[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 238 (Wednesday, December 11, 2002)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 76156-76157]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-31175]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17


Notice of Availability of the Final Recovery Plan for Gabbro Soil 
Plants of the Central Sierra Nevada Foothills

AGENCY: U.S. 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 the final Recovery Plan for Gabbro Soil Plants of the 
Central Sierra Nevada Foothills. This recovery plan covers four plants 
listed as endangered: Stebbins' morning-glory (Calystegia stebbinsii), 
Pine Hill ceanothus (Ceanothus roderickii), Pine Hill flannelbush 
(Fremontodendron californicum ssp. decumbens), and El Dorado bedstraw 
(Galium californicum ssp. sierrae); one plant listed as threatened, 
Layne's butterweed (Senecio layneae); and one plant species of concern, 
El Dorado mule-ears (Wyethia reticulata).

ADDRESSES: Copies of this recovery plan are available by request from 
the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 Cottage Way, Room W-2605, 
Sacramento, California 95825. Recovery Plans may also be obtained from: 
Fish and Wildlife Reference Service, 5430 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 110, 
Bethesda,

[[Page 76157]]

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: Kirsten Tarp, Fish and Wildlife 
Biologist, at the above Sacramento 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 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 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 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 six species of plants covered in the final recovery plan are 
primarily restricted to gabbro soils habitat in the central Sierra 
Nevada foothills of California. Conversion of habitat to urban uses has 
extirpated the listed species and species of concern from a significant 
portion of their historic ranges. The remaining natural communities are 
highly fragmented, and many are marginal habitats in which these 
species may not persist during catastrophic events.
    Interim goals include stabilizing and protecting populations, 
conducting research necessary to refine reclassification and recovery 
criteria, and reclassifying to threatened (i.e., downlisting) Stebbins' 
morning-glory and Pine Hill ceanothus, species currently federally 
listed as endangered. The ultimate goals of this recovery plan are: (1) 
Protect and restore sufficient habitat and numbers of populations; (2) 
ameliorate both the threats that caused five of the gabbro soil plants 
to be listed and any other newly identified threats; (3) delist 
Stebbins' morning-glory, Pine Hill ceanothus, and Layne's butterweed, 
and downlist Pine Hill flannelbush and El Dorado bedstraw; and (4) 
ensure the long-term conservation of El Dorado mule-ears.

Authority

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

Steve Thompson,
Manager, California/Nevada Operations Office, Region 1, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 02-31175 Filed 12-10-02; 8:45 am]
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