[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 25, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Page 3973]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-1715]



[[Page 3973]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Availability of the Morro Bay Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys heermanni 
morroensis) Draft Revised Recovery Plan

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service announces the availability of 
the Morro Bay kangaroo rat (Dipodomys heermanni morroensis) draft 
revised recovery plan for public review. This kangaroo rat is believed 
to exist at one site in San Luis Obispo County, California.

DATES: Comments on the draft revised recovery plan received by March 
27, 2000 will be considered by the Fish and Wildlife 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). The draft 
revised recovery plan will also be available at the San Luis Obispo 
County Public Library. Requests for copies of the draft revised 
recovery plan and written comments and materials regarding this plan 
should be addressed to the Field Supervisor, at the above Ventura 
address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Catherine Mc Calvin, 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 
ecosystems 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 downlisting or 
delisting them, and estimate time and cost for implementing recovery 
measures.
    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 considers 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.
    The Morro Bay kangaroo rat is listed as endangered (35 FR 16047). 
This species is restricted to less than 200 acres. It is currently 
known from one site. The Morro Bay kangaroo rat is threatened by 
habitat loss from development. In addition, the very low numbers of 
individuals and populations of this species puts it at great risk of 
extinction due to random naturally-occurring (stochastic) events.
    The objective of this revised plan is to provide a framework for 
the recovery of the Morro Bay kangaroo rat so that protection by the 
Endangered Species Act is no longer necessary. Actions necessary to 
accomplish this objective include protecting species habitat through 
acquisition, conservation easements, and Habitat Conservation Plans; 
managing species habitat; conducting management-oriented research on 
the ecology and biology of the species; reviewing and revising 
management and recovery guidelines; locating additional populations; 
and establishing new populations within the historic range of the 
species.

Public Comments Solicited

    The Service solicits written comments on this draft revised 
recovery plan. 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: January 19, 2000.
Elizabeth H. Stevens,
Acting, California/Nevada Operations Manager, Fish and Wildlife 
Service, Region 1, Sacramento, California.
[FR Doc. 00-1715 Filed 1-24-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P