[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 150 (Monday, August 5, 2002)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 50626-50627]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-19624]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17


Notice of Availability of a Final Recovery Plan for the Howell's 
Spectacular Thelypody (Thelypodium howellii ssp. spectabilis)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the 
availability of a final recovery plan for the Howell's spectacular 
thelypody (Thelypodium howellii ssp. spectabilis; thelypody). This 
threatened plant, a member of the mustard family, occurs on fewer than 
12 small sites located within 100 acres of private lands near North 
Powder and Haines in eastern Oregon (Baker and Union Counties). The 
thelypody occurs in mesic, alkaline meadow habitats and all remaining 
populations occur within or directly adjacent to agricultural fields or 
urban areas. Actions needed for recovery include permanent protection 
of remaining populations and habitat, and management to provide for 
naturally reproducing populations that have stable or increasing 
trends.

ADDRESSES: Recovery plans that have been approved by the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service are available on the World Wide Web at http://www.r1.fws.gov/ecoservices/endangered/recovery/default.htm. Recovery 
plans may also be obtained from: Fish and Wildlife Reference Service, 
5430 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 110, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, (301) 429-
6403 or 1-800-582-3421. The fee for the plan varies depending on the 
number of pages of the plan.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Johnna Roy, Wildlife Biologist, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, Snake River Fish and Wildlife Office, 1387 
South Vinnell Way, Boise, ID 83709; phone (208) 378-5243.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Recovery of endangered or threatened animals and plants is a 
primary goal of the our endangered species program. A species is 
considered recovered when the species' ecosystem is restored and/or 
threats to the species are removed so that self-sustaining and self-
regulating populations of the species can be supported as persistent 
members of native biotic communities. 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 measures needed for recovery.
    The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended in 1988 (Act) (16 
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), requires that recovery plans be developed for 
listed species unless such a plan would not promote the conservation of 
a particular species. Section 4(f) of the Act requires that during 
recovery plan development, we provide public notice and an opportunity 
for public review and comment. Information presented during the comment 
period has been considered in the preparation of the final recovery 
plan, and is summarized in an appendix to the recovery plan. We will 
forward substantive comments regarding recovery plan implementation to 
appropriate Federal or other entities so that they can take these 
comments into account during the course of implementing recovery 
actions.
    The thelypody was listed as a threatened species on June 25, 1999. 
This taxon is endemic to the Baker-Powder River Valley in eastern 
Oregon. It is currently found in five populations in Baker and Union 
Counties, Oregon. It formerly also occurred in the Willow Creek Valley 
in Malheur County. The species grows in alkaline meadows in valley 
bottoms, usually in and around shrubs such as greasewood or 
rabbitbrush. The plants are threatened by habitat modification such as 
grazing during spring and early summer, trampling, urban development, 
and competition from non-native plants.
    The objective of this plan is to provide a framework for the 
recovery of the thelypody so that protection by the Act is no longer 
necessary. As recovery criteria are met, the status of the species will 
be reviewed and it will be considered for removal from the List of 
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife (50 CFR part 17). The Howell's 
spectacular thelypody will be considered for delisting when: (1) At 
least five stable or increasing thelypody

[[Page 50627]]

populations are distributed throughout its extant or historic range and 
populations must be naturally reproducing with stable or increasing 
trends for 10 years; (2) all five populations are located on 
permanently protected sites; (3) management plans have been developed 
and implemented for each site that specifically provide for the 
protection of thelypody and its habitat; and (4) a post-delisting 
monitoring plan is in place that will monitor the status of thelypody 
for at least 5 years at each site once it has been delisted.

    Authority: The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the 
Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533 (f).

    Dated: June 3, 2002.
Rowand W. Gould,
Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 02-19624 Filed 8-2-02; 8:45 am]
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