[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 177 (Thursday, September 12, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57830-57831]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-21614]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Notice of Availability of the Final Recovery Plan for the 
California Red-Legged Frog

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announce the 
availability of a final recovery plan for the California red-legged 
frog (Rana aurora draytonii). The population of this subspecies of red-
legged frog has been extirpated from 70 percent of its former range and 
is now found in coastal drainages of central California from Marin 
County, California, south to northern Baja California, Mexico. Actions 
needed for recovery include: (1) Protection of known populations and 
reestablishment of populations; (2)

[[Page 57831]]

protection of suitable habitat, corridors, and core areas; (3) habitat 
management; (4) development of land use guidelines; (5) research; (6) 
surveying and monitoring; and (7) public participation, outreach, and 
education.

ADDRESSES: Copies of this recovery plan are available by request from 
the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage Way, W-2605, 
Sacramento, California, 916/414-6600. 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. This recovery plan will be made available on the World Wide 
Web at http://www.r1.fws.gov/ecoservices/endangered/recovery/default.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ina Pisani, Fish and Wildlife 
Biologist, at the above Sacramento 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 our endangered species program. To help 
guide the recovery effort, we are 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 in 1988 (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 requires that public 
notice and an opportunity for public review and comment be provided 
during recovery plan development. Information presented during the 
public comment period has been considered in the preparation of this 
final recovery plan, and is summarized in the 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 California red-legged frog (Rana aurora draytonii) occurs from 
sea level to elevations of about 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) in its 
range. It has been extirpated from 70 percent of its former range. The 
California red-legged frog requires a variety of habitat elements with 
aquatic breeding areas embedded within a matrix of riparian and upland 
dispersal habitats. Breeding sites of the California red-legged frog 
are in aquatic habitats including pools and backwaters within streams 
and creeks, ponds, marshes, sag ponds, dune ponds, and lagoons. 
California red-legged frogs frequently breed in artificial impoundments 
such as stock ponds. Potential threats to the species include 
elimination or degradation of habitat from land development and land 
use activities, and habitat invasions by non-native aquatic species.
    The objective of this recovery plan is to delist the California 
red-legged frog through implementation of a variety of recovery 
measures including: (1) Protection of known populations and 
reestablishment of populations; (2) protection of suitable habitat, 
corridors, and core areas; (3) habitat management; (4) development of 
land use guidelines; (5) research; (6) surveying and monitoring; and 
(7) public participation, outreach, and education.

Authority

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

    Dated: August 19, 2002.
Steve Thompson,
Manager, California/Nevada Operations Office, Region 1 , Fish and 
Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 02-21614 Filed 9-11-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P