[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 237 (Tuesday, December 10, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75861-75862]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-31076]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Notice of Availability of the Final Addendum to the Recovery Plan 
for the Multi-Island Plants

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 of the final Addendum to the Recovery Plan for the Multi-
Island Plants. There are 10 plant taxa included in this plan, all of 
which are listed as endangered. All 10 taxa are endemic to the Maui Nui 
group of islands in the Hawaiian Islands.

ADDRESSES: Copies of this recovery plan are available by request from 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife 
Office, 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 3-122, Box 50088, Honolulu, 
Hawaii 96850 (phone 808/541-3441). 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 or http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/recplans/index.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christa Russell, Plant Conservation 
Program Coordinator, at the above U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
Honolulu address.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Recovery of endangered or threatened animals and plants is a 
primary goal of 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 the time and cost 
associated with implementing the measures needed for recovery.
    The Endangered Species Act (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 during recovery plan development, we 
provide public notice and an opportunity for public review and comment. 
Information presented during the public comment period has been 
considered in the preparation of this final addendum, 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.
    This Addendum to the Recovery Plan for the Multi-Island Plants 
covers 10 plant taxa, all of which are listed as endangered. These 10 
Hawaiian plant taxa are endemic to the Maui Nui group of islands in the 
Hawaiian Islands. This group includes Maui, Molokai, Lanai, and 
Kahoolawe. Five taxa are endemic to the island of Maui, three taxa are 
endemic to the island of Lanai, one taxon is endemic to Molokai, and 
one taxon is endemic to the island of Kahoolawe. The listed plants are: 
Clermontia samuellii (oha wai), Cyanea copelandii ssp. haleakalaensis 
(haha), Cyanea glabra (haha), Cyanea hamatiflora ssp. hamatiflora 
(haha), Dubautia plantaginea ssp. humilis (naenae), Hedyotis 
schlechtendahliana var. remyi (kopa), Kanaloa kahoolawensis (kohe 
malama malama o Kanaloa), Labordia tinifolia var. lanaiensis 
(kamakahala), Labordia triflora (kamakahala), and Melicope munroi 
(alani).
    The 10 taxa included in this addendum grow in a variety of 
vegetation communities (shrublands and forests), elevational zones 
(coastal to montane), and moisture regimes (dry to wet). These taxa and 
their habitats have been variously affected or are currently threatened 
by one or more of the following: competition for space, light, water, 
and nutrients by introduced vegetation; habitat degradation by wild, 
feral or domestic animals (pigs, goats, and deer); predation by animals 
(deer, pigs, goats, rats, slugs, and insects); substrate loss; and 
collecting for scientific or horticultural purposes. In addition, due 
to the small number of existing individuals and their very narrow 
distributions, these taxa and most of their populations are subject to 
an increased likelihood of extinction and/or reduced reproductive vigor 
from naturally occurring events such as hurricanes.
    The objective of the addendum to the recovery plan is to provide a 
framework for the recovery of these 10 taxa so that their protection by 
the Act is no longer necessary. The interim objective is to stabilize 
all existing populations of these 10 plants. To be considered stable, 
each taxon would have to be managed to control threats (e.g., fenced) 
and be represented in an ex situ (such as a nursery or arboretum) 
collection. In addition, a minimum total of three populations of each 
taxon should be documented on the islands where they now occur or 
occurred historically. Each of these populations would have to be 
naturally reproducing and increasing in number, with a minimum of 25 
mature individuals per population for long-lived perennials (Kanaloa 
kahoolawensis and Melicope munroi), and a minimum of 50 mature 
individuals per population for short-lived perennials (Clermontia 
samuelii, Cyanea copelandii ssp. haleakalaensis, Cyanea glabra, Cyanea 
hamatiflora ssp. hamatiflora, Dubautia plantaginea, Hedyotis 
schlechtendahlia var. remyi, Labordia tinifolia var. lanaiensis, and 
Labordia triflora).
    For reclassification to threatened status, a total of five to seven 
populations of each taxon should be documented on islands where they 
now occur, or occurred historically. In certain cases, however, a 
particular taxon could be eligible for reclassification even if all 
five to seven of the populations are on only one island, provided all 
of the other recovery criteria have been met, and the populations in 
question are widely distributed and secure enough that one

[[Page 75862]]

might reasonably conclude that the taxon is not in danger of extinction 
throughout all or a significant part of its range.
    Each of these populations would have to be naturally reproducing, 
stable or increasing in number, and secure from threats, with a minimum 
of 100 mature individuals per population for long-lived perennials and 
a minimum of 300 mature individuals per population for short-lived 
perennials. Each population should persist at this level for a minimum 
of 5 consecutive years before reclassification is considered. A total 
of 8 to 10 populations of each taxon should be documented on islands 
where they now occur or occurred historically. As with reclassification 
to threatened status, there could be certain cases in which a 
particular taxon may be eligible for removal from the list even if all 
8 to 10 of the populations are on only 1 island, provided all of the 
other recovery criteria have been met, and the populations in question 
are widely distributed and secure enough that one might reasonably 
conclude that the taxon is not in danger of extinction throughout all 
or a significant part of its range. Each of these populations would 
have to be naturally reproducing, stable or increasing in number, and 
secure from threats, with a minimum of 100 mature individuals per 
population for long-lived perennials and a minimum of 300 mature 
individuals per population for short-lived perennials. Each population 
should persist at this level for a minimum of 5 consecutive years.

Authority

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

    Dated: September 19, 2002.
Carolyn A. Bohan,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 02-31076 Filed 12-9-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P