
that provide habitat for Santa Cruz long-toed salamanders. The tasks, 
when implemented, will stabilize and maintain populations throughout 
the range of the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander in California by 
protecting sufficient breeding and nonbreeding habitat, monitor the 
status of existing populations to ensure recovery actions are 
successful, identify and secure additional suitable Santa Cruz long-
toed salamander habitat and populations, conduct research to determine 
the population dynamics and ecology of the species to guide management 
efforts and determine the best methods for reducing threats, and 
continue and expand an outreach program.

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: July 1, 1999.
Elizabeth H. Stevens,
Acting Manager, California/Nevada Operations Office, Region 1, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 99-17276 Filed 7-8-99; 8:45 am]
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