[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 249 (Wednesday, December 29, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73057-73058]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-32577]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Notice of Availability of a Draft Recovery Plan for the Bighorn 
Sheep in the Peninsular Ranges 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 recovery plan for the bighorn 
sheep in the Peninsular Ranges of southern California. The Peninsular 
bighorn sheep represents a distinct vertebrate population that is 
restricted to east facing, lower elevation slopes typically

[[Page 73058]]

below 1,400 meters (4,600 feet) of the Peninsular Ranges in the Sonoran 
Desert life zone. The population addressed in this recovery plan 
extends from the San Jacinto and Santa Rosa Mountain ranges in 
Riverside County south through numerous smaller mountain ranges in 
Imperial and San Diego Counties to the United States and Mexico 
international border. The Service solicits review and comment from 
local, State, and Federal agencies, and the public on this draft 
recovery plan.

DATES: Comments on the draft recovery plan must be received on or 
before February 14, 2000 to receive consideration by the Service.

ADDRESSES: The draft recovery plan is available for public inspection 
by appointment during normal business hours at the Service's Carlsbad 
Fish and Wildlife Office, 2730 Loker Avenue West, Carlsbad, California, 
92008. Persons wishing to review the draft recovery plan may obtain a 
copy by contacting the Field Supervisor (attention Pete Sorensen) at 
the above address or by calling (760) 431-9440. Comments and materials 
should be submitted to the above address and are available on request 
for public inspection by appointment, during normal business hours at 
the Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pete Sorenson or Andy Yuen at the 
above Carlsbad address.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Restoring an endangered or threatened animal or plant to the point 
where it is again a secure, self-sustaining member of its ecosystem is 
a primary goal of the Service's endangered species program. Recovery 
plans describe actions considered necessary for conservation of the 
species, establish criteria for the recovery levels for downlisting and 
delisting species, and estimate time and cost for implementing the 
recovery measures needed.
    The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act) (16 U.S.C. 
1531 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, 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 a public comment period prior 
to approval of each new or revised recovery plan. The Service and other 
Federal agencies will also take these comments into account in the 
course of implementing approved recovery plans. Individual responses to 
comments will not be provided.
    Bighorn sheep have been documented in the Peninsular Ranges since 
the 1700's (Bolton 1930). An examination of past records and current 
data suggest that the distribution of bighorn sheep has been altered 
during the past 25 years. There is no documentation of newly formed ewe 
groups, and in portions of the range, formerly occupied habitat is now 
unoccupied. Documented population declines of Peninsular bighorn sheep 
ranged from stable low numbers in ewe groups to 28 percent declines in 
other groups. Though cause and effect relationships for these 
population declines have not been well documented among ewe groups, 
cumulative and synergistic effects of disease, high predation rates, 
low population recruitment rates, habitat loss, modification, and 
fragmentation, and human-related disturbance are likely, contributing 
factors.
    The objective of this recovery plan is to secure habitat and 
alleviate threats to the overall Peninsular bighorn sheep population so 
that population levels will increase to the point that this species may 
be downlisted to threatened status, and ultimately delisted.
    Recovery of the bighorn sheep in the Peninsular Ranges is 
contingent upon (1) providing large tracts of habitat that provide a 
diversity of resources needed to offset seasonal, annual, and longer 
term cycles of environmental variability and scarcity, (2) establishing 
habitat continuity between subpopulations to allow long term shifts in 
distribution, (3) maintaining healthy population levels that are 
resilient to potential disease outbreaks and high levels of predation, 
and (4) educating the public on human-related activities that affect 
habitat use patterns of Peninsular bighorn sheep.
    The draft plan was developed by a recovery team composed of 
representatives of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians, Bureau 
of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, California Department of Fish 
and Game, California Department of Parks and Recreation, Bighorn 
Institute, University of California at Davis and White Mountain 
Research Station, and the Zoological Society of San Diego. Short-term 
recovery objectives proposed are to: (a) Maintain 25 or more ewes in 9 
regions of the Peninsular ranges during 1 bighorn sheep generation, and 
(b) establish regulatory mechanisms and land management commitments to 
provide for long-term protection of Peninsular bighorn sheep. Proposed 
recovery actions include protecting essential habitat, improving 
habitat management capabilities, and conducting monitoring and research 
necessary for effective management. The long-term objective is to 
manage conserved lands to provide for permanent protection needed for 
continued population viability of bighorn sheep in the Peninsular 
Ranges. Delisting of the Peninsular bighorn sheep will be achieved 
when: (1) Greater than or equal to 25 ewes are present in the 9 
specified regions of the Peninsular Ranges during 2 bighorn sheep 
generations, without augmentation, (2) the range-wide population 
averages 750 individuals in a stable or increasing population, and (3) 
essential habitat, as described in the recovery plan, is permanently 
protected through regulatory mechanisms and land management 
commitments.

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: December 9, 1999.
Thomas Dwyer,
Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 99-32577 Filed 12-28-99; 8:45 am]
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