[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 23 (Tuesday, February 4, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 5650]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-2488]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Notice of Availability of the Final Recovery Plan for the Plant 
Holy Ghost Ipomopsis

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 Recovery Plan for the Holy Ghost Ipomopsis 
(Ipomopsis sancti-spiritus). This plant is known from only one site in 
the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the Santa Fe National Forest 
in San Miguel County, New Mexico.

ADDRESSES: Recovery plans that have been approved by the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service are available on the World Wide Web at http://southwest.fws.gov. Recovery Plans may also be obtained from the Field 
Supervisor, New Mexico Ecological Services Field Office, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, 2105 Osuna NE., Albuquerque, New Mexico 87113 
(Telephone (505) 346-2525)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna Marie Munoz, Fish and Wildlife 
Biologist, New Mexico Ecological Services Field Office, 2105 Osuna NE., 
Albuquerque, New Mexico 87113, (phone 505/346-2525).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    A primary goal of the endangered species program is to restore 
endangered or threatened animals and plants to the point where they are 
again secure, self-sustaining members of their ecosystems. To help 
guide recovery, we prepare recovery plans for most endangered or 
threatened species native to the United States. Recovery plans describe 
needed conservation actions for the species, time and cost estimates 
for the actions, and recovery goals for downlisting or delisting.
    The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended, (16 U.S.C. 
1531 et seq.) requires that each endangered or threatened species be 
included in a recovery plan unless a plan would not promote a species' 
conservation. 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. Information presented during 
the public comment period has been considered in the preparation of the 
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.
    Holy Ghost ipomopsis was given endangered status under the Act on 
March 23, 1994 (59 FR 13840). It is known from a single canyon in the 
Santa Fe National Forest in northwestern San Miguel County, New Mexico. 
An estimated 2,500 plants occupy about 80 hectares (200 acres) along a 
U.S. Forest Service road. Impacts from road maintenance, recreation, 
and catastrophic forest fire are immediate management concerns. In the 
long term, present land uses influence management away from frequent 
disturbances that produce the preferred habitat for this species.
    Recovery will focus on protecting and enhancing the existing 
population. Additional recovery work will include research to determine 
the biological and ecological requirements of the species, 
establishment of a botanical garden population and a seed bank, 
establishment of a management plan, and reintroduction into suitable 
habitat in the upper Pecos River Basin.

Authority

    The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered 
Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
    Dated: October 11, 2002.
Geoffrey L. Haskett,
Acting Regional Director, Southwest Region, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 03-2488 Filed 2-3-03; 8:45 am]
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