[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 47 (Monday, March 11, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10924-10925]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-5689]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Extension of Comment Period on the Draft Recovery Plan for 
Coastal Plants of the Northern San Francisco Peninsula

AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Extension of comment period.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 
extension of the comment period for the public review of the Draft 
Recovery Plan for Coastal Plants of the Northern San Francisco 
Peninsula for an additional 60 days from the date of publication of 
this notice in the Federal Register. The original comment period was to 
close on March 4, 2002. We are extending the comment period for an 
additional 60 days to allow additional time for public review of this 
draft recovery plan that includes the endangered San Francisco 
lessingia (Lessingia germanorum) and Raven's manzanita (Arctostaphylos 
hookeri ssp. ravenii). The portion of the plan dealing with Raven's 
manzanita is a revision of the 1984 Raven's Manzanita Recovery Plan. 
Additional species of concern that will benefit from recovery actions 
taken for these plants are also discussed in the draft recovery plan. 
The draft plan includes recovery criteria and measures for San 
Francisco lessingia and Raven's manzanita.

DATES: Comments on the draft recovery plan must be received on or 
before May 6, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft recovery plan are available for 
inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the 
following location: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento Fish and 
Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage Way, W-2605, Sacramento, California 
(telephone (916) 414-6600); and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
Regional Office, Ecological Services, 911 N.E. 11th Ave., Eastside 
Federal Complex, Portland Oregon 97232-4181 (telephone (503) 231-6131). 
Requests for copies of the draft recovery plan and written comments and 
materials regarding this plan should be addressed to Wayne S. White, 
Field Supervisor, Ecological Services, at the above Sacramento address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jan C. Knight, Chief, Endangered 
Species Division, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage 
Way, Room W-2605, Sacramento, California 95825. Phone: (916) 414-6600.

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 listed species, and estimate time and cost for implementing 
the recovery measures needed.
    The Endangered Species Act of 1973, 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 
information presented during the public comment period prior to

[[Page 10925]]

approval of each new or revised recovery plan. Substantive technical 
comments may result in changes to the plan. Substantive comments 
regarding recovery plan implementation may not necessarily result in 
changes to the recovery plan, 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. Individual 
responses to comments will not be provided.
    San Francisco lessingia and Raven's manzanita are restricted to the 
San Francisco peninsula in San Francisco County, California. San 
Francisco lessingia, an annual herb in the aster family, is restricted 
to coastal sand deposits. Raven's manzanita is a rare evergreen 
creeping shrub in the heath family which was historically restricted to 
few scattered serpentine outcrops. Habitat loss, adverse alteration of 
ecological processes, and invasion of non-native plant species threaten 
San Francisco lessingia. Raven's manzanita has also been threatened by 
habitat loss; primary current threats include invasion of non-native 
vegetation and fungal pathogens. The draft plan also makes reference to 
several other federally listed species which are ecologically 
associated with San Francisco lessingia and Raven's manzanita, but 
which are treated comprehensively in other recovery plans. These 
species are beach layia (Layia carnosa), Presidio clarkia (Clarkia 
franciscana), Marin dwarf-flax (Hesperolinon congestum), Myrtle's 
silverspot butterfly (Speyere zerene myrtleae), and bay checkerspot 
butterfly (Euphydryas editha bayensis). In addition, 16 plant species 
of concern and 17 plant species of local or regional conservation 
significance are considered in this recovery plan.
    The draft recovery plan stresses re-establishing dynamic, 
persistent populations of San Francisco lessingia and Raven's manzanita 
within plant communities which have been restored to be as ``self-
sustaining'' as possible within urban wildland reserves. Specific 
recovery actions for San Francisco lessingia focus on the restoration 
and management of large, dynamic mosaics of coastal dune areas 
supporting shifting populations within the species' narrow historic 
range. Recovery of Raven's manzanita may include, but may not be 
limited to, the strategy of the 1984 Raven's Manzanita Recovery Plan, 
which emphasized the stabilization of the single remaining genetic 
individual. The draft plan also recommends re-establishing multiple 
sexually reproducing populations of Raven's manzanita in association 
with its historically associated species of local serpentine outcrops. 
The objectives of this recovery plan are to delist San Francisco 
lessingia and to downlist Raven's manzanita through implementation of a 
variety of recovery measures including (1) Protection and restoration 
of a series of ecological reserves (often with mixed recreational and 
conservation park land uses); (2) promotion of population increases of 
San Francisco lessingia and Raven's manzanita within these sites, or 
reintroducion of them to restored sites; (3) management of protected 
sites, especially the extensive eradication or suppression of invasive 
dominant non-native vegetation; (4) research; and (5) public 
participation, outreach and education.

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: March 4, 2002.
Duane K. McDermond,
Deputy Manager, California/Nevada Operations Office, Sacramento, 
California.
[FR Doc. 02-5689 Filed 3-8-02; 8:45 am]
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