[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 151 (Wednesday, August 6, 2003)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 46684-46867]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-18437]



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Part II





Department of the Interior





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Fish and Wildlife Service



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50 CFR Part 17



Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Final Designation of 
Critical Habitat for Four Vernal Pool Crustaceans and Eleven Vernal 
Pool Plants in California and Southern Oregon; Final Rule

  Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 151 / Wednesday, August 6, 2003 / 
Rules and Regulations  

[[Page 46684]]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

RIN 1018-AI26


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Final Designation 
of Critical Habitat for Four Vernal Pool Crustaceans and Eleven Vernal 
Pool Plants in California and Southern Oregon

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), designate 
critical habitat pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 
amended (Act), for 4 vernal pool crustaceans and 11 vernal pool plants. 
A total of approximately 1,184,513 ac (417,989 ha) of land falls within 
the boundaries of designated critical habitat. This estimate reflects 
the exclusion of National Wildlife Refuge lands and National fish 
hatchery lands (33,097 ac (13,238 ha)), and State lands within 
ecological reserves and wildlife management areas (20,933 ac (8,373 
ha)) from the final designation. However, the area estimate does not 
reflect the exclusion of lands within the following California 
counties: Butte, Madera, Merced, Sacramento, and Solano from the final 
designation pursuant to section 4(b)(2) of the Act.
    This critical habitat designation requires us to consult under 
section 7 of the Act with regard to actions authorized, funded, or 
carried out by a Federal agency. Section 4 of the Act requires us to 
consider economic and other relevant impacts when specifying any 
particular area as critical habitat. We solicited data and comments 
from the public on all aspects of the proposed rule, including data on 
economic and other impacts of the designation.

DATES: This final rule is effective September 5, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Comments and materials received, as well as supporting 
documentation used in the preparation of this final rule, will be 
available for public inspection, by appointment, during normal business 
hours at the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, 2800 Cottage, Room W-2605, Sacramento, CA 95825.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Arnold Roessler or Jan Knight, at the 
Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office address above (telephone 916/414-
6600; facsimile 916/414-6710).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Preamble

Designation of Critical Habitat Provides Little Additional Protection 
to Species

    In 30 years of implementing the ESA, the Service has found that the 
designation of statutory critical habitat provides little additional 
protection to most listed species, while consuming significant amounts 
of conservation resources. The Service's present system for designating 
critical habitat is driven by litigation rather than biology, limits 
our ability to fully evaluate the science involved, consumes enormous 
agency resources, and imposes huge social and economic costs. The 
Service believes that additional agency discretion would allow our 
focus to return to those actions that provide the greatest benefit to 
the species most in need of protection.

Role of Critical Habitat in Actual Practice of Administering and 
Implementing the Act

    While attention to and protection of habitat is paramount to 
successful conservation actions, we have consistently found that, in 
most circumstances, the designation of critical habitat is of little 
additional value for most listed species, yet it consumes large amounts 
of conservation resources. Sidle (1987) stated, ``Because the ESA can 
protect species with and without critical habitat designation, critical 
habitat designation may be redundant to the other consultation 
requirements of section 7.''
    Currently, only 306 species or 25 percent of the 1,211 listed 
species in the U.S. under the jurisdiction of the Service have 
designated critical habitat. We address the habitat needs of all 1,211 
listed species through conservation mechanisms such as listing, section 
7 consultations, the Section 4 recovery planning process, the Section 9 
protective prohibitions of unauthorized take, Section 6 funding to the 
States, and the Section 10 incidental take permit process. The Service 
believes that it is these measures that may make the difference between 
extinction and survival for many species.

Procedural and Resource Difficulties in Designating Critical Habitat

    We have been inundated with lawsuits regarding critical habitat 
designation, and we face a growing number of lawsuits challenging 
critical habitat determinations once they are made. These lawsuits have 
subjected the Service to an ever-increasing series of court orders and 
court-approved settlement agreements, compliance with which now 
consumes nearly the entire listing program budget. This leaves the 
Service with little ability to prioritize its activities to direct 
scarce listing resources to the listing program actions with the most 
biologically urgent species conservation needs.
    The consequence of the critical habitat litigation activity is that 
limited listing funds are used to defend active lawsuits and to comply 
with the growing number of adverse court orders. As a result, the 
Service's own proposals to undertake conservation actions based on 
biological priorities are significantly delayed.
    The accelerated schedules of court ordered designations have left 
the Service with almost no ability to provide for additional public 
participation beyond those minimally required by the APA, the Act, and 
the Service's implementing regulations, or to take additional time for 
review of comments and information to ensure the rule has addressed all 
the pertinent issues before making decisions on listing and critical 
habitat proposals, due to the risks associated with noncompliance with 
judicially imposed. This in turn fosters a second round of litigation 
in which those who will suffer adverse impacts from these decisions 
challenge them. The cycle of litigation appears endless, is very 
expensive, and in the final analysis provides little additional 
protection to listed species.
    The costs resulting from the designation include legal costs, the 
cost of preparation and publication of the designation, the analysis of 
the economic effects and the cost of requesting and responding to 
public comment, and in some cases the costs of compliance with NEPA, 
all are part of the cost of critical habitat designation. These costs 
result in minimal benefits to the species that is not already afforded 
by the protections of the Act enumerated earlier, and they directly 
reduce the funds available for direct and tangible conservation 
actions.

Background

    On the basis of the final economic analysis and other relevant 
impacts, as outlined under section 4(b)(2) of the Act, certain 
exclusions have been made, as detailed below. Because of the settlement 
agreement that requires us to deliver this rule to the Federal Register 
by July 15, 2003, there was insufficient time to revise the rule to 
fully reflect these exclusions. A technical amendment to the rule to 
take these areas out of the maps and legal descriptions, as well to 
change all the

[[Page 46685]]

appropriate references in the text of this preamble will be completed 
as soon as funding allows.
    The following counties are excluded from this rule under Section 
4(b)(2): Butte, Madera, Merced, Solano, and Sacramento. We find that 
the benefits of excluding these areas from critical habitat outweigh 
the benefits of including them. See further discussion under the 
Section 4(B)(2) analysis subheading below.
    Vernal pool crustaceans and plants live in vernal pools (shallow 
depressions that hold water seasonally), swales (shallow drainages that 
carry water seasonally), and ephemeral (short-lived) freshwater 
habitats. None are known to occur in riverine waters, marine waters, or 
other permanent bodies of water. The vernal pool habitats of the 4 
vernal pool crustaceans and 11 plants addressed in this final rule have 
a discontinuous distribution west of the Sierra Nevada that extends 
from southern Oregon through California into northern Baja California, 
Mexico (Holland and Jain 1978, 1988; Eriksen and Belk 1999).
    Vernal pools are a unique kind of wetland ecosystem. Central to 
their distinctive ecology is that they are vernal or ephemeral, 
occurring temporarily--typically during the spring following fall and 
winter rains--and then disappearing until the next year. They are wet 
long enough to be different in character and species composition from 
the surrounding upland habitats, and yet their prolonged annual dry 
phase prevents the establishment of species typical of more permanent 
wetlands. In California, where extensive areas of vernal pool habitat 
developed over long periods of time, unique suites of species specially 
adapted to the unusual conditions of vernal pools have evolved. Fish 
and other predators are among the species excluded by vernal pools' 
annual drying, so vernal pool communities have developed and flourished 
in the absence of many predators. California vernal pools are also 
renowned for their showy displays of wildflowers, blooming in 
concentric rings about the pools in spring.
    Many areas in California and portions of southern Oregon have the 
combination of environmental conditions that favor the development of 
vernal pools (Keeley and Zedler 1998). The climate is of a type 
classified as Mediterranean, with a wet season when rainfall exceeds 
evaporation, filling the pools, and a dry season when evaporation is 
greater, drying the pools. Rainfall is relatively meager even in most 
wet seasons, so erosion by overflowing waters does not dissect the 
topographic irregularities that form vernal pool basins. Temperatures 
during the fall and winter wet season are mild, so plants and animals 
can grow, mature, and reproduce.
    A second major factor in the development of vernal pools is soil. 
Vernal pools form where there is a soil layer below or at the surface 
that is impermeable or nearly impermeable to water (Smith and Verrill 
1998). Precipitation and surface runoff become trapped or ``perched'' 
above this layer. In California, the restrictive soil layers underlying 
vernal pools are of four main types: hardpans, claypans, volcanic 
flows, and non-volcanic rock. Hardpans are formed by leaching, 
redeposition, and cementing of silica minerals from high in the soil 
profile to a lower (``B'') horizon (Hobson and Dahlgren 1998; Smith and 
Verrill 1998). Claypans are formed by another redeposition process--
fine clay particles are transported to the B horizon and accumulate 
there. Claypans may also be augmented by redeposition of saline or 
alkaline compounds. Hardpans and claypans both develop gradually over 
thousands of years, and can be a yard (meter) or more thick. Smith and 
Verrill (1998) list many of the soil series associated with vernal 
pools in the Central Valley. Volcanic flows include basaltic lavas and 
cemented mudflows, and are most common along the lower western slope of 
the Sierra Nevada. The soil parent material underlying vernal pools 
greatly influences species composition and hydrologic functioning of 
the vernal pool (Hanes and Stromberg 1998; Smith and Verrill 1998). 
Soils beneath vernal pools are extremely variable and may not be the 
same as soils mapped by soil surveys (Holland and Dain 1990).
    A third factor, related to soil and climate, is topography or 
relief. Vernal pools typically occur in landscapes that, on a broad 
scale, are shallowly sloping or nearly level, but on a fine scale may 
be quite bumpy. Complex microrelief results in shallow, undrained 
depressions that form vernal pools. Some vernal pool landscapes are 
dotted with numerous rounded soil mounds known as mima mounds (Scheffer 
1947). From the air, vernal pool landscapes often show characteristic 
patterning, produced by plant responses to mound and trough 
microrelief. This patterning has allowed mapping of vernal pool 
habitats throughout California's Central Valley and adjacent coastal 
foothill areas to a scale between 10 and 40 acre units (Holland 1998, 
2003).
    Vernal pools come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from less than 
a square yard (1 meter) to 2.5 ac (1 ha) or more. Some larger vernal 
wetlands, such as the 90 ac (36 ha) Olcott Lake in the Jepson Prairie 
Preserve in Solano County, are also referred to as playa pools or 
lakes. Playa pools with high alkalinity are termed alkali sinks. These 
larger wetlands contain many of the same animals and plants of smaller 
vernal pools, including many rare, threatened, and endangered species.
    Since appropriate combinations of climate, soil, and topography 
often occur over continuous areas rather than in isolated spots, vernal 
pools in California, particularly in the Central Valley, tend to occur 
in clusters called ``complexes.'' A landscape that supports a vernal 
pool complex is typically a grassland, with areas of obstructed 
drainage that form the pools. Vernal pools can also be found in a 
variety of other habitats, including woodland, desert, chaparral, or 
pine forest. The pools may be fed or connected by low drainage pathways 
called ``swales.'' Swales are often themselves seasonal wetlands that 
remain saturated for much of the wet season, but may not be inundated 
long enough to develop strong vernal pool characteristics. Swales, due 
to their connection to adjacent pools, are considered part of the 
vernal pool complex.
    Vernal pools begin to fill with the fall and winter rains. Before 
ponding occurs, there is a period during which the soil is wetted and 
the local water table may rise. Some pools have a substantial watershed 
that contributes to their water inputs; others may fill almost entirely 
from rain falling directly into the pool (Hanes and Stromberg 1998). 
Although exceptions are not uncommon, the watershed generally 
contributes more to the filling of larger or deeper pools, especially 
playa pools. Even in pools filled primarily by direct precipitation, 
Hanes and Stromberg (1998) report that subsurface inflows from 
surrounding soils can help dampen water level fluctuations during late 
winter and early spring. Vernal pools exhibit four major phases: (1) 
The wetting phase, when vernal pool soils become saturated; (2) the 
aquatic phase, when a perched water table develops and the vernal pool 
contains water; (3) a water-logged drying phase, when the vernal pool 
begins losing water as a result of evaporation and loss to the 
surrounding soils but soil moisture remains high; and (4) the dry 
phase, when the vernal pool and underlying soils are completely dry 
(Keeley and Zedler 1998). Upland areas associated with vernal pools are 
also an important source of nutrients to vernal pool organisms (Wetzel 
1975). Vernal pool

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habitats derive most of their nutrients from detritus (decaying matter) 
washed into pools from adjacent uplands, and these nutrients provide 
the foundation for a vernal pool aquatic community's food chain. 
Detritus is a primary food source for the vernal pool crustaceans 
addressed in this rule (Eriksen and Belk 1999). Because vernal pools 
are mostly rain-fed, they tend to have low nutrient levels and dramatic 
daily fluctuations in pH, dissolved oxygen, and carbon dioxide (Keeley 
and Zedler 1998).
    Both the amount and timing of rainfall in California and Oregon 
vary greatly from year to year. As a result, pools may fill to 
different extents at different times. The duration of ponding of vernal 
pools also varies, and in certain years some pools may not fill at all. 
Many characteristics of vernal pool plants and animals result from 
these organisms' adaptations to the highly variable and unpredictable 
nature of vernal pools (Holland 1976; Holland and Dains 1990; King et 
al. 1996; Hanes and Stromberg 1998).
    Compared to vernal pools worldwide, vernal pools in California and 
Oregon are rich in species composition and contain many species that 
are endemic to the region (found nowhere else). In addition, while most 
of California's grasslands are now dominated by nonnative grasses and 
other introduced plants, vernal pools remain a haven for native 
species. Invasive nonnative plants have been introduced into California 
and have spread and reproduced in upland habitats so successfully that 
it is not unusual for nonnatives to account for a third of the species 
and more than 90 percent of the biomass in a California grassland. 
Vernal pools have dramatically resisted this invasion: 75 to 95 percent 
of plant species found in vernal pools are native, and natives dominate 
in biomass as well as in number (Holland and Jain 1978; Jokerst 1990; 
Spencer and Rieseberg 1998). Vernal pool plant communities are able to 
resist invasion of upland species because of the severe ecological 
constraints on plants living in vernal pool environments.
    The animal communities that live in vernal pools also contain 
diverse groups of highly specialized species. The freshwater crustacean 
communities of vernal pools are particularly well developed (Simovich 
1998). The most visible crustaceans in vernal pools are the large 
branchiopods (literally, ``gill-foots''), about 27 species in 
California, of which perhaps 10 are endemic (Helm 1998; Belk and Fugate 
2000) and 6 are federally listed as threatened or endangered. The large 
branchiopods are easily visible to the naked eye, ranging up to 2 
inches (in) (5 centimeters (cm)) in length, depending on the species. 
They include the fairy shrimps (Anostraca), tadpole shrimps 
(Notostraca), and clam shrimps (Spinicaudata and Laevicaudata). Smaller 
crustaceans that are common in California vernal pools, many large 
enough to see without magnification, are water fleas (Branchiopoda-
Cladocera), copepods (Copepoda), and seed shrimp (Ostracoda).
    Amphibians and many insect species also live in vernal pools. The 
Pacific tree frog (Hyla (Pseudacris) regilla) and western toad (Bufo 
boreas) are common and abundant in and around vernal pools. Two rarer 
amphibians native to vernal pools are the California tiger salamander 
(Ambystoma californiense) and the western spadefoot toad (Scaphiopus 
(Spea) hammondii) (Morey 1998). While dispersing bullfrogs (Rana 
catesbeiana), which are not native to California, are sometimes found 
in vernal pools, they do not successfully breed there because bullfrog 
tadpoles require 2 years to mature and cannot survive the dry season. 
These voracious introduced predators will sometimes be found resting 
and feeding in vernal pools close to more permanent water, frequently 
associated with human modifications of the landscape. Fish likewise do 
not inhabit vernal pools, except where temporarily introduced by humans 
(e.g., mosquitofish (Gambusia sp.)) or by flooding of permanent waters.
    The insect fauna of vernal pools is numerous, varied, and primarily 
native, including aquatic beetles (Coleoptera-Dytiscidae, 
Hydrophilidae, Gyrinidae, Halipidae, Hydraenidae); aquatic bugs, 
including backswimmers (Hemiptera-Notonectidae), water boatmen 
(Corixidae), water striders (Gerridae), springtails (Collembola), 
mayflies (Ephemeroptera), dragonflies, and damselflies (Odonata); and 
various flies with aquatic larvae, including midges (Diptera-
Chironomidae), crane flies (Tipulidae) and mosquitoes (Culicidae). 
Rogers (1998) found that mosquitoes made up less than 2 percent of the 
total macroscopic invertebrate population in natural and 2-year-old 
constructed pools, perhaps because many of the other insects listed 
above are predators. Vernal pool crustaceans are an important food 
source for a number of aquatic and terrestrial species. Aquatic 
predators include insects such as backswimmers (Family Notonectidae) 
(Woodward and Kiesecker 1994), predaceous diving beetles and their 
larvae (Family Dystictidae), and dragonflies and damselfly larvae 
(Order Odonate). Vernal pool tadpole shrimp are another significant 
predator of fairy shrimp (Branchinecta spp.).
    The plants, invertebrate and vertebrate animals of vernal pools, 
and vernal pool landscapes in general are important providers of food 
and habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, wading birds, toads, frogs, and 
salamanders (Proctor et al. 1967; Krapu 1974; Swanson 1974; Morin 1987; 
Simovich et al. 1991; Silveira 1996). During the spring, waterfowl feed 
on vernal pool crustaceans and other invertebrates, which are sources 
of protein and calcium needed for migration and egg-laying (Proctor et 
al. 1967; Silveira 1998). Vernal pool complexes contribute to 
continuity of wetland habitats along the Pacific Flyway (a major bird 
migration route). Many species feed or nest near vernal pools; for 
example, cliff swallows (Hirundo fulva) glean mud from vernal pool beds 
for their nests, lesser nighthawks (Chordeiles acutipennis) nest in dry 
vernal pool beds, burrowing owl (Athene cunicularia) and gopher 
(Thomomys spp.) burrows are found in mima mounds, and many species 
graze or hunt along vernal pool shorelines. Before their populations 
were nearly eliminated by hunting and habitat alteration, elk (Cervus 
spp.) and pronghorn antelope (Antilocarpa americana) undoubtedly grazed 
vernal pool landscapes, and have been replaced by cattle. There is 
additionally evidence that Native Americans in California's Central 
Valley used vernal pool crustaceans as a food source (Silveira 1998). 
Fishing net weights found near vernal pools suggest that California's 
first human populations also made use of vernal pool resources, as do 
hunters today (Silveira 1998).

Classification of Vernal Pools

    The variability of vernal pool types has led many researchers to 
try and classify these ephemeral habitats. (Holland 1986; Sawyer and 
Keeler-Wolf 1995; Ferren et al. 1996; Smith and Verrill 1998). Most of 
these efforts have focused on classifying vernal pools based on the 
factors that influence variation in their physical features. Primary 
physical features that influence vernal pool size, depth, and soil and 
water chemistry include soil type, geologic formation, and landform. 
Landforms are physical attributes of the landscape resulting from 
geomorphological processes such as erosion and deposition, and include 
features such as alluvial terraces and basins and volcanic mudflows and 
lava flows.
    The types and kinds of species that are found in vernal pools are 
largely

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determined by these physical factors (Holland and Griggs 1976; Zedler 
1987; Eng et al. 1990; Holland and Dains 1990; Simovich 1998). The 
physical characteristics of the vernal pool influence the life history 
characteristics of vernal pool species, such as the speed with which a 
species can mature and reproduce, the amount of soil moisture required 
for germination of plant seeds or hatching of invertebrate eggs or 
cysts, as well as tolerance to turbidity, total dissolved solids, and 
other aspects of vernal pool water chemistry.
    Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf (1995) classified vernal pools according to 
a number of physical, geographic, and biological characteristics. They 
identified several general vernal pool types , each of which 
corresponds to the nature of the impermeable layer that underlies the 
particular vernal pool and assisted that pool to form. The vernal pool 
types were identified as Northern Hardpan, Northern Claypan, Northern 
Basalt Flow, Northern Volcanic Mudflow, and Northern Ashflow vernal 
pools. Northern Hardpan vernal pools are formed on alluvial terraces 
with silicate-cement soil layers. These pool types are on acidic soils 
and exhibit well-developed mima mound topography found on the eastern 
margins of the Central Valley. Northern Claypan vernal pools are formed 
on impermeable surfaces created by an accumulation of clay particles. 
These pool types are often found on basin and basin rim landforms and 
tend to occur in the central portion of the Central Valley and tend to 
be alkaline. Vernal pools identified as Northern Volcanic Mudflow, 
Northern Basalt Flow, and Northern Volcanic Ashflow are formed by an 
impervious bedrock layer of volcanic origin. These pool types are found 
on the eastern and coastal portions of the Central Valley, and tend to 
be small and restricted in distribution. Northern Basalt Flow vernal 
pools occur at greater elevations than other vernal pool types.
    The vernal pools in Southern California are associated with several 
soil series types including but not limited to Huerheuero, Olivenhain, 
Placentia, Redding, and Stockpen (Bauder and McMillan 1998). These soil 
types and other similar soil series like other vernal pool bearing 
soils and geologic formations have a nearly impermeable surface or 
subsurface soil layer with a flat or gently sloping topography (Service 
1998). Due to local topography and geology, the pools are usually 
clustered into pool complexes (Bauder 1986; Holland and Jain 1988). 
Pools within a complex are typically separated by distances on the 
order of meters, and may form dense, interconnected mosaics of small 
pools or a more sparse scattering of larger pools. The pools within the 
Santa Rosa Plateau in Riverside County, California are the only known 
locality for the Southern Basalt Flow Vernal Pools. Other vernal pools 
and pool complexes within the region, such as those at Skunk Hollow are 
not currently classified, but some of these pools converge on vernal 
lakes and others are associated with vernal alkali plains (Keeler-Wolf 
et al. 1998).
    The vernal pools in the Agate Desert in Southern Oregon are located 
on alluvial fans capped with a shallow layer of clay loam over cemented 
hardpan. Other vernal pools within the area include those formed on 
older basaltic andesite formations such as those found on Table Rock. 
The vernal pool complexes are characterized by patterned ground with 
mounds and vernal pools. These pools vary in size from 1 to 30 m (3 to 
100 ft) across, and attain a maximum depth of about 30 cm (12 in) (ONHP 
1998). This landform is not true desert as it receives 48 cm (19 in) of 
precipitation annually. The pools within the area support the vernal 
pool fairy shrimp and other listed vernal pool species such as the 
endangered Cook's lomatium (Lomatium cookii) and large-flowered woolly 
meadowfoam (Limnanthes floccosa ssp. grandiflora) (Service 2002).

Vernal Pool Crustacean Background

    All of the vernal pool crustacean species addressed in this 
critical habitat designation have evolved unique physical adaptations 
to survive in vernal pools. The timing and duration of wet and dry 
phases can vary significantly from year to year, and in some years, 
vernal pools may not inundate at all. In order to take advantage of the 
short inundation phase, vernal pool crustaceans have evolved short 
reproduction times and high reproductive rates. Most of the crustacean 
species addressed in this rule hatch within a few days after their 
habitats fill with water, and can start reproducing within a few weeks 
(Eng et al. 1990; Helm 1998; Eriksen and Belk 1999). Vernal pool 
crustaceans can complete their entire life cycle in a single season, 
and some species may complete several life cycles. Vernal pool 
crustaceans can also produce thousands of viable cysts when 
environmental conditions are favorable.
    To survive the prolonged heat and dessication of the vernal pool 
dry phase, vernal pool crustaceans have developed a dormant stage. 
After vernal pool crustacean eggs are fertilized in the female's brood 
pouch, the embryos develop a thick, usually multilayered shell. When 
embryonic development reaches a late stage, further maturation stops, 
metabolism is drastically slowed, and the egg, now referred to as a 
cyst, enters a dormant state called diapause. The cyst is then either 
dropped to the pool bottom or remains in the brood sac until the female 
dies and sinks. Once the cyst is desiccated, it can withstand 
temperatures near boiling (Carlisle 1968), fire (Wells et al. 1997), 
freezing, and anoxic (deprived of oxygen) conditions without damage to 
the embryo. The cyst wall cannot be affected by digestive enzymes, and 
can be transported in the digestive tracts of animals without harm 
(Horne 1967). Most fairy shrimp cysts can remain viable in the soil for 
a decade or longer (Belk 1998).
    Although the exact signals that cause crustacean cysts to hatch are 
unknown, factors such as soil moisture, temperature, light, oxygen, and 
osmotic pressure may trigger the embryo's emergence from the cyst 
(Brendonck 1996). Because the cyst contains a well-developed embryo, 
the animal can quickly develop into a fully mature adult. This allows 
vernal pool crustaceans to reproduce before the vernal pool enters the 
dry phase, sometimes within only a few weeks (Helm 1998; Eriksen and 
Belk 1999). In some species (e.g., vernal pool tadpole shrimp), cysts 
may hatch immediately without going through a dormant stage, if they 
are deposited while the vernal pool still contains water. These cysts 
are referred to as quiescent, and their presence allows the vernal pool 
crustacean to produce multiple generations in a single wet season as 
long as their habitat remains inundated.
    Another important adaptation of vernal pool crustaceans to the 
unpredictable conditions of vernal pools is the fact that not all of 
the dormant cysts hatch in every season. Simovich and Hathaway (1997) 
found that only 6 percent of San Diego fairy shrimp (Branchinecta 
sandiegonensis) cysts hatched after initial hydration, and only 0.18 
percent of Riverside fairy shrimp (Streptocephalus woottoni) cysts 
hatched. The cysts that do not hatch remain dormant and viable in the 
soil. These cysts may hatch in a subsequent year and form a cyst bank 
much like the seed bank of annual plants. Based on a review of other 
studies (Belk 1977; Gallagher 1996; Brendonck 1996), Simovich and 
Hathaway (1997) concluded that species inhabiting more unpredictable 
environments, such as smaller or shorter lived pools, are more likely 
to have a smaller percent of their

[[Page 46688]]

cysts hatch after their vernal pool habitats fill with water. This 
strategy reduces the probability of complete reproductive failure if a 
vernal pool dries up prematurely. This strategy has been suggested as a 
mechanism by which rare species may persist in unpredictable 
environments (Chesson and Warner 1981; Chesson and Huntly 1989; Ellner 
and Hairston 1994).
    Although the vernal pool crustaceans, and particularly the fairy 
shrimp, addressed in this rule are not often found in the same vernal 
pool at the same time, when coexistence does occur, it is generally in 
deeper, longer lived pools (Eng et al. 1990; Thiery 1991; Gallagher 
1996; Simovich 1998). In larger pools, closely related species of fairy 
shrimp may coexist by hatching at different temperatures, and by 
developing at different rates (Thiery 1991; Hathaway and Simovich 
1996). Vernal pool crustacean species may also be able to coexist by 
utilizing different physical portions of the vernal pool, or by eating 
different food sources (Daborn 1978; Hamer and Appleton 1991; Mura 
1991; Thiery 1991).
    The primary historic dispersal mechanisms for the vernal pool 
crustaceans probably consisted of large-scale flooding resulting from 
winter and spring rains and dispersal by migratory birds. As a result 
of widespread flood control and agricultural water diversion projects 
developed during the twentieth century, large scale flooding is no 
longer a major form of dispersal for the vernal pool crustaceans. When 
being dispersed by migratory birds, the eggs of these crustaceans are 
either ingested (Krapu 1974; Swanson 1974; Driver 1981; Ahl 1991) and/
or they adhere to the bird's legs and feathers and are thereby 
transported to new habitats. Cysts may also be dispersed by a number of 
other species, such as salamanders, toads, cattle, and humans (Eriksen 
and Belk 1999).
    The vernal pool crustaceans addressed in this rule are generally 
confined to habitats that are low to moderate in alkalinity and 
dissolved salts when compared with other aquatic systems (Eriksen and 
Belk 1999). Although potentially moderated by soil type, vernal pools 
are generally unbuffered and exhibit wide fluctuations in pH and 
dissolved oxygen (Keeley and Zedler 1998). Vernal pool water ion 
concentrations, such as sodium, potassium, calcium, chlorine, and 
magnesium, also experience large daily and seasonal variations. These 
variations are due to the concentration of ions as a result of 
evaporation, and the dilution of ions with additional rainfall 
throughout the wet season (Barclay and Knight 1981). How vernal pool 
crustacean species adapt to these fluctuations in water chemistry 
varies. Definitive conclusions on why the species has certain water 
chemistry habitat preferences is unknown due to the anecdotal nature of 
observations.
    This final rule addresses four vernal pool crustaceans: the 
Conservancy fairy shrimp (Branchinecta conservatio), longhorn fairy 
shrimp (Branchinecta longiantenna), vernal pool fairy shrimp 
(Branchinecta lynchi) and the (Lepidurus packardi). Conservancy fairy 
shrimp , longhorn fairy shrimp, and vernal pool fairy shrimp are 
members of the aquatic crustacean order Anostraca, while the vernal 
pool tadpole shrimp is a member of the aquatic crustacean order 
Notostraca. Vernal pool fairy shrimp are found in California and 
southern Oregon, while the other three shrimp species are found only in 
California. These species have all evolved similar adaptations to the 
unique habitat conditions of their vernal pool habitats. The general 
appearance and life history characteristics of these four species will 
be described in combination below.
    Conservancy fairy shrimp, longhorn fairy shrimp, and vernal pool 
fairy shrimp (fairy shrimp) have delicate elongate bodies, large 
stalked compound eyes, and 11 pairs of phyllopods, which are swimming 
appendages that also function as gills. They swim or glide gracefully 
upside down by means of complex beating movements that pass in a 
wavelike anterior-to-posterior direction. Fairy shrimp are filter 
feeders, and consume algae, bacteria, protozoa, rotifers, and bits of 
detritus as they move through the water. The second pair of antennae in 
fairy shrimp adult males are greatly enlarged and specialized for 
clasping the females during copulation. The females carry eggs in an 
oval or elongate ventral sac (brood pouch). Once fertilized, the eggs 
are coated (encysted) with a protective protein layer that allows them 
to withstand heat, cold, and prolonged dehydration. These dormant 
embryos are known as cysts. The cysts are either dropped to the pool 
bottom or remain in the brood pouch until the female dies and sinks. 
The cysts can remain viable in the soil for decades after deposition 
(Eriksen and Belk 1999). When the pools refill in the same or 
subsequent seasons, some but not all of the cysts may hatch (Eriksen 
and Belk 1999). The cyst bank in the soil may consist of cysts from 
several years of breeding. The cysts that hatch may do so within days 
after the vernal pools fill, and the hatchlings rapidly develop into 
adults within weeks. In pools that persist for several weeks to a few 
months, fairy shrimp may have multiple hatches during a single season.
    Vernal pool tadpole shrimp have dorsal compound eyes, a large 
shieldlike carapace (shell) that covers most of their body, and a pair 
of long cercopods or appendages at the end of the last abdominal 
segment. They are primarily benthic (living on the bottoms of the 
pools) animals that swim with their legs down. Vernal pool tadpole 
shrimp climb or scramble over objects, and plow along bottom sediments 
as they forage for food. Their diet consists of organic detritus and 
living organisms, such as fairy shrimp and other invertebrates (Fryer 
1987). The females disperse their fully developed cysts into the pool, 
where the cysts are then deposited into the sediment. Like fairy 
shrimp, vernal pool tadpole shrimp pass the summer months as dormant 
cysts in the soil. Some of the cysts hatch as the vernal pools are 
filled with rainwater in the next or subsequent seasons, while other 
cysts may remain dormant in the soil for many years. When winter rains 
refill inhabited pools, tadpole shrimp reestablish from dormant cysts 
and may become sexually mature within 3 to 4 weeks after hatching (Ahl 
1991; Helm 1998). Mature adults may be present in pools until the 
habitats dry up in the spring (Ahl 1991; Gallagher 1996).
    Additional information specific to each of the four individual 
vernal pool crustacean species described in this rule is provided 
below.

Conservancy Fairy Shrimp

    Conservancy fairy shrimp were first described in 1990 by Eng, Belk, 
and Eriksen. The type specimens were collected in 1982 at Olcott Lake, 
Solano County, California. Conservancy fairy shrimp are currently known 
from only eight disjunct areas: Vina Plains and vicinity in southern 
Tehama and northern Butte County, Jepson Prairie in Solano County, 
Suisun Slough in southern Solano County, Sacramento National Wildlife 
Refuge in Glenn County, near Caswell Memorial State Park in Stanislaus 
County; Haystack Mountain Area in eastern Merced County, San Luis 
National Wildlife Refuge Complex in central Merced County, and the 
Mutau Flat area in the Los Padres National Forest area of northern 
Ventura County. Conservancy fairy shrimp are known from 18 occurrences 
(California Natural Diversity Database (CNDDB) 2002).
    Conservancy fairy shrimp look similar to other fairy shrimp 
species, but can be distinguished by characteristics of the male second 
antenna. The second antennae of Conservancy fairy shrimp

[[Page 46689]]

males have a distal segment which is about 30 percent shorter than the 
basal segment, and has a tip bent medially about 90 degrees (Eng et al. 
1990). The female brood pouch is tapered at each end, typically extends 
to abdominal segment 8, and has a terminal opening (Eng et al. 1990). 
Males may be from 0.6 to 1.0 in (14 to 27 millimeters (mm)) in length, 
and females have been measured between 0.6 and 1.0 in (14.5 and 23 mm) 
long.
    Further discussion on the life history and habitat requirements of 
Conservancy fairy shrimp can be found in the final rule to list this 
species (59 FR 48136).

Longhorn Fairy Shrimp

    Longhorn fairy shrimp were first collected in 1937, but were not 
formally described until 1990 by Eng, Belk, and Eriksen. The type 
specimen was collected from a sandstone outcrop pool on the Souza Ranch 
in Contra Costa County, California. Longhorn fairy shrimp are extremely 
rare, and are only known from three widely separated locations: the 
Altamont Pass area in Contra Costa and Alameda Counties, the western 
and northern boundaries of Soda Lake on the Carrizo Plain in San Luis 
Obispo County, and Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge in the San 
Joaquin Valley in Merced County. Vernal pool crustacean surveys 
conducted by Sugnet (1993) found only 3 occurrences of longhorn fairy 
shrimp out of 3,092 locations surveyed, and Helm (1998) found 
occurrences of longhorn fairy shrimp in only 9 of 4,008 wetlands 
sampled.
    Longhorn fairy shrimp are distinguished from other fairy shrimp by 
the male's very long second antenna, which is about twice as long, 
relative to its body, as the second antenna of other species of 
Branchinecta. Longhorn fairy shrimp antennae range from 0.3 to 0.4 in 
(6.7 to 10.4 mm) in length (Eriksen and Belk 1999). Females can be 
recognized by their cylindrical brood pouch, which extends to below 
abdominal segments 6 or 7. Mature males have been measured between 0.5 
to 0.8 in (12 and 21 mm) in length, and females range from 0.5 to 0.8 
in (13.3 to 19.8 mm) in length (Eng et al. 1990).
    Further discussion of the life history and habitat requirements of 
longhorn fairy shrimp can be found in the final rule to list this 
species (59 FR 48136).

Vernal Pool Fairy Shrimp

    Vernal pool fairy shrimp were first described by Eng et al. in 1990 
from a type specimen that was collected in 1982 at Souza Ranch, Contra 
Costa County, California. The species occurs in disjunct fragmented 
habitats distributed across the Central Valley of California from 
Shasta County to Tulare County and the central and southern coast 
ranges from northern Solano County to Ventura County, California. 
Additional disjunct occurrences have been identified in southern 
California and in Oregon. In Oregon, the species' distribution is 
limited to the vicinity of an approximately 32 square mile (mi2) 82.9 
square kilometer (km2)) area known as the Agate Desert in Jackson 
County, north of Medford. In southern California, the distribution is 
equally limited, with populations occurring in three areas in Riverside 
County.
    Vernal pool fairy shrimp are characterized by the presence and size 
of several bulges on the male's antenna, and by the female's short, 
pyriform or pear shaped brood pouch. Vernal pool fairy shrimp vary in 
size, ranging from 0.4 to 1.0 in (11 to 25 mm) in length (Eng et al. 
1990).
    Vernal pool fairy shrimp are currently found in 27 counties across 
the Central Valley and coast ranges of California, inland valleys of 
southern California, and southern Oregon. Although vernal pool fairy 
shrimp are distributed more widely than most other fairy shrimp 
species, they are generally uncommon throughout their range and rarely 
abundant where they do occur (Eng et al. 1990; Eriksen and Belk 1999).
    Further discussion of the life history and habitat requirements of 
vernal pool fairy shrimp can be found in the final rule to list this 
species (59 FR 48136).

Vernal Pool Tadpole Shrimp

    Vernal pool tadpole shrimp were initially described by Simon in 
1886 and named Lepidurus packardi. After subsequent reclassification by 
Longhurst (1955), the species was given a subspecies status based 
primarily on the lack of apparent geographic boundaries between L. apus 
and L. packardi populations. Lynch (1972) resurrected L. packardi to 
full species status based on further examination of specimens, and this 
is the currently accepted taxonomic status of vernal pool tadpole 
shrimp. Vernal pool tadpole shrimp inhabit sites in California's 
Central Valley and San Francisco Bay area. The geographic range of this 
species includes disjunct occurrences found in the Central Valley from 
Shasta County to northern Tulare County, and in the central coast range 
from Solano County to Alameda County. Vernal pool tadpole shrimp are 
known from 160 occurrences (CNDDB 2001).
    Vernal pool tadpole shrimp are distinguished by a large, shieldlike 
carapace, or shell, that covers the anterior half of their body. Vernal 
pool tadpole shrimp have 30 to 35 pairs of phyllopods, a segmented 
abdomen, paired cercopods or tail-like appendages, and fused eyes. 
Vernal pool tadpole shrimp will continue to grow as long as their 
vernal pool habitats remain inundated, in some cases for 6 months or 
longer. They periodically shed their shells, which can often be found 
along the edges of vernal pools where vernal pool tadpole shrimp occur. 
Mature vernal pool tadpole shrimp range in size from 0.6 to 3.4 in (15 
to 86 mm) in length.
    Vernal pool tadpole shrimp have relatively high reproductive rates. 
Ahl (1991) found that fecundity increases with body size. A large 
female greater than 0.8 in (20 mm) in carapace length could deposit as 
many as 6 clutches, averaging 32 to 61 eggs per clutch, in a single wet 
season.
    Further discussion of the life history and habitat requirements of 
vernal pool tadpole shrimp can be found in the final rule to list this 
species (59 FR 48136).

Vernal Pool Plants Background

    The 11 vernal pool plants described in this rule have developed a 
suite of highly specialized adaptations that allow them to survive in 
vernal pool habitats. All 11 species are annuals, meaning they 
germinate, grow, reproduce, and die within a single year. This allows 
the vernal pool plants to complete their life cycles during the 
relatively short inundation and drying periods of their vernal pool 
habitat.
    Another adaptation of vernal pool plants is production of dormant 
seeds. This adaptation allows vernal pool plants to survive the hot 
summer months in the soil. The seeds may remain viable in the soil for 
many years. The number of plants present above ground may fluctuate 
dramatically from year to year. However, much of the population of 
these species exists as seeds in the soil. Vernal pool plant seeds 
germinate after winter rains in response to a complex set of 
environmental cues that are not well understood, but generally include 
various temperature and soil moisture. Not all of the dormant seeds 
will germinate in any given year. This strategy reduces the probability 
of local extirpation if environmental conditions change--for example, 
if a vernal pool dries up prematurely. It has also been suggested the 
strategy acts as a mechanism by which rare species may persist in 
unpredictable environments (Chesson and Warner 1981; Chesson and Huntly 
1989; Ellner and Hairston 1994).

[[Page 46690]]

    Tolerance to inundation differs greatly among species (Zedler 
1987). Vernal pool plant zonation, in which characteristic rings of 
flowers form around vernal pools, is a result of this differential 
tolerance to inundation. Species that are the least tolerant to 
inundation grow along the margins of the pools, while those that can 
tolerate extended periods of inundation grow in the center of the 
pools.
    Information for the vernal pool plants can be found in the final 
rules to list these species (62 FR 34029; 62 FR 14338; 57 FR 24192; 43 
FR 44810) and in the criteria section of this rule. Additional 
information specific to each of the 11 individual vernal pool plant 
species described in this rule is provided below.
Limnanthes floccosa ssp. californica
    Limnanthes floccosa ssp. californica (Butte County meadowfoam) was 
first collected in 1917 at a site 10 miles (mi) (16 kilometers (km)) 
north of Chico (Service 1991b), although it was recognized as a 
separate subspecies at that time. Kalin-Arroyo (1973) determined that 
it was a distinct taxon and gave it the scientific name Limnanthes 
floccosa ssp. californica. The type locality is in Butte County between 
Chico and Oroville, near the intersection of State Highway 99 and 
Shippee Road (Kalin-Arroyo 1973).
    Limnanthes floccosa ssp. californica is a small annual of the 
meadowfoam or false mermaid family (Limnanthaceae). It has erect stems 
less than 10 in (25 cm) tall. The stem and leaves are densely pubescent 
(covered with short hairs). The alternate leaves are pinnately compound 
(divided into distinct segments which are arranged featherlike on 
either side of a rachis), up to 3 in (8 cm) long, and consist of 5 to 
11 leaflets on a long petiole. A single flower arises in the axil 
(angle between the base of a leaf and the stem) of each upper leaf. The 
flowers are white with yellow veins, cup or bowl-shaped, and consist of 
5 petals, 5 sepals, 5 pistils (female reproductive structures of a 
flower), and 10 stamens (male reproductive structures of a flower) on a 
long flower stalk (Kalin-Arroyo 1973; McNeill and Brown 1979; Ornduff 
1993b).
    Limnanthes floccosa ssp. californica has always been confined to 
small widely scattered occurrences in northwestern Butte County 
(Keeler-Wolf et al. 1998). In her original description, Kalin-Arroyo 
(1973) mentioned six collections, including the type locality. Five of 
those were in the areas ranging from the original collection site 
southeast to Oroville, and the sixth was from Table Mountain north of 
Oroville. However, James Jokerst (1983) did not find L. f. ssp. 
californica on Table Mountain and later suggested that the specimen had 
been misidentified (Service 1992a).
    All 13 of the occurrences described by the California Natural 
Diversity Database (CNDDB) (2002) had been reported by 1988 (Kalin-
Arroyo 1973; McNeill and Brown 1979; Dole 1988; Jokerst 1989). Five 
were in northern and northeastern Chico near the municipal airport, 
four (including the type locality) were from the area around Shippee 
(northwest of Oroville), and three were from southeastern Chico. The 
other occurrence, northeast of the town of Nord, contained only one 
plant that was of questionable identity (CNDDB 2002). However, the area 
indicated would be in the same vicinity as the 1917 collection.
    Two occurrences of Limnanthes floccosa ssp. californica have been 
extirpated, one each in northern and southeastern Chico (Jokerst 1989; 
Dole and Sun 1992; Service 1992a; CNDDB 2002). Some of the other 11 
extant occurrences have been reduced in distribution (CNDDB 2002).
    Limnanthes floccosa ssp. californica normally is found in three 
types of seasonal wetland habitats: ephemeral drainages (swales), 
vernal pool depressions in swales, and occasionally around edges of 
isolated vernal pools (Jokerst 1989). The swales and vernal pools where 
L. f. ssp. californica grows are on intermediate fan terraces (Kelley 
and Associates Environmental Sciences 1992) in annual grasslands with 
mima mound topography. Large cobbles are present throughout the pools 
and swales (Jokerst 1989). These pools are associated with Tuscan, 
Redbluff, Riverbank, and Modesto geologic formations, and most of them 
occur on soils of the Tuscan-Anita and the Redding-Igo complexes. Anita 
and Igo soils are confined to the pools and swales. Tuscan and Redding 
soils are restricted to the mounds. The two soils are underlain by 
iron-silica cemented and indurated (hardened) hardpan, respectively 
(Kelley and Associates Environmental Sciences 1993). Limnanthes 
floccosa ssp. californica has been observed on Anita clay soils 
annually regardless of rainfall but appears on Igo soils only in years 
of above-average rainfall (Kelley and Associates Environmental Sciences 
1992a; Crompton 1993; Schonholtz in litt. 1995), presumably because the 
former can hold approximately twice as much moisture (Kelley and 
Associates Environmental Sciences 1993). Confirmed occurrences have 
been found at 165 to 300 ft (50 to 90 m) in elevation (McNeill and 
Brown 1979; CNDDB 2002). The habitat associated with L. f. ssp. 
californica includes saturated soils and pools with a short lived 
inundation period.
    Further discussion of the life history and habitat characteristics 
of Limnanthes floccosa ssp. californica can be found in the final rule 
to list the species (62 FR 54807).

Lasthenia conjugens

    Edward Greene (1888) first described this species as Lasthenia 
conjugens (Contra Costa goldfields), from specimens collected near 
Antioch, California. Harvey Hall (1914) later lumped it in with Baeria 
fremontii (Fremont's goldfields). Roxana Ferris (1958) proposed the 
name Baeria fremontii var. conjugens to recognize the distinctiveness 
of L. conjugens. Finally, Robert Ornduff (1966) restored Greene's 
original name and rank, returning this species to the genus Lasthenia.
    Lasthenia conjugens is a showy spring annual in the aster family 
(Asteraceae). Its stems are 4 to 12 in (10 to 30 cm) tall, somewhat 
fleshy, and usually are branched. The leaves are opposite and narrow; 
the lower leaves are entire, but stem leaves have one or two pairs of 
narrow lobes. The daisylike flower heads are solitary (Greene 1888; 
Ornduff 1993a).
    Twenty extant occurrences of Lasthenia conjugens are found widely 
scattered in small vernal pool areas in Alameda, Contra Costa, 
Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, and Solano Counties. Of these 20 
occurrences, Solano County has 11 small scattered occurrences in a 
general area east and south of the City of Fairfield. The Santa Barbara 
County and Santa Clara County occurrences of L. conjugens have probably 
been lost due to habitat alteration (CNDDB 2002). One Napa County site, 
Milliken Canyon, contained only a single plant in 1987 whether this 
individual is still in existence is unknown (CNDDB 2002).
    Lasthenia conjugens typically grows in vernal pools, swales, moist 
flats, and depressions within a grassland matrix (CNDDB 2002). However, 
several historical collections were from populations growing in the 
saline-alkaline transition zone between vernal pools and tidal marshes 
on the eastern margin of the San Francisco Bay (Baye, Service, in litt. 
2000a). The herbarium sheet for one of the San Francisco Bay specimens 
notes that the species also grew in evaporating ponds used to 
concentrate salt (Baye, in litt. 2000b). The vernal pool types from 
which this species has been reported are Northern Basalt Flow, Northern 
Claypan, and Northern Volcanic Ashflow (Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 1995). 
The landforms and

[[Page 46691]]

geologic formations for sites where L. conjugens occurs have not yet 
been determined. Most occurrences are found at elevations of 6 to 200 
ft (2 to 61 m), but the recently discovered Monterey County occurrences 
are at 400 ft (122 m), and one Napa County occurrence is at 1,460 ft 
(445 m) elevation (CNDDB 2002).
    The soil types that maintain vernal pool habitats for Lasthenia 
conjugens have not yet been identified for most localities. The soil 
series from which this species is known are Aiken, Antioch, Concepcion, 
Conejo, Crispin, Haire, Linne, Los Robles, Rincon, Solano, and San 
Ysidro, plus the Arnold-Santa Ynez, Hambright-rock outcrop, and Los 
Osos complexes. Soil textures, where known, are clays or loams. At 
least in Solano County and on the shores of San Francisco Bay, L. 
conjugens grows in alkaline or saline-alkaline sites (Baye, in litt. 
2000a, 2000b; CNDDB 2002).
    Further discussion on the life history and habitat characteristics 
of Lasthenia conjugens can be found in the final rule to list the 
species (62 FR 33029; June 18, 1997).

Chamaesyce hooveri

    Chamaesyce hooveri (Hoover's spurge) was originally named Euphorbia 
hooveri based on a specimen collected by Robert Hoover in Yettem, 
Tulare County (Wheeler 1940). Koutnik (1985) placed the species in the 
genus Chamaesyce as C. hooveri.
    Chamaesyce hooveri is an annual herb of the spurge family 
(Euphorbiaceae). The species trails along the ground, forming gray-
green mats 2 to 40 in (5 to 100 cm) in diameter (Broyles 1987, Stone et 
al. 1988). The stems are hairless and contain milky sap. The tiny (0.08 
to 0.20 in (2 to 5 mm)) leaves are opposite, rounded to kidney-shaped, 
with an asymmetric base and a toothed margin. In the genus Chamaesyce, 
the structures that appear to be flowers actually are groups of 
flowers; each group is referred to as a cyathium (Koutnik 1993).
    CNDDB (2002) includes 30 occurrences of Chamaesyce hooveri. Of 
these, one each in Tehama and Tulare Counties are classified as 
extirpated; two others, in Butte and Tehama Counties, may no longer 
occur because this species was not observed for 2 consecutive years 
(Stone et al. 1988; CNDDB 2002). The Vina Plains of Tehama and Butte 
Counties contain 14 (54 percent) of the 26 extant occurrences of C. 
hooveri (CNDDB 2002) in an area approximately 35 mi \2\ (91 km \2\) in 
size (Stone et al. 1988). One other site in the same region is near 
Chico in Butte County. Seven of the 26 extant occurrences are in the 
Southern Sierra Foothills Vernal Pool Region, including 5 in the 
Visalia-Yettem area of Tulare County and 2 in the Hickman-La Grange 
area of Stanislaus County. Three other occurrences are on the 
Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge in Glenn County, which is in the 
Solano-Colusa Vernal Pool Region. The one other extant occurrence is on 
the Bert Crane Ranch in Merced County, which is within the San Joaquin 
Valley Vernal Pool Region (Keeler-Wolf et al. 1998; CNDDB 2002).
    Vernal pools from which Chamaesyce hooveri has been reported are 
classified as Northern Hardpan and Northern Claypan vernal pools 
(Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 1995). The pools supporting this species vary 
in size from 0.47 to 600 ac (0.19 to 243 ha), with a median area of 
1.43 ac (0.58 ha) (Stone et al. 1988). Many occurrences consist of 
multiple pools that vary in area and depth, yet not all pools at a site 
support C. hooveri. Deeper pools apparently provide better habitat for 
this species because the duration of inundation is longer. This species 
may occur along the margins or in the deepest portions of the dried 
pool bed (Stone et al. 1988; Alexander and Schlising 1997). A 
particularly important feature of C. hooveri microhabitat, at least in 
the deeper pools, is that it is nearly devoid of other vegetation, and 
thus competition from other plants is reduced (Stone et al. 1988).
    Vernal pools supporting Chamaesyce hooveri occur mostly on alluvial 
fans or terraces of ancient rivers or streams, with a few on the rim of 
the Central Valley basin. It is found on a wide variety of soils, 
ranging in texture from clay to sandy loam. Soil series include Anita, 
Laniger, Lewis, Madera, Meikle, Riz, Tuscan, Whitney, and Willows. All 
of these soils may not equally support the habitat requirements for 
this species, however. For example, in one Vina Plains pool, C. hooveri 
grew primarily in the portion that was underlain by Tuscan loam, but 
were nearly absent from the portion underlain by Anita clay (Alexander 
and Schlising 1997).
    In the Sacramento Valley, occupied pools are on acidic soils over 
iron-silica cemented hardpan. Most pools supporting Chamaesyce hooveri 
in the San Joaquin Valley are on neutral to saline-alkaline soils over 
lime-silica cemented hardpan or claypan (Broyles 1987; Stone et al. 
1988; Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 1995; CNDDB 2002). Occurrences have been 
reported from elevations ranging from 85 ft (26 m) in Glenn County to 
420 ft (128 m) in Tehama County (CNDDB 2002).
    Further discussion on the life history and habitat characteristics 
of Chamaesyce hooveri can be found in the final rule to list the 
species (62 FR 14338).

Castilleja campestris ssp. succulenta

    Robert Hoover (1936a) first described this species as Orthocarpus 
campestris var. succulentus (fleshy owl's-clover). The type specimen 
had been collected at Ryer, in Merced County. Robert Hoover (1968) 
subsequently raised its rank and assigned it the name Orthocarpus 
succulentus. Chuang and Heckard (1991) reconsidered the taxonomy of 
Orthocarpus and related genera. Based on floral morphology (external 
structure or form), seed morphology, and chromosome number, they 
transferred many species into the genus Castilleja. Furthermore, they 
determined that the appropriate rank for this species was as a 
subspecies of Castilleja campestris (field owl's-clover) and assigned 
the plant the scientific name Castilleja campestris ssp. succulenta 
(Chuang and Heckard 1991).
    Castilleja campestris ssp. succulenta is a hemiparasitic (partly 
parasitic) annual herb belonging to the snapdragon family 
(Scrophulariaceae). The plant has erect or decumbent (laying on the 
ground with the tip turned upward) stems up to 12 in (30 cm) long. The 
stems are usually unbranched and without hairs. The leaves at the base 
of the stem are small and scalelike, whereas those on the upper stem 
are lance-shaped, not lobed, thick, fleshy, brittle, and easily broken. 
The bracts (leaf-like structures in the flowering structure) are green, 
similar to but shorter than the upper leaves, and longer than the 
flowers. Overall, the inflorescence (entire flowering structure of a 
plant) may occupy as much as half of the plant's height (Hoover 1936a, 
1937, 1968; Chuang and Heckard 1991, 1993).
    Castilleja campestris ssp. succulenta is known from 63 widely 
scattered extant occurrences in vernal pool habitats along the Southern 
Sierra Foothills Vernal Pool Region ranging from Madera County to a 
disjunct occurrence in northern San Joaquin County. Castilleja 
campestris ssp. succulenta is known from 11 occurrences in Fresno 
County, 9 in Madera, 36 in Merced, 5 in Stanislaus and 1 in Tuolumne 
(Keeler-Wolf et al. 1998; CNDDB 2002).
    Castilleja campestris ssp. succulenta is known mostly from vernal 
pools occurring on alluvial terrace landforms. These pool types have 
been described as both Northern Claypan and Northern Hardpan vernal 
pools (Sawyer and

[[Page 46692]]

Keeler-Wolf 1995) within annual grassland communities (CNDDB 2002). 
However, it is found on Northern Basalt Flow vernal pools on Hideaway 
soils series at one location in the San Joaquin Valley. It is known 
from both small and large pools (EIP Associates 1999). Although not all 
pools occupied by this taxon have been studied in detail, Stebbins et 
al. (1995) collected data on six occupied pools in Fresno and Madera 
Counties. Some were typical ``bowl-like'' pools, whereas others were 
more similar to swales. This subspecies has been reported from pools 
with both long and short inundation periods (EIP Associates 1999), and 
from both shallow and ``abnormally deep vernal pools,'' but approximate 
depth of these pools was not given (CNDDB 2002).
    Soil series supporting Castilleja campestris ssp. succulenta 
include Amador, Anderson, Corning, Fallbrook, Keyes, Pentz, Ramona, 
Redding, San Joaquin, Vista, and Yokohl, as well as the Pollasky-
Montpellier complex. Soil textures at those sites range from extremely 
stony loam to loamy clay. In the proposed University of California-
Merced campus and community area, the species is found primarily on 
Redding gravelly loam; however, Corning, Keyes, and Pentz soils also 
contain occurrences of the species (EIP Associates 1999). Occurrences 
of C. c. ssp. succulenta have been reported from elevations of 80 ft 
(24 m) at the San Joaquin County site to 2,300 ft (700 m) at Kennedy 
Table in Madera County (CNDDB 2002). We are uncertain about specific 
soils that may correlate with the presence of this species, although it 
is irregularly found on Redding soil series. Vernal pool complexes that 
provide habitat for this species include pools ranging in depth from 6 
in (15 cm) to 10 in (25 cm), but the species is also found less 
frequently in shallower and deeper pools. Soil pH values for some of 
the vernal pools in Merced County occupied by C. c. ssp. succulenta 
range from 4.3 to 6.2. Although no comprehensive study has been 
conducted, some vernal pools occupied by C. c. ssp. succulenta vary in 
size from 0.02 ac (81 m2) to 0.12 ac (486 m2) in 
Merced County. Merced County contains the largest aggregations of C. c. 
ssp. succulenta: occurrences are found on mild to strongly acidic soils 
on Laguna, Mehrten, North Merced Gravels, and Riverbank Formations, as 
well as on Ione, Mehrten, and Valley Springs geological formations. The 
parent material of vernal pools greatly influences species composition 
and hydrologic functioning of the vernal pool (Holland and Jain 1981, 
1988; Hanes and Stromberg 1998). Castilleja campestris ssp. succulenta 
appears to prefer the more-weathered acidic, higher-terrace vernal pool 
complexes that are composed of volcanic tuff sand quartzite parent 
materials.
    Further discussion on the life history and habitat characteristics 
of Castilleja campestris ssp. succulenta can be found in the final rule 
to list the species (62 FR 14338).

Orcuttieae Tribe

    Neostapfia colusana (Colusa grass), Orcuttua pilosa (hairy Orcutt 
grass), Tuctoria mucronata (Solano grass), Tuctoria greenei (Greene's 
tuctoria), Orcuttia viscida (Sacramento Valley Orcutt grass), Orcuttia 
inaequalis (San Joaquin Valley Orcutt grass), and Orcuttia tenuis 
(slender Orcutt grass) belong to the tribe Orcuttieae in Poaceae, the 
grass family, (Reeder 1965). Many life history characteristics are 
common to all members of the Orcuttieae. All are wind pollinated, but 
pollen may not be carried long distances between occurrences (Griggs 
1980,1981; Griggs and Jain 1983). Local seed dispersal is by water, 
which breaks up the inflorescence (Reeder 1965; Crampton 1976; Griggs 
1980, 1981). Long-distance dispersal is unlikely (Service 1985c), but 
seed may have been carried occasionally by waterfowl (family Anatidae), 
tule elk (Cervus elaphus nannoides), or pronghorn (Antilocapra 
americana) in historical times (Griggs 1980). The seeds can remain 
dormant for an undetermined length of time, but at least for 3 or 4 
years, and germinate underwater after they have been immersed for 
prolonged periods (Crampton 1976; Griggs 1980; Keeley 1998a). Unlike 
typical terrestrial grasses that grow in the uplands surrounding vernal 
pools, members of the Orcuttieae flower during the summer months 
(Keeley 1998a).
    Members of the Orcuttieae tribe share a suite of characteristics 
that separate the genera within the tribe from all other grasses and 
have no close terrestrial relative tribes. The semi-aquatic annual 
plants in this distinct group contain glands that produce a viscid 
aromatic exudate (sticky aromatic substance) exhibit no distinction 
between the leaf blade and blade sheath, lack leaf ligules (small 
membranous appendages at the base of a leaf), and possess small sunken 
mushroom-shaped bicellular microhairs. These seasonally submerged 
species germinate and grow as submerged aquatic plants for several 
weeks to 3 months. With the exceptions of Tuctoria and the variable 
aquatic and terrestrial leaves of Neostapfia, Orcuttia species produce 
floating aquatic juvenile leaves that lack stomata (openings for gas 
exchange). These partly amphibious Orcuttia species within this tribe 
replace their juvenile leaves with terrestrial leaves as the vernal 
pools dry out.
    All members of the Orcuttieae tribe have large soil seed banks that 
may be 50 times (or more) larger in numbers than the aboveground 
population in any given year. In general, years of above-average 
rainfall promote larger expressions of occurrences of Orcuttieae, but 
occurrence responses vary by pool and by species (Griggs 1980; Griggs 
and Jain 1983). Population sizes have been observed to vary by one to 
four orders of magnitude among successive years and return to previous 
levels even after 3 to 5 consecutive years when no mature plants were 
present (Griggs 1980; Griggs and Jain 1983; Holland 1987). Thus, many 
years of observation are necessary to determine whether any occurrence 
of a species is increasing, stable, or declining.
    Eight members of the Orcuttieae tribe are endemic and restricted to 
vernal pools in California. The Orcuttieae tribe contains the three 
genera Neostapfia, Orcuttia, and Tuctoria. The genus Neostapfia 
contains one species, Neostapfia colusana. The genus Orcuttia has five 
species and Tuctoria has two species. Although the various species 
within the tribe have been found in vernal pools ranging widely in 
size, the vast majority are found within vernal pools of 0.03 ac (0.01 
ha) to 24.7 ac (10 ha) (Stone et al. 1988). Larger vernal pools retain 
water until May or June, creating optimal conditions for Orcuttieae 
(Crampton 1959; Crampton 1976; Griggs 1981; Griggs and Jain 1983). 
Orcuttieae usually occur in patches within the pools that are 
essentially devoid of other plant species (Crampton 1959, 1976). 
Typically, these plants near the center of a vernal pool grow larger 
and produce more spikelets than those near the margins, but patterns 
vary depending on individual pool characteristics and seasonal weather 
conditions (Griggs 1980).
    A discussion of each of the seven Orcuttieae species in this rule 
is provided below. The number of subject extant occurrences of the 3 
genera within the tribe total 219, and an additional 80 occurrences 
have been extirpated or are considered possibly extirpated by intensive 
agriculture, land use conversions, urban development, and other factors 
(CNDDB 2002).

Neostapfia colusana

    Joseph Burtt-Davy (1898) first described Neostapfia colusana 
(Colusa grass) and gave the Latin name Stapfia

[[Page 46693]]

colusana. He collected the type specimen near the town of Princeton in 
Colusa County, but soon realized that the name Stapfia had already been 
assigned to a genus of green algae, and thus changed the scientific 
name to Neostapfia colusana (Davy 1899). Two other taxonomists proposed 
alternate Latin names for the genus in the same year, but neither is 
accepted today. There are no other known species of Neostapfia (Reeder 
1982, 1993).
    Currently, CNDDB (2002) considers 41 occurrences of Neostapfia 
colusana to be extant and 19 other occurrences to no longer exist or to 
be possibly extirpated. Of the 41 extant occurrences, 23 occurrences of 
N. colusana are found in Merced County and 14 occurrences exist east of 
Hickman in Stanislaus County. Two occurrences each are found in 
southeastern Yolo County in central Solano County (Stone et al. 1988; 
Keeler-Wolf et al. 1998; CNDDB 2002). This species has been extirpated 
from Colusa and Glenn Counties (CNDDB 2002).
    Neostapfia colusana occurs on the rim of alkaline basins in the 
Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys, as well as on acidic soils of 
alluvial fans and stream terraces along the eastern margin of the San 
Joaquin Valley and into the adjacent foothills (Stone et al. 1988). 
Neostapfia colusana has been found in Northern Claypan and Northern 
Hardpan vernal pool types (Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 1995) within rolling 
grasslands (Crampton 1959). This species typically grows in the deepest 
portion of the pool (Crampton 1959), but may also occur on the margins 
(Hoover 1937; Stone et al. 1988). Deeper pools are most likely to 
provide the long inundation period required for germination (EIP 
Associates 1999). It appears to favor somewhat larger vernal pools that 
are shallower as compared to other vernal pool plants. Neostapfia 
colusana occurrences vary in elevation from near 16 ft (5 m) to near 
350 ft (100 m).
    Vernal pool complexes that provide habitat for this species include 
two different physiographic and edaphic settings: (1) claypan soils of 
saline-alkali basins and remnant alluvial fans and (2) old stream 
terrace areas with strongly acidic, gravelly, and cobbly soils having 
an iron-silica cemented hardpan and shallow, slightly acidic residual 
soils of the Pentz series underlain by cemented tuffaceous alluvium. 
Additional settings for Neostapfia colusana are found in vernal pool 
complexes where resistant beds of tuffaceous deposits are exposed along 
intermittent drainages and, in Stanislaus County, neutral-to-slightly-
alkaline claypan soils on dissected alluvial fans. Not all areas of N. 
colusana have been identified as to the specific soil series or soil 
mapping units where they occur. However, in Merced County, N. colusana 
occurs on clay soils on Merhten and Laguna formations and Riverbank, 
North Merced gravels. Of the Orcuttieae grasses, N. colusana inhabits 
the widest range of vernal pool sizes, with the smallest being 1,075 
ft2 (100 m2) and the largest 618 ac (250 ha).
    Solano and Yolo County sites where Neostapfia colusana grows 
contain vernal pools formed by soils in the Pescadero series, whereas 
those in central Merced County are formed by soils in the Landlow and 
Lewis series. The eastern Merced County and Stanislaus County sites 
include vernal pool habitats formed by the Bear Creek, Corning, 
Greenfield, Keyes, Meikle, Pentz, Peters, Raynor, Redding, and Whitney 
series (Stone et al. 1988; EIP Associates 1999; CNDDB 2002). The type 
and composition of impermeable layers underlying occupied vernal pools 
also vary, ranging from claypan in the Sacramento Valley to lime-silica 
cemented hardpan in the San Joaquin Valley basins, to iron-silica 
cemented hardpan in the eastern margin of the San Joaquin Valley. 
Tuffaceous alluvium underlies some eastern San Joaquin Valley pools and 
intermittent streams where N. colusana grows (Stone et al. 1988).
    Further discussion on the life history and habitat characteristics 
of Neostapfia colusana can be found in the final rule to list the 
species (62 FR 14338).

Tuctoria greenei

    George Vasey (1891) originally assigned this species the name 
Orcuttia greenei. Edward Greene had collected the type specimen in 1890 
(Vasey 1891), presumably in Butte County (Hoover 1941; Crampton 1959). 
Citing differences in lemma morphology, arrangement of the spikelets, 
and other differences, Robert Reeder (1982) segregated the genus 
Tuctoria from Orcuttia and created the new scientific name Tuctoria 
greenei (Greene's tuctoria).
    Tuctoria greenei is an erect-to-low-growing annual with fragile 
stems that easily break apart at the nodes, which are often purplish. 
The leaves are flat and curve outward and the plants are sparsely 
hairy. The inflorescence is crowded near the tip, with the lower 
spikelets more or less separated. Optimum germination of T. greenei 
seed occurs when the seed is exposed to light and anaerobic (lacking 
oxygen) conditions after a cold period of time (stratification) (Keeley 
1988). Germination occurs several months after initial inundation 
(Keeley 1998a). Tuctoria seedlings do not develop floating juvenile 
leaves as does Orcuttia (Griggs 1980; Keeley 1998a). Tuctoria greenei 
flowers from May to July (Skinner and Pavlik 1994), with peak flowering 
in June and July (Griggs 1981; Broyles 1987).
    Tuctoria greenei is known from 21 extant widely separated 
occurrences in Butte, Merced, Shasta, and Tehama Counties. Sixty 
percent of the extant occurrences of T. greenei are in the Vina Plains 
area of Tehama and Butte Counties. Eastern Merced County has about 30 
percent of the known occurrences. Other occurrences are located in 
Glenn (Oswald and Silveira 1995) and Shasta Counties (CNDDB 2002). 
Tuctoria greenei has been extirpated from Fresno, Madera, San Joaquin, 
Stanislaus, and Tulare Counties (Stone et al. 1988; Skinner and Pavlik 
1994; CNDDB 2002).
    Tuctoria greenei has been found in three types of vernal pools: 
Northern Basalt Flow, Northern Claypan, and Northern Hardpan (Stone et 
al. 1988; Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 1995). Occupied pools are (or were) 
underlain by iron-silica cemented hardpan, tuffaceous alluvium, or 
claypan (Stone et al. 1988). Of pools where the species was known to be 
extant in 1987, the median size was 1.5 ac (0.6 ha), with a range of 
0.01 ac (50 m\2\) to 8.4 ac (3.4 ha) (Stone et al. 1988). Stone et al. 
(1988) noted that T. greenei grew in shallower pools than other members 
of the tribe or on the shallow margins of deeper pools, but they did 
not quantify pool depth. At the Vina Plains, T. greenei grew in pools 
of ``intermediate'' size, which dried in April or early May of 1995 
(Alexander and Schlising 1997). The Central Valley pools containing T. 
greenei are (or were) in grasslands; the Shasta County occurrence is 
surrounded by pine forest (CNDDB 2002). Occupied pools in the Central 
Valley are (or were) at elevations of 110 to 440 ft (33.5 to 134 m) 
(Stone et al. 1988), whereas the Shasta County occurrence is at 3,500 
ft (1,067 m) (CNDDB 2002).
    In Tehama and Butte Counties, Tuctoria greenei grows mostly on 
Anita clay and Tuscan loam soils, with one occurrence on Tuscan stony 
clay loam. Soil types are not certain for several other occurrences in 
this region; one is on either the Rocklin or the San Joaquin series, 
and the others are unknown. On the eastern margin of the San Joaquin 
Valley, T. greenei is known to grow on a number of different soil 
series, including Archerdale, Bear Creek, Exeter, Meikle, Ramona, 
Raynor, Redding, and San Joaquin.
    Further discussion on the life history and habitat characteristics 
of Tuctoria

[[Page 46694]]

greenei can be found in the final rule to list the species (62 FR 
14338).

Orcuttia pilosa

    Robert Hoover (1941) described Orcuttia pilosa (hairy Orcutt grass) 
from specimens he collected in Stanislaus County in 1937. Orcuttia 
pilosa grows in tufts consisting of numerous stems. The stems are 
decumbent or erect and branch from only the lower nodes. Almost the 
entire plant is pilose or hairy, giving it a grayish appearance. The 
spikelets near the tip of the inflorescence are crowded together, 
whereas those near the base are more widely spaced.
    Orcuttia pilosa is known from 28 extant occurrences at widely 
scattered sites in the southern portion of the Sacramento Valley and 
the southern Sierra foothills (Keeler-Wolf et al. 1998). In the 
Sacramento Valley, Butte County has one occurrence, Glenn County has 
six occurrences, and Tehama County has nine occurrences. In the 
Southern Sierra Foothills Vernal Pool Region, the remaining 12 
occurrences of the species are found in widely scattered locations in 
Stanislaus, Madera, and Merced Counties (Hoover 1941; Crampton 1959; 
Reeder 1982, Stone et al. 1988; CNDDB 2002). Nineteen of those 
occurrences have been confirmed as existing within the past decade 
(CNDDB 2002).
    This species is found within vernal pools formed on high or low 
stream terraces and alluvial fans (Stone et al. 1988). The median size 
of occupied pools measured in the late 1980s was 4.2 ac (1.7 ha), with 
a range of 0.8 to 617.5 ac (0.34 to 250 ha) (Stone et al. 1988). At the 
Vina Plains, Orcuttia pilosa was found growing only in pools that held 
water until May, June, or July in 1995, not in those that dried in 
April (Alexander and Schlising 1997). This species is known from 
elevations of 85 ft (26 m) in Glenn County to 405 ft (123 m) in Madera 
County (CNDDB 2002).
    Orcuttia pilosa is found on both acidic and saline-alkaline soils, 
in pools with an iron-silica cemented hardpan or claypan. In Tehama and 
Butte Counties, pools supporting O. pilosa occur on the Anita and 
Tuscan soil series (Stone et al. 1988; CNDDB 2002). At one pool in the 
Vina Plains that spans both Anita clay and Tuscan loam soils, O. pilosa 
was found growing primarily on the Anita clay (Alexander and Schlising 
1997). At the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge, O. pilosa occurs on 
the Willows and Riz soil series, whereas in the Southern Sierra 
Foothills Vernal Pool Region it occurs on the Cometa, Greenfield, 
Hanford, Meikle, and Whitney soil series (Stone et al. 1988).
    Further discussion on the life history and habitat characteristics 
of Orcuttia pilosa can be found in the final rule to list the species 
(62 FR 14338).

Orcuttia viscida

    Robert Hoover (1941) first described Orcuttia viscida (Sacramento 
Orcutt grass) as Orcuttia californica var. viscida based on the type 
specimen he collected from in Sacramento County. John Reeder (1980) 
determined that the differences in morphology, seed size, and 
chromosome number were sufficient grounds to elevate it to the species 
level as Orcuttia viscida.
    Orcuttia viscida grass resembles other members of the tribe and 
genus. Although all members of the Orcuttieae produce a sticky exudate, 
O. viscida is particularly sticky even when young. The plants are 
densely tufted, bluish green, and covered with hairs. The stems are 
erect or spreading, 1 to 4 in (3 to 10 cm) long, and do not branch. The 
inflorescence occupies the upper one-third to one-half of the stem and 
consists of between 5 and 15 spikelets. The spikelets are closely 
spaced, and although distichous (arranged in two opposing rows), they 
are oriented towards one side of the stem.
    Orcuttia viscida is endemic to the southeastern Sacramento Valley 
(Keeler-Wolf et al. 1998) and always has been restricted to Sacramento 
County. From 1990, this species was known from a total of seven natural 
occurrences and one introduction (Stone et al. 1988; CNDDB 2002). 
Within the past decade, O. viscida has been discovered at one new site 
in Sacramento County within the previously known range. However, one 
entire occurrence and a portion of another have been extirpated. Thus, 
eight of the nine occurrences are still in existence. Five occurrences, 
comprising more than 70 percent of the occupied habitat, are 
concentrated into a single small area east of Mather Field. Two other 
occurrences are adjacent to each other: Phoenix Field Ecological 
Reserve and the introduced occurrence at Phoenix Park. The eighth 
existing occurrence is near Rancho Seco Lake (Stone et al. 1988: 
Cochrane, in litt. 1995a; CNDDB 2002).
    Orcuttia viscida has been found in Northern Hardpan and Northern 
Volcanic Mudflow vernal pools (Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 1995). It occurs 
on high terrace sites (Stone et al. 1988) at elevations of 150 to 270 
ft (46 to 82 m) (CNDDB 2002). Occupied pools occur in blue oak woodland 
and annual grassland (Crampton 1959; Griggs 1977; CNDDB 2002). Among 
occupied pools discovered prior to 1988, the median area was 0.69 ac 
(0.28 ha) and ranged from 0.25 ac (0.1 ha) to 2.03 ac (0.82 ha). 
Orcuttia viscida grows are acidic with an iron-silica hardpan (Stone et 
al. 1988), and the pools contain numerous cobbles (Crampton 1959; Stone 
et al. 1988). Four of the known occurrences are on soils in the Redding 
series, two are on Red Bluff-Redding complex soils, two are (or were) 
on Xerarents-urban land-San Joaquin complex, and one is on Corning 
complex soils.
    Further discussion on the life history and habitat characteristics 
of Orcuttia viscida can be found in the final rule to list the species 
(62 FR 14338).

Orcuttia inaequalis

    Robert Hoover (1936b) described Orcuttia inaequalis (San Joaquin 
Valley Orcutt grass) based on a collection from ``Montpellier [sic], 
Stanislaus County.'' Robert Hoover (1941) subsequently reduced this 
taxon to a variety of californica, using the combination Orcuttia 
californica var. inaequalis. Based on differences in morphology, seed 
size, and chromosome number, John Reeder (1980) restored the taxon to 
species status.
    Mature plants of Orcuttia inaequalis grow in tufts of several erect 
stems. Plants of this species appear grayish-green due to the long 
hairs on the stem and leaves and produces exudate. Orcuttia plants grow 
underwater for 3 months or more and have evolved specific adaptations 
for aquatic growth (Keeley 1998a).
    Of the 49 occurrences of Orcuttia inaequalis reported in CNDDB 
(2002), 28 occurrences are presumed extant; 18 are certainly extirpated 
and three others are possibly extirpated because the habitat has been 
modified (CNDDB 2002). However, only 12 of the occurrences presumed 
still in existence have been revisited within the past decade, so even 
the most recent information is outdated. Of the 28 occurrences of 
Orcuttia inaequalis, Fresno County has two, Madera County has seven, 
Merced County has 18, and Tulare County has one occurrence. This 
species has been completely extirpated from Stanislaus County (Stone et 
al. 1988; Skinner and Pavlik 1994; CNDDB 2002).
    Orcuttia inaequalis occurs on alluvial fans, high and low stream 
terraces (Stone et al. 1988), and tabletop lava flows (Stebbins et al. 
1995; CNDDB 2002). This species has been reported in Northern Claypan, 
Northern Hardpan, and Northern Basalt Flow vernal pools (Sawyer and 
Keeler-Wolf 1995) within rolling grassland (Crampton 1959). Occupied 
pools range in surface area from 0.05 to 12.1 ac (0.02 to 4.9 ha), with 
a median area of 1.54 ac (0.62 ha)

[[Page 46695]]

(Stone et al. 1988). Orcuttia inaequalis has been reported at 
elevations of 100 to 2,475 ft (30 to 755 m); the highest elevation 
sites are those on the volcanic tabletops of Fresno and Madera Counties 
(Stebbins et al. 1995; CNDDB 2002).
    The pools where Orcuttia inaequalis is known to occur form on 
acidic soils that vary in texture from clay to sandy loam. Soil series 
represented include the Hideaway series on Fresno-Madera County 
volcanic tabletops, and Amador, Cometa, Corning, Greenfield, Los 
Robles, Madera, Peters, Pollasky-Montpellier complex, Raynor, Redding, 
and San Joaquin soil series elsewhere in the range. The impermeable 
layer at historical or extant occurrences included iron-silica cemented 
hardpan, tuffaceous alluvium, and basaltic rock from ancient volcanic 
flows (Stone et al. 1988; Stebbins et al. 1995; EIP Associates 1999; 
CNDDB 2002).
    Further discussion on the life history and habitat characteristics 
of Orcuttia inaequalis can be found in the final rule to list the 
species (62 FR 14338).

Orcuttia tenuis

    Albert Hitchcock (1934) named Orcuttia tenuis (slender Orcutt 
grass). The type specimen was collected in Goose Valley, Shasta County, 
in 1912. Orcuttia tenuis grows as single stems or in small tufts 
consisting of a few stems. Plants are sparsely hairy and branch only 
from the upper half of the stem. Although its stems typically are 
erect, they may become decumbent if many branches form near the stem 
tip (Reeder 1982). The inflorescence comprises more than half of the 
plant's height, and the spikelets are more or less evenly spaced 
throughout the inflorescence.
    Similar to other vernal pool annuals, the number of individual 
plants within an occurrence of Orcuttia tenuis can vary greatly in size 
from year to year. Fluctuations of up to four orders of magnitude have 
been documented in Lake and Shasta Counties (Griggs 1980; Griggs and 
Jain 1983). At the Vina Plains Preserve, the single occurrence ranged 
in size from 1,000 to 147,700 individuals during the five times it was 
reported over a 13-year period (Stone et al. 1988; Alexander and 
Schlising 1997). However, O. tenuis occurrences do not always fluctuate 
in numbers of plants. Among five occurrences of O. tenuis that Griggs 
tracked from 1973 to 1979, two in the Dales area remained at the same 
order of magnitude for the entire period. None of the other five 
species of Orcuttieae included in the study remained stable for the 
full 7 years (Griggs 1980; Griggs and Jain 1983).
    Orcuttia tenuis has the largest geographical range of all the 
members of the Orcuttieae. The species is known from 35 occurrences in 
Tehama County, 24 in Shasta County, 5 from Lassen County, 4 from Plumas 
County, 2 in Sacramento County, and 2 each in Butte, Lake, Modoc, 
Sacramento, and Siskiyou Counties (CNDDB 2002). An additional 
occurrence has recently been found in Sacramento County (ESA 2001). 
Extirpated occurrences of O. tenuis occur near Reading Airport and 
Stillwater Plains in Shasta County, and additional possibly extirpated 
occurrences were near Goose Valley and Battle Creek in Tehama and 
Shasta Counties (CNDDB 2002).
    Orcuttia tenuis is found primarily on substrates of volcanic origin 
(Crampton 1959; Corbin and Schoolcraft 1989). Vernal pools in which 
Orcuttia tenuis grows are classified as Northern Volcanic Ashflow and 
Northern Volcanic Mudflow vernal pools (Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 1995). 
Impervious layers range from iron-silica hardpan to bedrock (Stone et 
al. 1988; Corbin and Schoolcraft 1989; CNDDB 2001). Among the 
populations studied by Stone and others (1988), the median area of 
pools occupied by O. tenuis was 1.6 ac (0.65 ha) and ranged from 0.2 to 
111 ac (0.08 to 45 ha). On the Modoc Plateau, occupied pools known as 
of 1989 ranged in size from 5 to 100 ac (2 to 40 ha) and were typically 
at least 11.8 in (30 cm) deep; this species was restricted to the 
deepest areas of these pools (Corbin and Schoolcraft 1989). Orcuttia 
tenuis occurs through a wide range of elevations corresponding to its 
broad geographical range. The lowest reported elevation was 90 ft (27 
m) in Sacramento County (Stone et al. 1988) and the highest was 5,761 
ft (1,756 m) in Plumas County (Corbin, in litt. 1999).
    Soil types supporting vernal pools where Orcuttia tenuis is known 
to occur are diverse, ranging from slightly to strongly acidic (Stone 
et al. 1988), and from clay to sandy, silty, or cobbly loam (Corbin and 
Schoolcraft 1989; CNDDB 2001). The soil series has not been reported 
for all O. tenuis sites, but the species has been reported on 
Collayomi-Aiken-Whispering complex and the Konocti-Hambright complex 
soils. Modoc Plateau occurrences occur on the Gooval, Lasvar, Lasvar-
Pitvar complex, and Nosoni soil series, whereas occurrences in 
northeastern Sacramento Valley are on the Anita, Guenon, Inks, Inskip, 
Laniger, Moda, Redding, Toomes, and Tuscan soil series. The Redding 
soil series also supports O. tenuis in Sacramento County (Stone et al. 
1988; CNDDB 2001).
    Associated species vary throughout the range of Orcuttia tenuis. 
Although O. tenuis grows in the same vernal pool complexes as O. 
pillosa in Tehama County (including the Vina Plains Preserve), and 
Orcuttia viscida in Sacramento County, it has not been found to share 
any pools with either species (Stone et al. 1988; Cochrane in litt. 
1995a; Alexander and Schlising 1997; CNDDB 2001).
    Further discussion on the life history and habitat characteristics 
of Orcuttia tenuis can be found in the final rule to list the species 
(62 FR 14338).

Tuctoria mucronata

    Tuctoria mucronata (Solano grass) was originally described under 
the name Orcuttia mucronata based on specimens collected ``12 miles due 
south of Dixon, Solano County'' (Crampton 1959, p. 108). John Reeder 
(1982) transferred this species to a new genus, Tuctoria, resulting in 
the currently accepted name Tuctoria mucronata.
    Tuctoria mucronata is grayish-green, pilose, and sticky. The tufted 
stems are decumbent and do not branch. The long leaves are rolled 
inward and have pointed tips. The base of the inflorescence is 
partially hidden by the uppermost leaves. As is characteristic of the 
genus, the spikelets are arranged in a spiral; the spikelets in the 
inflorescence of Tuctoria mucronata are crowded together.
    Annual estimates or individual plant counts at Olcott Lake (Holland 
1987; CNDDB 2002) indicated that occurrence sizes for this species 
fluctuate dramatically from year to year, as do other members of the 
Orcuttieae. Tuctoria mucronata was not observed at Olcott Lake from 
1976 through 1980, then reappeared in 1981 (Holland 1987), indicating 
that viable seeds can persist in the soil for a minimum of 5 years. 
Apparently both drought years and years of excessively high rainfall 
are unfavorable for Tuctoria mucronata; the largest expressions of this 
species were observed after rainfall seasons of 17.7 to 23.6 in (45 to 
60 cm) of precipitation (Holland 1987).
    Prior to 1985, Tuctoria mucronata was known only from Olcott Lake 
in Solano County, which is believed to be the type locality (Crampton 
1959; CNDDB 2002). A second occurrence was discovered in 1985 
approximately 2.5 mi (4 km) southwest of Olcott Lake (CNDDB 2002). 
Tuctoria mucronata is considered to be possibly extirpated from its 
type locality, because only four individual plants have been found 
within the last decade, all in 1993 (CNDDB 2002). The other Solano

[[Page 46696]]

County site is still in existence. A third occurrence, comprising the 
largest occurrence known, was discovered in 1993 on a Department of 
Defense (DOD) communications facility in Yolo County (CNDDB 2002).
    Tuctoria mucronata has been found only in the Northern Claypan type 
of vernal pool (Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 1995) within annual grassland 
(CNDDB 2002). Pools where T. mucronata occurs tend to be milky from 
suspended sediments (Holland 1987). The occupied pools in Solano County 
are more properly described as alkaline playas or intermittent lakes 
due to their large surface area (Crampton 1959), whereas those at the 
Yolo County site are ``relatively small'' (Witham, in litt. 2000a). 
Soils underlying known T. mucronata sites are saline-alkaline clay or 
silty clay in the Pescadero series (Crampton 1959; CNDDB 2002). Known 
occurrences are at elevations of approximately 15 to 35 ft (5 to 11 m) 
(CNDDB 2002).
    Further discussion of the life history and habitat characteristics 
of Tuctoria mucronata can be found in the Delta Green Ground Beetle and 
Solano Grass Recovery Plan (Service 1985c), and in the final rule to 
list the species (43 FR 44810; September 28, 1978).

Previous Federal Action

    This rulemaking is being made in accordance with a consent decree 
reached in the U. S. District Court for the Eastern District of 
California, on December 5, 2002. The following outlines the previous 
Federal actions and litigation filed after the publication of the 
proposed rule. For more information regarding Federal actions prior to 
the publication of the proposed rule, see the Previous Federal Action 
section in the proposed rule (67 FR 59884).
    On September 24, 2002 (67 FR 59884), we published a proposed 
critical habitat designation for four vernal pool crustaceans and 11 
vernal pool plants. Publication of the proposed rule opened a 60-day 
public comment period, which closed on November 25, 2002. On October 
10, 2002, we published a notice (67 FR 63067) announcing three public 
hearings. The public hearings were held on October 22, 2002, in San 
Luis Obispo, California; and October 24, 2002, in Sacramento, 
California, and Medford, Oregon. In addition, public workshops were 
held in Chico, Sacramento, and Fresno in California and Medford, 
Oregon. On November 21, 2002, we published a notice announcing the 
availability of our draft economic analysis (DEA) on the proposed 
critical habitat designation (67 FR 70201). The notice opened a public 
comment period on the DEA, and extended the comment period on the 
proposed critical habitat designation. This comment period was extended 
for approximately 30 days, closing on December 23, 2002.
    On December 5, 2002, the district court approved a settlement 
agreement between the parties that extended the deadline for 
designation of critical habitat from February 14, 2003, until July 15, 
2003. On March 14, 2003, we published a notice announcing the reopening 
of the public comment period for approximately 14 days on the proposed 
designation of critical habitat for these 15 vernal pool species (68 FR 
12336) and the DEA, closing on March 28, 2003.

Summary of Comments and Recommendations

    In the September 24, 2002, proposed critical habitat designation 
(67 FR 59884) and subsequent comment periods, we requested all 
interested parties to submit comments on the specifics of the proposal, 
including information related to the critical habitat designation, unit 
boundaries, species occurrence information and distribution, land use 
designations that may affect critical habitat, potential economic 
effects of the proposed designation, benefits associated with critical 
habitat designation, potential exclusions and the associated rationale 
for the exclusions, and methods used to designate critical habitat.
    We contacted all appropriate State and Federal agencies, county 
governments, elected officials, and other interested parties and 
invited them to comment. This was accomplished through telephone calls, 
letters, and news releases faxed and/or mailed to affected elected 
officials, media outlets, local jurisdictions, interest groups and 
other interested individuals. In addition, we invited public comment 
through the publication of legal notices in numerous newspaper and news 
media throughout California and Oregon. We provided notification of the 
DEA and proposed rule to all interested parties. At the request of the 
Merced County Board of Supervisors, we attempted to notify all Merced 
County landowners within the proposed vernal pool critical habitat and 
requested that they provide comments. We provided them contacts where 
they could direct questions regarding the proposed designation. We also 
posted the proposed rule and DEA and associated material on our 
Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office internet site following their 
release on September 24, 2002, and November 21, 2002, respectively. 
Additionally, we developed an internet site to provide interactive 
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) maps of the proposed critical 
habitat boundaries overlaid on 250K USGS. quadrangle maps.
    We received a total of 955 comment letters during the 2 comment 
periods. Comments were received from Federal, State, and local 
agencies, and private organizations and individuals. We reviewed all 
comments received for substantive issues and comments and new 
information regarding the vernal pool plants and vernal pool 
crustaceans. Similar comments were grouped into several general issue 
categories relating specifically to the proposed critical habitat 
determination and the DEA and are identified below.

Peer Review

    We requested 6 biologists, who have knowledge of vernal pool 
ecosystems and the 15 species addressed in this rule, to provide 
scientific review of the proposed designation of critical habitat. 
Three of the six reviewers submitted comments on the proposed 
designation. Two of the reviewers strongly endorsed the approach in the 
proposal that protecting vernal pools in the context of surrounding 
upland watersheds is crucial for the conservation and long-term 
survival of the listed vernal pool species, and stated that the rule 
placed appropriate emphasis on protecting intact vernal pool complexes. 
The reviewers also cited the importance of conserving a wide range of 
vernal pool habitat types and biological diversity. The reviewers 
recommended that additional historical locations of the listed species 
be considered for critical habitat, and specifically recommended 
inclusion of vernal pool habitat in Santa Barbara County that once 
supported Lasthenia conjugens. The third reviewer provided specific 
technical comments on the proposed rule and those recommendations have 
been incorporated into this final rule.

State Agencies

    We received comments from the following California State agencies: 
Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), Department of Forestry and Fire 
Protection (CDF), Department of Transportation (Caltrans), and the 
Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD). Technical data 
provided by the CDFG has been incorporated into or addressed in this 
final rule, while other issues raised by State agencies are addressed 
below.
    State Comment 1: The CDFG has considerable knowledge of wildlife 
resources within California, and we

[[Page 46697]]

should work with CDFG in developing critical habitat designations for 
federally listed species.
    Our Response: In developing the proposed rule, we solicited 
information from CDFG biologists familiar with the local land areas 
through out California, vernal pool species, and vernal pool habitat. 
We used the local expertise of our counterparts in CDFG regional 
offices to help us determine which areas were essential to the 15 
vernal pool species addressed in this rule, and to determine the 
appropriate boundaries for the critical habitat. Further, one of the 
primary data sources that was used in the development of our proposal 
and this final rule was the State Natural Heritage occurrence and 
natural diversity database--the CNDDB. We additionally consulted with 
the CDFG when we had questions regarding species occurrence data and if 
any new information was available which was not in the database. We 
view the CDFG as a partner in natural resource management and 
protection in California, and will continue to work closely with them.
    State Comment 2: Some areas within the proposed critical habitat 
designation do not contain the necessary habitat requirements for the 
species (e.g., Grasslands Ecological Unit, Merced County).
    Our Response: On the basis of information provided by the public, 
the scientific community, and other Federal, State, and local 
government officials, we have revised the critical habitat unit 
boundaries for the 15 vernal pool species, including the area 
encompassing the Grasslands Ecological Unit, to better reflect those 
areas containing the primary constituent elements (PCEs) (see Methods, 
Summary of Changes from Proposed Rule, and Unit Maps).
    State Comment 3: The CDFG believes all CDFG lands should be 
excluded from critical habitat, given the requirement of consultation 
pursuant to section 7 of the Act for Federal actions, and CDFG's 
trustee responsibility for protecting the State's wildlife resources, 
including federally listed species.
    Our Response: We have excluded CDFG owned lands within the Battle 
Creek, Big Sandy, Grizzly Island, Hill Slough, North Grasslands, and 
Oroville Wildlife Areas and State-owned lands within Allensworth, Boggs 
Lake, Butte Creek Canyon, Calhoun Cut, Carrizo Plains, Dales Lake, 
Fagan Marsh, Phoenix Field, San Joaquin River, Stone Corral, and Thomes 
Creek Ecological Reserves. The total amount of land excluded for State-
owned lands excluded within wildlife areas or ecological reserves is 
approximately 20,933 ac (8,373 ha). These exclusions are based on the 
CDFG's trustee responsibility for protecting the State's wildlife 
resources, including federally listed species.
    State Comment 4: The CDFG believes that designating critical 
habitat on lands covered under Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) and 
Natural Community Conservation Plans (NCCPs) provides little benefits 
for species covered under these plans.
    Our Response: We recognize that critical habitat is only one of 
many conservation tools for federally listed species. However, HCPs are 
one of the most important tools for reconciling land use with the 
conservation of listed species on non-Federal lands. Section 4(b)(2) of 
the Act allows us to exclude from critical habitat designation areas 
where the benefits of exclusion outweigh the benefits of designation, 
provided the exclusion will not result in the extinction of the 
species. We believe that in most instances the benefits of excluding 
HCPs from critical habitat designations will outweigh the benefits of 
including them. For this designation, we find that the benefits of 
exclusion outweigh the benefits of designation for all approved and 
legally operative HCPs in which vernal pool species are covered. Please 
refer to the Relationship of Critical Habitat to Habitat Conservation 
Plans and Relationship of Critical Habitat to the Western Riverside 
Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan sections of this final rule 
for a more detailed discussion of how approved and pending HCPs have 
been addressed in this final designation.
    State Comment 5: The CDFG believes that all future HCPs and NCCPs 
should be removed from critical habitat once they are approved.
    Our Response: We anticipate that future HCPs in the range of the 15 
vernal pool species will include them as a covered species and provide 
for their long term conservation. We expect that HCPs undertaken by 
local jurisdictions (e.g., counties and cities) and other parties will 
identify, protect, and provide appropriate management for those 
specific lands within the boundaries of the plans that are essential 
for the long term conservation of the species. Section 10(a)(1)(B) of 
the Act states that HCPs must meet issuance criteria, including 
minimizing and mitigating any take of the listed species covered by the 
permit to the maximum extent practicable, and that the taking must not 
appreciably reduce the likelihood of the survival and recovery of the 
species in the wild. We fully expect that our future analyses of HCPs 
and section 10(a)(1)(B) permits under section 7 will show that covered 
activities carried out in accordance with the provisions of the HCPs 
and section 10(a)(1)(B) permits will not result in the destruction or 
adverse modification of critical habitat designated for the vernal pool 
species. The take minimization and mitigation measures provided under 
these HCPs are expected to adequately protect the essential habitat 
lands designated as critical habitat in this rule, such that the value 
of these lands for the survival and recovery of the vernal pool species 
is not appreciably diminished through direct or indirect alterations. 
If an HCP that addresses the vernal pool species as covered species is 
ultimately approved, we will reassess the critical habitat boundaries 
in light of the HCP. If, consistent with available funding and program 
priorities, we elect to revise this designation, we will do so through 
a subsequent rulemaking.
    The designation of critical habitat should not deter participation 
in the NCCP or HCP processes. Approvals issued under these processes 
include assurances of no additional mitigation through the HCP No 
Surprises regulation (63 FR 8859). The development of new HCPs or NCCPs 
should not be affected by designation of critical habitat primarily 
because we view the standards of jeopardy for listed species and of 
adverse modification for critical habitat as being virtually identical. 
We discuss these standards in detail in the Section 7 Consultation 
section portion of this document.
    State Comment 6: CDFG expressed concern that designation of 
critical habitat will increase the regulatory and/or economic burden 
for project proponents, because many of their programs, such as 
vegetation management and fire hazard reduction, are administered on 
private lands with Federal cost-share funds. CDFG also requested us to 
address land management activities that benefit vernal pool habitats.
    Our Response: We do not anticipate that this designation will 
result in significant increases in regulatory requirements for programs 
involving Federal cost-share funds over those which have existed since 
the time of the listing of each of the 15 vernal pool species. All of 
these activities, to the extent that they modify vernal pool habitat, 
have the potential to affect federally listed species and thus trigger 
the informal or formal consultation requirements of section 7 of the 
Act. Even beneficial land management actions, if they are likely to 
result in ``take'' of listed vernal pool crustaceans, must receive 
appropriate incidental take

[[Page 46698]]

authorization through section 7 or section 10 of the Act. The 
regulatory requirements of section 7 consultation that are established 
with the listing of a species and the requirements associated with 
critical habitat designation are discussed in detail in the section 
Effects of Critical Habitat Designation. A discussion of land 
management activities, including prescribed burning and grazing, that 
are beneficial to vernal pool habitats, can be found in the section 
Special Management Considerations.
    State Comment 7: Caltrans requested that we exclude transportation 
infrastructure, particularly operating right-of-way, from the 
designation because these areas are not essential to the conservation 
of the species.
    Our Response: We understand the concern of the transportation 
agencies over having habitat within transportation infrastructure 
designated as critical habitat. Such areas are included in this 
designation for several reasons: (1) many areas contain occurrences of 
the listed vernal pool species and the PCEs; and (2) we did not have 
the time, resources, or the appropriate GIS data layers to segregate 
these areas from adjacent vernal pool habitat, evaluate their 
importance to the conservation of the 15 vernal pool species separately 
from adjacent vernal pool habitat that we had determined to be 
essential, and then produce maps and legal descriptions of essential 
habitat around them, but not including them. Many transportation agency 
activities involving right-of-way maintenance already trigger section 7 
consultation requirements because they support habitat occupied by 
listed vernal pool species, and because of the Federal nexus provided 
by the Federal Highway Administration. We do not anticipate that this 
designation will result in a significant increase in regulatory 
requirements over those that have existed since the time of the listing 
of each of the 15 vernal pool species. A more detailed explanation of 
regulatory requirements of section 7 consultation that are established 
with the listing of a species, and the requirements associated with 
critical habitat designation, are discussed in the section Effects of 
Critical Habitat Designation.
    State Comment 8: The HCD commented that the information and public 
review period for the draft economic analysis was insufficient, 
expressed concern over the broad standardized scale of the economic 
analysis, and suggested that a more discrete level of analysis is 
necessary to credibly project economic costs and benefits of the 
designation through the 20-year analysis period.
    Our Response: The draft economic analysis of the proposed critical 
habitat designation was made available to the public for review and 
comment on November 21, 2002, (67 FR 70201). At that time, we opened a 
30-day public comment period, on both the proposal and the draft 
economic analysis, which closed on December 23, 2003. On March 14, 
2003, we reopened the comment period for both the proposal and the 
draft economic analysis for an additional 14 days, ending March 28, 
2003 (68 FR 12336). Consequently, the public was provided approximately 
45-days to review and provide comment on the draft economic analysis. 
As stated in this final rule, we acknowledge the limitations imposed by 
conducting public rulemaking under abbreviated, court mandated 
schedules, and that, as a result, we are not always able to provide 
adequate public participation in the process.
    For large designations, such as this rule, the 4(b)(2) decision 
will consider broad geographic areas, rather than individual parcels or 
projects. The level of detail provided in this analysis is appropriate 
to the size of areas considered for exclusion. In addition, a more 
detailed analysis would not necessarily produce a more accurate 
estimate of potential impacts. Parcel-by-parcel analysis of costs may 
achieve greater certainty for projects that have already been approved 
by local planners. However predicting the location and characteristics 
of future projects on a parcel-by-parcel basis using the same sources 
of data will result in greater uncertainty as the time frame for the 
analysis increases. For this rulemaking, it is unlikely that a more 
detailed analysis would produce a significantly different answer.

Other Public Comments and Responses

    We address other substantive comments and accompanying information 
in the following summary. Relatively minor editing changes and 
reference updates suggested by commenters have been incorporated into 
this final rule or the final economic analysis, as appropriate.

Issue 1--Habitat and Species Specific Information

    Comment 1: Several commenters, including county and local 
governmental representatives, stated that the designation was not based 
on the best scientific data available, and that we have not adequately 
established that the areas identified as critical habitat contain PCEs 
essential for the species.
    Our Response: We believe that we used the best scientific and 
commercial information available in determined those areas essential 
for the 15 vernal pool species that were proposed as critical habitat 
and subsequently finalized. However, the mapping scale that we used 
resulted in a more inclusive proposal. In our final determination, we 
had additional information available to us, including detailed aerial 
imagery and other information provided by commenters to assist us in 
refining our mapping of essential habitat. Please refer to the 
Background, Criteria Used to Identify Critical Habitat, and Unit 
Description sections of this rule for further discussion on how we 
determined habitat that is essential to the conservation of the 15 
vernal pool species. After refining our proposal and weighing the best 
available information, we conclude that the areas designated by this 
final rule, including currently occupied and unoccupied areas, are 
essential for the conservation of these species.
    Comment 2: Several commenters held that nothing has changed from 
the listing of the species, and that our determination that the 
designation of critical habitat was not prudent or determinable should 
remain in place. One commenter stated that we did not evaluate whether 
critical habitat was determinable and that an analysis needs to be 
performed according to regulations.
    Our Response: As outlined in the Prudency Redetermination section 
of the proposed rule, at the time of the final listing determination 
for the 15 vernal pool species, we found that designation of critical 
habitat was not prudent for the vernal pool crustaceans and plants 
(excluding Tuctoria mucronata) because of potential threats, and that a 
designation of critical habitat was not beneficial for these species. 
Case law (Conservation Council For Hawai'i v. Babbitt, 2 F. Supp.2d 
1280 (D.Hawai'i 1998) and Natural Resources Defense Council v. U.S. 
Dept. of Interior, 113 F.3d 1121 (9th Cir. 1997)) has changed how we 
balance the risks and benefits of critical habitat designations since 
we listed the 15 vernal pool species. In Building Industry Association 
v. Babbitt, 979 F Supp. 893 (1997), we were directed by the court to 
reevaluate our not prudent determination for the four listed vernal 
pool crustaceans. Our record lead us to reconsider our previous not 
prudent determinations for the 11 plants in light of the new case law 
and policy. We have

[[Page 46699]]

determined that the threats to the vernal pool crustaceans and plants 
and their habitat from the specific instances of habitat destruction we 
identified in the final listing rules do not outweigh the broader 
educational, regulatory, and other possible benefits that a designation 
of critical habitat would provide for these species. We believe there 
is sufficient information available on the 15 vernal pool species to 
find that critical habitat is determinable for these species, and that 
an analysis of the impacts of the designation can be performed 
according to 50 CFR 424.12(a)(2)(i).
    Comment 3: Several commenters stated that the species are not 
threatened or endangered because of their widespread distribution.
    Our Response: Species may be listed under the Act if the species is 
in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its 
range by one or more of the five listing factors (endangered species), 
or if the species is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable 
future, throughout all or a significant portion of its range by one or 
more of the five listing factors (threatened species). The five listing 
factors as defined in the Act are: (A) The present or threatened 
destruction, modification, or curtailment of [a species'] habitat or 
range; (B) overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or 
educational purposes; (C) disease or predation; (D) the inadequacy of 
existing regulatory mechanisms; and (E) other natural and manmade 
factors affecting [a species'] continued existence. These factors apply 
to both narrowly and widely distributed species.
    As discussed in the final rules to list the 15 vernal species 
addressed herein, the vernal pool crustaceans and plants are threatened 
by habitat loss, degradation, and modification from land conversion and 
degradation to the extent that known populations are endangered, or 
likely to become endangered, throughout all or a significant portion of 
their range. Thus, the vernal pool species are threatened by Factor A 
and appear to meet the definitions of threatened or endangered, 
regardless of having a relatively extensive distribution.
    Comment 4: Several commenters believe that we cannot realistically 
determine critical habitat without first developing a recovery plan, 
and that the determination of critical habitat should be postponed 
until site specific surveys have been conducted and a recovery plan is 
in place.
    Our Response: Section 4 of the Act requires us to designate 
critical habitat at the time of listing to the maximum extent prudent 
and determinable. We concur that a recovery plan is a useful tool in 
assisting us with determining which areas are essential for the 
conservation of a species. We are currently developing a draft recovery 
plan for these vernal pool species, and have been able to use the 
information and gathered and analysis conducted to date for the draft 
recovery plan in helping us determine areas essential to the 
conservation of the 15 vernal pool species addressed herein.
    Comment 5: Several commenters reported that vernal pools provide a 
breeding source for mosquitoes. They stated that the designation would 
lead to an increase in diseases such as infection of the West Nile 
virus (Flavivirus sp.) and other mosquito-vectored diseases.
    Our Response: The best information available to us indicates that 
non-degraded vernal pools and swales do not provide a significant 
breeding source for mosquitoes. Mosquitoes do not appear in vernal 
pools until very late in the season, when they are unlikely to complete 
their development before the pools dry (Wright 1991). Female mosquitoes 
are attracted to gases produced by fermentation that indicate an 
abundance of decaying organic matter suitable for food for mosquito 
larvae (Wright 1991). This is the likely cue used by females mosquitos 
to select oviposition sites. Healthy vernal pools appear to have 
relatively low levels of decaying organic material, which makes them 
undesirable as oviposition sites for gravid mosquitoes (Wright 1991). 
Only late in the season, when the abundance of invertebrates in vernal 
pools begins to decline, are enough nutrients and organic material 
available to make the vernal pools attractive to mosquitos. By this 
time, however, it is often too late for the mosquito larvae to develop 
before the pools dry.
    Comment 6: One commenter stated that there are occurrences of the 
vernal pool plants and vernal pool crustaceans on protected lands, and 
for this reason, additional lands are not needed for the conservation 
of the species. Other commenters contended that the acreage in the 
proposed rule should represent the minimum amount of land considered 
critical for the 15 vernal pool species.
    Our Response: We recognize that while some occurrences of the 
vernal pool plants and vernal pool crustaceans are found on protected 
public and private lands, only about 16 percent of the lands designated 
as critical habitat are on Federal land or are protected by a 
conservation easement. A smaller percentage of these lands are managed 
for protection of vernal pool resources and specifically for the 
species addressed in this rule. Restricting the designation to 
currently protected lands would exclude areas that we believe are 
essential to the conservation of the 15 vernal pool species. We based 
the designation on the best scientific available and determined that 
the designation identifies those areas believed to be essential for the 
conservation of the species.
    Comment 7: The California Army National Guard (ARNG) asks that Camp 
Roberts be excluded from the final critical habitat designation (ARNG 
2002a). Letters from Fort Hunter Liggett and the Headquarters of the 
United States Army Reserve Command state they do not agree with 
designating critical habitat on the base, and that the designation is 
not necessary to protect vernal pool fairy shrimp (Fort Hunter Liggett 
2002b; Department of the Army 2002).
    The letters from Camp Roberts and Fort Hunter Liggett present 
numerous reasons why critical habitat designation is not warranted on 
the two bases. Some of these reasons include: suggestions that each 
installation has an Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan 
(INRMP) that provides protective measures for vernal pool fairy shrimp; 
the two bases are implementing numerous activities that conserve vernal 
pool fairy shrimp habitat; and critical habitat designation would 
adversely affect the National Guard and Army's abilities to meet their 
mission, i.e., train soldiers for combat situations.
    Our Response: Camp Roberts and Fort Hunter Liggett have drafted 
INRMPs that we have not signed. The current documents are therefore 
working drafts that are being revised as the National Guard and Army 
work together with us to finalize conservation strategies that will 
benefit all listed species on the two bases. After adequate 
conservation strategies for all listed species on the bases are 
incorporated into the two INRMPs, we expect to sign the documents and 
will consider them final. We recognize the military is implementing 
measures to conserve existing locations of vernal pool fairy shrimp and 
the habitat they occupy. These activities include periodic monitoring 
of selected pools, control of exotic plant species that may alter 
vegetation communities around vernal pool habitat, fencing or 
delineation of areas known to contain vernal pool fairy shrimp, and use 
of review processes designed to avoid or minimize effects that may 
arise during military training activities and base operations. We

[[Page 46700]]

believe additional measures are needed to promote natural ecosystem 
processes that benefit listed fairy shrimp and these items will 
continue to be the focus of future discussions with the military. We 
recognize that designation of critical habitat has the potential to 
modify military training operations and the use or development of base 
facilities. We have determined that the benefits of excluding these 
facilities outweigh the benefits of including them. Subsequently, Camp 
Roberts and Fort Hunter Liggett have been excluded from this final 
designation of critical habitat.
    Comment 8: One commenter requests that the Indian Valley Cattle 
Company and Porter Ranch Estate properties be excluded from the 
Bradley-San Miguel critical habitat subunit in Monterey County. The 
commenter references a letter from a consulting firm which states that 
habitat mapping on one or both of the above-mentioned properties was 
done, and that suitable habitat for fairy shrimp does not appear to be 
present. The consultant's letter states that another company conducted 
fairy shrimp surveys on the Porter Ranch Estate, and these 
investigators did not find fairy shrimp.
    Our Response: The Service's ``Interim Survey Guidelines to 
Permittees under Section 10(a)(1)(A) of the Endangered Species Act for 
the Listed Vernal Pool Branchiopods'' is used to establish the presence 
or absence of listed fairy shrimp on a particular property. The 
guidelines recommend that two wet season surveys for adult fairy 
shrimp, or one wet season survey for adult and one dry season survey 
for fairy shrimp cysts, be done at a site to determine the presence or 
absence of fairy shrimp. Both surveys should demonstrate that fairy 
shrimp are absent before the Service will concur with a determination 
that fairy shrimp are absent from a site. We received a report from a 
consultant in 2001 that states ephemeral aquatic habitat may occur on 
the Porter Ranch Estate. We also received documents that indicate two 
wet season surveys were conducted on that property. The second wet 
season survey was done during a year when rainfall conditions were not 
conducive to detecting adult fairy shrimp, i.e., aquatic habitat was 
not present during the second survey, and it would not therefore have 
been possible to determine the presence or absence of fairy shrimp. We 
do not have appropriate documentation at this time that allows us to 
conclude that fairy shrimp are absent from the Porter Ranch Estate.
    While we do not have specific information that demonstrates that 
fairy shrimp occur on the Indian Valley Cattle Company and Porter Ranch 
Estate properties, we know vernal pool fairy shrimp occur on the Camp 
Roberts military base 1 mi (1.6 km) west of Porter Ranch Estate and 0.5 
mi ( 0.8 km) south of the Indian Valley Cattle Company property. We 
believe additional undocumented occurrences of listed fairy shrimp are 
likely to occur in suitable habitat on private property near Camp 
Roberts. We also believe several unmapped vernal pools are likely to 
occur on or near the two aforementioned properties because the presence 
of several hundred vernal pools on Camp Roberts suggests that these 
features are present within the local landscape. The Indian Valley 
Cattle Company and Porter Ranch Estate properties are up gradient and 
in close proximity to known and suspected vernal pool fairy shrimp 
occurrences, and it is likely that water that originates on these 
properties travels down gradient and contributes to the maintenance of 
the hydrology and water quality of vernal pools that are occupied by 
listed fairy shrimp on or near the Camp Roberts military base.
    Following our evaluation of these lands, we still believe the 
Indian Valley Cattle Company and Porter Ranch Estate properties are 
within the localized watershed that contains essential vernal pool 
habitat, and they contribute to the maintenance of their hydrology. 
Consequently, it is our determination the land on these properties is 
essential to the conservation of vernal pool habitat and should not be 
excluded from designated critical habitat.
    Comment 9: One individual asks that the Estrella Ranch area in San 
Luis Obispo County be removed from the Paso Robles critical habitat 
subunit. The landowner does not believe fairy shrimp or vernal pool 
habitat exist on that ranch, and they are concerned that critical 
habitat designation will affect their family's ranching activities.
    Our Response: The Estrella Ranch occurs within a localized 
watershed that contains documented occurrences of listed fairy shrimp. 
Vernal pools complexes measuring at least 10 ac (4 ha) in size have 
been mapped within 1-2 mi (1.6-3.2 km) of Estrella Ranch. These 
complexes were identified during a habitat mapping contract (Holland 
2003). The mapping contract did not attempt to map wetlands less than 
10 ac (4 ha) in size, and it is likely that smaller, unmapped vernal 
pools or vernal pool complexes which provide the necessary conditions 
for vernal pool fairy shrimp to hatch, grow, and reproduce are present 
in the local area.
    Estrella Ranch is up gradient of vernal pool complexes that have 
been mapped, and the topography of the ranch suggests water that 
originates on that property is likely to travel down gradient and 
contribute to the amount, duration, and frequency of water flow 
necessary to maintain vernal pools southwest of the ranch property 
boundary.
    We believe Estrella Ranch occurs within a localized watershed that 
contains essential vernal pool habitat, and the ranch contributes to 
the maintenance of their hydrology. Consequently, it is our 
determination this property is essential to the conservation of 
documented vernal pool habitats, and should not be excluded from 
designated critical habitat.
    Critical habitat designation will not affect the private landowner 
unless specific portions of their property possess the primary 
constituent elements associated with vernal pool fasiry shrimp critical 
habitat, and the landowner proposes a project that would involve a 
Federal nexus. The landowner has told Service employees he has 
historically avoided projects that would create a Federal nexus. 
Consequently, we do not believe the designation of critical habitat on 
Estrella Ranch will significantly affect the landowner's ranching 
activities.
    Comment 10: One individual associated with the Coastal Alliance on 
Planned Expansion asks that we evaluate the possibility that fairy 
shrimp are adversely affected by the operation of a power plant near 
the Morro Bay National Estuary in San Luis Obispo County. The commentor 
is concerned that use of ocean water to cool various hardware 
components at the power plant may affect fairy shrimp.
    Our Response: Fairy shrimp are inland species and are not 
associated with marine environments. The intake of water to cool the 
power plant near Morro Bay does not have the potential to adversely 
affect vernal pool fairy shrimp or their habitat.
    Comment 11: A number of commenters expressed concern over the 
appropriateness of the proposal of Unit 33A for vernal pool fairy 
shrimp. Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation District 
stated that the Unit boundary is based on their ``approximate riverine 
flood plain'' boundary and suggested that a more detailed analysis of 
local hydrologic sources and watersheds associated with vernal pools 
would be more accurate. Other concerns raised were: (1) The vernal pool 
fairy shrimp is not associated with riverine systems; (2) the Unit 
contains areas which do not

[[Page 46701]]

contain vernal pools and do not meet the proposed rule's definition of 
critical habitat; (3) vernal pool fairy shrimp have not been documented 
in the San Jacinto Unit (33A); and (4) vernal pool fairy shrimp and the 
common versatile shrimp (Branchinecta lindahli) cannot co-occur.
    Our Response: Although the boundary of the Unit 33A is the 
approximate 20-year floodplain as identified by Riverside County Flood 
Control and Water Conservation District, it was used because more than 
99 percent of the known vernal pool associated species in the 
floodplain occur within area delineated by that boundary. The reach of 
the San Jacinto River included in the designation is extremely flat, 
causing the river to pond on the floodplain from the low-flow channel 
to the approximate 100-year floodplain. In the rainy season, the river 
floodplain contains vernal pools, moist flats, and other ephemeral 
wetlands. Areas which do not expressly contain ephemeral wetlands or 
vernal pools are included to provide hydrology to vernal pools.
    Although surveys conducted in this unit during 2000 failed to 
detect vernal pool fairy shrimp, although the common versatile fairy 
shrimp was detected, it is important to note that not all of the pools 
in the floodplain were surveyed, and rainfall conditions were not 
conducive to detecting fairy shrimp. (i.e., in some places pools did 
not fill or filled only briefly'an insufficient time for shrimp, if 
present, to hatch).
    This unit can be characterized as an alkali playa, one of the 
habitat types that supports vernal pool fairy shrimp, and shares soil 
and hydrologic characteristics with Unit 33B, where the common 
versatile and vernal pool fairy shrimp co-occur. Both species are also 
present at Skunk Hollow. Eriksen and Belk (1999) also report that the 
common versatile fairy shrimp is known to co-occur with the vernal pool 
fairy shrimp, although the two species may be detectable at varying 
times during a vernal pool's wet phase.
    This unit is essential to vernal pool fairy shrimp because it 
represents the largest unfragmented, hydrologically and ecologically 
functional vernal pool complex in the southern portion of the species' 
range. The area of habitat is large enough to allow localized 
occurrences to expand and contract, providing for normal population 
dynamics and making the populations within this unit less susceptible 
to environmental variation or negative impacts associated with human 
disturbances or naturally occurring catastrophic events. Although it is 
not known to be occupied, it contains the same edaphic and land form 
characteristics as lands within Unit 33B, which is occupied by the 
species.
    Comment 12: One commenter stated that the Riverside County units 
(33-35) should be removed from designation because they represent only 
a small portion of the range of the vernal pool fairy shrimp, and these 
areas are already being protected.
    Our Response: The area proposed as critical habitat for the vernal 
pool fairy shrimp in Riverside County does comprise a small portion of 
the overall area proposed as critical habitat for the species. However, 
the vernal pools in these units supporting populations of the vernal 
pool fairy shrimp represent the southernmost distribution of the 
species in the Unites States. They are essential to ensuring the 
genetic and geographic distribution of the species necessary for its 
long-term conservation.
    We are excluding the critical habitat in Riverside County, 
California (Units 33, 34 and 35) from this final designation. We are 
excluding Unit 33 for the vernal pool fairy shrimp from final 
designation because the vernal pool habitat within this unit will be 
covered by the draft Western Riverside Multiple Species Habitat 
Conservation Plan (MSHCP). Although the MSHCP has not been finalized 
the measures afforded within the plan and the current assurances that 
the plan will be completed will assist in the conservation of the 
species. We are also excluding Unit 34 for the vernal pool fairy shrimp 
from final designation because the vernal pool within this unit is 
covered by an approved, legally operative HCP. Although the Rancho 
Bella Vista HCP does not include the vernal pool fairy shrimp as a 
covered species, the endangered Riverside fairy shrimp is covered by 
this HCP. Because the Riverside fairy shrimp co-occurs with the vernal 
pool fairy shrimp in this unit, we anticipate that management actions 
taken to conserve Riverside fairy shrimp will provide equal benefits to 
the vernal pool fairy shrimp. We have also excluded Unit 35 for vernal 
pool fairy shrimp from final designation because this area, which lies 
within the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve, is managed for the 
conservation of vernal pools that support populations of the vernal 
pool fairy shrimp. Please refer to the Relationship of Critical Habitat 
to Habitat Conservation Plans, Relationship of Critical Habitat to the 
Western Riverside Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan, and 
Relationship of Critical Habitat to Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological 
Reserve: A State, Federal, and Local Cooperatively Managed Reserve 
sections of this final rule for a more detailed discussion of these 
exclusions.
    Comment 13: Riverside County Flood Control and Water Conservation 
District stated that they are working with the City of Hemet to model 
the watershed in Unit 33B. They suggested that the designation be 
reduced or eliminated until the information is available.
    Our Response: We have excluding Unit 33 from this final designation 
of critical habitat for the 15 vernal pool species on the basis of the 
development of the Western Riverside Multi-Species Habitat Conservation 
Plan (see Response to Comment 12 above).

Issue 2--Costs and Regulatory Burden

    Comment 14: Regarding the Fort Ord Unit of critical habitat for 
Lasthenia conjugens, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) provides 
comments about inclusion of two parcels, totaling less than 40 ac (16.2 
ha), that are (or will be) transferred to the BLM and are designated 
for development under the Army's existing base cleanup, disposal, and 
reuse plan. The BLM expresses concern that inclusion of these parcels 
may require numerous consultations with us for small BLM development 
projects, such as the construction of a storage shed, that would have 
minor or negligible impacts on the species and its critical habitat. 
This would add an undue regulatory burden on BLM and the Service.
    Our Response: All Federal agencies are required to evaluate whether 
projects they authorize, fund, or carry out, may adversely affect a 
federally listed species and/or its designated critical habitat. The 
parcels under discussion do not possess ephemeral wetlands themselves, 
but activities on them may affect the watershed of ephemeral wetlands 
located on adjacent parcels. To improve the efficiency of the 
consultation process, we recommend BLM staff with hydrologic expertise 
evaluate the potential for BLM activities to affect the hydrology of 
ephemeral wetlands in critical habitat. If BLM projects are not likely 
to adversely affect critical habitat, then a consultation with us would 
not be necessary. For projects that are likely to have only 
discountable, insignificant, or wholly beneficial effects on critical 
habitat, we would concur in writing and no further consultation will be 
necessary. For projects likely to have adverse affects on critical 
habitat, formal consultation would be required pursuant to section 7 of 
the Act. We encourage BLM to pursue a programmatic evaluation of, and 
consultation on, its current and future activities on former Fort Ord 
lands. In regard to these specific parcels, we have

[[Page 46702]]

adjusted the boundaries of Unit 9 to remove the steep terrain in and 
around Impossible and Wildcat Canyons, for reasons discussed in the 
Summary of Changes From the Proposed Rule section. This has resulted in 
the removal of one of the above-mentioned parcels from this critical 
habitat designation. A 13 ac (5.3 ha) BLM development parcel remains in 
critical habitat.
    Comment 15: The Army requests that we exclude areas from Lasthenia 
conjugens critical habitat within former Fort Ord (Unit 9) that are 
designated for future development under the Army's Habitat Management 
Plan (HMP). They state that their HMP, which describes the conservation 
strategy for cleanup, disposal, and reuse of the former base, meets the 
three criteria we use to consider whether a plan provides adequate 
special management or protection. The Army suggests these areas be 
excluded pursuant to section 3(5)(A) of the Act, because they do not 
require additional special management or protection under the HMP. The 
Army also requests that we exclude these areas, pursuant to section 
4(b)(2) of the Act, because the benefits of excluding them outweigh the 
benefits of including them in critical habitat. The specific parcels 
they request be excluded are the BLM development parcel, the Military 
Operations-Urban Terrain Facility, Wolf Hill, and those portions of 
East Garrison identified for future development, a total of fewer than 
200 ac (90 ha).
    Our Response: The 28,000 (11,331 ha) former Army base at Fort Ord 
is managed under an HMP that, along with several additional commitments 
from the Army, provided the basis for a non-jeopardy biological opinion 
in 1999 on the effects of base closure and reuse on Lasthenia 
conjugens. This biological opinion encompassed the full base and, 
therefore, the entire critical habitat unit. We determined at that time 
that the configuration of habitat reserve and development lands in the 
HMP will not jeopardize the continued existence of Lasthenia conjugens. 
The HMP requires that management of designated development parcels that 
border habitat reserve lands incorporate measures to avoid erosion and 
vehicle access that could degrade habitat reserve lands, including 
those designated as critical habitat for Lasthenia conjugens. However 
we conclude that, at this time, the conservation strategy outlined in 
the HMP for base reuse and closure does not provide sufficient 
management and protections to the extent that these lands do not meet 
the definition of critical habitat. Completion of the Comprehensive 
Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) 
process in which the Army is currently engaged, and completion of an 
HCP by entities that are to receive transferred lands, followed by our 
issuance of an incidental take permit for these lands, would likely be 
considered adequate special management such that these lands could be 
removed from critical habitat.
    We have reviewed the circumstances at former Fort Ord and conclude 
that exclusions under sections 3(5)(A) and 4(b)(2) of the Act are not 
appropriate for lands in this unit. In past circumstances, we have 
either not included or excluded lands from critical habitat, pursuant 
to section 3(5)(A) of the Act, when we have determined that the lands 
are either not essential to the conservation of the species, or have 
adequate special management considerations or protections. If an area 
has adequate management or protections for the species and its habitat 
then the area does not meet the definition of critical habitat and 
consequently either not included or excluded if originally proposed. At 
former Fort Ord, the lands for which exclusions were requested are 
designated for development under the base closure and reuse plan and 
the management of these lands for vernal pool habitat and species is 
not adequately addressed under the HMP. The lands are also not intended 
to receive further protection under that plan. Therefore, a 
definitional exclusion from critical habitat pursuant to section 
3(5)(A) of the Act, where lands would not require special management 
considerations or protections because those provisions are already in 
place, would not be warranted for these lands.
    We also evaluated these parcels for exclusion from critical habitat 
pursuant to section 4(b)(2) of the Act. Section 4(b)(2) of the Act 
allows the Secretary to ``exclude any area from critical habitat if [it 
is determined] that the benefits of such exclusion outweigh the 
benefits of specifying such area as part of the critical habitat, * * * 
unless the failure to designate such area * * * would result in the 
extinction of the species.'' In evaluating whether the benefits of 
excluding these lands outweigh the benefits of including them, we 
considered economic impact and any other relevant impact associated 
with their inclusion. In the case of former Fort Ord, we evaluated 
whether an increase in Federal consultations was likely to occur due to 
the inclusion of these lands, resulting in an economic cost. We 
concluded that Federal consultation requirements would be essentially 
unchanged by the inclusion of theselands. Therefore, none of the costs 
associated with increased consultation requirements base-wide are 
likely to result from inclusion of these lands. The Army did not 
indicate any other costs associated with inclusion of these lands, nor 
could we identify any. Therefore, we concluded there are no benefits of 
excluding these lands from critical habitat. We weighed this against 
any benefits that might accrue from inclusion of these lands in 
critical habitat. We determined that a small benefit of inclusion would 
be the increased attention the designation would bring to those parcels 
designated for development that are adjacent to, and likely within the 
watershed of, vernal pools. The inclusion of these lands in critical 
habitat would remind land managers of the need to consider the presence 
of the vernal pool watershed in planning and implementing Federal 
actions. We weighed this benefit of inclusion against the benefits of 
exclusion. We conclude that the benefits of exclusion do not outweigh 
the benefits of inclusion. We have, therefore, included these lands in 
the critical habitat designation, except as discussed below.
    We have adjusted the boundaries of the Fort Ord Unit to remove the 
steep terrain in and around Impossible and Wildcat Canyons, for reasons 
discussed in the Summary of Changes From the Proposed Rule section. The 
Military Operations-Urban Terrain Facility and Wolf Hill parcels 
(totaling about 110 ac (44.5 ha) discussed above are located in this 
region and are therefore not part of designated critical habitat.
    Comment 16: The U.S. Air Force requests that lands at Beale Air 
Force Base (AFB) and Travis AFB be excluded because the designation 
would increase the costs and regulatory requirements and hamper the Air 
Force on carrying out the mission objectives for the two AFBs.
    Our Response: In response to the U.S. Air Force's requests that 
lands at Beale AFB and Travis AFB be excluded because the designation 
would increase the costs and regulatory requirements and hamper the Air 
Force's ability to carry out their mission objectives for the two AFBs, 
we have excluded these AFB installations from final designated critical 
habitat pursuant to section 4(b)(2) of the Act. Please refer to the 
Relationship of Critical Habitat to Military Lands section of this 
final rule for a detailed discussion of our rationale for excluding 
these AFBs pursuant to section 4(b)(2) of the Act.
    Comment 17: Several commenters expressed concern that the 
designation would curtail or eliminate livestock grazing in areas 
containing vernal pools.

[[Page 46703]]

    Our Response: Only those activities which are federally funded or 
authorized that may affect critical habitat would be subject to the 
regulations pertaining to critical habitat. We recognize and 
acknowledge that certain levels of livestock grazing likely have no 
impact on vernal pool ecosystems, and may be beneficial for maintaining 
them. Since the vast majority of vernal pool habitat within the 
designation is occupied by the listed vernal pool species and occurs on 
privately owned lands, the designation of critical habitat is not 
likely to result in a significant increase in regulatory requirements 
above those already in place due to the presence of the listed species.
    Vernal pools and the species within this rule evolved with the 
presence of large ungulate grazing. Grazing deters the encroachment of 
grass and other upland species into the vernal pools, and reduces the 
vegetative cover of upland areas potentially allowing space for soil 
dwelling pollinator species to exist. However, the amount and timing of 
grazing can greatly influence species abundance and composition within 
each vernal pool.
    Comment 18: California Army National Guard-Camp Roberts and Fort 
Hunter Liggett provide analyses that describe anticipated economic 
impacts that would arise on the military bases and in surrounding 
communities if critical habitat is designated for vernal pool fairy 
shrimp on their property. Camp Roberts estimates the impacts from 
critical habitat to be approximately $95.4 million (ARNG 2002b). The 
majority of these costs would accrue because the military believes a 
critical habitat designation would create a need to relocate training 
activities to other military bases where critical habitat is not 
designated. They also believe 31 projects may need to be canceled or 
substantially modified during the next 20 years. The letter from Camp 
Roberts also states that local communities around the base would also 
be affected by critical habitat designation, and the potential effects 
to these communities are estimated to be $50.5 million.
    Staff at Fort Hunter Liggett believe the cost of designating 
critical habitat on their base would be approximately $7.35 million 
over a 10-year period (FHL 2002b). The Army believes a $5 million cost 
would be incurred because of changes to a prescribed fire program. 
Additional costs may be incurred because Fort Hunter Liggett staff 
estimate they will need to complete 36 informal and 16 formal 
consultations during the next 20 years as a result of the critical 
habitat designation. The letter also states that the Army believes our 
cost estimates associated with the critical habitat designation, as 
described in the economic analysis, are too low.
    Our Response: California Army National Guard-Camp Roberts and Fort 
Hunter Liggett provide analyses that describe anticipated economic 
impacts that would arise on the military bases and in surrounding 
communities if critical habitat is designated for vernal pool fairy 
shrimp on their property. Camp Roberts estimates the impacts from 
critical habitat to be approximately $95.4 million (ARNG 2002b). The 
majority of these costs would accrue because the military believes a 
critical habitat designation would create a need to relocate training 
activities to other military bases where critical habitat is not 
designated. They also believe 31 projects may need to be canceled or 
substantially modified during the next 20 years. The letter from Camp 
Roberts also states that local communities around the base would also 
be affected by critical habitat designation, and the potential effects 
to these communities are estimated to be $50.5 million.
    Staff at Fort Hunter Liggett believe the cost of designating 
critical habitat on their base would be approximately $7.35 million 
over a 10-year period (FHL 2002b). The Army believes a $5 million cost 
would be incurred because of changes to a prescribed fire program. 
Additional costs may be incurred because Fort Hunter Liggett staff 
estimate they will need to complete 36 informal and 16 formal 
consultations during the next 20 years as a result of the critical 
habitat designation. The letter also states that the Army believes our 
cost estimates associated with the critical habitat designation, as 
described in the economic analysis, are too low.
    Comment 19: A planner from the City of El Paso Robles asks that we 
describe what effect critical habitat designation has on new 
development projects. The letter suggests critical habitat designation 
results in the need to set aside vernal pools as ecological preserves. 
A facsimile transmittal from a small farming company also asks that we 
describe how critical habitat designation could affect their farming 
operations.
    Our Response: The designation of critical habitat requires that 
Federal agencies consult with us on actions they carry out, fund, or 
authorize that might destroy or adversely modify the critical habitat. 
A critical habitat designation has no effect on actions where a Federal 
agency is not involved (Federal nexus). For example, a landowner 
undertaking a lawful project on private land that involves no Federal 
funding or Federal permits would not be affected by the critical 
habitat designation. If a Federal nexus did develop on private land 
that was included in a critical habitat unit, e.g., a private landowner 
needed a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) for fill 
to be placed in a wetland, the project would need to undergo a review 
process with the Service.
    Under the Act, a critical habitat designation establishes a 
geographic area that is essential for the conservation of threatened or 
endangered species and may require special management considerations or 
protections. However, a designation does not affect the land ownership 
or establish a refuge, wilderness, reserve, preserve, or other special 
conservation area. It does not allow government or public access to 
private land, and will not result in the closure of the area to all 
access or use. Rather, it triggers the requirement that Federal 
agencies must consult with us on activities they fund or carry out that 
might affect critical habitat. Please refer to the Effects of Critical 
Habitat section below for further explanation of effects of critical 
habitat designation and its effects on development and farming 
operations.

Issue 3--Notification and Public Comment

    Comment 20: A number of commenters stated that landowners were 
either not notified, or not notified in a timely manner, and given an 
adequate opportunity to comment on the proposed designation. The 
commenters also stated that the number of public hearings was 
inadequate to obtain full public input on the proposal and that 
additional public hearings should be held. Several commenters stated 
that the 30-day comment period for the DEA violated 50 CFR 424.16(c)(2) 
and requested that we extend the comment period on the proposed 
designation and draft economic analysis to allow for additional 
outreach to interested parties as well as hold more public hearings.
    Our Response: We are obligated to hold at least one public hearing 
on a listing proposal if requested to do so prior to 15 days before the 
end of a comment period (16 U.S.C. 1533(b)(5)(E)). We held a total of 6 
public hearing on our proposal to designate critical habitat for the 15 
vernal pool species: two public hearings on October 22, 2002, in San 
Luis Obispo, California; two in Medford, Oregon, on October 24, 2002; 
and two on October 24, 2002, in Sacramento, California. We also 
organized three public workshops to notify the public of

[[Page 46704]]

the proposed designation and to answer questions regarding critical 
habitat and the proposed rule: October 3, 2002, in Chico, California; 
October 16, 2002, in Fresno, California; and October 17, 2002, 
Sacramento, California. In addition to the public hearings and public 
workshops, we attended a public meeting organized by the Merced County 
Council in Merced, California on November 12, 2002, to discuss the 
proposed designation of critical habitat and answer questions regarding 
the area designated within Merced County. We provided information on 
where to obtain copies of the proposed rule and how to access the 
critical habitat website showing maps of the designation.
    Written public comments were accepted at all the public hearings, 
workshops, and the Merced County Council meeting and entered into the 
supporting record for the rulemaking. Oral comments given at the public 
hearings were also accepted into the supporting record. In making our 
decision on the critical habitat designation, written comments were 
given the same weight as oral comments presented at hearings. We 
conducted much of our outreach through legal notices in numerous 
regional newspapers, telephone calls, letters, and news releases faxed 
and/or mailed to affected officials, local jurisdictions, and interest 
groups. We also posted the proposed determination, schedule of 
workshops and hearings, and other associated material on our Sacramento 
Fish and Wildlife Office internet site. We believe that we went through 
an elaborate and extensive notification and outreach process to make 
the public aware of this proposal. Further, our efforts in this process 
satisfied the requirements of the Act and the Administrative Procedures 
Act (5 U.S.C. 551 et seq.) (APA) for promulgating Federal regulations 
regarding listing actions.
    Comment 21: The broad scale of the proposed critical habitat maps 
are not specific enough to allow for reasonable public comment, 
therefore, violating the Act, the APA, and 50 CFR 424.12(c).
    Our Response: Regulation 50 CFR 424.12(c) requires us to define 
critical habitat according to ``specific limits using reference points 
and lines as found on standard topographic maps of the area.'' We have 
done this by basing critical habitat legal descriptions on Universal 
Transverse Mercator (UTM) gridlines set every 328 feet (ft) (100 meters 
(m)). In addition to the legal descriptions, we also published maps 
providing an overview of the critical habitat boundaries in the 
proposed rule. While the Federal Register maps are only intended for 
illustrative purposes, we do provide more detailed critical habitat 
maps on request. These detailed maps show specific critical habitat 
areas of interest overlaid on 1:24,000 scale U.S. Geological Survey 
(USGS) topographic maps. Additionally, we developed an interactive 
internet site which shows vernal pool critical habitat boundaries 
overlaid on a 1:250,000 scale USGS topographic maps. The site allows 
users to pan to and magnify any area of interest. The Internet site was 
not completed by the September 24, 2002, publication date of the 
proposed rule, but we did direct interested parties who contacted us to 
the site when it became available on October 10, 2002, and posted 
information and a link to the internet site from our Sacramento Fish 
and Wildlife Office Internet site.

Issue 4--Property Rights

    Comment 22: Several commenters stated that the designation will 
result in a loss of public property rights and will decrease land 
values.
    Our Response: The designation of critical habitat does not affect 
land ownership or establish a refuge, preserve, or other special 
conservation area. It does not allow government or public access to 
private lands, and will not result in closure of private or State areas 
to all access or use. The designation of critical habitat on privately-
owned land does not mean the government wants to acquire or control the 
land. Critical habitat does not require landowners to carry out any 
special management actions or restrict the use of their land. 
Activities on private lands that do not require Federal permits, 
funding, or authorization are not affected by the designation of 
critical habitat. Consequently, critical habitat should not result in 
effects to property rights, and as previously discussed, property 
values.
    Comment 23: Several commenters expressed concern that the proposed 
rule and subsequent designation will have significant takings 
implications, and that the designation is a ``land grab'' by the 
Federal government and that the landowners should be compensated.
    Our Response: As we discussed in the Takings section of our 
proposed rule, we believe that, in accordance with Executive Order 
12630, the designation of critical habitat for the 15 vernal pool 
species will not have significant takings implications. Our conclusion 
was based on the results of an initial takings implication assessment 
in which we determined that: (1) The designation would result in little 
additional regulatory burden above that currently in place due to the 
15 vernal pool species being federally listed because the majority of 
the designation is occupied by the species, and (2) the designation of 
critical habitat will not affect private lands in which there is not a 
Federal nexus. Consequently, we do not anticipate that property values, 
rights or ownership will be significantly affected by the critical 
habitat designation.
    Comment 24: Several commenters expressed confusion regarding the 
types of agricultural activities and land use practices that, as a 
result of the designation, would may trigger a consultation under 
section 7 of the Act. Other commenters stated that the government will 
now oversee agricultural and ranching practices as a result of the 
Borden Ranch case (Borden Ranch Partnership v U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers (9th Cir. 2001) 261F.3d 810,816.).
    Our Response: Activities carried out, funded, authorized or 
permitted by a Federal agency (i.e., Federal nexus) require 
consultation pursuant to section 7 of the Act if they may affect a 
federally listed species and/or its designated critical habitat. Our 
experience with consultations on the 15 listed vernal pool species is 
that few agricultural activities have involved a Federal nexus and have 
not required a consultation under section 7 of the Act. The Borden 
Ranch legal case, referenced above, involved the Clean Water Act and 
unauthorized fill of wetlands. Specifically, the activity that took 
place was not considered a routine agricultural practice, and thereby 
subject to regulation by the Army Corps of Engineers under the Clean 
Water Act. In regard to grazing, we do not foresee any change in the 
ability of private landowners to graze their property as a result of 
this designation. In addition, we anticipate that many activities, 
including grazing, presently occurring in areas designated as critical 
habitat can be managed to be compatible with the needs of vernal pool 
species and their habitat.

Issue 5--Mapping Methodology

    Comment 25: Several commenters noted that the proposed critical 
habitat includes areas that do not contain the PCEs for the vernal pool 
crustaceans and vernal pool plants. This resulted in the following 
concerns: (a) That the boundaries of critical habitat should have been 
more precisely defined to exclude areas which obviously did not contain 
PCEs; (b) that private property would be affected by the designation 
even though it did not support the federally listed vernal pool species 
or

[[Page 46705]]

their PCEs; (c) that the designation would place a burden on landowners 
to refute the presumption that specific lands within critical habitat 
boundaries possess the PCEs of the species; (d) that we had incorrectly 
stated in the proposed rule that we would only designate areas 
containing the PCEs of the species; (e) that there was no biological 
justification for using a landscape-scale approach when more detailed 
information is available; and (f) that the designation, as proposed, 
was not in keeping with the requirement of the Act to ``narrowly define 
critical habitat.''
    Our Response: As we have discussed in our response to Comment 21, 
we are required to define and delimit critical habitat ``by specific 
limits using reference points and lines as found on standard 
topographic maps of the area'' (50 CFR 424.12(c)). We have delimited 
the boundaries of critical habitat boundaries in this rule based on a 
minimum mapping scale of 100 meters. This mapping scale was based on 
the availability and accuracy of aerial photography and GIS data layers 
used to develop the designation. In drawing our lines for the proposed 
rule, we attempt to exclude areas that do not contain essential 
occurrences of the vernal pool species and habitat as defined by the 
PCEs. On the basis of information obtained through public comments and 
updated imagery and GIS data layers, we have been able to refine the 
boundaries of critical habitat during the development of this final 
rule. However, due to the limitations of our mapping scale, we were not 
able to exclude all areas that do not contain the PCEs. We have 
determined that existing man-made features and structures, such as 
buildings, roads, railroads, airports, runways, other paved areas, 
lawns, and other urban landscaped areas are not likely to contain one 
or more of the PCEs. Because activities in these areas are unlikely to 
affect PCEs (i.e., essential habitat for the vernal pool species), a 
consultation under section 7 of the Act would not be required.
    We disagree with the comment that private property will be 
adversely affected by the designation. Without any PCEs or presence of 
listed species, we regard that no adverse effects to private landowners 
will occur. If private landowners suspect or have listed vernal pool 
species and PCEs on their lands, those landowners may or may not chose 
to ascertain any biological information absent any fill of vernal pools 
that would require some consultation with us. We also disagree with the 
comment about our approach in designating critical habitat when 
additional detailed information is available. We used the best 
scientific and commercial information available to us. We opened two 
comment periods to obtain as much current information that is available 
to assist us in developing this final rule.
    Comment 26: A number of commenters identified specific areas that 
they thought should not be designated as critical habitat.
    Our Response: Where site-specific documentation was submitted to us 
providing a rationale as to why an area should not be designated 
critical habitat, we evaluated that information in accordance with the 
definition of critical habitat pursuant to section 3 (5)(A) of the Act 
and the provisions of section 4(b)(2) of the Act. Following our 
evaluation of the parcels we made a determination as to whether 
modifications to the proposal were warranted. In the preparation of the 
final rule, we further examined the area proposed and refined the 
critical habitat boundaries to exclude, where possible within the 
limitations of our minimum mapping scale, those areas that did not, or 
were not likely to, contain the PCEs for the 15 vernal pool species. We 
also excluded lands from the final designation that may contain vernal 
pool habitat, the vernal pool species, and the PCEs, but that we 
determined to not be essential to the conservation of the vernal pool 
crustaceans and vernal pool plants. Please refer to the Summary of 
Changes from the Proposed Rule section of this final rule for a more 
detailed discussion of changes and exclusion from the proposed rule.
    Comment 27: Several commenters had specific concerns relating to 
the upland component of the PCEs. One commenter indicated that the 
upland component was not well defined and would result in additional 
costs and regulatory burdens.
    Our Response: Upland areas adjacent to vernal pools are function as 
part of the localized watershed and are essential to maintaining the 
hydrological and ecological processes essential to the conservation of 
the listed vernal pool species. Upland areas buffer the effects of 
varying rainfall patterns and establish patterns of overland and 
groundwater flow which help determine the timing and duration of 
ponding and drying. Listed vernal pool species depend on intermittent 
periods of ponding and drying to prevent the establishment of strictly 
terrestrial or aquatic competitors. The timing and duration of such 
ponding and drying periods affects seed germination, and production of 
vernal pool plants, as well as the hatching and growth of vernal pool 
crustaceans. Upland areas also provide a major source of food, in the 
form of detritus, for vernal pool crustaceans; support pollinator 
populations for vernal pool plants; improve pond water quality by 
filtering sediment and contaminants; and moderate pond water 
temperature (see Background and Primary Constituent Elements sections).
    We determined the extent of essential upland areas using the best 
available data, as required by the Act. Such data include topological 
and land use features useful for identifying natural watershed 
boundaries, (as shown by USGS Digital Orthorectified Quarter 
Quadrangles (DOQQs) and other aerial photography), information provided 
during the comment period, watershed boundaries identified in CALWATER 
(CALWATER 2.2), and information on the ecology and life history of the 
15 vernal pool species (see Background section).
    Comment 28: Several commenters suggested that the area being 
proposed as critical habitat for the vernal pool crustaceans and vernal 
pool plants represents the entire range of all the species, and that 
this broad of a designation is in violation of the Act. Other 
commenters stated that we have failed to provide adequate justification 
for why we determined that all areas proposed as critical habitat for 
the 15 vernal pool species are essential to their conservation. 
Further, it was also suggested that there was a lack of species 
occurrence information for the proposed, bring into question our 
justification for including these areas into our designation.
    Our Response: In developing our proposal of critical habitat for 
the 15 vernal pool species, we identified those areas that, based on 
the scientific and commercial data available, we have determined 
contain essential occurrences of each of the species and/or are defined 
by the physical and biological features essential to their 
conservation. We used a number of criteria in defining critical habitat 
including, but not limited to, the known species occurrence and 
distribution data, habitat types, degree of habitat fragmentation, soil 
and landform relationships, connectivity and dispersal factors, and 
conservation biology principles. We did not include all vernal pool 
landscapes within each species' range even though surveys in these area 
may result in the detection of other occurrences. In developing the 
final rule, all the critical habitat units were reviewed and, where 
appropriate, further refined to ensure that nonessential habitat and 
areas not

[[Page 46706]]

containing the PCEs (where identifiable) were excluded from the final 
designation.
    We recognize that not all specific areas designated as critical 
habitat are occupied by the vernal pool species addressed in this rule, 
in that we included portions of localized upland watershed areas that 
we have determined to be essential to the conservation of the vernal 
pool species and their habitat. However, these upland areas are within 
the geographic range occupied by each of the respective species 
resulting in our designation being in compliance with section 3(5)(A) 
of the Act.
    Comment 29: One commentor believes that habitat monitoring results 
from Camp Roberts can be used to understand the effects of land use 
activities on other areas outside the military base.
    Our Response: Following a review of the reports related to the 
habitat monitoring at Camp Roberts, we believe that the reports provide 
limited insight into the effects of land use activities off the base 
because the activities discussed in the reports are predominantly 
military specific such as the use of large, tracked military vehicles. 
Other studies addressed in the reports examine effects associated with 
grazing activities may have relevance to areas outside the base 
boundary. Results from these studies have been taken into consideration 
in the development of this designation.

Issue 6--Economic Analysis

    Comment 30: Several commenters stated that the economic analysis 
fails to recognize other Federal funding (e.g., farming subsidies) 
which may provide nexuses and therefore, resulting in the need for 
additional consultations triggered solely by the designation.
    Our Response: The economic analysis focuses on the principle 
economic areas that could be potentially effected by the designation of 
critical habitat. In the preface of the economic analysis, we made an 
attempt to forecast the effects of future section 7 formal 
consultations resulting from the proposed designation of critical 
habitat. The 20-year future forecast was based on the history of formal 
consultation with Federal agencies occurring to date. Historically, we 
have had no consultations regarding vernal pool complexes, farming 
activities, and any nexus with the Farm Service Agency. However, if the 
Farm Service Agency were to fund, authorize, permit, or conduct 
activities that may adversely effect designated critical habitat, then 
they are required to consult with us pursuant to section 7 of the Act 
on those activities.
    Comment 31: Several commenters stated that the economic analysis 
neglects to consider all impacts potentially resulting from the 
designation of critical habitat for the 15 vernal pool species. 
Specifically, commenters expressed concern that the economic analysis: 
(1) Minimizes potential impacts and costs that may result from the 
designation; (2) is based on unreasonable assumptions that are 
incomplete and outdated; (3) fails to analyze impacts on federally 
authorized water activities; and (4) understated the economic impact to 
the agricultural industry and ranching operations, and focused on urban 
effects to local economies and not that of the agricultural.
    Our Response: In developing the draft economic analysis of the 
proposed designation, we attempted to provide the best analysis of the 
measured differences between the world with and without the designation 
of critical habitat for the 15 vernal pool species. Impacts considered 
in the analysis include costs associated with section 7 consultations 
for reasonably foreseeable activities, such as real estate development, 
highway construction and maintenance, and the supply and delivery of 
water. Data to predict reasonably foreseeable activities were obtained 
from proposed plans currently available to the public, discussions with 
staff at Federal and State agencies, and local governmental 
jurisdictions, and urban growth projections such as the California 
Urban Biodiversity Assessment (CURBA) model. Estimated costs associated 
with section 7 consultations are composed of both administrative costs 
and project modification costs. Indirect costs were also considered in 
the economic analysis, including costs associated with the delay of 
planned real estate development to address critical habitat issues as 
well as property value effects associated with regulatory uncertainty. 
The final economic analysis considered many of the comments submitted 
by the public and accordingly made several changes to the estimates of 
the above impacts. In addition, the final economic analysis also 
included a new component of potential economic impact--losses in 
consumer surplus that may be associated with a foreseeable reduction in 
the number of new homes built because of the designation. We disagree 
with the viewpoint that the economic analysis focuses on urban effects 
and not agriculture or rural effects. All effects were considered, 
however the greatest economic impact is likely to occur in those areas 
where land is constrained and less substitute land is available for 
economic activities that otherwise would destroy vernal pool habitat 
but for the designation of critical habitat. This assessment was based 
upon: (1) The history of formal consultations under section 7 of the 
Act, to date, on locations and activities that resulted in affects to 
vernal pool species and their habitat; and (2) because the majority of 
vernal pool habitat losses expected to occur within 20 years are 
anticipated to occur as a result land conversions from agricultural or 
rural to urban as the local economies develop and bid up the value land 
based on its best use.
    Comment 32: Several commenters stated that the economic analysis 
does not assess impacts on proposed or permitted HCP/NCCPs.
    Our Response: The economic analysis does not address the effects of 
designation of critical habitat on any permitted HCP, NCCP/HCP or 
proposed HCPs or NCCP/HCPs. We believe the designation of critical 
habitat for the 15 vernal pool species will not result in significant 
additional regulatory impacts to any currently permitted HCPs or NCCP/
HCPs having covered federally listed vernal pool species. Those plans 
have sufficient biological conservation for covered vernal species and 
their aquatic and associated upland habitats to avoid adverse 
modification of critical habitat. Additionally, we believe that the 
proposed HCPs and NCCP/HCPs that cover vernal pool species also provide 
sufficient biological conservation of vernal pool species and their 
habitats to support the long-term vernal pool species conservation. 
Please refer to our discussion of HCPs under Relationship of Critical 
Habitat to Habitat Conservation Plans later in this rule.
    Comment 33: Several commenters stated that the economic analysis 
does not assess cost of removal of critical habitat through future rule 
makings.
    Our Response: The scope of our economic analysis to is to 
reasonably assess the potential cost that may result from the proposed 
designation so as to provide the Secretary information to be used in 
the development of this final agency action. We do not take into 
consideration any potential costs that may occur from future 
modification or revisions to this designation. Those potential costs, 
if the designation were to be revised, are not in the scope of this 
analysis and would be addressed at the time of the rulemaking for those 
revisions.
    Comment 34: Several commenters stated that the economic analysis 
does not assess the costs to project

[[Page 46707]]

proponents who want to conduct activities on their lands that do not 
contain the PCEs.
    Our Response: As indicated in this rule, we attempted to exclude 
lands from the final designation that do not contain the PCEs essential 
to the conservation of the 15 vernal pool species. Activities, for 
which there is not a Federal nexus, occurring on lands with the 
boundaries of designated critical habitat that do not effect the 
species and/or their PCEs would not result in a consultation pursuant 
to section 7 of the Act. Consequently, we would not anticipate that the 
designation of critical habitat in these areas would result in an 
increased regulatory burden or cost to the project proponent. In areas 
where a Federal nexus does not exist, these is not regulatory burden of 
critical habitat. As such, we would not anticipate that activities in 
these areas would result in a significant additional regulatory burden 
resulting from the designation.
    Comment 35: Some landowners expressed concern that because their 
property was located within the proposed critical habitat designation 
they would be subject to additional constraints, costs and regulations 
under CEQA and NEPA. The commenters further expressed that the draft 
economic analysis inaccurately characterized impact that would result 
from both CEQA and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 
following the designation of critical habitat for the 15 vernal pool 
species.
    Our Response: According to section 15065 (California Code of 
Regulations Title 14, Chapter 3) of CEQA guidelines, environmental 
impact reports are required by local lead agencies when, among other 
things, a project has the potential to ``reduce the number or restrict 
the range of an endangered, rare or threatened species.'' Because nine 
of the 11 vernal pool plants are either State listed endangered or 
threatened, and federally listed species are presumed to meet the CEQA 
definition of ``endangered, rare or threatened species'' under 15380 
(California Code of Regulations Title 14, Chapter 3), no significant 
additional constraints, or costs, should result from the designation of 
critical habitat beyond those now in place for all federally listed 
species, including the 15 vernal pool species in this rule.
    We believe that we made the best 20-year estimation of what the 
added costs would be from impacts of the designation of critical 
habitat for the 15 vernal pool species. Under both the environmental 
review processes of CEQA and NEPA, a project proponent is required to 
identify biological resources or conduct an environmental assessment, 
including any designated critical habitat on proposed project sites, 
and identify any significant environmental effects to those resources 
that could result from the project. The processes also need to be 
disclosed and have opportunities for public comments. We believe that 
the economic analysis accurately assesses the impacts to State and 
Federal regulatory processes.
    Comment 36: One commenter stated that, contrary to our assumption 
in the draft economic analysis, the Los Angeles District Office of the 
Corps may take regulatory jurisdiction over vernal pools that occur 
within their geographic jurisdication.
    Our Response: The economic analysis made the assumption that the 
Los Angeles District may not take jurisdiction of the vernal pools that 
are in critical habitat for the vernal pools within their watershed-
based jurisdiction based on conversations with the representatives from 
the Los Angeles District Office of the Corps. We believe that the Corps 
has the discretion of whether or not to take jurisdiction of any waters 
of the United States. The consequences of this discretion may increase 
or decrease the number of formal consultations and associated costs 
that may occur over the next 20 years. We made the best estimate of the 
number of formal consultations and their associated costs that we may 
have over the next 20 years based upon our history of formal 
consultations with the Corps across the range of the 15 vernal pool 
species.
    Comment 37: Several commenters stated that the economic analysis 
should be completed and made available concurrently with the proposal 
to designate critical habitat, and that critical habitat should not 
have been proposed before an economic analysis of the proposal was 
complete.
    Our Response: Pursuant to Act and clarified in our implementing 
regulations at 50 CFR 424.19, we are required to, ``after proposing 
designation of such an area, consider the probable economic and other 
impacts of the designation upon proposed or ongoing activities.'' 
Following the publication of our prosed designation of critical habitat 
for the 15 vernal pool species, we developed a draft economic analysis 
of the proposed designation that was released for public review and 
comment. The analysis was subsequently revised based on public comment 
and other information made available to us and a final economic 
analysis was produced. This final analysis was used to assist us in 
developing the final designation. Consequently, we believe that we have 
interpreted the regulations and process correctly. Please refer to the 
draft and final economic analyses for this rulemaking for more detailed 
discussions of the methods employed in the analysis and the results.
    Comment 38: Several commenters stated that the economic analysis 
estimates far too few section 7 consultations under the Act.
    Our Response: After using our historical database of section 7 
consultations, and speaking with numerous Federal agencies about the 
likelihood of future consultations after critical habitat is 
designated, we believe that we correctly and reasonably estimated the 
number of section 7 consultations that would occur despite the lack of 
certainties about 20-year growth models used to predict urban growth, 
multiple uses of open space that includes vernal pool preservation 
areas, the lack of a fixed amount of upland habitat associated with 
vernal pool complexes, and the locally variable values of non-
residential lands.
    Comment 39: Several commenters stated that the CURBA model 
underestimates the growth and costs associated with the impacts of 
critical habitat designation for the 15 vernal pool species.
    Our Response: We used the CURBA model, along with information from 
interviews with representatives of Federal agencies, county and local 
government planning officials, information we had on the number of 
completed formal consultations, and those consultations that were 
initiated but not completed, to improve our attempt to correctly 
estimate the number and costs of formal consultations within the next 
20 years. Based upon additional discussions with these representatives 
from the above-mentioned entities, we have revised upward the number of 
informal consultations from 240 to 470, and decreased the number of 
formal consultations from 235 to 157. Because, the pace of development 
in any region fluctuates broadly from year to year due to the 
unevenness in market timing and planning practices, the CURBA model 
offers a more standard method of forecasting the acreage required to 
accommodate new growth throughout the proposed critical habitat area.
    Comment 40: Several commenters stated that the economic analysis 
should focus on the potential costs attributable solely to critical 
habitat and not on the costs associated with the listing of the 
species.

[[Page 46708]]

    Our Response: In developing our draft economic analysis, we 
attempted to differentiate between the costs attributed to the proposed 
designation of critical habitat from those attributable to the species 
being federally listed. These impacts are presented and discussed in 
our draft economic analysis and the final economic analysis. However, 
as discussed below in response to Comment 41, the methodology of our 
economic analysis is consistent with the 10th Circuit Court's 
instructions to make our economic analyses of critical habitat 
meaningful, which in the Court's mind, requires the economic analysis 
to consider all of the potential costs associated with the designation 
of critical habitat, regardless of whether or not those costs are co-
extensive with other parts of the Act. As a result, our economic 
analysis now also consider the total costs associated with section 7 of 
the Act. Please refer to our draft and final economic analyses for a 
more thorough discussion of the methodology employed in the our 
analysis.
    Comment 41: The economic analysis not done in a manner consistent 
with the New Mexico Cattle Growers Association v. U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, 248 F. 3d 1277 (10th Cir. 2001) decision.
    Our Response: In this 10th Circuit Court case, the court instructed 
us to conduct a full analysis of all the economic impacts of critical 
habitat designation, regardless of whether or not those impacts are 
attributable co-extensively to other causes. In order to ensure that no 
costs of the proposed designation are omitted, the economic analysis 
for the 15 vernal pool species examined and fully considered all 
potential effects associated with all section 7 consultation effects in 
or near proposed critical habitat. In doing so, the economic analysis 
ensures that any critical habitat impacts that are co-extensive with 
the listing of the species are not overlooked. As a result of this 
approach, the economic analysis may likely overstate the regulatory 
effects under section 7 of the Act that are attributable to the 
proposed designation of critical habitat. Therefore, we believe that 
our analysis has been done in compliance with the Court's decision. 
Please refer to the draft and final economic analyses for a more 
detailed discussion of this issue.
    Comment 42: Several commenters stated that the assumptions in the 
DEA suggesting that the designation of critical habitat for the 15 
vernal pool species is not expected to result in significant 
restrictions in addition to those currently in place due to the species 
already being federally listed are flawed.
    Our Response: In the proposed rule and DEA, we indicated that we do 
not expect that the designation of critical habitat would result in 
significant additional regulatory or economic burdens or restrictions 
incremental to those afforded the species pursuant to being listed 
under the Act. This assertion is based on the regulatory protections 
afforded the 15 vernal pool species from them being federally listed 
under the Act, and the fact that the majority of the lands designated 
as critical habitat are considered occupied by the species.
    Comment 43: One commenter stated that the DEA failed to adequately 
consider the effect the proposed rule could have on the development 
community.
    Our Response: The DEA discussed the potential impact the proposed 
rule could have on the development community. Specifically, the 
analysis discussed how the proposal would not impose any significant 
additional economic impacts beyond those currently in existence for 
occupied areas of critical habitat. We acknowledged that critical 
habitat designation could have slight effects on certain industries 
such as real estate development, farming, and ranching. But the biggest 
effects to these industries result from the impact their activities 
have on the vernal pool crustaceans, which are afforded protection due 
to their status as federally protected threatened or endangered 
species. Because the majority of critical habitat units are currently 
occupied by the vernal pool crustaceans or vernal pool plants, we do 
not expect any significant increase in consultations or related project 
delay or costs to be attributable to the designation of critical 
habitat.
    Comment 44: Several commenters stated that the DEA was biased 
because it analyzed costs and not benefits, and that it should further 
expand on the value of protecting vernal pool habitats. Several 
commenters stated that the DEA overestimates costs. One commenter 
stated that the development industry would simply avoid those areas 
which would require compensation for vernal pool habitats focusing 
their efforts on adjacent properties, thus minimizing costs associated 
with the designation.
    Our Response: There may be many opinions as to a particular 
species' contribution to society, including their aesthetic, 
scientific, or other significant contribution. However, placing a 
specific monetary value on endangered species, critical habitat, and 
other non-consumptive environmental or natural systems is subjective 
and not quantifiable in terms of economics. Although the recreational 
use aspect of natural areas can be identified, the economical benefit 
of a species' existence in relation to a monetary figure cannot be 
analyzed. The final economic analysis has taken into account the factor 
that the development industry would simply avoid areas which had 
habitat for the vernal pool crustaceans and vernal pool plants.
    Comment 45: Numerous commenters said that the designation would 
greatly increase the costs (surveys, consultant fees, habitat 
compensation fees, land acquisition, etc.) and regulatory burden 
(California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), section 7 or section 10 
of the Act, section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA), etc.) on 
landowners and local governments, as well as delays in permit 
processing and issuance of biological opinions. These cost and burdens 
would have a negative impact on ranching/farming activities, local 
economies, the development industry, and personal income. A few 
commenters stated that we should pay for any increased costs required 
for surveying.
    Our Response: In the development of the draft and final economic 
analyses for this rulemaking, our economist evaluated potential 
economic effects of the issues raised by the commenters that could 
potentially result from the proposed designation, as well as the co-
extensive costs associated with the species being federally listed. 
Please refer to both the draft and final economic analyses for a more 
thorough discussion of how these issues were addressed. Additionally, 
while our analysis did show that approximately $23.4 million per year 
would be attributed to the designation, it is small in comparison to 
the value of new construction activities in the affected counties, 
which amounted to over $19 billion in 2000 alone. Critical habitat 
designation only affect actions with a Federal nexus, so any actions 
carried out on non-Federal lands without Federal funding, permitting, 
or authorization should not be affected. Further, critical habitat 
designation may actually reduce delays and help prevent the possibility 
of arbitrary biological opinions by establishing the habitat needs of 
the species prior to the evaluation of specific projects. By alerting 
the public to those habitat needs during the critical habitat 
designation process, we may also help to avoid unpleasant surprises for 
people who might not otherwise have been aware of the need to take 
section 7 considerations into account.

[[Page 46709]]

    Comment 46: Dr. David Sunding, University of California, Berkeley, 
submitted an alternate economic analysis of our proposed designation of 
critical habitat for the 15 vernal pool species that questioned the 
accuracy and robustness of our draft economic analysis.
    Our Response: We have thoroughly reviewed and address the 
substantive issues and concerns raised by Dr. Sunding's in his analysis 
in the final economic analysis for this rulemaking. Please refer to 
that document for a detailed discussion of Dr. Sunding's analysis and 
our responses.

Issue 7--Procedural Concerns

    Comment 47: One commenter stated that we violated the Commerce 
Clause power and exceeded our jurisdiction by regulating species which 
are in no way involved in interstate commerce.
    Our Response: The Federal government has the authority under the 
Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution to protect these species, for 
the reasons given in Judge Wald's and Judge Henderson's concurring 
opinion in Nat'l Ass'n of Home Builders v. Babbitt, 130 F.3d 1041 (D.C. 
Cir. 1997), cert. denied, 1185 S. Ct. 2340 (1998). See also Gibbs v. 
Babbitt, No.99-1218 (4th Cir. 2000). The Home Builders case involved a 
challenge to application of Act prohibitions to protect the listed 
Delhi Sands flower-loving fly (Rhaphiomidas terminatus abdominalis). As 
with the species at issue here, the Delhi Sands flower-loving fly is 
endemic to only one State. Judge Wald held that application of the Act 
to this fly was a proper exercise of Commerce Clause power because it 
prevented loss of biodiversity and destructive interstate competition.
    Comment 48: One commenter stated that since the we identified the 
proposed rule as a significant regulatory action under Executive Order 
12866, we violated it by: (1) Not submitting the economic analysis to 
the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) along with the 
proposed rule prior to publication in the Federal Register; (2) not 
allowing a 60-day review period for the economic analysis; (3) not 
identifying changes made to the proposed rule as a result of the 
economic analysis; and (4) not considering the economic analysis during 
the proposed designation process.
    Our Response: Because this rulemaking is subject to a court imposed 
deadline, section 6(a)(3)(D) of Executive Order 12866 allows us to 
comply ``to the extent practicable'' with OIRA submission requirements 
(commenter's point 1). We have done so by submitting both the proposed 
rule and the economic analysis to OIRA for review as soon as was 
possible prior to publication. It was not practicable to complete the 
economic analysis prior to publication of the proposed rule, but we did 
complete it and utilized it in reaching this final designation 
(commenter's point 4).
    With regard to the length of the comment period following 
publication of the economic analysis (commenter's point 2), section 
6(a)(1) of Executive Order 12866 states that we ``should, afford the 
public a meaningful opportunity to comment on any proposed regulation, 
which in most cases should include a comment period of not less than 60 
days.'' The proposed regulation in this case is the proposed critical 
habitat designation, not the economic analysis. We provided a total of 
104 days for the public to comment on the proposed critical habitat 
designation. Of those 104 days, 47 were after publication of the notice 
of availability of the economic analysis on November 21, 2002 (67 FR 
70201).
    With regard to the identification of changes made to the proposed 
rule (commenter's point 3), paragraphs 6(a)(3)(E)(ii) and (iii) of the 
Order require us, subsequent to publication of a proposed rule, to 
identify any substantive changes made to the proposed rule between 
submission to OIRA and to the public. We made no substantive changes to 
the proposed rule during that time period. Substantive changes made to 
the rule following public review and comment are addressed in the 
Summary of Changes from the Proposed Rule section of this final rule.
    Comment 49: One commenter stated that due to the U.S. Supreme Court 
ruling in Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County v United States 
Army Corp of Engineers (2001) 531 U.S. 159 (SWANCC), we do not have the 
authority to list species or implement regulatory actions related to 
such listings in isolated vernal pools.
    Our Response: The SWANCC decision pertained to the Corps and their 
authority under the Clean Water Act to take regulatory jurisdiction 
over wetlands which may be isolated from navigatable waters. The 15 
vernal pool species will continue to receive the protections afforded 
them under the Act, including designation of critical habitat, 
regardless of whether vernal pools are determined to be regulated as 
waters of the United States under the Clean Water Act.
    Comment 50: One commenter stated that we failed to comply with 
prescribed procedures mandated by the APA by not providing access to 
the administrative record for the proposed rule and economic analysis.
    Our Response: In the proposed rule, we stated that all supporting 
documentation, including the references and unpublished data used in 
the preparation of the proposed rule, would be available for public 
inspection at the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office. A public viewing 
area was made available at the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office 
where the proposed critical habitat units, superimposed on 7.5 minute 
topographic maps, could be inspected. In addition, we responded to each 
request for GIS maps and data supporting the rulemaking in a timely 
manner by providing copies of detailed maps and data specific to their 
needs. Additionally, data concerning the occurrences of the vernal pool 
crustaceans and vernal pool shrimp used in the analysis for the 
proposed designation were also made available to the public, if 
requested. Therefore, we believe that we have complied with provisions 
of the APA as it relates to this rulemaking.

Summary of Changes From the Proposed Rule

    On the basis of a review of public comments received on the 
proposed designation of critical habitat and DEA for the 4 vernal pool 
crustaceans and 11 vernal pool plants in California and southern 
Oregon, we reevaluated our proposed critical habitat designation and 
made changes as necessary. In the development of our final designation 
of critical habitat for these 15 vernal pool species, we considered new 
information provided to our office after the proposed designation was 
published.
    The refinements to the amount of land determined to be essential 
for the 15 vernal pool species and incorporated into this final 
designation resulted in a net reduction of approximately 466,504 ac 
(186,601 ha) of land. Most of the units received some refinement, and a 
few were divided into subunits depending on the amount of nonessential 
lands that were removed. Information regarding the extent of the 
changes from the proposed rule in the individual units is in the unit 
descriptions for each species and acreage tables.
    The common name for the species Castilleja campestris ssp. 
succulenta was changed in the final rule (from succulent owl's-clover 
to fleshy owl's-clover) to reflect the name used under the listing of 
the species (Service 1997a). This was done to avoid

[[Page 46710]]

confusion between species listing and the designation of critical 
habitat.
    Following publication of the proposed critical habitat rule for the 
15 vernal pool species (67 FR 59884), we re-evaluated the proposed 
critical habitat for each of the species to ensure that the areas 
within the designation were essential to the conservation of the 
species (see Methods section below).
    In the majority of instances, we continued to used the 328 ft (100 
m) grid in determining the legal boundaries for the critical habitat. 
As a result, some areas not containing the PCEs may still be within the 
critical habitat boundary. Because these areas do not have one or more 
of the PCEs for the 15 species, the landowners would not be required to 
consult as a result of this determination. In some areas where precise 
boundaries were required as a result of land ownership exclusions, or 
for small areas surrounded by nonessential habitat, we used a 32.8 ft 
(10 m) grid for further refinement. However due to time limits, 
staffing, and funding required for completion of this rule, we were not 
able to use the finer detailed 32.8 ft (10 m) grid for all the critical 
habitat boundaries.
    We excluded the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service owned lands within 
the boundaries of the Kern, Sacramento, San Francisco Bay, and San Luis 
National Wildlife Refuges and National Wildlife Refuge Complexes and 
the Coleman National Fish Hatchery. The total amount of refuge and 
hatchery land excluded totals approximately 33,097 ac (13,238 ha). We 
also excluded California Department of Fish and Game owned lands within 
the Battle Creek, Big Sandy, Grizzly Island, Hill Slough, North 
Grasslands, and Oroville Wildlife Areas and State-owned lands within 
Allensworth, Boggs Lake, Butte Creek Canyon, Calhoun Cut, Carrizo 
Plains, Dales Lake, Fagan Marsh, Phoenix Field, San Joaquin River, 
Stone Corral, and Thomes Creek Ecological Reserves. The total amount of 
land excluded for State-owned lands excluded within wildlife areas or 
ecological reserves is approximately 20,933 ac (8,373 ha). These areas 
were excluded based on the benefits of inclusion verses the benefits of 
exclusion and from information received from the California Department 
of Fish and Game. We have determined that the benefits of exclusion 
outweigh the benefits of inclusion for these areas (see Effects of 
Critical Habitat Section below).
    We also excluded four military installations, three areas with 
HCPs, and one area containing Tribal lands. Based on information 
received from the military installations and the Tribal entity, we have 
determined that the benefits of exclusion outweigh the benefits of 
inclusion for these five areas (see Effects of Critical Habitat Section 
below). The total amount of land excluded is approximately 64,803 ac 
(25,921 ha). The specific land area for each exclusion is outlined 
below and in the tables.
    The four military installations include Beale AFB (5,028 ac (2,011 
ha) excluded) in Yuba County, Travis AFB (5,089 ac (2,036 ha) excluded) 
in Solano County, Fort Hunter Liggett (16,298 ac (6,519 ha) excluded) 
in Monterey County, and Camp Roberts (33,117 ac (13,247 ha) excluded) 
in San Luis Obispo and Monterey Counties, totaling approximately 59,532 
ac (23,813 ha) excluded for all four military bases. The species 
affected as a result of this determination include: the vernal pool 
fairy shrimp, vernal pool tadpole shrimp, Conservancy fairy shrimp, 
Tuctoria mucronata, Neostapfia colusana, and Lasthenia conjugens.
    In comparing the benefits of inclusion of critical habitat for the 
species versus benefits of exclusion of these areas, we determined that 
it is appropriate to exclude these military installations from this 
critical habitat designation under section 4(b)(2). The main benefit of 
this exclusion is ensuring that military training activities can 
continue without interruption while the INRMPs move toward full 
implementation. One of the management strategies for each INRMP on the 
four bases is to establish guidance for the conservation of vernal pool 
ecosystems and the species inhabiting them. We have been working 
closely with the various military installations to finalize the INRMPs 
and have made significant progress toward conservation of the resources 
at these facilities. In addition, after re-evaluating the habitat 
associated with the proposed designation and making changes to the 
critical habitat unit boundaries, the actual amount of habitat on 
several of the bases was reduced since the habitat did not contain the 
PCEs for the species. We expect that when the INRMPs are completed and 
adopted in the near future, they will provide equal or greater 
protection to vernal pool species habitat than a critical habitat 
designation.
    As described in the proposed rule, the area within the proposed 
Unit 35 for vernal pool fairy shrimp in Riverside County may be subject 
to exclusion. After further evaluation, we determined that the area 
known as the Skunk Hollow critical habitat unit is appropriate for 
exclusion based on the determination that the special management 
considerations and protections afforded by its inclusion in a reserve 
established within an approved mitigation bank in the Rancho Bella 
Vista Habitat Conservation Plan area.
    Although the vernal pool fairy shrimp is not expressly covered by 
the Assessment District 161 Subregional HCP (AD161 HCP), we believe 
that management actions undertaken in the Skunk Hollow watershed to 
benefit the endangered Riverside fairy shrimp, threatened Navarretia 
fossalis (spreading navarretia), and the endangered Orcuttia 
californica (California Orcutt grass)--all of which are included as 
covered species under the HCP--will provide equal conservation benefits 
for the vernal pool fairy shrimp. The total area excluded for vernal 
pool fairy shrimp as a result of this exclusion is approximately 239 ac 
(97 ha).
    We are also excluding Unit 33 (Hemet-San Jacinto Unit ABC) and Unit 
34 (Santa Rosa Plateau Unit) of the vernal pool fairy shrimp critical 
habitat based on section 4(b)(2) of the Act. The habitat within Unit 33 
is included in the Draft Western Riverside HCP which will provide 
protections for the species and habitat. Vernal pools within the Santa 
Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve, including those in Unit 34, are 
conserved and managed for the benefit of the species that occur within 
the vernal pools and surrounding watersheds. Exclusion of units 33 and 
34 from vernal pool fairy shrimp critical habitat will not result in 
the extinction of the species. The removal of these units from critical 
habitat designation reduces the total amount of critical habitat 
designated for the species by approximately 8,425 ac (3,370 ha).
    Similarly, a small portion of the area within the proposed vernal 
pool fairy shrimp critical habitat (Unit 18) in San Joaquin County also 
has an approved and legally operative NCCP/HCP (San Joaquin Multi-
Species Conservation Plan), which includes measures for the 
conservation of these two species. It would be appropriate to exclude 
these units. The total amount of area excluded for vernal pool fairy 
shrimp as a result of this exclusion is approximately 141 ac (56 ha).
    We proposed critical habitat on Tribal lands of the Mechoopda in 
Butte County, although at that time we were unaware that these were 
Tribal lands. The Mechoopda brought this to our attention during the 
comment period and requested that their lands be excluded from the 
final designation. We evaluated the lands proposed as critical habitat 
and find that the benefits of excluding these areas from critical 
habitat designation outweigh the

[[Page 46711]]

benefits of including these areas. The Mechoopda Tribe submitted a 
management plan that provides for special management considerations or 
protections for listed vernal pool species. The Tribe demonstrated its 
commitment to ensuring the long-term viability of federally listed 
species on Tribal lands by implementing appropriate conservation 
measures that will contribute to species' long-term survival by 
ensuring the conservation of vernal pool resources on Tribal property. 
The approximate amount of land which the Mechoopda Tribe requested to 
exclude is approximately 645 ac (260 ha). The proposed critical habitat 
for the area included habitat for the vernal pool tadpole shrimp (Unit 
4). The benefits of including the Tribe's land are limited to minor 
educational benefits, since the Tribe has committed to consult with us 
on any effects to the species. The benefits of excluding these areas 
from being designated as critical habitat are more significant, and 
include encouraging the continued development and implementation of 
special management measures. The exclusion of critical habitat for the 
Mechoopda trust lands is consistent with our published policies 
(Secretarial Order 3206, Presidential Memorandum dated April 29, 1994: 
Government-to-Government Relations with Native American Tribal 
Governments (May 4, 1994, 59 FR 22951)) on Native American natural 
resource management because this exclusion allows the Tribe to manage 
its own natural resources.
    Finally, as a result of comments received, we made editorial 
changes to the sections of the rule pertaining to the methods used, the 
PCEs, the criteria used to identify critical habitat, and the unit 
descriptions for all 15 vernal pool species. We made these changes to 
eliminate redundancy, improve clarity, and provide a more in-depth 
explanation of the biological necessity of the designation for the 15 
vernal pool species.

Critical Habitat

    Critical habitat is defined in section 3 of the Act as: (i) The 
specific areas within the geographic area occupied by a species at the 
time it is listed in accordance with the Act, on which are found those 
physical or biological features (I) essential to the conservation of 
the species and (II) that may require special management considerations 
or protection; and (ii) specific areas outside the geographic area 
occupied by a species at the time it is listed, upon a determination 
that such areas are essential for the conservation of the species. 
``Conservation,'' as defined by the Act, means the use of all methods 
and procedures that are necessary to bring an endangered or a 
threatened species to the point at which listing under the Act is no 
longer necessary.
    Section 7(a)(2) of the Act requires that Federal agencies shall, in 
consultation with us, insure that any action they authorize, fund, or 
carry out is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of a 
listed species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of 
critical habitat. Section 7 also requires conferences on Federal 
actions that are likely to jeopardize the continued existence of any 
species proposed to be listed or result in the destruction or adverse 
modification of critical habitat proposed to be designated for such 
species. Aside from the added protection that may be provided under 
section 7, the Act does not provide other forms of protection to lands 
designated as critical habitat. Consultation under section 7 of the Act 
does not apply to activities on private or other non-Federal lands that 
do not involve a Federal nexus, and consequently critical habitat 
designation does not afford any additional regulatory protection under 
the Act under those circumstances.
    In order to be included in a critical habitat designation, the 
habitat must be essential to the conservation of the species. Critical 
habitat designations identify, to the extent known and using the best 
scientific and commercial data available, habitat areas that provide 
essential life-cycle needs of the species (i.e., areas on which are 
found the PCEs, as defined at 50 CFR 424.12(b)).
    Section 4 requires that we designate critical habitat for a 
species, to the extent such habitat is determinable, at the time of 
listing. When we designate critical habitat at the time of listing or 
under short court-ordered deadlines, we may not have sufficient 
information to identify all the areas essential for the conservation of 
the species or, alternatively, we may inadvertently include areas that 
later will be shown to be nonessential. Nevertheless, we are required 
to designate those areas we know to be critical habitat, using the best 
information available to us. Section 4(b)(2) of the Act requires that 
we take into consideration the economic impact, and any other relevant 
impact, of specifying any particular area as critical habitat. We may 
exclude areas from critical habitat designation when the benefits of 
exclusion outweigh the benefits of including the areas within critical 
habitat, provided the exclusion will not result in extinction of the 
species.
    Within the geographic area occupied by the species, we will 
designate only areas currently known to be essential. Essential areas 
already have the features and habitat characteristics that are 
necessary to sustain the species. If the information available at the 
time of designation does not show that an area provides essential life-
cycle needs of the species, then the area should not be included in the 
critical habitat designation.
    Our regulations state that ``The Secretary shall designate critical 
habitat outside the geographic areas presently occupied by the species 
only when a designation limited to its present range would be 
inadequate to ensure the conservation of the species'' (50 CFR 
424.12(e)). Accordingly, when the best available scientific and 
commercial data do not demonstrate that the conservation needs of the 
species require designation of critical habitat outside of occupied 
areas, we will not designate critical habitat in those areas outside.
    Our Policy on Information Standards Under the Endangered Species 
Act, published on July 1, 1994 (59 FR 34271), provides criteria, 
establishes procedures, and provides guidance to ensure that our 
decisions represent the best scientific and commercial data available. 
It requires us, to the extent consistent with the Act, and with the use 
of the best scientific and commercial data available, to use primary 
and original sources of information as the basis for recommendations to 
designate critical habitat. When determining which areas are critical 
habitat, a primary source of information should, at a minimum, be the 
listing package for the species. Additional information may be obtained 
from recovery plans, articles in peer-reviewed journals, conservation 
plans developed by States and Ccunties, scientific status surveys and 
studies, biological assessments, unpublished materials, and solicited 
expert opinion.
    Section 4 of the Act requires that we designate critical habitat 
based on what we know at the time of the designation. Habitat is often 
dynamic, and species may move from one area to another over time. 
Furthermore, we recognize that designation of critical habitat may not 
include all of the habitat areas that may eventually be determined to 
be necessary for the conservation of the species. For these reasons, 
all should understand that critical habitat designations do not signal 
that habitat outside the designation is unimportant or may not be 
required for the conservation of the species. Areas outside the 
critical habitat designation will continue to be subject to 
conservation actions that may be

[[Page 46712]]

implemented under section 7(a)(1), the regulatory protections afforded 
by the section 7(a)(2) jeopardy standard, and the applicable 
prohibitions of section 9 of the Act, as determined on the basis of the 
best available information at the time of the action. Federally funded 
or assisted projects affecting listed species outside their designated 
critical habitat areas may still result in jeopardy findings in some 
cases. Similarly, critical habitat designations made on the basis of 
the best available information at the time of designation should not 
control the direction and substance of future recovery plans, HCPs, or 
other species conservation planning efforts if new information 
available to these planning efforts calls for a different outcome.
    The action of designating critical habitat does not automatically 
lead to recovery of a listed species, but it may contribute to species 
long-term conservation. Critical habitat units are not preserve areas; 
designation does not target and establish specific preserves and their 
boundaries. Critical habitat is designated to make Federal agencies 
aware that these areas are critical to the species. Although the 
designation of critical habitat can identify areas where a variety of 
conservation strategies may be developed to ensure the survival and 
recovery of target species, the development of these strategies are 
most appropriately taken through local planning efforts, such as the 
development of HCPs. The action of designating critical habitat does 
not result in the creation of management plans, establish numerical 
population goals, or prescribe specific management actions, whether 
inside or outside of such designated critical habitat. Specific 
management recommendations for areas designated as critical habitat are 
most appropriately addressed in recovery, conservation, and management 
plans, and through consultations and permits under section 7 and 
section 10 of the Act.

Prudency Determination

    Section 4(a)(3) of the Act, as amended, and implementing 
regulations (50 CFR 424.12) require that, to the maximum extent prudent 
and determinable, we designate critical habitat at the time the species 
is determined to be endangered or threatened. Our regulations (50 CFR 
424.12(a)(1)) state that designation of critical habitat is not prudent 
when one or both of the following situations exist--(1) The species is 
threatened by taking or other human activity, and identification of 
critical habitat can be expected to increase the degree of such threat 
to the species, or (2) such designation of critical habitat would not 
be beneficial to the species. At the time of the final listing 
determinations (62 FR 34029; 62 FR 14338; 59 FR 48136; 57 FR 24192), we 
found that designation of critical habitat was not prudent for the 
vernal pool crustaceans and plants (excluding Tuctoria mucronata). At 
the time of final listing of Tuctoria mucronata (43 FR 44810), we did 
not make any determination about whether or not designation of critical 
habitat was prudent.
    However, in the past few years, several of our determinations that 
the designation of critical habitat would not be prudent have been 
overturned by court decisions. For example, in Conservation Council for 
Hawaii v. Babbitt, the United States District Court for the District of 
Hawaii ruled that the Service could not rely on the ``increased 
threat'' rationale for a ``not prudent'' determination without specific 
evidence of the threat to the species at issue (2 F. Supp. 2d 1280 [D. 
Hawaii 1998]). Additionally, in Natural Resources Defense Council v. 
U.S. Department of the Interior, the United States Court of Appeals for 
the Ninth Circuit issued a ruling that limited the application of the 
no benefit justification and required the Service to balance the 
potential threats against any benefits to the species of designating 
critical habitat 113 F. 3d 1121, 1125 (9th Cir. 1997).
    The courts also have ruled that, in the absence of a finding that 
the designation of critical habitat would increase threats to a 
species, the existence of another type of protection, even if it offers 
potentially greater protection to the species, does not justify a not 
prudent finding (Conservation Council for Hawaii v. Babbitt 2 F. Supp. 
2d 1280).
    On the basis of these court decisions and the decision specific to 
these species, we have re-evaluated our original prudency 
determinations for the 14 vernal pool species for which we had made a 
determination, using the information available at the time we made our 
final listing decisions and that which has become available since. We 
further evaluated the prudency of designation critical habitat for 
Tuctoria mucronata in light of these court decisions.
    If critical habitat is designated for the 15 vernal pool species, 
Federal agencies will be required to consult with us on actions they 
carry out, fund, permit, or authorize, to ensure that their actions 
will not destroy or adversely modify critical habitat . It may also 
provide information to Federal agencies and the general public of the 
importance of the vernal pool species and their habitat and the need 
for special management considerations or protection. A critical habitat 
designation may assist Federal agencies in planning future actions 
because it establishes, in advance, those habitats that will be 
reviewed in section 7 consultations.
    We have determined that the instances of likely vandalism, 
discussed in the final listing rules as the rationale for why we did 
not believe critical habitat to be prudent, though real, have been 
relatively isolated since the species have been listed. Consequently, 
we conclude that designating critical habitat will not increase 
incidences of habitat vandalism above current levels for these species. 
Accordingly, we withdraw our previous determinations that the 
designation of critical habitat is not prudent. We find that 
designation of critical habitat is prudent and determinable for the 15 
vernal pool species addressed herein because there is not likely to be 
increased threats to the species that may result from the critical 
habitat designation. Therefore, we are subsequently designating 
critical habitat for the four vernal pool crustaceans and 11 vernal 
pool plants in this final rule.

Methods

    As required by section 4(b)(2) of the Act and regulations at 50 CFR 
424.12, we are to use the best scientific and commercial data available 
to determine areas that contain the physical and biological features 
essential for the conservation of the 15 vernal pool species. This 
included data and information contained in, but not limited to, the 
final rules listing the 15 species addressed herein, the Vernal Pools 
of Southern California Final Recovery Plan (Service 1998), the Delta 
Green Ground Beetle and Solano Grass Recovery Plan (Service 1985), the 
California Vernal Pool Assessment Preliminary Report (Keeler-Wolf 
1998), Report of Science Advisors for the Eastern Merced County Natural 
Community Conservation Plan Habitat Conservation Plan (Noss et al. 
2002a), research and survey observations published in peer reviewed 
articles, vernal pool mapping and other data collected for the 
development of HCPs, reports submitted by biologists holding section 
10(a)(1)(A) recovery permits, biological assessments provided to us 
through section 7 consultations, data collected for the development of 
a Wetland Conservation Plan in Oregon, reports and documents that are 
on file in our field offices, and personal discussions with experts 
outside of our agency with extensive knowledge of vernal pool species 
and habitats.

[[Page 46713]]

    The critical habitat units were delineated by using ArcView 
(Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.), a computer GIS 
program to evaluate GIS data derived from a variety of Federal, State, 
and local agencies, and from private organizations and individuals. 
Data layers included current and historic species occurrence locations 
(CNDDB 2002), mapped vernal pool grassland habitats (Holland 1998, 
2003), and/or other vernal pool location information. We presumed 
occurrences identified in CNDDB to be extant unless there was 
affirmative documentation that an occurrence had been extirpated. We 
also relied on unpublished species occurrence data contained within our 
files including section 10(a)(1)(A) reports and biological assessments. 
These data layers were then mapped onto SPOT imagery (satellite aerial 
photography) (CNES/SPOT Image Corporation 1993-2000) for each vernal 
pool region identified by Keeler-Wolf et al. 1998 to help us identify 
which specific areas contained the vernal pool species and their 
habitat.
    We then evaluated the areas defined by the overlap of the combined 
coverages (data layers) to initially focus on which areas may provide 
those physical and biological features essential to the conservation of 
the 15 vernal pool species. The areas were further refined by using 
satellite imagery, watershed boundaries, geologic landform coverages, 
elevational modeling data, soil type coverages, vegetation/land cover 
data, and agricultural/urban land use data to eliminate areas that did 
not contain the appropriate vegetation or associated native plant 
species, as well as features such as cultivated agriculture fields, 
housing developments, and other areas that are unlikely to contribute 
to the conservation of the 15 vernal pool species. Each of the factors 
identified above had a bearing on the total size and spatial 
configuration of the conglomeration of units for each species, as well 
as the size and location of each of the individual units. Whenever 
possible, geographic features (e.g., ridge lines, valleys, streams, 
plateaus, geologic formations, shorelines, etc.) or manmade features 
(e.g., roads or obvious land use) that created an obvious boundary for 
a unit were used as unit area boundaries.
    The resulting delimited areas or lands for each species were then 
considered to define all habitat for that species, including occupied 
and unoccupied habitat. These lands were further evaluated to determine 
which of specific areas are essential to the conservation of each of 
the 15 listed vernal pool species. Several tools were used to assist us 
in delineating the specific areas that we believed to contain the 
primary constituent elements for each species and therefore essential 
to the species' conservation. These included: (1) Generally accepted 
conservation biology principles as described below; (2) information in 
recovery plans covering the subject species; (3) peer reviewed, 
published literature; (4) expert opinion for each of the species. The 
resulting areas were subsequently proposed as critical habitat for the 
15 vernal pool species.
    Following publication of the proposed critical habitat rule for the 
15 vernal pool species (67 FR 59884), we re-evaluated the lands 
proposed based on information received during the public comment 
period, from local habitat and species experts, or otherwise made 
available to us. We also used updated detailed aerial photography 
provided by county planning departments, and DOQQs from the USGS. In 
Merced County, local experts including National Wildlife Refuge and 
CDFG biologists were consulted to identify and verify habitat areas. We 
also visited selected locations to determine if they contained the 
PCEs.
    Because the minimum mapping unit of the Holland (1998) vernal pool 
habitat data was 40 ac (16 ha), and the resolution of the SPOT imagery 
did not allow us to identify all vernal pool habitat, we refined unit 
boundaries based on additional GIS data layers when necessary and 
available, including soils information from the Soil Survey Geographic 
data bases (U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 1998-2001), and the 
California State Soil Geographic data bases (USDA 1994). We used 
geologic information developed by the California Department of Mines 
and Geology (2000) and Liss (2001). To identify the extent of flat or 
gently sloping topography where vernal pools are found, we evaluated 
Digital Elevation Models from the USGS (2000).
    We also used a number of local GIS data sets for specific areas, 
including information developed through the Riverside Multiple Species 
HCP and the Vernal Pools of Southern California Final Recovery Plan 
(Service 1998), habitat mapping for Butte County (U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) 1994), Tehama County (2001), Shasta County 
(2001), Placer County (Glazner 2001), Solano County (2000), Yolo County 
(1995), Sacramento County (1999), and San Joaquin County (2000) in 
California, and by the Rogue Valley Council of Governments in Oregon 
(Evans 2000). Other smaller scale mapping efforts were reviewed from 
Solano County Farmlands and Open Space (2000) and East Bay Regional 
Parks District (2001). Aerial photographs for eastern Merced County 
were used to determine habitat conditions. The specific layers used and 
the methodology employed for each unit is described within the Unit 
Descriptions section. To determine land ownership within each unit, we 
used data from the State of California (Davis et al. 1998) and the U.S. 
Bureau of Indian Affairs in Sacramento, California (2001).
    We excluded areas that do not contain one or more of the PCEs or 
were not essential for the conservation of the vernal pool species 
because: (1) The area is highly degraded and may not be restorable; (2) 
the area is small, highly fragmented, or isolated, and may provide 
little or no long-term conservation value; or (3) the area is excluded 
under section 4(b)(2) of the Act for military, economic or other 
reasons (See Exclusions Under section 4(b)(2)). The critical habitat 
units were further refined to remove lands determined not to be 
essential to the conservation of the vernal pool species through 
analysis conducted through the section 7 or section 10 process. The 
specific modifications are described in the Summary of Changes from the 
Revised Proposed Rule section of this rule.

Primary Constituent Elements

    In accordance with section 3(5)(A)(i) of the Act and regulations at 
50 CFR 424.12(b), in determining which areas to propose as critical 
habitat, we consider those physical and biological features essential 
to the conservation of the species and that may require special 
management considerations or protection. These include, but are not 
limited to, the following: (1) Space for individual and population 
growth, and for normal behavior; (2) food, water, air, light, minerals, 
or other nutritional or physiological requirements; (3) cover or 
shelter; (4) sites for breeding, reproduction, rearing of offspring, 
germination, or seed dispersal; and, generally; and (5) habitats that 
are protected from disturbance or are representative of the historic 
geographical and ecological distributions of a species. Our regulations 
at 50 CFR 424.12(b) further direct that when considering the 
designation of critical habitat, we are to focus on the principal 
biological or physical constituent elements within the defined area 
that are essential to the conservation of the species, and we are to 
list known PCEs with the critical habitat description. Our regulations

[[Page 46714]]

describe known PCEs in terms that are more specific than the 
description of physical and biological features. Specifically, PCEs may 
include, but are not limited to, the following: roost sites, nesting 
grounds, spawning sites, feeding sites, seasonal wetland or dryland, 
water quality or quantity, host species of plant pollinator, geological 
formation, vegetation type, tide, and specific soil types.
    Based on our current knowledge of the life history and ecology of 
the 15 listed vernal pool species, the relationship of their essential 
life history functions to their habitat, and the ecological and 
hydrologic functions of vernal pool complexes, as summarized above in 
the Background section, we determined that all of the 15 vernal pool 
species share the following two PCEs. These are:
    (1) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetland features of 
appropriate sizes and depths that typically become inundated during 
winter rains and hold water for sufficient lengths of time necessary 
for the 15 species to complete their life cycle.
    (2) The geographic, topographic, and edaphic features that support 
aggregations or systems of hydrologically interconnected pools, swales, 
and other ephemeral wetlands and depressions within a matrix of 
surrounding uplands that together form hydrologically and ecologically 
functional units called vernal pool complexes. These features 
contribute to the filling and drying of the vernal pool, maintain 
suitable periods of pool inundation, and maintain water quality and 
soil moisture to enable the 15 vernal pool species to carry out their 
lifecycles.
    The first PCE provides the necessary soil moisture and aquatic 
environment required for seed germination, cyst hatching, growth, 
maturation, reproduction, and dispersal, and the appropriate periods of 
dry-down for seed and cyst dormancy. Both the wet and dry phases of the 
vernal pool help to reduce competition with strictly terrestrial or 
strictly aquatic plant or animal species. The wet phase provides the 
necessary cues for hatching, germination, and growth, while the drying 
phase allows the vernal pool plants to flower and produce seeds and the 
vernal pool crustaceans to mature and produce cysts. We conclude this 
element is essential to the conservation of the 15 vernal pool species 
because these species are ecologically dependent on seasonal 
fluctuations, such as absence or presence of water during specific 
times of the year, and duration of inundation and the rate of drying of 
their habitats. They cannot persist in perennial wetlands or wetlands 
that are inundated for the majority of the year, nor can they persist 
without periodic seasonal inundation.
    The second PCE (the entire vernal pool complex, including the 
pools, swales, and associated uplands) is essential to maintain both 
the aquatic phase and the drying phase of the vernal pool habitat. 
Although the vernal pool species addressed in this rule do not occur in 
the strictly upland areas surrounding vernal pools, they are dependent 
on these upland areas to maintain the aquatic and drying phases of the 
vernal pool. The germination of vernal pool plants and hatching of 
cysts is dependent on the timing and length of inundation of the vernal 
pool habitat. The rate of vernal pool drying, during which vernal pool 
plants must flower and produce seeds, is also largely controlled by 
interactions between the vernal pool and the surrounding uplands (Hanes 
et al. 1990; Hanes and Stromberg 1998). The uplands also provide a 
source of nutrients and food sources for the 15 vernal pool species and 
provide habitat for pollinator species that may be specifically adapted 
to some of the plant species in this rule (Thorp 1998; Eriksen and Belk 
1999). The uplands also provide habitat for avian species and other 
animals known to aide in the dispersal of the 15 vernal pool species 
(Zedler and Black 1992; Silveira 1998).
    The first of these PCEs provides for space, physiological 
requirements, shelter, and reproduction sites for the 15 vernal pool 
species. Vernal pools and other ephemeral wetlands provide space during 
their wetted periods for individual and population growth and normal 
behavior of vernal pool species by providing still, freshwater habitat 
of appropriate depth, duration, temperature, and chemical 
characteristics for: (1) Juvenile and adult vernal pool crustaceans to 
hatch, swim, grow, reproduce and behave normally; (2) the aquatic stage 
of the seven Orcuttieae tribe plants to germinate and grow under water; 
and (3) saturating areas of ground to the extent and duration necessary 
to allow the four non-Orcuttiae plants to germinate and grow. Vernal 
pools and other ephemeral wetlands also provide soil space during both 
dry and wetted periods for the maintenance of dormant cyst and seed 
banks, which allow populations of vernal pool species to maintain 
themselves throughout the unpredictable and highly variable 
environmental conditions experienced by their nondormant life history 
stages.
    Vernal pools and other ephemeral wetlands also provide various 
physiological requirements for both vernal pool plants and crustaceans. 
For crustaceans they provide water, oxygen, and food such as plankton, 
detritus, and (in the case of vernal pool tadpole shrimp) other small 
crustaceans. For vernal pool plants, they provide water and various 
nutrients from detritus that sinks to the bottom. They also provide 
oxygen for the aquatic leaves of Orcuttieae tribe plants.
    By drying seasonally, ephemeral wetlands provide cover or shelter 
from many aquatic predators and competitors (see background section). 
Similarly, by undergoing seasonal inundation, these areas provide 
shelter for vernal pool plants from terrestrial plants which would 
otherwise outcompete them for space, light, water, or nutrients.
    Finally, vernal pool crustaceans require wetted ephemeral wetlands 
in which to mate, and both vernal pool crustaceans and vernal pool 
plants deposit cysts or eggs in these wetland areas, which must then 
dry to allow hatching or germination. Wetted ephemeral wetlands may 
also tend to attract waterfowl, which act as important seed and cyst 
dispersers (Proctor 1965; Silveira 1998).
    The second PCE, upland areas and vernal swales hydrologically 
associated with ephemeral wetlands, is essential for maintaining the 
seasonal cycle of ponding and drying in the ephemeral wetland areas. 
Upland areas are therefore essential for providing the same physical 
and biological factors as are provided by the ephemeral wetland areas. 
Additionally, they provide an important (and often primary) source of 
detritus, which is an important food source for vernal pool crustaceans 
and nutrient source for vernal pool plants. Upland and swale areas also 
provide habitat for waterfowl, amphibians, mammals, or insects, all of 
which are important for seed, pollen, or cyst dispersal. Certain upland 
and swale areas may also help disperse seeds and cysts more directly, 
and also provide for population growth by channeling flood waters from 
overflowing ephemeral wetland areas so that seeds, cysts, or adult 
individuals are washed from one such wetland to another.
    We have used vernal pool complexes as the basis for determining 
populations of vernal pool crustaceans since the species were first 
proposed for listing. The final rule to list the four vernal pool 
crustaceans states that ``[t]he genetic characteristics of the three 
fairy shrimp and vernal pool tadpole shrimp, as well as ecological 
conditions, such as watershed contiguity, indicate that

[[Page 46715]]

populations of these animals are defined by pool complexes rather than 
by individual vernal pools'' (Fugate 1992, 1998; King 1996). Therefore, 
the most accurate indication of the distribution and abundance of the 
four vernal pool crustaceans is the number of inhabited vernal pool 
complexes. Individual vernal pools occupied by the four species listed 
herein are most appropriately referred to as ``subpopulations'' (59 FR 
48136). Our use of vernal pool complexes to define populations of the 
four listed crustaceans was upheld by the U.S. District Court in post-
listing challenge to the listing (Building Industry Association of 
Superior California, et al. v. Babbit et al., CIV 95-0726 PLF). The 
July 25, 1997, court decision stated that the plaintiffs were on notice 
that the Service would consider vernal pool complexes as a basis for 
determining fairy shrimp populations. The court also concluded that the 
use of this methodology was neither arbitrary nor capricious. The Court 
of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit upheld the district court's decision, 
and the Supreme Court has declined to hear the case.
    Each of the critical habitat units likely includes some areas that 
are unoccupied by the vernal pool crustaceans and vernal pool plants. 
``Unoccupied'' is defined here as an area that contains no hatched 
vernal pool crustaceans or observed above-ground vernal pool plants, 
and that is unlikely to contain a viable cyst or seed bank. Determining 
the specific areas that the vernal pool crustaceans or vernal pool 
plants occupy is difficult because, depending on climatic factors and 
other natural variations in habitat conditions, the size of the 
localized area in which above-ground plants or hatched crustaceans 
appear may fluctuate dramatically from one year to another. In some 
years, individuals may be observed throughout a large area, and in 
other years they may be observed in a smaller area or not at all. 
Because it is logistically difficult to determine how extensive the 
cyst or seed bank is at any particular site, and because hatched vernal 
pool crustaceans or above-ground vernal pool plants may or may not be 
present in all vernal pools within a site every year, we cannot 
quantify in any meaningful way what proportion of each critical habitat 
unit may actually be occupied by the vernal pool crustaceans or vernal 
pool plants. Therefore, areas of unoccupied habitat are probably 
interspersed with areas of occupied habitat in each unit. The inclusion 
of unoccupied habitat in our critical habitat units reflects the 
dynamic nature of the habitat and the life history characteristics of 
the vernal pool crustaceans and vernal pool plants. Unoccupied areas 
provide areas into which populations might expand, provide connectivity 
or linkage between groups of organisms within a unit, and support 
populations of pollinators and seed dispersal organisms. Both occupied 
and unoccupied areas that are designated as critical habitat are 
essential to the conservation of the species.
    All of the above described PCEs do not have to occur simultaneously 
within a unit for the unit to constitute critical habitat for any of 
the 15 vernal pool species. We determined the PCEs of critical habitat 
for the 15 species based on studies on their habitat and population 
biology, including but not limited to Kalin-Arroyo 1973; Ellias 1986; 
Corbin and Schoolcraft 1989; Jokerst 1989; Eng et al. 1990; Alexander 
and Schlising 1997; Helm 1998; Witham 1998; Eriksen and Belk 1999; 
Grosberg 2002. Additional information on species-specific PCEs are 
outlined below in Descriptions of Critical Habitat Units for each 
species.

Conservation Criteria Used to Identify Critical Habitat

    Based on the best scientific information available, all areas 
identified as critical habitat for the 15 vernal pool species addressed 
by this rule are within the historical and current ranges of each of 
the species and contain the two PCEs identified above. Rather than 
designate every area containing PCEs, however, we designated only those 
areas which available evidence clearly demonstrated were essential to 
the conservation of each species. Areas for which the evidence 
available at this time was less certain were not included in this 
designation, although we believe these areas to be important to the 
species and may include them in future recovery plans. Areas essential 
to the conservation of the species are those that are necessary to 
advance at least one of the following conservation criteria:
    (1) The conservation of areas representative of the geographic 
distribution of the species. Species that are protected across their 
ranges have lower chances of extinction (Soule and Simberloff 1986; 
Murphy et al. 1990; Primack 1993; Given 1994; Hunter 1996; Pavlik 1996; 
Noss et al. 1999; Grosberg 2002). Maintenance of representative 
occurrences of the species throughout its geographic range helps ensure 
the conservation of regional adaptive differences and makes the species 
less susceptible to environmental variation or negative impacts 
associated with human disturbances or natural catastrophic events 
across the species' entire range at any one time (Primack 1993; New 
1995; Hunter 1996; Helm 1998; Redford and Richter 1999; Rossum et al. 
2001; Grosberg 2002). Additionally, the conservation of the geographic 
distribution of the species is one of the physical and biological 
features we are required to consider under our regulations (50 CFR 
424.13(b)). Accordingly, we considered the number of occupied areas in 
each vernal pool region (Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 1995), and determined 
roughly the extent to which each occupied area would likely be 
necessary for the conservation of the species in the region or as a 
whole.
    (2) The conservation of areas representative of the ecological 
distribution of the species. Each of the 15 vernal species is 
associated with various combinations of soil types, vernal pool 
chemistry, geomorphic surfaces (landforms), and vegetation community 
associations. Maintaining the full range of varying habitat types and 
characteristics for a species is essential because it would include the 
full extent of the physical and environmental conditions necessary for 
the species (Zedler and Ebert 1979; Ikeda and Schlising 1990; Fugate 
1992; Gonzales et al.1996; Fugate 1998; Platenkamp 1998; Bainbridge 
2002; Noss et al. 2002a). Vernal pool species are extremely adapted to 
the physical and chemical characteristics of the habitat in which they 
occur. Additionally, the conservation of the ecological distribution of 
the species is one of the physical and biological features we are 
required to consider under our regulations 50 CFR 424.13(b), and was 
also strongly endorsed by at least one peer reviewer (see Peer Review 
section). Accordingly, we considered the extent to which habitat types 
occupied by the species could be expected to be conserved in light of 
the number of occupied areas and the threats involved.
    (3) The conservation of areas necessary to allow movement of cysts, 
pollen, and seeds between areas representative of the geographic and 
ecological distribution of the species. As a result of dispersal events 
within and between vernal pool complexes, and environmental conditions 
that may prevent the emergence of dormant cysts and seeds for up to 
several decades, the presence of vernal pool species is dynamic in both 
space and time (Eriksen and Belk 1999; Noss et al. 2002a). We therefore 
determined that essential habitat for the vernal pool

[[Page 46716]]

species must provide for movement within and between vernal pool 
complexes to provide for the varying nature and expression of vernal 
pool species,and also allow for gene flow and dispersal and habitat 
availability that accommodate natural processes of local extirpation 
and colonization over time (Stacey and Taper 1992; Falk et al. 1996; 
Davies et al. 1997; Husband and Barrett 1998; Holt and Keitt 2000; 
Keymer et al. 2000; Donaldson et al. 2002).
    (4) In cases where more occupied areas were present than were 
needed for the conservation of the geographic or ecological 
distribution of the species, we gave priority to areas which already 
possessed a measure of protection or which possessed the largest 
unfragmented vernal pool complexes. Other criteria being equal, such 
areas are likely to contribute more to the conservation of the species 
because threats posed by habitat fragmentation are more easily 
minimized within them. Small, isolated habitat populations are more 
likely to be extirpated by direct or indirect natural or human impacts 
(Fahrig 1997; Noss and Csuti 1997; Debinski and Holt 2000; Grosberg 
2002; Noss et al. 2002a), and are less likely to maintain the 
hydrological processes of pooling and drying on which the vernal pool 
species depend.
    Based on these criteria, we determined that all currently known 
extant occurrences of the 11 vernal pool plants and 2 of the 4 vernal 
pool crustaceans (Conservancy fairy shrimp and longhorn fairy shrimp) 
are essential to the conservation of the species, due to their limited 
geographic and ecological distributions (criteria 1 and 2), low overall 
number of populations (criterion 1), and the seriousness of the threats 
posed to remaining populations, including fragmentation of habitat. For 
the other two vernal pool crustaceans (vernal pool fairy shrimp and 
vernal pool tadpole shrimp), we were able to meet the criteria listed 
above without designating all occupied areas.

Special Management Considerations

    In designating critical habitat, we also have considered how this 
designation highlights habitat that needs special management 
considerations or protection. For example, we have many regional HCPs 
under development, and this designation will be useful in helping 
applicants determine what vernal pool habitat areas should be highest 
priority for special management or protection, and where there may be 
more flexibility in conservation options. This designation will guide 
them and us in ensuring that all local habitat conservation planning 
efforts are consistent with conservation objectives for these species.
    Once a vernal pool habitat has been protected from direct filling, 
it is still necessary to ensure that the habitat is not rendered 
unsuitable for vernal pool species because of factors such as altered 
hydrology, contamination, nonnative species invasions, or other 
incompatible land uses. Even the best-designed vernal pool preserve may 
still be susceptible to alterations that render it unsuitable for 
vernal pool species. Many of the factors that cause the decline and 
localized extirpation of vernal pool species can be controlled through 
special management actions. Examples of special management actions that 
may be necessary to prevent further declines and loss of populations of 
species addressed in this rule include the following:
    (1) Actions to prevent or reduce competition of vernal pool plants 
with invasive species. Many of the species addressed in this rule are 
threatened by invasion of nonnative species (CNDDB 2001). Special 
management actions can be taken to reduce the negative effects of such 
invasions. For example, grazing can be effectively used to control a 
variety of upland exotic plants. However, the timing and intensity of 
grazing is critical to its success as a management tool, and these 
factors should be closely monitored. Alternatively, inappropriate 
grazing can also pose a threat to many of the vernal pool plant species 
(CNDDB 2001). Prescribed burning is another management tool that may be 
effective in controlling nonnative plant species (Pollack and Kan 
1998).
    Fire must be appropriately timed, and fire frequency is important. 
The potential for alteration of nutrient cycling must be also 
considered. Other management techniques for control of invasive species 
include mowing, hand removal, and selective herbicide applications. Any 
technique employed must be carefully controlled and monitored to ensure 
that it does not negatively affect the vernal pool species.
    (2) Actions to restore vernal pool hydrology. Alteration of natural 
hydrology threatens many of the species addressed in this rule (CNDDB 
2001). In many cases other threats, such as the invasion of nonnative 
species or contamination, are facilitated by alterations of natural 
vernal pool hydrology. Special management actions, such as the removal 
of dams or other structures that artificially increase the length of 
vernal pool inundation, the removal of ditches that artificially drain 
vernal pools, or the construction of berms or reconstruction of 
culverts to prevent water from flowing artificially into vernal pools 
from adjacent areas, can be taken to restore natural vernal pool 
hydrology. Modification of grazing regimes may also restore natural 
vernal pool hydrology (Barry 1998). Monitoring of vernal pool hydrology 
is important to ensure that restoration actions are successful.
    (3) Actions to reduce human degradation of vernal pools. Special 
management actions such as fencing, trail building, and posting signs 
can help to reduce human activities that threaten vernal pool species. 
These actions may reduce the damage resulting from off-road vehicle 
use, dumping, and vandalism that threatens many of the species 
addressed in this rule.
    (4) Actions to restore severely degraded habitats. Active 
restoration of highly degraded vernal habitats may be necessary in some 
areas. Such restoration may involve earth-moving activities designed to 
restore historic pool and swale topography and to reestablish natural 
vernal pool hydrology (Ferren and Hubbard 1998; Black and Zedler 1998). 
These types of actions are extremely complex, and require diligent 
planning and monitoring to ensure their success. Active restoration is 
only recommended for seriously degraded habitats that otherwise would 
not maintain natural vernal pool ecosystem processes.

Critical Habitat Designation

    The approximate area of critical habitat by county and land 
ownership is shown in Tables 1 and 2. Because many of the units of 
overlap due to species occurrences within the same area, the total of 
all critical habitat designated is much less than the sum of critical 
habitat areas for each species. Lands designated are under private, 
State, and Federal ownership and divided into 125 Critical Habitat 
Units. The tables provide separate columns for privately owned land 
subject to conservation easements or agreements and other privately 
owned lands. The amount of land area identified as critical habitat for 
vernal pool tadpole shrimp unit 15, Butte County meadowfoam unit 3, San 
Joaquin Valley Orcutt grass unit 2, and Contra Costa goldfields unit 3, 
differ from those identified in the tables due to changes in the GIS 
coverages used to calculate those areas. The total amount of critical 
habitat for all species is not affected.
    Table 1. Approximate areas of critical habitat for the vernal pool 
crustaceans and plants in California and Oregon.

[[Page 46717]]



                                       Table 1.--Approximate Areas of Critical Habitat for the Vernal Pool Crustaceans and Plants in California and Oregon
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                 Federal lands                        State/County lands                       Private lands                            Total lands
                                    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                       Proposed      Final        Change      Proposed      Final        Change      Proposed      Final        Change      Proposed      Final        Change
                                       hectare      hectares     hectares     hectare      hectares     hectares     hectare      hectares     hectares     hectare      hectares     hectares
                                       (acres)      (acres)      (acres)      (acres)      (acres)      (acres)      (acres)      (acres)      (acres)      (acres)      (acres)       (acres)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conservancy Fairy Shrimp:
    Unit 1.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0       20,546       16,182       -4,346       20,546       16,182        -4,364
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (50,769)     (39,986)    (-10,783)     (50,769)     (39,986)     (-10,783)
    Unit 2.........................       5,187        1,307       -3,880            0            0            0          531            1         -530        5,718        1,308        -4,410
                                        (12,816)      (3,229)     (-9,587)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (1,313)          (4)     (-1,309)     (14,129)      (3,233)     (-10,896)
    Unit 3.........................         241            0         -241          329          161         -168        9,356        9,475          119        9,927        9,637          -290
                                           (596)          (1)       (-595)        (814)        (399)       (-415)     (23,119)     (23,413)        (294)     (24,529)     (23,812)        (-717)
    Unit 4.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0          603          448         -155          603          448          -155
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (1,490)      (1,106)       (-384)      (1,490)      (1,106)        (-384)
    Unit 5.........................         299          299            0            0            0            0            3            3            0          302          302             0
                                           (739)        (739)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (7)          (7)          (0)        (746)        (746)           (0)
    Unit 6.........................         427            3         -424           11            0          -11       63,312       53,782       -9,530       63,750       53,785        -9,965
                                         (1,056)          (8)     (-1,048)         (26)          (0)        (-26)    (156,443)    (132,894)    (-23,549)    (157,525)    (132,902)     (-24,623)
    Unit 7 A-F.....................      12,765        8,470       -4,295        3,096            0       -3,095       30,282        1,356      -28,926       46,142        9,827       -36,316
                                        (31,542)     (20,929)    (-10,614)      (7,649)          (1)      -7,648      (74,825)      (3,351)    (-71,474)    (114,016)     (24,281)     (-89,735)
    Unit 8.........................      18,042       18,042            0            0            0            0          789          789            0       18,831       18,831             0
                                        (44,581)     (44,581)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (1,950)      (1,950)          (0)     (46,531)     (46,531)           (0)
                                    --------------
        Species total..............      36,961       20,784      -16,177        3,435          162       -3,274      125,423       82,037      -43,386      165,820      102,983       -62,837
                                        (91,330)     (51,357)    (-39,973)      (8,489)        (400)     (-8,089)    (309,916)    (202,711)   (-107,205)    (409,735)    (254,467)    (-155,268)
                                    ==============
Longhorn Fairy Shrimp:
    Unit 1 A-B.....................           0            0            0            0            0            0          321          320           -1          321          320            -1
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)        (794)        (791)         (-3)        (794)        (791)          (-3)
    Unit 2.........................       9,413        2,604       -6,808        3,096            0       -3,096       17,308          525      -16,784       29,817        3,130       -26,688
                                        (23,258)      (6,435)    (-16,823)      (7,651)          (1)     (-7,650)     (42,768)      (1,297)    (-41,472)     (73,677)      (7,733)     (-65,944)
    Unit 3.........................       6,293        6,293            0           94           95            0        4,079        4,079            0       10,466       10,466             0
                                        (15,549)     (15,549)          (0)        (233)        (234)          (1)     (10,080)     (10,079)         (-1)     (25,862)     (25,862)           (0)
                                    --------------
        Species total..............      15,705        7,421       -8,284        3,191           95       -3,096       21,709        4,924      -16,785       40,605       12,440       -28,165
                                        (38,807)     (18,337)    (-20,470)      (7,884)        (235)      -7,649      (53,642)     (12,167)    (-41,475)    (100,333)     (30,739)     (-69,594)
                                    ==============
Vernal Pool Fairy Shrimp:
    Unit 1 A-G.....................           0            0            0            0            0            0          862          862            0          862          862             0
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (2,130)      (2,130)          (0)      (2,130)      (2,130)           (0)
    Unit 2 A-E.....................           0            0            0            0            0            0          911          911            0          931          931             0
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (2,251)      (2,251)          (0)      (2,251)      (2,251)           (0)
    Unit 3 A-G.....................           0            0            0            0            0            0          931          931           (0)         931          931             0
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (2,301)      (2,301           (0)      (2,301)      (2,301)           (0)
    Unit 4 A-B.....................         175          175            0            0            0            0          186          186            0          361          361             0
                                           (432)        (432)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)        (460)        (460)          (0)        (892)        (892)           (0)
    Unit 5.........................          17           17            0            0            0            0        1,832        1,468         -364        1,849        1,485          -364
                                            (42)         (41)         (-1)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (4,527)      (3,627)       (-900)      (4,569)      (3,668)        (-901)
    Unit 6.........................           0            0            0          175          174           -1       18,386       15,863       -2,523       18,562       16,037        -2,524
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)        (433)        (431)         (-2)     (45,432)     (39,198)     (-6,234)     (45,865)     (39,629)      (-6,236)
    Unit 7.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0       23,883       19,438       -4,445       23,883       19,438        -4,445
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (59,015)     (48,030)    (-10,985)     (59,015)     (48,030)     (-10,985)
    Unit 8.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0        5,760        5,130         -630        5,760        5,130          -630
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (14,233)     (12,676)     (-1,557)     (14,233)     (12,676)      (-1,557)
    Unit 9.........................          76            0          -76            0            0            0        1,380        1,131         -250        1,456        1,131          -326
                                           (187)          (0)       (-187)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (3,411)      (2,794)       (-617)      (3,598)      (2,794)        (-804)
    Unit 10........................       5,187        1,307       -3,880            0            0            0          531            1         -530        5,718        1,308        -4,410
                                        (12,816)      (3,230)     (-9,586)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (1,313)          (3)     (-1,310)     (14,129)      (3,233)     (-10,896)
    Unit 11........................       2,035            0        2,035            0            0            0          818          536         -282        2,853          536        -2,317
                                         (5,028)          (0)     (-5,028)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (2,021)      (1,324)       (-697)      (7,049)      (1,324)      (-5,725)
    Unit 12........................           0            0            0            0            0            0       19,387       13,043       -6,344      -19,387       13,043        -6,344
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (47,905)     (32,230)    (-15,675)      47,905)     (32,230)     (-15,675)
    Unit 13........................           6            0           -6            0            0            0       14,859        9,851       -5,009      -14,866        9,851        -5,015
                                            (16)          (0)        (-16)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (36,717)     (24,341)    (-12,376)     (36,733)     (24,341)     (-12,392)
    Unit 14........................           0            0            0          630            0         -630       25,970       18,856       -7,114       26,600       18,856        -7,744
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)      (1,557)          (0)     (-1,557)     (64,171)     (46,593)    (-17,578)     (65,728)     (46,593)     (-19,135)
    Unit 15........................           0            0            0           60           60            0        1,563          496       -1,067        1,624          556        -1,067
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)        (149)        (149)          (0)      (3,863)      (1,226)     (-2,637)      (4,012)      (1,375)      (-2,637)
    Unit 16........................       1,015           12       -1,002        1,038          488         -550       32,858       25,754       -7,104       34,910       26,254        -8,656
                                         (2,507)         (31)     (-2,476)      (2,564)      (1,205)     (-1,359)     (81,190)     (63,637)    (-17,553)     (86,261)     (64,873)     (-21,388)
    Unit 17........................           0            0            0          170          126          -44          486          503           17          656          629           -27
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)        (420)        (311)       (-109)      (1,201)      (1,244)         (43)      (1,621)      (1,555)         (-66)
    Unit 18........................           0            0            0            0            0            0        7,105        5,805       -1,301        7,105        5,805        -1,301
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (17,557)     (14,343)     (-3,214)     (17,557)     (14,343)      (-3,214)
    Unit 19 A-C....................           0            0            0           64           44          -20        3,292        3,154         -138        3,356        3,198          -158
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)        (157)        (108)        (-49)      (8,135)      (7,795)       (-340)      (8,292)      (7,903)        (-389)
    Unit 20........................         299          299            0            0            0            0            3            3            0          302          302             0
                                           (739)        (739)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (7)          (7)          (0)        (746)        (746)           (0)
    Unit 21........................           7            7            0           25           17           -8       25,285       19,644       -5,641       25,317       19,668        -5,649
                                            (17)         (17)          (0)         (61)         (41)        (-20)     (62,479)     (48,590)    (-13,889)     (62,557)     (48,649)     (-13,908)
    Unit 22........................           3            3            0           11            0          -11       51,713       45,104       -6,609      -51,727       45,107        -6,620
                                             (8)          (8)          (0)         (26)          (0)        (-26)    (127,782)    (111,452)    (-16,330)    (127,782)    (111,460)     (-16,356)
    Unit 23 A-G....................      13,943        8,470       -5,472        3,096            1       -3,095       38,872        4,944      -33,928      -55,911       13,415       -42,495
                                        (34,452)     (20,930)    (-13,522)      (7,649)          (2)     (-7,647)     (96,052)     (12,216)    (-83,836)    (138,153)     (33,148)    (-105,005)
    Unit 24 A-B....................           0            0            0            0            0            0       17,231       16,606         -625       17,232       16,606          -626
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (1)          (0)         (-1)     (42,578)     (41,032)     (-1,546)     (42,579)     (41,032)      (-1,547)
    Unit 25........................          65           65            0            0            0            0          929          929            0          994          994             0
                                           (161)        (161)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (2,295)      (2,295)          (0)      (2,456)      (2,456)           (0)
    Unit 26 A-C....................           0            0            0          348           86         -263        2,845        2,981          136        3,193        3,067          -126
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)        (861)        (212)       (-649)      (7,030)      (7,367)        (337)      (7,891)      (7,579)        (-312)
    Unit 27 A-B....................       2,742        3,025          283          490        1,297          808        4,610        2,803       -1,807        7,842        7,126          -716
                                         (6,776)      (7,475)        (699)      (1,210)      (3,206)      (1,996)     (11,391)      (6,923)     (-4,468)     (19,377)     (17,604)      (-1,773)
    Unit 28........................       1,581        1,581            0            2            2            0       46,542       46,542            0       48,125       48,125             0

[[Page 46718]]

 
                                         (3,906)      (3,906)          (0)          (5)          (5)          (0)    (115,004)    (115,004)          (0)    (118,915)    (118,915)           (0)
    Unit 29 A-C....................      20,586          588      -19,998            0          118          118       20,468       20,268         -200       41,054       20,974       -20,081
                                        (50,868)      (1,452)    (-49,416)          (0)        (291)        (291)     (50,576)     (50,081)       (-495)    (101,444)     (51,824)     (-49,620)
    Unit 30........................       6,293        6,293            0           94           95            0        4,079        4,079            0       10,466       10,466             0
                                        (15,549)     (15,549)          (0)        (233)        (234)          (1)     (10,080)     (10,079)         (-1)     (25,862)     (25,862)           (0)
    Unit 31........................       2,236        2,237            0            0            0            0        6,163        6,163            0        8,399        8,399             0
                                         (5,526)      (5,527)          (1)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (15,228)     (15,228)          (0)     (20,754)     (20,755)           (1)
    Unit 32........................      18,042       18,042            0            0            0            0          790          789            0       18,831       18,831             0
                                        (44,580)     (44,581)          (1)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (1,951)      (1,951)          (0)     (46,531)     (46,531)           (0)
    Unit 33 A-C....................           0            0            0            0            0            0        2,319            0       -2,319        2,319            0        -2,319
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (5,729)          (0)     (-5,729)      (5,729)          (0)      (-5,729)
    Unit 34........................           0            0            0          761            0         -761          958            0         -958        1,718            0        -1,718
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)      (1,880)          (0)     (-1,880)      (2,366)          (0)     (-2,366)      (4,246)          (0)      (-4,246)
    Unit 35........................           0            0            0            0            0            0           97            0          -97           97            0           -97
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)        (239)          (0)       (-239)        (239)          (0)        (-239)
------------------------------------
        Species total..............      74,307       42,121      -32,186        6,963        2,507       -4,456      388,509      301,674      -86,834      469,779      344,004      -125,775
                                       (183,960)    (104,427)    (-79,532)     (17,206)       6,194)    (-11,012)    (948,992)    (734,480)   (-214,513   (1,150,124)    (839,460)    (-310,664)
                                    ==============
Vernal Pool Tadpole Shrimp:
    Unit 1.........................          17           17            0            0            0            0        1,832        1,417         -415        1,849        1,434          -415
                                            (42)         (41)         (-1)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (4,527)      (3,502)     (-1,025)      (4,569)      (3,543)      (-1,026)
    Unit 2.........................       6,226        6,000         -226          437          287         -151       13,783       13,867           84       20,446       20,154          -293
                                        (15,383)     (14,826)       (-557)      (1,081)        (709)       (-372)     (34,058)     (34,265)        (207)     (50,522)     (49,799)        (-723)
    Unit 3.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0       23,883       19,438       -4,445       23,883       19,438        -4,445
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (59,015)     (48,030)    (-10,985)     (59,015)     (48,030)     (-10,985)
    Unit 4.........................         127           36          -91            0            0            0       15,848       13,922       -1,926       15,975       13,958        -2,017
                                           (313)         (89)       (-224)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (39,161)     (34,401)     (-4,760)     (39,474)     (34,490)      (-4,984)
    Unit 5.........................       5,187        1,307       -3,880            0            0            0          531            1         -530        5,718        1,308        -4,410
                                        (12,816)      (3,230)     (-9,586)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (1,313)          (3)     (-1,310)     (14,129)      (3,233)     (-10,896)
    Unit 6.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0          526          397         -129          526          397          -129
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (1,299)        (980)       (-319)      (1,299)        (980)        (-319)
    Unit 7.........................       2,035            0       -2,035            0            0            0          818          536         -282        2,853          536        -2,317
                                         (5,028)          (0)     (-5,028)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (2,021)      (1,324)       (-697)      (7,049)      (1,324)      (-5,725)
    Unit 8.........................           6            0           -6            0            0            0       14,859        9,851       -5,009       14,866        9,851        -5,015
                                            (16)          (0)        (-16)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (36,717)     (24,341)    (-12,376)     (36,733)     (24,341)     (-12,392)
    Unit 9.........................           0            0            0          630            0         -630       28,433       18,856       -9,577       29,063       18,856       -10,207
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)      (1,557)          (0)     (-1,557)     (70,256)     (46,593)    (-23,663)     (71,813)     (46,593)     (-25,220)
    Unit 10........................         130          125           -4            0            0            0           62           53           -9          192          178           -14
                                           (321)        (310)        (-11)          (0)          (0)          (0)        (153)        (130)        (-23)        (474)        (440)         (-34)
    Unit 11........................         760           12         -748        1,038          488         -550       32,812       26,195       -6,617       34,610       26,695        -7,915
                                         (1,879)         (31)     (-1,848)      (2,565)      (1,205)     (-1,360)     (81,077)     (64,727)    (-16,350)     (85,521)     (65,963)     (-19,558)
    Unit 12........................           0            0            0            0            0            0          603          448         -155          603          448          -155
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (1,490)      (1,106)       (-384       (1,490)      (1,106)        (-384
    Unit 13........................           0            0            0            0            0            0        9,408        6,606       -2,802        9,408        6,606        -2,802
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (23,246)     (16,323)     (-6,923)     (23,246)     (16,323)      (-6,923)
    Unit 14........................          10          287          277            0            0            0          448           38         -410          458          325          -133
                                            (24)        (709)        (685)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (1,108)         (93)     (-1,015)      (1,132)        (802)        (-133)
    Unit 15........................           3            0           -3           11            0          -11       71,062       24,840      -46,222       71,076       24,840       -46,236
                                             (8)          (0)         (-8)         (26)          (0)        (-26)    (175,592)     (61,379)   (-114,213)    (175,626)     (61,379)    (-114,247)
    Unit 16........................      13,943       15,886        1,943        3,096            0       -3,095       38,872        4,944      -33,928       55,911       20,830       -35,080
                                        (34,452)     (39,253)      (4,801)      (7,649)          (1)     (-7,648      (96,052)     (12,216)    (-83,836)    (138,153)     (51,470)     (-86,683)
    Unit 17........................          85           77           -8          174          170           -4          482          483            1          740          729           -11
                                           (209)        (190)        (-19)        (430)        (419)        (-11)      (1,190)      (1,193)          (3)      (1,829)      (1,802)         (-27)
    Unit 18........................           0            0            0          348           86         -263        2,845        2,981          136        3,193        3,067          -126
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)        (861)        (212)       (-649)      (7,030)      (7,367)        (337)      (7,891)      (7,579)        (-312)
                                    --------------
        Species total..............      28,612       23,830       -4,782        5,734        1,030       -4,704      266,162      151,876     -114,286      300,508      176,736      -123,772
                                        (82,942)     (70,678)    (-12,264)     (15,044)      (3,119)    (-11,925)    (662,872)    (385,707)   (-277,164)    (760,858)    (459,505)    (-301,353)
                                    ==============
Butte County Meadowfoam:
    Unit 1.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0        6,105        5,608         -497        6,105        5,608          -497
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (15,086)     (13,858)     (-1,228)     (15,086)     (13,858)      (-1,228)
    Unit 2.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0        3,508        2,413       -1,094        3,508        2,413        -1,094
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (8,667)      (5,964)     (-2,704)      (8,667)      (5,964)      (-2,704)
    Unit 3.........................           9            0           -9            0            0            0        1,687          414       -1,274        1,696          414        -1,283
                                            (22)          (0)        (-22)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (4,169)      (1,022)     (-3,147)      (4,191)      (1,022)      (-3,169)
    Unit 4.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0        5,011        4,230         -781        5,011        4,230          -781
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (12,382)     (10,451)     (-1,931)     (12,382)     (10,451)      (-1,931)
                                    --------------
        Species total..............           9            0           -9            0            0            0       16,311       12,665       -3,646       16,320       12,665        -3,655
                                            (22)          (0)        (-22)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (40,304)     (31,294)     (-9,010)     (40,326)     (31,294)      (-9,032)
                                    ==============
Contra Costa Goldfields:
    Unit 1.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0        1,067        1,067            0        1,067        1,067             0
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (2,637)      (2,637)          (0)      (2,637)      (2,637)           (0)
    Unit 2.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0          411          411            0          411          411             0
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (1,016)      (1,016)          (0)      (1,016)      (1,016)           (0)
    Unit 3.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0          240          275           34          240          275            34
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)        (594)        (678)         (84)        (594)        (678)          (84)
    Unit 4.........................       1,954            0       -1,954          122            0         -122        5,809        4,304       -1,505        7,885        4,305        -3,581
                                         (4,828)          (0)     (-4,828)        (301)          (0)       (-301)     (14,355)     (10,636)     (-3,719)     (19,484)     (10,637)      (-8,847)
    Unit 5 A-B.....................           0            0            0            0            0            0          410          353          -57          410          353           -57
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (1,014)        (872)       (-142)      (1,014)        (872)        (-142)
    Unit 6.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0          242          162          -81          242          162           -81
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)        (599)        (399)       (-200)        (599)        (399)        (-200)
    Unit 7.........................           0            0            0          291           40         -251        1,088        1,289          201        1,378        1,329           -49
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)        (718)         (99)       (-619)      (2,688)      (3,185)        (497)      (3,406)      (3,284)        (-122)

[[Page 46719]]

 
    Unit 8.........................         448          287         -162            0            0            0           10           38           28          458          325          -133
                                         (1,108)        (709)       (-400)          (0)          (0)          (0)         (24)         (93)         (69)      (1,132)        (802)        (-331)
    Unit 9.........................       3,370        2,782         -588            2            0           -2            0            0            0        3,372        2,782          -589
                                         (8,326)      (6,874)     (-1,452)          (4)          (0)         (-4)          (1)          (1)          (0)      (8,331)      (6,874)      (-1,457)
                                    --------------
        Species total..............       5,772        3,069       -2,703          414           40         -374        9,279        7,899       -1,380       15,465       11,008        -4,457
                                        (14,262)      (7,582)     (-6,680)      (1,023)         (99)       (-924)     (22,928)     (19,517)     (-3,411)     (38,213)     (27,199)     (-11,014)
                                    ==============
Hoover's Spurge:
    Unit 1.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0       11,673       10,159       -1,514       11,674       10,159        -1,515
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (1)          (0)         (-1)     (28,844)     (25,102)     (-3,742)     (28,845)     (25,102)      (-3,743)
    Unit 2.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0          979          979            0          979          979             0
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (2,418)      (2,418)          (0)      (2,418)      (2,418)           (0)
    Unit 3.........................       5,187        1,307       -3,880            0            0            0          531            1         -530        5,718        1,308        -4,410
                                        (12,816)      (3,230)     (-9,586)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (1,313)          (3)     (-1,310)     (14,129)      (3,233)     (-10,896)
    Unit 4.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0       16,839       15,799       -1,041       16,839       15,799        -1,041
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (41,609)     (39,038)     (-2,571)     (41,609)     (39,038)      (-2,571)
    Unit 5.........................           0            0            0           24           17           -7       19,826       14,353       -5,473       19,850       14,370        -5,480
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)         (60)         (41)        (-19)     (48,989)     (35,466)    (-13,523)     (49,049)     (35,508)     (-13,541)
    Unit 6.........................       3,232        5,865        2,633            0            0            0       11,078          831      -10,247       14,310        6,696        -7,614
                                         (7,985)     (14,493)      (6,508)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (27,374)      (2,054)    (-25,320)     (35,359)     (16,547)     (-18,812)
    Unit 7A -D.....................          13           14            0          355           88         -267       12,007        9,424       -2,583      -12,375        9,526        -2,849
                                            (33)         (33)          (0)        (877)        (218)       (-659)     (29,668)     (23,286)     (-6,382)     (30,578)     (23,537)      (-7,041)
                                    --------------
        Species total..............       8,432        7,186       -1,246          380          105         -275       72,933       51,545      -21,388       81,744       58,836       322,908
                                        (20,834)     (17,756)     (-3,078)        (938)        (259)       (-679)    (180,215)    (127,368)    (-52,847)    (201,987)    (145,383)     (-56,604)
                                    ==============
Fleshy Owl's-Clover:
    Unit 1.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0        1,051          980          -71        1,051          980           -71
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (2,598)      (2,422)       (-176)      (2,598)      (2,422)        (-176)
    Unit 2.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0       14,131       13,640         -490       14,131       13,640          -490
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (34,917)     (33,705)     (-1,212)     (34,917)     (33,705)      (-1,212)
    Unit 3 A-B.....................         427            3         -424           11            0          -11       62,915       55,839       -7,076       63,353       55,842        -7,510
                                         (1,056)          (8)     (-1,048)         (26)          (0)        (-26)    (155,460)    (137,977)    (-17,483)    (156,542)    (137,985)     (-18,557)
    Unit 4.........................           5            5            0           56           23          -33       33,009       30,710       -2,299       33,071       30,738        -2,332
                                            (13)         (13)          (0)        (139)         (56)        (-83)     (81,565)     (75,884)     (-5,681)     (81,717)     (75,954)      (-5,763)
    Unit 5.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0       11,888       10,686       -1,202       11,888       10,686        -1,201
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (1)          (0)         (-1)     (29,374)     (26,406)     (-2,968)     (29,375)     (26,406)      (-2,969)
    Unit 6 A-B.....................         150          142           -8          174          170           -4        1,399        1,412           12        1,723        1,723             0
                                           (371)        (350)        (-21)        (429)        (419)        (-10)      (3,458)      (3,488)         (30)      (4,258)      (4,258)           (0)
                                    --------------
        Species total..............         583          150         -433          241          193          -48      124,393      113,268      -11,125      125,217      113,611       -11,606
                                         (1,440)        (371)     (-1,069)        (595)        (476)       (-119)    (307,372)    (279,882)    (-27,490)     309,407      280,729      (-28,678)
                                    ==============
Colusa Grass:
     Unit 1........................         130          125           -5            0            0            0           62           53           -9          192          178           -14
                                           (322)        (310)        (-12)          (0)          (0)          (0)        (152)        (130)        (-22)        (474)        (440)         (-34)
    Unit 2.........................          94            0          -94          258          161          -96        6,801        6,878           77        7,153        7,039          -114
                                           (233)          (0)       (-233)        (637)        (399)       (-238)     (16,805)     (16,995)        (190)     (17,675)     (17,394)        (-281)
    Unit 3.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0       16,475       15,544         -931       16,475       15,544          -931
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (40,709)     (38,408)     (-2,301)     (40,709)     (38,408)      (-2,301)
    Unit 4.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0       35,134       28,657       -6,477       35,134       28,657        -6,477
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (86,814)     (70,810)    (-16,004)     (86,814)     (70,810)     (-16,004)
    Unit 5.........................           0            0            0           25           17           -8       19,825       14,353       -5,472       19,850       14,370        -5,480
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)         (61)         (41)        (-20)     (48,988)     (35,466)    (-13,522)     (49,049)     (35,508)     (-13,541)
    Unit 6.........................         427            3         -424           11            0           11       45,204       37,685       -7,519       45,642       37,688        -7,954
                                         (1,055)          (8)     (-1,047)         (26)          (0)        (-26)    (111,698)     (93,118)    (-18,580)    (112,779)     (93,125)     (-19,654)
    Unit 7 A-B.....................       1,422        2,927        1,505            0            0            0        6,741        2,562       -4,179        8,163        5,489        -2,674
                                         (3,514)      (7,232)      (3,718)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (16,656)      (6,330)    (-10,326)     (20,170)     (13,562)      (-6,608)
        Species total..............       1,849        2,930        1,081           35           17          -18      106,904       83,257      -23,647      108,788       86,203       -22,585
                                         (4,569)      (7,240)      (2,671)         (87)         (41)        (-46)    (264,156)    (205,724)    (-58,432)    (268,812)    (213,005)     (-55,807)
                                    ==============
Greene's Tuctoria:
    Unit 1.........................         903          619         -284            0            0            0           70           70            0          972          689          -283
                                         (2,231)      (1,530)       (-701)          (0)          (0)          (0)        (172)        (172)          (0)      (2,403)      (1,703)        (-700)
    Unit 2.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0       11,673       10,159       -1,514       11,674       10,159        -1,515
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (1)          (0)         (-1)     (28,844)     (25,102)     (-3,742)     (28,845)     (25,102)      (-3,743)
    Unit 3.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0          979          979            0          979          979             0
 -                                           (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (2,418)      (2,418)          (0)      (2,418)      (2,418)           (0)
    Unit 4.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0          299          125         -174          299          125          -174
 -                                           (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)        (738)        (309)       (-429)        (738)        (309)        (-429)
    Unit 5.........................       5,187        1,307       -3,880            0            0            0          531            1         -530        5,718        1,308        -4,410
 -                                      (12,816)      (3,230)     (-9,586)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (-1,313)          (3)     (-1,310)     (14,129)      (3,233)     (-10,896)
    Unit 6.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0       36,414       29,588       -6,826      -36,414       29,588        -6,826
 -                                           (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (89,978)     (73,111)    (-16,867)     (89,978)     (73,111)     (-16,867)
    Unit 7.........................         427            3         -424           11            0          -11       73,269       54,008      -19,261       73,707       54,011       -19,695
 -                                       (1,056)          (8)     -(1,048)         (26)          (0)        (-26)    (181,045)    (133,452)    (-47,593)    (182,127)    (133,460)     (-48,667)
    Unit 8.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0       13,222       11,126       -2,096       13,222       11,126        -2,096
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (32,670)     (27,491)     (-5,179)     (32,670)     (27,491)      (-5,179)
                                    --------------
        Species total..............      -6,517        1,929       -4,587          -11            0          -11      136,456      106,055      -30,401      142,984      107,985       -34,999
                                        (16,103)      (4,768)    (-11,335)         (27)          (0)        (-27)    (337,178)    (262,059)    (-75,119)    (353,308)    (266,827)     (-86,481)
                                    ==============
Hairy Orcutt Grass:
    Unit 1.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0        8,748        7,813         -935        8,748        7,813          -935
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (21,617)     (19,306)     (-2,311)     (21,617)     (19,306)      (-2,311)
    Unit 2.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0          979          979            0          979          979             0
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (2,418)      (2,418)          (0)      (2,418)      (2,418)           (0)

[[Page 46720]]

 
    Unit 3.........................       5,187        1,307       -3,880           -0            0            0          531            1         -530        5,718        1,308         4,410
                                        (12,816)      (3,230)     (-9,586)          (0)          (0)          (0)      (1,313)          (3)     (-1,310)     (14,129)      (3,233)     (-10,896)
    Unit 4.........................           7            7            0           25           17           -8       25,286       19,664       -5,622       25,318       19,688        -5,630
                                            (17)         (17)          (0)         (61)         (41)        (-20)     (62,482)     (48,590)    (-13,892)     (62,560)     (48,649)     (-13,911)
    Unit 5.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0        9,085        9,029          -56        9,085        9,029           -56
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (22,448)     (22,311)       (-137)     (22,448)     (22,311)        (-137)
    Unit 6.........................           0            0            0            4            0           -4       15,820       14,426       -1,394       15,824       14,426        -1,398
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)         (10)          (0)        (-10)     (39,090)     (35,646)     (-3,444)     (39,100)     (35,646)      (-3,454)
                                    --------------
        Species total..............       5,194        1,314       -3,880           29           17          -12       60,449       51,912       -8,537       65,671       53,243       -12,428
                                        (12,833)      (3,247)     (-9,586)         (71)         (41)        (-30)    (149,368)    (128,274)    (-21,094)    (162,272)    (131,562)     (-30,710)
                                    ==============
Sacramento Orcutt Grass:
    Unit 1.........................           0            0            0            3            3            0           26           11          -16           29           14           -15
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (7)          (7)          (0)         (65)         (27)        (-38)         (72)         (34)         (-38)
    Unit 2.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0        8,853        6,774       -2,079        8,853        6,774        -2,079
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (21,875)     (16,738)     (-5,137)     (21,875)     (16,738)      (-5,137)
    Unit 3.........................           0            0            0          247            0         -247       15,503       14,196       -1,307       15,750       14,196        -1,554
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)        (610)          (0)       (-610)     (38,308)     (35,078)     (-3,230)     (38,918)     (35,078)      (-3,840)
                                    --------------
        Species total..............           0            0            0          250            3         -247       24,382       20,981       -3,402       24,632       20,984        -3,649
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)        (617)          (7)       (-610)     (60,248)     (51,842)     (-8,406)     (60,865)     (51,850)      (-9,015)
                                    ==============
San Joaquin Valley Orcutt Grass:
    Unit 1.........................         427            3         -424           11            0          -11       45,205       37,685       -7,521       45,643       37,688        -7,955
                                         (1,056)          (8)     (-1,048)         (26)          (0)        (-26)    (111,701)     (93,118)    (-18,583)    (112,783)     (93,125)     (-19,658)
    Unit 2.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0       21,495       13,012       -8,483       21,495       13,012        -8,483
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (53,114)     (32,152)    (-20,962)     (53,114)     (32,152)     (-20,962)
    Unit 3.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0       20,936       18,267       -2,669       20,936       18,267        -2,669
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (51,733)     (45,137)     (-6,596)     (51,733)     (45,137)      (-6,596)
    Unit 4.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0        3,233        3,016         -218        3,234        3,016          -218
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (1)          (0)         (-1)      (7,989)      (7,451)       (-538)      (7,990)      (7,451)        (-539)
    Unit 5 A-B.....................         150          142           -8            0          170          170        1,573        1,412         -162        1,723        1,723             0
                                           (370)        (350)        (-20)          (0)        (419)        (419)      (3,888)      (3,488)       (-400)      (4,258)      (4,258)           (0)
    Unit 6 A-B.....................           0            0            0          199           88         -111        7,829        6,081       -1,748        8,028        6,169        -1,859
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)        (491)        (218)       (-273)     (19,345)     (15,026)     (-4,319)     (19,836)     (15,243)      (-4,593)
                                    --------------
        Species total..............         577          145         -432          210          258           48      100,273       79,472      -20,801      101,059       79,875       -21,185
                                         (1,426)        (358)     -(1,068)        (518)        (637)        (119)     247,770      196,373     (-51,397)    (249,714)    (197,367)     (-52,347)
                                    ==============
Slender Orcutt Grass:
    Unit 1 A-I.....................      18,527        9,306       -9,221           37            0          -37        4,702        1,699       -3,003       23,266       11,005       -12,261
                                        (45,780)     (22,994)    (-22,786)         (92)          (0)        (-92)     (11,618)      (4,198)     (-7,420)     (57,490)     (27,192)     (-30,298)
    Unit 2 A-C.....................          33           33            0            0            0            0        5,067        4,161         -906        5,100        4,194          -905
                                            (81)         (81)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (12,520)     (10,282)     (-2,238)     (12,601)     (10,364)       -2,237)
    Unit 3.........................       6,226        6,005         -221          437          287         -150       13,783       13,465         -318       20,446       19,757          -689
                                        (15,384)     (14,839)       (-545)      (1,080)        (709)       (-371)     (34,058)     (33,272)       (-786)     (50,522)     (48,820)      (-1,702)
    Unit 4.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0       11,673       10,159       -1,514       11,674       10,159        -1,515
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (1)          (0)         (-1)     (28,844)     (25,102)     (-3,742)     (28,845)     (25,102)      (-3,743)
    Unit 5 A-B.....................           0            0            0            5            5            0        1,691        1,691            0        1,696        1,696             0
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)         (13)         (13)          (0)      (4,178)      (4,178)          (0)      (4,191)      (4,191)           (0)
    Unit 6.........................           0            0            0            0            0            0        8,853        6,774       -2,079        8,853        6,774        -2,079
                                             (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)          (0)     (21,875)     (16,738)     (-5,137)     (21,875)     (16,738)      (-5,137)
                                    --------------
        Species total..............      24,786       15,344       -9,442          480          292         -188       45,769       37,949       -7,820       71,035       53,585       -17,450
                                        (61,245)     (37,914)    (-23,331)      (1,186)        (721)       (-465)    (113,093)     (93,771)    (-19,322)    (175,524)    (132,406)     (-43,118) 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Table area estimates do not reflect the exclusion of National Wildlife Refuge lands, National fish hatchery lands, State lands within ecological reserves and wildlife management areas,
  and lands within the following California counties: Butte, Madera, Merced, Sacramento, and Solano from the final designation pursuant to section 4(b)(2) of the Act.

    Table 2. Land ownership of approximate areas of critical habitat 
for the vernal pool crustaceans and plants in California and Oregon.

                                             Vernal Pool Critical Habitat--Ownership for All Units Combined
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             Proposed critical habitat        Final critical habitat             Amount of change
                                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             Hectares         (Acres)        Hectares         (Acres)        Hectares         (Acres)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Federal:
    Air Force...........................................           6,276        (15,509)               0             (1)          -6,276       (-15,508)
    Army................................................          22,538        (55,692)           2,928         (7,234)         -19,610       (-48,458)
    Other Military......................................             258           (638)             140           (345)            -119          (-293)
    BLM.................................................          12,007        (29,671)          15,155        (37,449)           3,148        *(7,778)
    Bureau of Reclamation...............................               8            (20)               8            (20)               0             (0)
    Fish and Wildlife Service...........................          22,153        (54,742)          13,394        (33,097)          -8,759       (-21,645)
    Forest Service......................................          36,901        (91,185)          29,590        (73,118)          -7,311       (-18,067)
    National Park Service...............................              60           (148)               2             (5)             -58          (-143)
                                                         -----------------

[[Page 46721]]

 
        Total Federal...................................         100,203       (247,605)          61,216       (151,268)         -38,986       (-96,337)
---------------------------------------------------------
State/County/City:
    City/County Park....................................               2             (4)               0             (0)              -2            (-4)
    CDFG................................................           5,529        (13,662)           1,363         (3,369)          -4,165       (-10,293)
    State...............................................              79           (194)               0             (0)             -79          (-194)
    State Land Commission...............................             260           (642)             318           (787)              59          *(145)
    State Parks & Recreation............................           1,447         (3,575)              17            (41)          -1,430        (-3,534)
                                                         -----------------
        Total State/County/City.........................           7,316        (18,077)           1,698         (4,197)          -5,617       (-13,880)
                                                         -----------------
Private (Conservation):
    CDFG Administered...................................          33,873        (83,701)             390           (963)         -33,483       (-82,738)
    Other Conservancy...................................             453         (1,120)               0             (0)            -453        (-1,120)
    TNC ** Owned........................................           8,844        (21,853)           7,687        (18,995)          -1,157        (-2,858)
    TNC Easement........................................          17,383        (42,954)          16,676        (41,207)            -707        (-1,747)
    WRP ** Easement.....................................             688         (1,699)             617         (1,525)             -70          (-174)
                                                         -----------------
        Total Private (Conservation)....................          61,240       (151,327)          25,370        (62,690)         -35,870       (-88,637)
        Private (All Other).............................         502,972     (1,242,866)         418,012     (1,032,489)         -84,960      (-209,851)
                                                         -----------------
            Grand Total.................................         671,730     (1,659,875)         502,488     (1,241,145)        -169,242     (-418,027)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Increase in acreage shown for these categories is due to use of updated ownership data for final critical habitat calculations. Updated data was
  received after proposed critical habitat calculations had been completed.
** TNC = The Nature Conservancy; WRP = Wetlands Reserve Program
 
 Note: Table area estimates do not reflect the exclusion of National Wildlife Refuge lands, National fish hatchery lands, State lands within ecological
  reserves and wildlife management areas, and lands within the following California counties: Butte, Madera, Merced, Sacramento, and Solano from the
  final designation pursuant to section 4(b)(2) of the Act.

Description of Species Specific Criteria and Critical Habitat Units

    As discussed in the''Exclusions Under Section 4(b)(2) of the Act'' 
section of this final rule, we have excluded from the final designation 
National Wildlife Refuge lands, National fish hatchery lands, State 
wildlife areas and ecological reserves, as well as all critical habitat 
units in the following California counties: Butte, Madera, Merced, 
Sacramento, and Solano. The descriptions below are for the units 
entirely or partially included in the final critical habitat 
designation. The descriptions, including acreage of units, do not 
necessarily reflect all of the subsequent exclusions of areas pursuant 
to section 4(b)(2) of the Act in the final designation. Please refer to 
that section of the rule for additional discussion of areas excluded 
from the final designation.
    Except where otherwise noted, all units contain known occurrences 
of the species in question, as well as both of the PCEs listed above, 
and at least one of the specific PCEs of the species (e.g., involving 
specific soil types, ponding depths). Each unit was chosen for its 
ability to advance at least one of the conservation criteria listed 
above.

Conservancy Fairy Shrimp

    Most occurrences of Conservancy fairy shrimp are limited to large 
clay-bottomed pools that are rare within the vernal pool landscapes 
within California (Vollmar 2002). Helm (1998) observed that most 
Conservancy fairy shrimp occurrences were on Anita, Pescadero, or 
Peters Clay soils. Conservancy fairy shrimp are typically found in 
turbid and large ((0.4 ha to 0.8 ha)(1 to 2 ac)) to very large ((35 ha 
(88 ac)) vernal pools (Helm and Vollmar 2002). However, the pools 
inhabited by conservancy fairy shrimp near the Montezuma Hills in 
Solano County and in Butte County are relatively small and have a low 
turbidity (Vollmar 2002). The species is found in large playa pools on 
Tuscan or Mehrten geologic formations and on Basin Rim landforms in 
Tehama, Merced, and Solano Counties (Helm 1998) on various soil types. 
The parent material of vernal pools greatly influences species 
composition and hydrologic functioning of the vernal pool (Hanes and 
Stromberg 1998; Smith and Verrill 1998). Soils beneath vernal pools are 
extremely variable and are not the same as soils mapped by soil 
surveys, but are usually undescribed hydric inclusions that vary by 
location (Holland and Dain 1990). The Vina Plains area in Tehama County 
supports occurrences of the species within numerous large pools 
throughout the area (Eriksen and Belk 1999; Helm 1998; Helm and Vollmar 
2002). The pools in the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge area in 
Glenn and Colusa Counties as well as in parts of the San Luis National 
Refuge Complex in Merced County are associated with alkaline sink areas 
and tend to be higher in pH and salinity than in other pools where the 
species is found. The primary constituent elements of critical habitat 
for Conservancy fairy shrimp are the habitat components that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths that typically become 
inundated during winter rains and hold water for sufficient lengths of 
time necessary for Conservancy fairy shrimp incubation, reproduction, 
dispersal, feeding, and sheltering, including but not limited to large 
playa vernal pools often found on basin rim landforms and alkaline 
soils, but which are dry during the summer and do not necessarily fill 
with water every year; and
    (ii) The geographic, topographic, and edaphic features that support 
aggregations or systems of hydrologically interconnected pools, swales, 
and other ephemeral wetlands and depressions within a matrix of 
surrounding uplands that together form hydrologically and ecologically 
functional units called vernal pool complexes.
    These features contribute to the filling and drying of the vernal 
pool and

[[Page 46722]]

maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and soil 
moisture for vernal pool crustacean hatching, growth and reproduction, 
and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.

Unit 1, Vina Plains Unit, Butte and Tehama Counties (41,733 ac (16,890 
ha))

    This unit contains vernal pools found on Anita clay and Tuscan loam 
soils (EPA 1994; Holland 1998; Tehama County 1999; USDA 2001), and 
represents the northern extent of Conservancy fairy shrimp range. 
Conservancy fairy shrimp in this area occupy vernal pools that are 
classified as Northern Hardpan by Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf (1995) and 
occur on the Tuscan, Red Bluff, and Riverbank geologic formations. 
Within this unit vernal pools occur in complexes with a range of pool 
sizes, from over several acres (hectares) to less than a 0.1 ac (500 
m\2\), in areas of hummocky ground on old terraces above recent river 
flood plains below the foothills (Alexander and Schlising 1997; Keeler-
Wolf et al. 1998). The unit is essential to ensure the conservation of 
the species in general, as well as in the northern extent of its range 
(criterion 1). It is also essential to the conservation of the 
ecological distribution of the species, because of the wide range of 
occupied pool sizes and because the combination of soils, geologic 
formations, and pool type is not otherwise well represented for the 
species (criterion 2). The unit is also important because it includes 
relatively undisturbed, hydrologically intact vernal pool habitats that 
will likely continue to support natural vernal pool ecosystem processes 
and meet the appropriate habitat conditions for Conservancy fairy 
shrimp (criterion 4), and because it provides seasonal habitat for 
waterfowl and other migratory bird species that aid in the dispersal of 
Conservancy fairy shrimp among vernal pools within the unit, as well as 
between other habitats across the species range (criterion 3).
    The majority of the lands included within this unit are privately 
owned. This unit contains The Nature Conservancy's (TNC) Vina Plains 
preserve as well as other TNC lands 5,660 ac (2,264 ha) and 
conservation easements 10,870 ac (4,348 ha). The Natural Resource 
Conservation Services (NRCS) also holds Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) 
conservation easements or agreements on 142 ac (57 ha).
    The Vina Plains Unit extends from south of Deer Creek to north of 
Rock Creek and the Chico Airport near the City of Chico. State Highway 
99 bisects this unit. The western boundary generally parallels the 
Southern Pacific Railway line. The eastern boundary of this unit 
extends to the boundary of the East Red Bluff watershed.

Unit 6, Merced Unit, Merced and Mariposa Counties (132,902 ac (53,785 
ha))

    This unit contains Conservancy fairy shrimp occurrences within 
large playa vernal pools found on Raynor Cobbly clay soils on the 
Mehrten Formation (EIP Associates 1999; CNDDB 2001). This soil and 
geologic formation combination is not represented by any of the other 
units (criterion 2). The Merced Unit encompasses the largest block of 
pristine, high-density vernal pool grasslands remaining in California 
(Vollmar 2002). The relatively undisturbed, hydrologically intact 
condition of the unit increases the likelihood that it will continue to 
support natural vernal pool ecosystem processes and maintain suitable 
habitat conditions for Conservancy fairy shrimp (criterion 4). The 
Conservancy fairy shrimp occurrence at the Flying M Ranch is already 
being managed through a conservation easement with TNC that conserves 
over 5,000 ac (2,023 ha) of vernal pool and upland habitat (criterion 
4). Land ownership within the unit includes approximately 8 ac (3 ha) 
of Federal lands and TNC has a total of 11,283 ac (4,513 ha) of 
conservation easements within this unit.
    A majority of the vernal pool habitat in the Merced Unit is in 
eastern Merced County. The eastern edge of the unit overlaps into 
western Mariposa County, and in the south, it extends to Deadman Creek. 
The northern boundary parallels the Merced River. The unit is located 
east of Highway 99 and the City of Merced, Planada, and Le Grand. The 
eastern boundary extends into the low elevation foothills of the Sierra 
Nevada.

Unit 8, Ventura County Unit, Ventura County (46,531 ac (18,831 ha))

    The Ventura County Unit is located in the north-central portion of 
Ventura County. With the exception of 1,951 ac (790 ha) that are 
privately owned, all other land within this unit occurs within the Los 
Padres National Forest. Vernal pool fairy shrimp and Conservancy fairy 
shrimp co-occur at relatively high-elevation (5,500 ft (1,700 m)) 
forested sites within this unit. This combination of attributes is 
ecologically unique because these species normally occur at much lower 
elevations in grassland habitat. The critical habitat perimeter 
encompasses an area that is known to contain vernal pool and 
Conservancy fairy shrimp and isolated pools that provide habitat for 
both species. Few fairy shrimp surveys exist for this unit. However, 
listed fairy shrimp probably occur at several additional locations with 
suitable ephemeral aquatic habitat. A further potential benefit of 
designating this unit is that it may help to promote efforts to 
identify and proactively manage such locations, which are not typically 
associated with these invertebrates. The Ventura County Unit is 
essential for the conservation of Conservancy fairy shrimp because it 
contains high elevation ephemeral aquatic environments that are rarely 
associated with fairy shrimp (criterion 2). This unit also represents 
the extreme southern end of the species range, and is 124 mi (200 km) 
from other species occurrences in the Great Central Valley (criterion 
1).

Longhorn Fairy Shrimp Criteria

    Longhorn fairy shrimp occurrences are highly disjunct and scarce 
within the geographic range in which they occur. There are fewer areas 
in which this species is known to occur than any other listed vernal 
pool crustacean. The specific pool characteristics that determine 
suitability for longhorn fairy shrimp reproduction and growth are not 
well understood. We identified critical habitat areas essential to the 
conservation of longhorn fairy shrimp in three areas in which it is 
known to occur. In determining areas that are essential to conserve 
longhorn fairy shrimp, we used the best scientific and commercial data 
available. Longhorn fairy shrimp occurrences are known from Contra 
Costa County to San Luis Obispo County with an elevational variation of 
near 15 m (50 ft) to near 600 m (2,000 ft). A broad distribution of 
longhorn fairy shrimp across its geographical and elevational 
distribution protects the natural environmental processes for the 
species and provides the best chance for retaining the species across 
the full extent of the species range. The vernal pool types and soils 
associated with the three general areas of concentration of longhorn 
fairy shrimp differ greatly across the geographic range of the species 
and leads to different species compositions and environmental 
conditions between longhorn fairy shrimp occurrences. Providing for a 
mosaic of habitat types both between and among vernal pool species is 
essential because it would include the full extent of the physical and 
environmental conditions for the species (Fugate 1992; Fugate 1998; 
Gonzales et al. 1996; Ikeda and Schlising 1990; Noss et al. 2002a, 
Platenkamp 1998; Zedler et al. 1979). The Altamont Pass subunits (unit 
1abc)

[[Page 46723]]

support occurrences of the species within clear depression pools in 
sandstone outcrops (Eriksen and Belk 1999; EBRPD 2001; CNDDB 2002). 
Midway in the species' range, the alkaline pools supporting longhorn 
fairy shrimp are found on Edminster loam and Turlock sandy loam. In the 
species' southern range, they are found on shallow alkaline Northern 
Claypan type vernal pools within a valley saltbush scrub matrix. The 
parent material of vernal pools greatly influences species composition 
and hydrologic functioning of the vernal pool (Hanes and Stromberg 
1998; Holland and Jain 1981, 1988). Soils beneath vernal pools are 
extremely variable and are not the same as soils mapped by soil 
surveys, but are usually undescribed hydric inclusions which vary upon 
location (Holland and Dain 1990). The primary constituent elements of 
critical habitat for longhorn fairy shrimp are the habitat components 
that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths that typically become 
inundated during winter rains and hold water for sufficient lengths of 
time necessary for longhorn fairy shrimp incubation, reproduction, 
dispersal, feeding, and sheltering, including but not limited to, large 
playa vernal pools often on basin rim landforms and alkaline soils, but 
which are dry during the summer and do not necessarily fill with water 
every year; and
    (ii) The geographic, topographic, and edaphic features that support 
aggregations or systems of hydrologically interconnected pools, swales, 
and other ephemeral wetlands and depressions within a matrix of 
surrounding uplands that together form hydrologically and ecologically 
functional units called vernal pool complexes. These features 
contribute to the filling and drying of the vernal pool and maintain 
suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and soil moisture 
for vernal pool crustacean hatching, growth and reproduction, and 
dispersal, but not necessarily every year.

Unit 1, Altamont Hills Unit A and B, Contra Costa and Alameda Counties 
(791 ac (320 ha))

    This unit supports occurrences of the species within clear 
depression pools in sandstone outcrops (Eriksen and Belk 1999; EBRPD 
2001; CNDDB 2002). The essential habitat for the species occurs in 
sandstone rock outcroppings with the pools sometimes being less than a 
meter (3 ft) across. This is a unique habitat for longhorn fairy 
shrimp, and helps to maintain a diversity of habitats for the species 
(criterion 2). The Altamont Hills Unit is also an important area for 
the species because it represents the northern limit of its range, and 
is one of only three locations where the species is known to occur 
(criterion 1).
    This unit is located in Altamont Hills north and northeast of the 
City of Livermore, and consists of two subunits, both near the Contra 
Costa and Alameda County line. Subunit A is located in Contra Costa 
County directly north of the Alameda County line near the Vasco Caves. 
Subunit B is located directly in Alameda County just south of the 
Contra Costa County line in the vicinity of Brushy Peak. This unit is 
located primarily on East Bay Regional Park District and Contra Costa 
Water District land.

Unit 3, Carrizo Plain Unit, San Luis Obispo, Kern, and Monterey 
Counties (10,466 ha (25,862 ac))

    This unit contains occurrences of the species living within 
Northern Claypan type vernal pools as described by Sawyer and Keeler-
Wolf (1995) (CNDDB 2001). Longhorn fairy shrimp in the Carrizo Unit are 
found in shallow alkaline vernal pools within a valley saltbush scrub 
matrix. These ecological characteristics are not represented by the 
other units (criterion 2). The Carrizo Plain Unit also represents the 
southern extent of the range of longhorn fairy shrimp (criterion 1).
    This unit is located in the vicinity of California Valley and Soda 
Lake. State Highway 58 is located north of the unit. Most of the 
habitat is east of Soda Lake Road. To the east, the unit is bordered by 
the San Andreas Rift Zone. The Carrizo Plain Unit contains portions of 
the Carrizo Plain National Monument administered by the BLM, TNC, and 
the CDFG. The BLM lands within the unit total approximately 15,549 ac 
(6,220 ha), and CDFG lands total approximately 234 ac (95 ha). Other 
vernal pool habitats in the unit are located on private land.

Vernal Pool Fairy Shrimp

    Vernal pool fairy shrimp are distributed across a large geographic 
range from southern Oregon to southern California (Eriksen and Belk 
1999). Although the habitat of vernal pool fairy shrimp is highly 
fragmented and occurrences are isolated from each other by varying 
degrees across the species' range, the distribution of remaining extant 
occurrences is somewhat evenly spread throughout its range. Vernal pool 
fairy shrimp occur in a wide variety of habitat types from the Agate 
Desert area in southern Oregon, to throughout the Sacramento and San 
Joaquin valleys, the central Coast Range, and into Riverside County, 
California. Although some of the habitat characteristics of the species 
are known, specific pool characteristics that determine suitability for 
vernal pool fairy shrimp hatching, growth, and reproduction are not 
well understood. Vernal pool fairy shrimp occurrences are known to 
occur in eight general areas of concentration on basin rim, low 
terrace, high terrace, volcanic mudflow, valley floor, alkaline playa, 
and coastal mountain landforms. The elevational differences in the 
distribution of vernal pool fairy shrimp range from near 8 m (25 ft) in 
the Central and Sacramento Valleys to near 150 m (500 ft) in Shasta 
County. A broad distribution of vernal pool fairy shrimp across its 
geographical and elevational distribution protects the natural 
environmental processes for the species and provides the best chance 
for retaining the species across the full extent of the species' range.
    The vernal pool types and soils associated with the eight general 
areas of concentration of vernal pool fairy shrimp differ greatly 
across the geographic range of the species and lead to different 
species compositions and ecological conditions between vernal pool 
fairy shrimp occurrences. Providing for a mosaic of habitat types both 
between and among vernal pool species is essential because it would 
include the full extent of the physical and environmental conditions 
for the species (Barclay and Knight 1984; Bauder and McMillan 1998; 
Fugate 1992, 1998; Gonzales et al.1996; Noss et al. 2002a; Noss et al. 
2002b; Platenkamp 1998; Zedler et al. 1979).
    Vernal pool fairy shrimp are usually found in vernal pools (79%), 
although they are sometimes found in a range of natural and 
artificially created ephemeral habitats such as alkali pools, seasonal 
drainages, stock ponds, vernal swales, and rock outcrops (Vollmar 
2002). Vernal pool fairy shrimp are most frequently found in small 
((<200 m2)(<2,125 ft2)) and shallow ((mean of 5 
cm)(2 in)) pool habitats; however, this species can be found in large 
(44,534 m2)(480,967 ft2) and very deep (122 cm) 
(48 in) pool habitats as well (Helm and Vollmar 2002). The landform 
associations for the vernal pool fairy shrimp include alluvial fans, 
bedrock, bedrock escarpments, basin rim, floodplain, high terrace, 
stream terrace, volcanic mudflow, and low terrace formations (Helm 
1998). The soils that contain occurrences of vernal pool fairy shrimp 
in the delineated units vary significantly throughout the species' 
range. In the north, the rare Northern Mudflow formation underlies 
vernal pools in Shasta and Tehema Counties.

[[Page 46724]]

Tehema and Butte Counties contain Northern Basalt Flow vernal pools 
that are limited to ancient terraces and hilltops that comprise some of 
the oldest geologic formations in California. Northern Volcanic Mudflow 
vernal pools are delineated in Butte and Yuba Counties. Throughout the 
Central Valley, the habitat ranges from high terrace landforms to 
claypan and hardpan pool types. Northern Basalt Flow vernal pools are 
found in Fresno County in the low elevation foothills. In the Suisun 
Marsh area, vernal pool fairy shrimp are found in the saline-alkaline 
transition zone. The parent material of vernal pools greatly influences 
species composition and hydrologic functioning of the vernal pool 
(Hanes and Stromberg 1998; Holland and Jain 1981, 1988). Soils beneath 
vernal pools are extremely variable and are not the same as soils 
mapped by soil surveys, but are usually undescribed hydric inclusions 
which vary upon location (Holland and Dain 1990). The primary 
constituent elements of critical habitat for vernal pool fairy shrimp 
are the habitat components that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths that typically become 
inundated during winter rains and hold water for sufficient lengths of 
time necessary for vernal pool fairy shrimp incubation, reproduction, 
dispersal, feeding, and sheltering, including but not limited to 
Northern Hardpan, Northern Claypan, Northern Volcanic Mud Flow, and 
Northern Basalt Flow vernal pools formed on a variety of geologic 
formations and soil types, but which are dry during the summer and do 
not necessarily fill with water every year; and
    (ii) The geographic, topographic, and edaphic features that support 
aggregations or systems of hydrologically interconnected pools, swales, 
and other ephemeral wetlands and depressions within a matrix of 
surrounding uplands that together form hydrologically and ecologically 
functional units called vernal pool complexes. These features 
contribute to the filling and drying of the vernal pool, and maintain 
suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and soil moisture 
for vernal pool crustacean hatching, growth and reproduction, and 
dispersal, but not necessarily every year.

Oregon

    Vernal pool fairy shrimp is the only species addressed in this 
final rule that occurs in Oregon. Four units in Oregon are designated 
as essential to the conservation of vernal pool fairy shrimp, and there 
are 29 units in California. The Oregon units occur approximately 200 km 
(125 mi) north of the nearest unit designated for this species in 
California. We identified critical habitat areas essential to the 
conservation of vernal pool fairy shrimp to reflect the species 
geographic distribution and varying habitat types and species 
associations across its range. Maintaining vernal pool fairy shrimp 
across their full geographic distribution would make the species less 
susceptible to environmental variation or negative impacts associated 
with human disturbances or natural catastrophic events across the 
species entire range at any one time (Grosberg 2002, Helm 1998; Hunter 
1996, New 1995, Primack 1993; Redford and Richter 1999; Rossum et al. 
2001). Variation in environmental conditions such as precipitation 
amount, precipitation timing, and temperature, influence vernal pool 
species including hatching and reproduction of vernal pool fairy shrimp 
from year to year (Eriksen and Belk 1999, Grosberg 2002, Helm 1998, 
Helm and Vollmar 2002, Service 1994c, Simovich 1998).

Unit 1A, B, C ,D, E, F, and G, North Agate Desert Unit, Jackson County 
(2,130 ac (862 ha))

    This unit consists of seven subunits, all located to the north of 
Little Butte Creek. This unit represents the northern limit of the 
species' distribution (criterion 1). It is of sufficient size to 
sustain the natural ecosystem processes (e.g., fires) that have 
historically influenced vernal pool habitat, and is separated from the 
nearest other unit designated for Oregon, Unit 4, by over 2 mi (3.2 
km). Three of the subunits are west of the Rogue River, and the 
remaining four are to the east. All but one of these subunits are 
located to the south of U.S. Route 234 (Sam's Valley Highway). The one 
remaining unit is located to the east of the Rogue River, about 1.5 mi 
(2.4 km) north of the confluence with Reese Creek.

Unit 2A, B, C, D, and E, White City East Unit, Jackson County (2,251 ac 
(911 ha))

    This unit consists of five subunits, located east of U.S. Route 62 
(Crater Lake Highway) and south and southeast of Dutton Road. This unit 
provides the easternmost extent of the species' range in Oregon 
(criterion 1). It represents a significant component of the species' 
original range in the State and is of a sufficient size to sustain the 
natural ecosystem processes (e.g., fires) that have historically 
influenced vernal pool habitat (Borgias 2003). The largest and 
easternmost of the subunits occurs just to the east and north of Agate 
Lake. It is separated by more than 1 mi (1.6 km) from Unit 3, White 
City West, and by approximately 3.5 mi (5.6 km) from the North Agate 
Desert Unit.

Unit 3A, B, and C, White City West Unit, Jackson County (2,301 ac (931 
ha))

    This unit consists of three subunits, located west of Agate Road, 
south of the Rogue River, and east of Bear Creek. This unit contains 
the least fragmented intact examples of the original Agate Desert 
mounded vernal pool grassland habitat (criterion 3). It is of 
sufficient size to sustain the natural ecosystem processes (e.g., 
fires) that have historically influenced vernal pool habitat; it is 
separated from the White City East Unit by more than 1 mi (1.6 km) and 
from the Table Rocks Unit by over 1.5 mi (2.4 km).
    We believe that, taken together, the designated Agate Desert units 
(Units 1-3) comprise a functional vernal pool complex consisting of 
vernal pools, mounded grassland and associated uplands, where natural 
processes, including connectivity, function within or near the natural 
range of variability. Each of the three designated Agate Desert units 
is essential to the conservation of vernal pool fairy shrimp in the 
Agate Desert.

Unit 4A and B, Table Rocks Unit, Jackson County (892 ac (361 ha))

    This unit consists of two subunits, located on two flat-topped 
mesas known as Upper and Lower Table Rocks, situated north and west of 
the Rogue River. These rimrock features are remnants of ancient lava 
flows that filled portions of the Rogue River nearly 10 million years 
ago (BLM 1998). Subsequent erosion of softer geologic layers has left 
these harder andesite (volcanic rock) formations rising some 800 ft 
(245 m) above the present Rogue Valley. Vernal pools on the Table Rocks 
differ from those of the Agate Desert, in that they are formed over an 
impervious layer of bedrock. This unit represents a unique habitat for 
vernal pool fairy shrimp in Oregon (criterion 2). The Table Rocks Unit 
is disjunct from the North Agate Desert Unit by over 2 mi (3.2 km), and 
from the White City West Unit by approximately 1.5 mi (2.4 km).

California

Unit 5, Redding Unit, Shasta County (3,666 ac (1,485 ha))

    This unit contains the largest intact vernal pool habitat in the 
Sacramento Valley and represents the northern portion of vernal pool 
fairy shrimp's range in California (criteria 1 and 4).

[[Page 46725]]

Occurrences of the species (CNDDB 2002) within vernal pools mapped by 
Holland (1998) are found on old alluvial terraces above the Sacramento 
River and often on Redding and Corning soil complexes (Shasta County 
2001). Generally these pools are small in size, although the Stillwater 
Plains area supports unique pools that are several acres in size.
    Most of the land included within this unit is privately owned. The 
BLM owns 41 ac (17 ha) within this unit, and 130 ac (52 ha) of private 
land is protected under conservation easement or agreement as part of 
the WRP. The Stillwater Plains Conservation Bank, specifically 
established to contribute to the recovery of vernal pool fairy shrimp, 
is located within this unit, thereby increasing the likelihood that the 
unit will persist (criterion 4). The City of Redding and other local 
and State planning organizations are currently developing an HCP to 
provide for the conservation of vernal pool fairy shrimp. This unit 
would provide an area where conservation efforts for vernal pool fairy 
shrimp could take place.
    This unit is located in the area east of the Redding Municipal 
Airport between Airport Road to the west and Deschutes Road to the 
east. The unit extends to Dersch Road in the south and towards Lassen 
Park Highway in the north. This unit comprises a portion of the 
Stillwater Plains.

Unit 6, Red Bluff Unit, Tehama County (39,629 ac (16,038 ha))

    This unit contains vernal pools formed on alluvial terraces west of 
the Sacramento River and associated with Newville/Corning and Redding/
Corning soil complexes (USDA 2001) exhibiting well-developed mima mound 
topography. The vernal pools within this unit are generally small and 
may not be inundated long enough to support other longer-lived vernal 
pool species.
    This unit contains several large (e.g., over 10,000 ac (4,068 ha)) 
vernal pool habitat complexes. These areas are relatively undisturbed, 
hydrologically intact vernal pool habitats that will likely continue to 
support natural vernal pool ecosystem processes and maintain suitable 
habitat conditions for vernal pool fairy shrimp (criterion 4). This 
unit also provides essential habitat for migratory waterfowl that aid 
in the dispersal of vernal fairy shrimp and other vernal pool 
crustacean cysts (criterion 3).
    The majority of the lands included within this unit are privately 
owned, although CDFG owns 430 ac (174 ha ) within this unit. This unit 
also contains large private conservation areas established specifically 
to contribute to the recovery of vernal pool fairy shrimp and 
compensate for the loss of vernal pool habitat, including the 5,000-ac 
(2,023-ha) Tehama Fiber Farm mitigation area (criterion 4). CDFG's 
Thomes Creek Ecological Reserve is also located within this unit.
    This unit extends from southwest of Red Bluff at Red Bank Creek 
south to Thomes Creek. The eastern boundary includes the vernal pool 
habitat from the Southern Pacific Railroad near Coyote Creek south 
paralleling Interstate 5 to Thomes Creek.

Unit 7, Vina Plains Unit, Tehama and Butte Counties (48,588 ac (19,663 
ha))

    This unit contains Northern Volcanic Mudflow vernal pools. These 
pools are generally small and tend to be inundated for relatively short 
periods of time. Vernal pool fairy shrimp are also found within larger 
vernal pools forming on hardpans within this unit. These pools tend to 
be larger and longer lasting than Northern Volcanic Mudflow pools, 
providing a variety of habitats available for the species to expand and 
contract in size and place over time.
    The pool types within this unit maintain the diversity of habitats 
in which vernal pool fairy shrimp are known to occur and provide 
relatively undisturbed, hydrologically intact vernal pool habitats that 
will likely continue to support natural vernal pool ecosystem processes 
and maintain suitable habitat conditions for vernal pool fairy shrimp 
(criterion 4). This unit also provides habitat for migratory waterfowl 
that aid in the dispersal of vernal pool fairy shrimp and other vernal 
pool crustacean cysts (criterion 3).
    The majority of the lands included within this unit are privately 
owned. This unit contains TNC's Vina Plains preserve as well as other 
TNC lands (5,660 ac (2,264 ha)) and conservation easements (10,870 ac 
(4,348 ha)), thereby increasing the likelihood that the habitat will 
persist (criterion 4). Other ownership within this unit includes 142 ac 
(57 ha) of private land protected under conservation easement or 
agreement under the NRCS's WRP.
    This unit is located in the northeastern portion of the Sacramento 
Valley from Deer Creek in Tehama County to Chico in Butte County. The 
unit extends south and east of the Sacramento River paralleling the low 
elevation foothill region of the Sierra Nevada and represents the 
northeastern extent of vernal pool fairy shrimp's range in California.

Unit 8, Orland Unit, Tehama County (12,676 ac (5,130 ha))

    This unit contains vernal pools formed on alluvial terraces of 
Northern Hardpan formations west of the Sacramento River and associated 
with Anita clay and Tuscan loam soils (USDA 1994). These vernal pools 
are generally small and exhibit well-developed mima mound topography.
    This unit contains large vernal pool habitat areas in the 
northwestern portion of the range of vernal pool fairy shrimp 
(criterion 1). These areas provide relatively undisturbed, 
hydrologically intact vernal pool habitats that will likely continue to 
support natural vernal pool ecosystem processes and maintain suitable 
habitat conditions for vernal pool fairy shrimp (criterion 4).
    This unit extends from the Tehama/Glenn County border in the south, 
west of Ingrahm Road and east of the Black Butte Reservoir, to the 
vicinity of Rice Creek in the north. It also contains a Pacific Gas and 
Electric pipeline mitigation area established specifically for the 
conservation of vernal pool fairy shrimp.

Unit 11, Beale Unit, Yuba County (1,324 ac (536 ha))

    This unit is adjacent to Beale AFB which contains large, relatively 
undisturbed vernal pool grassland habitats and an unusual diversity of 
vernal pool habitat types supporting vernal pool fairy shrimp (Jones 
and Stokes 1997b; Platenkamp 1998; CNDDB 2001; Jones and Stokes 2002). 
Vernal pool fairy shrimp within the area are found throughout several 
large vernal pool complexes of which this unit is a part. These 
complexes occur on four major geologic formations: the Modesto 
Formation, the Riverbank Formation, the Laguna Formation, and the 
Mehrten Formation (Platenkamp 1998). Different geologic formations 
provide a diversity of habitats for vernal pool fairy shrimp primarily 
through their effects on pool size and depth (Helm 1998; Platenkamp 
1998). The unit, therefore, represents an important subsection of the 
ecological diversity of the species (criterion 2).
    The critical habitat boundary identified in the proposed rule 
included a portion of Beale AFB. Since the portion of land within the 
base has been excluded based on the benefits of exclusion versus 
benefits of inclusion, this unit only covers those areas adjacent to 
the base which provide the necessary habitat characteristics to support 
the species. All the lands within this unit are privately owned. This 
unit is found east of Yuba City and

[[Page 46726]]

State Highway 65, generally south of Hammonton Road and north of South 
Beale Road and 6th Street adjacent to Beale AFB.

Unit 12, Western Placer County Unit (32,230 ac (13,043 ha))

    The Western Placer Unit contains numerous occurrences of the 
species (CNDDB 2002) within functionally intact vernal pool complexes. 
Vernal pool fairy shrimp within this unit occur in both Northern 
Hardpan and Northern Volcanic Mudflow vernal pools as described by 
Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf (1995). This unit also supports vernal pool 
fairy shrimp found in vernal pools on Exchequer soils on the Mehrten 
geologic formation, a rare type of Northern Volcanic Mudflow vernal 
pool which has been reduced to only a few acres within Placer County 
(criterion 2). The pools are relatively short-lived and do not provide 
habitat for most other species of fairy shrimp (CNDDB 2002).
    This unit includes a large number of conservation areas established 
specifically to contribute to the recovery of vernal pool fairy shrimp, 
and partly established through conservation efforts under section 7 of 
the Act. It is, therefore, more likely to maintain its occupied habitat 
over time (criterion 4). These protected areas include the Ahart 
Preserve, one of the few remaining examples of Northern Volcanic 
Mudflow vernal pools in the region (criterion 2), as well as the 
Orchard Creek Conservation Bank. This conservation bank was established 
for the protection of vernal pool fairy shrimp, and to compensate for 
the loss of thousands of acres of vernal pool grassland habitats 
throughout Placer and Sacramento Counties. Additional smaller 
conservation areas in this unit are located within the cities of 
Lincoln and Roseville, and in Placer County. Approximately 20 percent 
of all mitigation areas established for the long-term protection of 
vernal pool fairy shrimp are found within this unit. Placer County is 
currently developing a NCCP/HCP for the conservation of vernal pool 
fairy shrimp in this area. A WRP easement of 157 ac (63 ha) for the 
protection of wetland resources occurs within this unit.
    The Western Placer Unit contains 70 percent of the remaining vernal 
pool habitats in Placer County. TNC identified this area as one of the 
outstanding vernal pool sites remaining in the Sacramento Valley 
(criterion 4). This unit generally occurs in western Placer County 
immediately north of the Sacramento County line, north of the City of 
Roseville, and northeast of the City of Rocklin. The northern boundary 
occurs just north of the City of Lincoln. This unit occurs mostly west 
of State Highway 65.

Unit 17, Napa River Unit, Napa and Sonoma Counties (1,554 ac (629 ha))

    The Napa River unit represents the western extent of the species' 
range (criterion 1). This unit represents the only area where vernal 
pool fairy shrimp occur in vernal pool habitats forming a transition 
zone with tidal marshes (criterion 2). The boundaries of this unit were 
designed to include vernal pool complexes mapped by Holland (1998) and 
within the Fagan Marsh Ecological Area owned by CDFG (901 ac (420 ha)).
    The Napa River parallels the western boundary of this unit. This 
unit is located on private and CDFG land, including the Napa-Sonoma 
Marsh and Fagan Marsh Wildlife Areas. Most of this unit is situated 
south and southwest of the City of Napa, primarily west of Highway 29, 
south of Highway 12, and east of Highway 121. This unit forms a narrow 
strip following the northwestern banks of the Napa River and extending 
westward along Hudeman and Schell sloughs.

Unit 18, San Joaquin Unit, San Joaquin County (14,343 ac (5,805 ha))

    This unit contains vernal pool habitats identified by Holland 
(1998) and San Joaquin County (1998) that support populations of vernal 
pool fairy shrimp (CNDDB 2002) found within Northern Volcanic Mudflow 
vernal pools on the Laguna geologic formation, as well as high terrace 
pools on the Valley Springs geologic formation. The Northern Volcanic 
Mudflow vernal pools tend to be short-lived, and are a relatively rare 
habitat type for vernal pool fairy shrimp (criterion 2). This unit 
contains the largest vernal pool complex remaining in San Joaquin 
County and the southern Sacramento Valley (criterion 1).
    This unit occupies the area from the Calaveras River south to Duck 
Creek. The eastern boundary extends to near Valley Springs at the 
intersection of State routes 12 and 26. The western boundary extends to 
near Tully Road east of the City of Lodi.

Unit 19A, B, and C, Altamont Hills Unit, Contra Costa, and Alameda 
Counties (7,902 ac (3,198 ha))

    This unit contains vernal pool habitats mapped by Holland (1998) 
and East Bay Regional Parks District (2001) supporting vernal pool 
fairy shrimp occurrences identified by CNDDB (2002) within unique 
sandstone outcrops. These habitats include very small (less than 3.3 ft 
(1 m) in diameter) clear water depression pools in sandstone outcrops 
which provide the necessary inundation to support vernal pool fairy 
shrimp (Eriksen and Belk 1999). The unit represents the only known 
location that supports vernal pool fairy shrimp within sandstone 
outcrop pools (criterion 2) (Eriksen and Belk 1999).
    The unit is comprised of three subunits in the general vicinity of 
Mount Diablo and Morgan Territory Regional Park. The unit primarily 
consists of private land, with 108 ac (44 ha) owned by the State, and 
an additional 711 ac (288 ha) administered by the CDFG for conservation 
purposes.
    The unit lies north of Corral Hollow Road, west of Clifton Court 
Forebay, east of the City of Danville, southeast of Concord, and south 
of Antioch. It includes vernal pool habitat within the Altamont Hills, 
around the northern and eastern boundaries of the City of Livermore, 
and east of the Altamont Hills and west of Clifton Court Forebay.

Unit 21, Stanislaus Unit, Stanislaus and Merced Counties (48,599 ac 
(19,668 ha))

    This unit contains occurrences of the species within large, 
relatively intact, and contiguous vernal pool complexes ranging from 
the floor of the valley to the low-elevation foothills (Holland 1998; 
CNDDB 2001). These areas are essential to the conservation of vernal 
pool fairy shrimp because they provide relatively undisturbed, 
hydrologically intact vernal pool habitats that will likely continue to 
support natural vernal pool ecosystem processes and maintain suitable 
habitat conditions for vernal pool fairy shrimp (criterion 4). This 
unit contains vernal pool fairy shrimp living within hardpan pools that 
occur on soils of alluvial fans and terraces forming numerous small 
pools and swales on mima mound topography. Soils supporting these 
vernal pools are typically older than those of the alluvial terraces in 
the Sacramento area.
    The Stanislaus Unit is in the northern portion of the chain of 
vernal pools that runs through the southern Sierra Nevada foothills, 
within the Southern Sierra Foothill vernal pool region described by 
Keeler-Wolf et al. (1998). This vernal pool region contains 35 percent 
of all remaining vernal pool habitat in the Central Valley, and is 
extremely important to the conservation of vernal pool fairy shrimp and 
other vernal pool species (criterion 1 and 2). Land ownership within 
this unit includes the BLM (7 ha (17 ac)) and California State Parks 
(61 ac (25 ha). The well-known Hickman vernal pool complex is located 
within this unit as well as Hickman Pool, one of the largest

[[Page 46727]]

vernal lakes in California, at more than 300 ac (121 ha) (Medeiros 
2000).
    The Stanislaus Unit is located in the southeast corner of 
Stanislaus County and the northeast corner of Merced County. It lies 
between the Tuolumne River and the Merced River. The Mariposa County 
line is located east of the unit. Turlock Lake and Dawson Lake are 
adjacent to the northern boundary. County Road J9 and the High Line 
Canal are west of the unit.

Unit 22, Merced Unit, Merced and Mariposa Counties (111,459 ac (45,108 
ha))

    This unit encompasses the largest block of pristine, high density 
vernal pool grasslands supporting the species remaining in California 
(criterion 4) (Holland 1998; Vollmar 1999; CNDDB 2001). There are more 
documented occurrences of vernal pool fairy shrimp in this unit than 
any other area throughout the species range, implying it contains 
ecological features that are unusually supportive of vernal pool fairy 
shrimp populations (criterion 2) (CNDDB 2002). Almost 15 percent of all 
remaining vernal pool habitats in the Central Valley are located within 
this unit (criterion 1) (Holland 1998).
    The Merced Unit is located midway in a chain of vernal pool 
complexes that straddles the valley floor and the foothills of the 
southern Sierra Nevada. Forty percent of vernal pool habitats in the 
Southern Sierra Foothill vernal pool region are found within this unit 
(criterion 1). This unit helps to maintain connectivity between vernal 
pool fairy shrimp habitats on the valley floor and habitats to the 
north and south of the Merced Unit (criterion 4).
    A majority of vernal pool habitat in the Merced Unit is in Merced 
County. The eastern edge of the unit overlaps into Mariposa County. 
Bear Creek flows along the southern boundary of the unit, crossing 
through it in several locations. The City of Merced is south of the 
unit, Bear Reservoir is southeast of the unit, and the Castle Airport 
is located outside of the southwest boundary. The northern boundary 
parallels the Merced River. The entire unit is located east of Highway 
99. Land ownership within the unit includes mostly private lands and 
approximately 8 ac (3 ha) of BLM lands. TNC has a total of 11,283 ac 
(4,513 ha) of conservation easements within this unit.

Unit 24B, Madera Unit, Fresno Counties (41,032 ac (16,606 ha))

    The Madera Unit contains occurrences of the species living within 
hardpan vernal pool complexes composed of numerous small pools and 
swales on mima mound topography (Holland 1998; Keeler-Wolf et al. 1998; 
CNDDB 2001). These vernal pools occur on alluvial fans and terraces. 
South of this unit, in Fresno County, these pools become less common, 
because the soils that support them are less widespread (Keeler-Wolf et 
al. 1998).
    Located in western Madera County, this unit is located between the 
Fresno River and San Joaquin River. All lands within this unit are 
privately owned. All vernal pools in this unit are located east of 
Highway 99 and the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad, extending 
east toward the low-elevation foothill region of the Sierra Nevada. 
State Route 145 bisects the unit.
    This unit consists of two subunits. Subunit A contains vernal pool 
habitats south of Millerton Lake. The western boundary of this unit is 
bordered by the San Joaquin River. Gordon Road cuts through the 
southernmost tip of the unit. Owens Mountain and Table Mountain 
Rancheria are located east of the Unit. The Friant Kern Canal crosses 
through the unit in a southeasterly direction. Subunit B is located 
mostly west of State Route 41 along Little Dry Creek and Cottonwood 
Creek.

Unit 26A, B, and C, Cross Creek Unit, Tulare and Kings Counties (7,579 
ac (3,067 ha))

    This unit contains vernal pools that support occurrences of the 
species (Holland 1998; CNDDB 2001) formed on Lewis and Youd soils (USDA 
2001). This area represents the southern extent of vernal pool fairy 
shrimp range along the eastern margin of the Central Valley, and is the 
largest contiguous vernal pool habitat in this region (criteria 1 and 
4) (Holland 1998; CNDDB 2001).
    This unit contains CDFG's Sequoia Field and Stone Corral Ecological 
Reserves in Tulare County. These reserves are one of the few vernal 
pool conservation areas in the eastern portion of the San Joaquin 
Valley, and they have been the focus of several monitoring and 
management efforts (criterion 4). Land ownership within this unit 
includes 213 ac (86 ha) of CDFG lands. All other land within this unit 
is privately owned. TNC, Tulare County, and the Sierra Los Tulares Land 
Trust have identified this area as one of the best remaining examples 
of vernal pool habitats in the region. Much of the remaining vernal 
pool habitat within Tulare County has been severely degraded and 
converted.
    This unit is comprised of three subunits. Subunit A is located in 
northwest Tulare County and contains vernal pool habitat located west 
of Seville. The Friant Kern Canal is north of the unit and the 
Cottonwood Creek Levee is south of the unit. Road 140 runs west of the 
unit. Subunit B contains vernal pools in northeastern Kings County and 
northwestern Tulare County. Highway 99 and St. Johns River cut through 
the unit in a southeasterly direction. Cross Creek and Cottonwood Creek 
cut through the unit in a southwesterly direction. Road 112 is east of 
the unit and the Lakeland Canal is west of the unit. The towns of 
Goshen and Visalia are south of the unit and Traver and London are 
north of the unit. Subunit C is known as Sequoia Field Unit and is 
located in northwestern Tulare County. This unit is south of County 
Road J36. Road 112 crosses through the western edge of the unit, Avenue 
352 crosses through the southern edge, and State Route 63 crosses 
through the eastern edge.

Unit 27A and B, Pixley Unit, Tulare County (16,706 ac (6,761 ha))

    This unit contains the largest contiguous area of habitat for the 
species in the southern portion of the San Joaquin Valley (criteria 1 
and 4) (Holland 1998; CNDDB 2001). Vernal pool fairy shrimp in this 
area occur within Northern Claypan vernal pools that tend to be 
alkaline and larger than other vernal pool fairy shrimp habitats, such 
as those found on the eastern margin of the San Joaquin Valley 
(criterion 2).
    This unit contains wintering areas for migratory waterfowl, 
shorebirds, marsh, and waterbirds in the southern San Joaquin Valley, 
and includes natural valley grasslands and developed marsh habitats 
within the Pixley National Wildlife Refuge complex (3,366 ac (1,362 
ha)) (criterion 4). Other ownership within this unit include TNC lands 
(3,274 ac (1,309 ha)). All other lands within this unit are privately 
owned. These habitats are important for migratory waterfowl that aid in 
the dispersal of vernal pool fairy shrimp and other vernal pool 
crustacean cysts (criterion 3). This unit represents one of only three 
areas designated for vernal pool fairy shrimp in the San Joaquin Valley 
vernal pool region described by Keeler-Wolf et al. (1998) (criterion 
1).
    This unit consists of two subunits that lie south of the Cities of 
Hanford and Lemoore, north of the City of Wasco, and east of the City 
of the Tulare. In addition to vernal pool fairy shrimp, western 
spadefoot toad and California tiger salamander are present within this 
unit.

[[Page 46728]]

Unit 28, San Benito County Unit, San Benito and Monterey Counties 
(118,869 (48,125 ha))

    The San Benito County Unit is located in the southwestern portion 
of San Benito County and the easternmost portion of Monterey County. 
Land ownership within this unit includes parcels that are managed by 
the BLM (3,906 ac (1,581 ha)) and State Land Commission (5 ac (2 ha)). 
All other lands within this unit are privately owned. The critical 
habitat unit perimeter is defined by the presence of low slope areas 
within watershed boundaries that are known to contain vernal pool 
habitats and the primary constituent elements for vernal pool fairy 
shrimp to occur. This unit consists of a distinct collection of 
ephemerally flooded wetlands west of the Great Central Valley, and 
overlaps a portion of the Central Coast vernal pool region that has 
been delineated by CDFG (Keeler-Wolf et al. 1998). The unit contains a 
minimum of 13 vernal pool complexes that are 17 to 356 ac (7 to 144 ha) 
in size, and includes a number of unmapped vernal pools or pool 
complexes that are less than 10 ac (4 ha) in size. Systematic surveys 
designed to determine the presence and distribution of vernal pool 
fairy shrimp have not been conducted for this unit. However, the 
habitat in the 13 vernal complexes is likely to be similar to other 
local habitats that are known to contain the species. Therefore, the 
species is probably present in many of the pools in this unit. 
Conservation of vernal pools in this unit is necessary to maintain and 
restore occurrences of vernal pool fairy shrimp that are disjunct from 
other listed fairy shrimp localities in the Great Central Valley 
(criterion 1). The need for conserving vernal pool habitats within this 
unit is further highlighted by the loss of eight large vernal pool 
complexes totaling 3,155 ac (1,276 ha) outside of the critical habitat 
unit in northern San Benito County between 1994 and 2000 (Holland 
2003). Data from systematic surveys are not available for these areas, 
but the loss of such a large area of ephemeral aquatic habitat is 
symptomatic of the challenge currently facing the species.

Unit 29A, B, and C, Central Coastal Ranges Unit, Monterey and San Luis 
Obispo Counties (51,825 ac (20,974 ha))

    For the sake of clarity, the Fort Hunter Liggett subunit described 
in the proposed rule is now the Lockwood subunit in the final rule. 
This reflects the removal of Fort Hunter Liggett lands from the final 
rule. Also, the Camp Roberts subunit in the proposed rule is now the 
Bradley-San Miguel subunit in the final rule. This reflects the removal 
of Camp Roberts lands from the final critical habitat rule.
    The Central Coastal Ranges Unit includes three subunits that occur 
in Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties. The three subunits include 
areas adjacent to the town of Lockwood, the towns of Bradley and San 
Miguel, and the City of Paso Robles.
    The Lockwood subunit (29A) includes a single parcel that is located 
directly east of the Fort Hunter Liggett military base. Land ownership 
in the subunit is mostly private, and includes a 2-ac (1-ha) parcel 
managed by the BLM. Intensive surveys on Fort Hunter Liggett document 
the occurrence of listed fairy shrimp in a minimum of 65 pools within 
the base boundary (Fort Hunter Liggett 2000). The Lockwood subunit is 
present within one or more hydrologic units that contribute to the 
amount, duration, and frequency of water flow that is necessary to 
maintain seasonally flooded habitats that possess vernal pool fairy 
shrimp at Fort Hunter Liggett.
    The Bradley-San Miguel subunit (29B) consists of five separate 
parcels that are privately owned. Four of these parcels are located 
immediately adjacent to the northern or eastern boundary of the Camp 
Roberts military base, and the fifth is immediately adjacent to the 
western boundary of the base. Surveys on Camp Roberts document the 
presence of vernal pool fairy shrimp at 61 sites (Jones and Stokes 
Associates 1997a). The Bradley-San Miguel subunit is present within one 
or more hydrologic units that contribute to the amount, duration, and 
frequency of water flow that is necessary to maintain seasonally 
flooded habitats that possess vernal pool fairy shrimp on the Camp 
Roberts military base.
    The Paso Robles subunit (29C) consists of a polygon that is 2 to 15 
mi (3.2 to 24 km) northeast of the Paso Robles city boundary. All of 
the land within this subunit is privately owned. Surveys along State 
Highway 46 document the occurrence of vernal pool fairy shrimp within 
the subunit (Mitch Dallas, Catrans, pers. comm.). The Paso Robles 
subunit possesses several large vernal pool complexes that are 105-776 
ac (42-314 ha) in size. The discovery of vernal pool fairy shrimp in an 
area 4 mi (6 km) east of Paso Robles suggests that the species is 
likely to be widely dispersed in remnant vernal pools or complexes that 
still exist within the critical habitat subunit. The Paso Robles 
subunit perimeter is defined by the presence of low slope areas within 
watershed boundaries that are known to contain vernal pool fairy shrimp 
and vernal pool habitats.
    The Lockwood subunit occurs within the Central Coast vernal pool 
region that has been delineated by the CDFG (Keeler-Wolf et al. 1998), 
and the Bradley-San Miguel and Paso Robles subunits occur within the 
Carrizo vernal pool region. Conservation of vernal pools in the region 
is necessary to stabilize and recover remnant populations of vernal 
pool fairy shrimp in the central coastal county area of southern 
California (criterion 1).

Unit 30, Carrizo Plain Unit, San Luis Obispo County (25,851 ac (10,466 
ha))

    This unit contains Northern Claypan vernal pools (Sawyer and 
Keeler-Wolf 1995) in numerous shallow alkaline depressions within a 
Valley Saltbush Scrub matrix. This is the only area where vernal pool 
fairy shrimp are known from saline salt brush scrub vernal pool 
habitats (criterion 2). Many vernal pools in the region are adjacent to 
the 3,000 ac (1,214 ha) Soda Lake, the largest alkali wetland in 
central and southern California, which provides a winter haven for 
thousands of migratory birds that provide dispersal mechanisms for the 
species (criterion 3). Vernal pool fairy shrimp in the Carrizo Plain 
Unit are located 146 mi (235 km) southeast of the closest known 
occurrences at Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge in Merced County, and 
represent an unusual geographic area (criterion 1).
    The Carrizo Plain unit contains examples of native bunch grass, 
needle grass, and blue grass uplands which assist in maintaining the 
hydrology of the vernal pools and vernal pool complexes. Most of the 
habitat within this unit is part of the Carrizo Plain National 
Monument, which is administered by BLM, TNC, and CDFG for the 
protection of natural habitat (criterion 4). BLM lands within the unit 
total approximately 15,549 ac (6,293 ha) and CDFG lands total 
approximately 233 ac (93 ha). Other vernal pool habitats in the unit 
are located on private land.
    This unit includes vernal pool habitat in the interior basin of the 
Carrizo Plain. It encompasses California Valley and Soda Lake. State 
Highway 58 is located north of the unit. Most of the habitat is east of 
Soda Lake Road; however, Soda Lake Road crosses through the western 
edge of the unit in several areas. To the east, the unit is bordered by 
the San Andreas Rift Zone.

[[Page 46729]]

Unit 31, Lake Cachuma Area Unit, Santa Barbara County (20,754 ac (8,399 
ha))

    The Lake Cachuma critical habitat unit is located within a 10 mi 
(16 km) radius of the northwestern portion of Lake Cachuma in central 
Santa Barbara County. Land ownership includes the U.S. Forest Service 
(USFS) (5,434 ac (2,199 ha)) and BLM (92 ac (37 ha)). All other land 
within the unit is privately owned. The unit boundary contains four 
vernal pool complexes that are at least 10 ac (4 ha) in size (Holland 
2003); these complexes vary in size from 40 to 199 ac (16 to 81 ha). 
The unit also contains one documented occurrence of vernal pool fairy 
shrimp. Limited survey data for fairy shrimp exist for this unit. We 
believe listed fairy shrimp probably occur at several additional 
locations with suitable ephemeral aquatic habitat. A portion of the 
critical habitat unit overlaps the Santa Barbara vernal pool region 
delineated by the CDFG (Keeler-Wolf et al. 1998). The Lake Cachuma unit 
is essential for the conservation of vernal pool fairy shrimp because 
it contains seasonally flooded aquatic habitats that are located at 
least 36 mi (60 km) from other wetlands that are known to possess the 
species. Compared to most counties mentioned in this rule, Santa 
Barbara County contains a relatively small acreage of remaining vernal 
pool habitat, thereby highlighting the need to proactively manage the 
ephemeral aquatic habitats that still remain (criterion 1).

Unit 32, Ventura County Unit, Ventura County (46,531 ac (18,830 ha))

    The Ventura County Unit is located in the north-central portion of 
Ventura County. With the exception of 1,951 ac (790 ha) that are 
privately owned, all other land within this unit occurs within the Los 
Padres National Forest. Vernal pool fairy shrimp and Conservancy fairy 
shrimp co-occur at relatively high-elevation (5,500 ft (1,700 m)) 
forested sites within this unit. This combination of attributes is 
unique because these species normally occur at much lower elevations in 
grassland habitat. The critical habitat perimeter encompasses an area 
that is known to contain vernal pool and Conservancy fairy shrimp and 
isolated pools that provide habitat for both species. Few fairy shrimp 
surveys exist for this unit. However, listed fairy shrimp probably 
occur at several additional locations with suitable ephemeral aquatic 
habitat. The Ventura County Unit is essential for the conservation of 
vernal pool fairy shrimp because it contains ephemeral aquatic 
environments that are rarely associated with fairy shrimp, and the 
occupied sites are disjunct from others, in that they are located at 
least 36 mi (60 km) from the closest known site (criteria 1 and 2).

Vernal Pool Tadpole Shrimp

    Vernal pool tadpole shrimp occurrences are known from Shasta County 
to Tulare County, California, with an elevational variation of near 3 m 
(10 ft) to near 150 m (500 ft). The vernal pool types and soils 
associated with areas of concentration of vernal pool tadpole shrimp 
differ greatly across the geographic range of the species; these 
differences lead to different species compositions and environmental 
conditions between vernal pool tadpole shrimp occurrences. Providing 
for a mosaic of habitat types and conditions both between and among 
vernal pool species is essential because it would include the full 
extent of the physical and environmental conditions for the species 
(Barclay and Knight 1984; Bauder and McMillan 1998; Fugate 1992 and 
1998; Gonzales et al. 1996, Noss et al. 2002a, Noss et al. 2002b; 
Platenkamp 1998; Zedler et al. 1979). The soils that contain 
occurrences of vernal pool tadpole shrimp in the delineated units vary 
significantly throughout the species' range. In the north, the rare 
Northern Mudflow formation underlies vernal pools in Shasta and Tehema 
Counties. Tehema and Butte Counties contain Northern Basalt Flow vernal 
pools that are limited to ancient terraces and hilltops that comprise 
some of the oldest geologic formations in California. Northern Volcanic 
Mudflow vernal pools are delineated in Butte and Yuba Counties. 
Throughout the Central Valley, the habitat ranges from high terrace 
landforms to claypan and hardpan pool types. Northern Basalt Flow 
vernal pools are found in Fresno County in the low elevation foothills. 
In the Suisun Marsh area, vernal pool tadpole shrimp are found in the 
saline-alkaline transition zone. The parent material of vernal pools 
greatly influences species composition and hydrologic functioning of 
the vernal pool (Hanes and Stromberg 1998; Holland and Jain 1981, 
1988). Soils beneath vernal pools are extremely variable and are not 
the same as soils mapped by soil surveys, but are usually undescribed 
hydric inclusions which vary upon location (Holland and Dain 1990). The 
primary constituent elements of critical habitat for vernal pool 
tadpole shrimp are the habitat components that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths that typically become 
inundated during winter rains and hold water for sufficient lengths of 
time necessary for vernal pool tadpole shrimp incubation, reproduction, 
dispersal, feeding, and sheltering, but which are dry during the summer 
and do not necessarily fill with water every year, including but not 
limited to, vernal pools on Redding and Corning soils on high terrace 
landforms, and
    (ii) The geographic, topographic, and edaphic features that support 
aggregations or systems of hydrologically interconnected pools, swales, 
and other ephemeral wetlands and depressions within a matrix of 
surrounding uplands that together form hydrologically and ecologically 
functional units called vernal pool complexes. These features 
contribute to the filling and drying of the vernal pool and maintain 
suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and soil moisture 
for vernal pool crustacean hatching, growth and reproduction, and 
dispersal, but not necessarily every year.

Unit 1, Stillwater Plains Unit, Shasta County (3,538 ac (1,432 ha))

    This unit contains the species (CNDDB 2002) within vernal pools 
mapped by Holland (1998) that are found on old alluvial terraces above 
the Sacramento River, often on Redding and Corning soil complexes 
(Shasta County 2001). Generally, these pools range in size from small 
(30 ft 2 (10 m2)) to several acres (hectares) in 
size at the Stillwater Plains area. This unit is geographically 
important because it comprises the northern extent of the species range 
in California (criterion 1). The vernal pool tadpole shrimp within this 
unit were found to be genetically different from other populations, 
particularly those in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada (King 1996).
    This unit is located in the area east of the Redding Municipal 
Airport between Airport Road to the west and Deschutes Road to the 
east. The unit is north of Dersch Road and south of Lassen Park 
Highway. This unit comprises a portion of the Stillwater Plains. This 
unit includes the Stillwater Plains Conservation Bank. Most of the land 
included within this unit is privately owned, but 130 ac (52 ha) of 
that is protected by WRP easements or agreements. The BLM owns 42 ac 
(17 ha).

Unit 2, Dales Unit, Shasta and Tehama Counties (33,975 ac (13,750 ha))

    This unit is ecologically important because it is one of the few 
areas where vernal pool tadpole shrimp are known

[[Page 46730]]

to occur in Northern Mudflow vernal pools (criterion 2). Northern 
Mudflow vernal pools are generally small and tend to be inundated for 
relatively short periods of time (Keeler-Wolf et al. 1998). This unit 
contains some of the largest remaining vernal pool complexes supporting 
vernal pool tadpole shrimp in the northern portion of the species' 
range, including the Dales Plains. These areas provide relatively 
undisturbed, hydrologically intact vernal pool habitats that will 
likely continue to support natural vernal pool ecosystem processes and 
maintain suitable habitat conditions for vernal pool tadpole shrimp 
(criterion 4). The unit also provides habitat for migratory waterfowl 
that aid in the dispersal of vernal pool tadpole shrimp and other 
vernal pool crustacean cysts (criterion 3).
    The Dales Unit is located in northern Tehema County. A portion of 
the unit overlaps into Shasta County. The vernal pool habitats west of 
Inskip Hill are included in this unit, as well as the area west of the 
Sacramento River known as Table Mountain and Table Mountain Lake. Land 
ownership within this unit includes BLM (14,826 ac (6,000 ha)) and 
State lands 709 ac (287 ha). CDFG administers approximately 42 ac (17 
ha) and TNC has conservation easements on 15,575 ac (6,230 ha) within 
this unit. The remaining lands are privately owned.

Unit 3, Vina Plains Unit, Tehama and Butte Counties (31,195 ac (12,916 
ha))

    This unit is ecologically important (criterion 2) because it is one 
of the few areas where vernal pool tadpole shrimp are known to occur in 
Northern Basalt Flow vernal pools. Northern Basalt Flow vernal pools 
are limited to ancient terraces and hilltops that comprise some of the 
oldest geologic formations in California. This unit also provides 
habitat for migratory waterfowl that aid in the dispersal of vernal 
pool tadpole shrimp and other vernal pool crustacean cysts (criterion 
3).
    This unit is located in the northeastern portion of the Sacramento 
Valley, from south of Deer Creek in Tehama County to Big Chico Creek 
north of Chico in Butte County. The unit is geographically important 
(criterion 1) because it is one of only two vernal pool tadpole shrimp 
units within the Northeastern Sacramento Valley vernal pool region 
identified by CDFG (Keeler-Wolf et al. 1998). The unit extends south 
and east of the Sacramento River, paralleling the low-elevation 
foothill region of the Sierra Nevada. A majority of the lands included 
within this unit are privately owned. This unit may be more likely to 
support the species over time (criterion 4) because it includes 
protected areas such as TNC's Vina Plains preserve as well as other TNC 
lands 5,660 (2,264 ha) and conservation easements 10,870 ac (4,348 ha). 
The unit also includes 142 ac (57 ha) of private lands protected by WRP 
easements or agreements.

Unit 6, Dolan Unit, Colusa County (980 ac (397 ha))

    This unit, like Unit 5, is noteworthy for its Northern Claypan 
vernal pools, as defined by Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf (1995). These vernal 
pools occur on alkaline soils and typically form alkali playas which 
are larger and contain a more diverse species composition than the 
hardpan pools further south (criterion 2) (Keeler-Wolf et al. 1998). 
They may display white salt deposits following pool drying.
    This unit occurs east of Interstate 5, south of the City of Colusa, 
and west of the Colusa National Wildlife Refuge. All the lands within 
this unit are privately owned. This unit is primarily located on the 
Dolan Ranch Conservation bank.

Unit 7, Beale Unit, Yuba County (1,324 ac (536 ha))

    The Beale Unit is ecologically important (criterion 2) because it 
contains vernal pool grasslands occurring on four major geologic 
formations: the Modesto Formation; the Riverbank Formation; the Laguna 
Formation; and the Mehrten Formation. Different geologic formations 
provide a diversity of habitats for vernal pool tadpole shrimp 
primarily through their effects on pool size and depth (Helm 1998; 
Platenkamp 1998). King (1996) found that vernal pool tadpole shrimp 
within this unit were genetically different from occurrences in other 
portions of the species' range, particularly those on the floor of the 
Central Valley. This unit is also important because it can help 
maintain an opportunity for long-distance dispersal of vernal pool 
tadpole shrimp cysts (criterion 3); the nearest unit to the north is 
over 28 mi (45 km) away, and the nearest unit to the south is over 40 
mi (65 km) away.
    The Beale Unit is located in southwestern Yuba County, south of the 
Yuba River and Yuba Goldfields, east of State Route 70, and north of 
the Bear River adjacent to Beale AFB. All the lands within this unit 
are privately owned.

Unit 9, Cosumnes Unit, Sacramento, Amador, and San Joaquin Counties 
(26,754 ac (10,827 ha))

    This unit is geographically important because it contains over 30 
percent of the remaining vernal pool habitats in the southern 
Sacramento Valley area (Holland 1998; Sacramento County 1999). It is 
also ecologically noteworthy (criterion 2) because it includes a 
diversity of pool types occupied by the species, including Northern 
Volcanic Mudflow vernal pools on the Mehrten and Valley Springs 
geologic formation overlain by Pardee and Pentz soils, vernal pools 
occurring on low terrace landforms associated with San Joaquin soils, 
and high terrace landforms associated with Redding and Corning soils 
(USDA 2001). This area has been identified by the Sacramento Valley 
Open Space Conservancy, the CNPS, and TNC as an excellent example of 
vernal pool grasslands, supporting a rich and diverse community of 
vernal pool endemic plants and animals within Sacramento County. King 
(1996) found that vernal pool tadpole shrimp within this unit were 
genetically most similar to those in Stanislaus County and nearby in 
Sacramento County. However, vernal pool tadpole shrimp within this unit 
were generally different from occurrences at other sites sampled 
throughout the species' range and were very different from vernal pool 
tadpole shrimp sampled at sites found further to the west on the floor 
of the Central Valley for example, at Jepson Prairie or the Kesterson 
Unit of the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge (King 1996).
    This unit contains State and federally owned land, as well as 
private properties. Portions of the Cosumnes River Preserve occur 
within this unit. These areas provide habitat for migratory waterfowl 
and other avian species that aid in the dispersal of vernal pool 
tadpole shrimp and other vernal pool crustacean cysts (criterion 3). 
Several large, diverse, vernal pool landscapes are protected within 
this unit (criterion 4), including the Howard Ranch and Valensin Ranch. 
The Clay Station Mitigation Bank, Laguna Creek Mitigation Bank, and the 
Borden Ranch Mitigation site are included in this unit, as well as a 
number of smaller conservation areas, including the Rancho Seco 
Preserve.
    This unit occupies the area south of Deer Creek and the Cosumnes 
River to an area just south of the Sacramento and San Joaquin County. 
The eastern boundary is the low-elevation foothills of western Amador 
County. The western limit is the Sacramento River. Land ownership and 
protection within the unit includes TNC (9,970 ac (3,988 ha)) lands and 
WRP easements (11 ac (4 ha)).

[[Page 46731]]

Unit 10, Davis Communications Annex Unit, Yolo County (440 ac (178 ha))

    This unit is ecologically important (criterion 2) because it 
contains claypan vernal pools, which are generally larger and stay 
inundated for relatively longer periods than vernal pools on alluvial 
terraces or volcanic mudflows and lava flows. This unit is essential to 
the species because it represents some of the last remaining claypan 
vernal pools in Yolo County and west of the Sacramento River.
    This unit is located southeast of the City of Davis and south of 
the South Fork of Putah Creek. This unit's western boundary coincides 
with the Solano and Yolo County line. The unit contains land owned by 
Yolo County. This unit contains DoD (1,258 ac (310 ha)) owned land.

Unit 13, Stanislaus Unit, Stanislaus County (16,323 ac (6,606 ha))

    This unit contains hardpan pools on soils of alluvial fans and 
terraces. It is important ecologically (criterion 2) for its numerous 
small pools and swales on mima mound topography, supported by soils 
that are typically older than those of the alluvial terraces in the 
Sacramento area. The unit is also geographically important (criterion 
1) because it contains almost 25 percent of vernal pool habitats found 
along the eastern margin of the San Joaquin Valley. King (1996) found 
that vernal pool tadpole shrimp within this unit, although similar to 
vernal pool tadpole shrimp in eastern Sacramento County, were 
genetically different from other tadpole shrimp occurrences sampled 
throughout the species' range, particularly those on the floor of the 
Central Valley. The Stanislaus Unit contains very high quality, 
hydrologically intact vernal pool complexes likely to persist over time 
(criterion 4), including the well-known Hickman pools in Stanislaus 
County.
    The Stanislaus Unit is bordered by the Stanislaus River to the 
north and Dry Creek to the south and southeast in western Stanislaus 
County. All the land within this unit is privately owned.

Unit 14, San Francisco Bay Unit, Alameda and Santa Clara Counties (802 
ac (325 ha))

    This unit is geographically important (criterion 1) because it 
represents the only location where vernal pool tadpole shrimp occur in 
the San Francisco Bay region, and because it represents the western 
extent of the species range. The unit is over 37 mi (60 km) from the 
nearest unit to the north, and over 56 mi (90 km) from the nearest 
units to the east and south. Vernal pool tadpole shrimp within this 
unit are found in a unique tidal marsh estuary area that represents an 
unusual habitat type for the species (criterion 2).
    This unit is situated south of the cities of Fremont and Newark, 
west of Interstate 880 and north of Mud Slough. Portions of this unit 
are particularly likely to persist over time (criterion 4) because they 
occur within the boundaries of San Francisco Bay National Wildlife 
Refuge. This unit also includes a preserve established as a 
conservation measure for vernal pool tadpole shrimp as part of the 
Pacific Commons development project (Service 2000b).

Unit 15, Merced Unit, Merced and Mariposa Counties (61,379 ac (24,840 
ha))

    This unit is important for the conservation of the species because 
it contains more documented occurrences of the species than any other 
area throughout the species' range (criterion 1) (CNDDB 2001). The 
Merced Unit contains almost 15 percent of all remaining vernal pool 
habitats in the Central Valley, and 40 percent of vernal pool habitats 
along the eastern margin of the San Joaquin Valley (Holland 1998). The 
vernal pool tadpole shrimp in this unit occur in the largest block of 
pristine, high-density vernal pool grasslands remaining in California 
(Vollmar 1999). These vernal pools support multiple large vernal pool 
tadpole shrimp occurrences that are capable of producing large numbers 
of cysts in good years, which is important for this species to survive 
through a variety of natural and environmental changes, as well as 
stochastic events (criterion 4). Genetic analyses of vernal pool 
tadpole shrimp revealed that occurrences in this unit are genetically 
different from other sampled occurrences (King 1996). Of all 
occurrences studied, King (1996) found these to be the most highly 
divergent.
    A majority of the vernal pool habitat in the Merced Unit is in 
Merced County. The eastern edge of the unit generally follows the 
Mariposa County line. The Chowchilla River in Madera County flows along 
the southern boundary of the unit. The northern boundary parallels the 
Merced River. The entire unit is located east of Highway 99. As part of 
TNC's Merced Grasslands Project, approximately 20,288 ac (8,210 ha) of 
vernal pool habitat in this unit have been conserved through the 
establishment of conservation easements.

Unit 17, Table Mountain Unit, Fresno County (1,802 ac (729 ha))

    This unit contains Northern Basalt Flow vernal pools found on 
narrow, sinuous basalt mesas above the surrounding low-lying terrain. 
Basalt flow vernal pools are a very rare habitat type for vernal pool 
tadpole shrimp, and the habitats within this unit are important for 
maintaining the range of ecological conditions in which the species 
occurs (criterion 2). They typically contain small, irregularly 
clustered pools with ``flashy hydrology'' (Keeler-Wolf et al. 1998). 
The occurrences of vernal pool tadpole shrimp in this unit are 
genetically different from occurrences in other portions of the 
species' range, particularly those occurring on the floor of the 
Central Valley (King 1996).
    Located in Fresno County, this unit contains vernal pool habitats 
east and south of the San Joaquin River and east of Millerton Lake. The 
unit is west of Marshall Station and North of Table Mountain Rancheria. 
Table Mountain occurs within this unit, and land ownership within the 
unit includes BLM (190 ac (77 ha)), CDFG lands (419 ac (170 ha)), and 
TNC conservation easements (639 ac (256 ha)). All other lands within 
this unit are privately owned.

Unit 18A, B and C, Tulare Unit, Tulare County (7,579 ac (3,067 ha))

    This unit contributes to the conservation of the species because it 
contains pools formed on San Joaquin, Cometa, and Madera soils, among 
others (criterion 2). The unit is geographically essential (criterion 
1) because it represents the southern extent of the vernal pool tadpole 
shrimp's range. The unit is essential because it maintains the genetic 
diversity of the species. The Sequoia Field occurrence was most closely 
related to occurrences at Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge, and was 
generally more similar to other occurrences on the valley floor than 
occurrences found on the eastern margin of the valley in the Sierra 
Nevada Foothills. However, King (1996) found that vernal pool tadpole 
shrimp within this unit were genetically different from other 
populations studied.
    This unit is comprised of three subunits located in northwest 
Tulare County. CDFG manages vernal pool habitats at the Stone Corral 
and Sequoia Field Ecological Reserves found within this unit. Keeler-
Wolf et al. (1998) identified the vernal pools in these areas as 
``high-quality hardpan pools.'' Much of the area within this unit is 
owned by

[[Page 46732]]

CDFG (212 ac (86 ha)) or occurs on private land.

Limnanthes floccosa ssp. californica

    Butte County meadowfoam is found in four general areas of 
concentration in a narrow band from south to north of Chico, 
California. The vernal pool types and soils associated with the four 
general areas of concentration of Butte County meadowfoam include those 
vernal pools on Tuscan formation or terraced-alluvials with mostly 
Anita, Riverbank, Redbluff, Modesto, and Redding soils. The habitat 
associated with Butte County Meadowfoam includes saturated soils and 
pools with a ``flashy'' (short lived) inundation period. A vernal 
pool's parent material greatly influences that pool's species 
composition and hydrologic functioning (Hanes and Stromberg 1998; 
Holland and Jain 1981, 1988). Soils beneath vernal pools are extremely 
variable and are not the same as soils mapped by soil surveys, but are 
usually undescribed hydric inclusions that vary upon location (Holland 
and Dain 1990).
    Butte County Meadowfoam is found more often within the swale system 
between vernal pools than in the pools themselves (Jokerst 1989). The 
swale habitat forms a branch or net-like pattern between the vernal 
pools and around mound topography and connects the vernal pools 
hydrologically. These swale systems are inundated by surface flow and 
post-storm runoff from adjacent areas and have a greater variability in 
environmental conditions than do the vernal pools. The swale systems 
also have different species compositions, depending on parent soil and 
moisture regime (Holland and Jain 1981, 1988; Jokerst 1989). Butte 
County meadowfoam at the southern extent of its range occurs on 
volcanic mudflows with Corning variant soils. Occurrences near Chico 
are on formations of eroded mudflow formations. Butte County meadowfoam 
in the northern extent of the species range occur on very shallow 
Tuscan formation soils (Dole 1988). All four areas designated as 
critical habitat have a different species composition, depending on 
soil and hydrologic conditions. We believe that providing for a mosaic 
of habitat types both between and among vernal pool species is 
essential because it would include the full extent of the physical and 
environmental conditions for the species (Dole 1988; Fugate 1992; 
Fugate 1998; Gonzales et al.1996; Ikeda and Schlising 1990; Noss et al. 
2002a; Platenkamp 1998; Zedler et al. 1979). The primary constituent 
elements of critical habitat for Limnanthes floccosa ssp. californica 
are the habitat components that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Limnanthes floccosa ssp. 
californica germination, growth and reproduction, including but not 
limited to vernal pool swales and the margins of vernal pools on the 
Tuscan, Redbluff, Riverbank, and Modesto geologic formations underlain 
by Tuscan-Anita and Igo-Redding complex soils, among others. These 
habitats typically become inundated during winter rains, but are dry 
during the summer and do not necessarily fill with water every year; 
and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Limnanthes floccosa ssp. californica germination, 
growth and reproduction, and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.

Unit 1, Rock Creek Unit, Butte, and Tehama Counties (15,086 ac (6,105 
ha))

    This unit contains the species identified by CNDDB (2002) within 
vernal pools on the Tuscan formation, which are ecologically noteworthy 
(criterion 2) because they typically contain water for shorter periods 
of time than other types of vernal pools. The unit is also 
geographically important (criterion 1) because it represents the 
northern extent of Limnanthes floccosa ssp. californica's range, and 
because it represents one of only four areas where L. f. ssp. 
californica occurs throughout its entire range. Each unit is likely 
important to allow the species to tolerate natural and environmental 
changes, as well as stochastic events. The unit includes occurrences 
from the northern race of L. f. ssp. californica. This race is 
genetically different from the southern race (Jokerst 1989; Dole and 
Sun 1992) and is important to maintain genetic diversity within the 
species. An introduced occurrence, thought to be of the southern race, 
also occurs within this unit.
    This unit for Limnanthes floccosa ssp. californica occupies an area 
north of the City of Chico and includes vernal pool habitats east of 
Highway 99 along the Sierra foothills from near Pine Creek southeast to 
Rock Creek. All the lands within this unit are privately owned.

Lasthenia conjugens

    Contra Costa goldfields occurrences are found in five centers of 
concentration in the northern and central Coast Range and western part 
of the Central Valley in Solano and Contra Costa County. By far the 
greatest concentration of this species is in the area east of Fairfield 
in Solano County. Contra Costa goldfields normally are found in vernal 
pools, swales, moist flats, and depressions within open grassy areas of 
woodland and valley grassland habitats. However, several historical 
collections were from populations growing in the saline-alkaline 
transition zone between vernal pools and tidal marshes on the eastern 
margin of the San Francisco Bay (CNDDB 2002).
    Although some of the habitat characteristics of the species are 
known, specific pool characteristics that determine suitability for 
Contra Costa goldfields germination, growth, reproduction, and 
dispersal are not well understood. Contra Costa goldfields normally is 
observed in only a few of the pools within the vernal pool complexes in 
which it is found, and the pool characteristics that determine 
suitability for Contra Costa goldfields germination and growth are 
unknown. By overlapping known occurrences of Contra Costa goldfields 
with appropriate soil types, elevations, slopes, vegetation community 
associations, and vernal pool types, where we know Contra Costa 
goldfields to occur, we have designated what we believe is the likely 
distribution of the seed bank around Contra Costa goldfield 
occurrences. Due to the species' highly restricted nature and disjunct 
distribution, the long-term survival of Contra Costa goldfields depends 
upon the protection and management of all extant populations and their 
associated seed banks, and the maintenance of ecological functions 
within and between these populations. The primary constituent elements 
of critical habitat for Lasthenia conjugens are the habitat components 
that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, moist flats, and other ephemeral wetlands 
and depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Lasthenia conjugens 
germination, growth, and reproduction, including, but not limited to, 
vernal pools on clay soils from a variety of soils series, rock outcrop 
pools on basalt flows, and vernal pools in saline alkaline transition 
zones with tidal marsh habitats. All of these habitats typically become

[[Page 46733]]

inundated during winter rains, but are dry during the summer and do not 
necessarily fill with water every year; and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Lasthenia conjugens germination, growth and 
reproduction, and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.

Unit 1, Manchester Unit, Mendocino County (2,637 ac (1,067 ha))

    This unit for Lasthenia conjugens contains the habitat essential 
for the species and is geographically noteworthy (criterion 1) for its 
location at the northern and western limit of the species' range (CNDDB 
2002). It represents the only occurrence of L. conjugens in the 
Mendocino coast area, and is over 87 mi (140 km) from the closest L. 
conjugens unit to the south. The unit is also ecologically important 
(criterion 2) because it is the only location where L. conjugens has 
been found on Crispin loam soils. Some of the vernal pool habitats on 
this site were last surveyed in 1987, and L. conjugens was not observed 
at that time (CNDDB 2002). However, the essential habitat requirements 
for the species still remain and represent an example of the varying 
habitat types on which the species occurs.
    This unit is on private land and is located in the vicinity of the 
town of Manchester just north of the Garcia River and east of the 
Pacific Ocean. State Highway 1 bisects this unit and Brushy Creek forms 
the northern and northeastern boundary.

Unit 2, Berryessa Unit, Napa County (1,016 ac (411 ha))

    This unit is ecologically noteworthy for its rock outcrop pools on 
soils derived from Rhyolite lava flows, within chaparral ecosystems 
(Holland 1998; USDA 2001; CNDDB 2002). This is also the only unit where 
Lasthenia conjugens occurs on Northern Basalt Flow vernal pools, making 
the area important to maintain the range of habitats in which the 
species is known to occur (criterion 2). The unit is geographically 
important (criterion 1) because it represents some of the last 
remaining vernal pool habitats in the north bay foothills, and is the 
only unit for L. conjugens in this area. This unit is over 15 mi (25 
km) from the nearest L. conjugens unit.
    This unit is located south of Lake Berryessa and lies in the 
Milliken Canyon area east of the City of Yountville and northeast of 
the City of Napa. All the lands within this unit are privately owned.

Unit 3, Napa River Unit, Napa County (678 ac (275 ha))

    Vernal pools in which Lasthenia conjugens are found in this unit 
occur on Hambright rock-outcrop complex soils. This is the only 
location where L. conjugens is found on this soil type (criterion 2). 
This unit is located on private land and is located near the Napa River 
east of the intersection of State Route 121 and 29. All the land within 
this unit are privately owned.

Unit 6, Rodeo Creek Unit, Contra Costa County (399 ac (162 ha))

    This unit is ecologically noteworthy (criterion 2) because it 
supports occurrences of the species within vernal pool habitats formed 
on Conejo clay loam soils (USDA 2001; CNDDB 2002). It is geographically 
important (criterion 1) in that it is the only area where the species 
occurs in the vicinity of the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta (criterion 
1). This unit is over 16 mi (25 km) from the closest unit to the north, 
and almost 32 mi (50 km) from the closest unit to the south.
    The unit is situated along Rodeo Creek and adjacent to State 
Highway 4, southeast of the City of Rodeo and northeast of the City of 
Hercules. It contains a 10 ac (4 ha) conservation easement area 
established in 1999 to protect three known locations of Lasthenia 
conjugens along Rodeo Creek from highway construction activities along 
State Route 4 (criterion 4). All the lands within this unit are 
privately owned.

Unit 7, Byron Hot Springs Unit, Contra Costa County (3,284 ac (1,329 
ha))

    This unit is geographically noteworthy (criterion 1) because it 
contains the only remaining extant occurrence of Lasthenia conjugens in 
southeastern Contra Costa County (CNDDB 2001). This occurrence is 
located in vernal pools formed on Linne clay loam soils, and has been 
characterized as alkaline meadow, a unique habitat type for the species 
(criterion 2) (USDA 2001; CNDDB 2002). This unit is over 22 mi (35 km) 
from the closest unit to the north, and almost 32 mi (50 km) from the 
closest unit to the south.
    This unit is in the vicinity of Byron Hot Springs and Byron Airport 
and lies directly west of Clifton Court Forebay. This unit includes 
habitat in low-lying areas east of the Altamont Hills, but also 
includes habitat within a small portion of Altamont Hills. 
Approximately 99 ac (40 ha) within this unit are owned by the State and 
the rest is privately owned.

Unit 8, Southeastern San Francisco Bay Unit, Alameda and Santa Clara 
Counties (802 ac (325 ha))

    This unit contains occurrences of this species within vernal pools, 
swales, moist flats, and other ephemeral wetlands in saline alkaline 
transition zones with tidal marsh habitats, an ecologically unusual 
habitat for the species (criterion 2) (Holland 1998; CNDDB 2002). The 
southern and western boundaries of the unity were delineated to exclude 
estuarine habitats and urban areas visible on SPOT imagery.
    The unit includes a 450-ac (180-ha) preserve established 
specifically to contribute to the recovery of Lasthenia conjugens 
(Wetland Research Associates 1999; Service 2000b). Additionally, 425 ac 
(172 ha) of this unit is on the San Francisco Bay National Wildlife 
Refuge, and is therefore more likely to persist over time (criterion 
4). The unit is relatively isolated geographically (criterion 1), being 
over 31 mi (50 km) from the nearest units to the north, and almost 62 
mi (100 km) from the nearest L. conjugens unit to the south.
    The unit occurs in southeastern San Francisco Bay and also 
represents Unit 14 for vernal pool tadpole shrimp. It lies between the 
northernmost and southernmost subunits and is situated south of the 
cities of Fremont and Newark and north of Mud Slough. Portions of this 
unit are found within the boundaries of San Francisco Bay National 
Wildlife Refuge and the rest is privately owned.

Unit 9, Fort Ord Unit, Monterey County (6,878 ac (2,784 ha))

    The Fort Ord Unit encompasses the southernmost remaining occurrence 
of the species, located 62 mi (100 km) from its next closest neighbor 
to the north (criterion 1). It contains seasonally flooded pool habitat 
and mima mound grassland areas within the former Fort Ord army base. 
These lands are currently owned and managed by the Army and BLM. The 
Army will eventually divest itself of all of the land it manages. It is 
likely BLM will receive the majority of the land that is scheduled for 
transfer; all or a major portion of this land will be managed as

[[Page 46734]]

a Natural Resource Management Area, which will increase the chances of 
the habitat and population persisting over time (criterion 4). 
Population sizes of Lasthenia conjugens at two locations within the 
Fort Ord Unit are monitored and have been found to vary on an annual 
basis. These differences may be due to variations in annual rainfall 
and duration of ponded water (Harding Lawson Associates 2001). The 
combined population estimates for both areas where monitoring occurred 
in 1998, 1999, and 2000 were 500-1500; 56,000; and 162,500 individuals, 
respectively. The Federal government owns 6,874 ac (2,782 ha), the 
State owns 4 ac (2 ha), and the rest is privately owned.

Chamaesyce hooveri

    Hoover's spurge is found in naturally occurring widely scattered 
vernal pool complexes in a narrow zone of rolling topography and 
remnant alluvial fans and stream terraces at the base of the Sierra 
Nevada foothills and two locations in alkali sink areas at the 
Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge and San Luis National Wildlife 
Refuge Complex in three general areas of concentration in Tehama, 
Butte, Glenn, Colusa, Stanislaus, Merced, and Tulare Counties in the 
Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys (CNDDB 2002, Stone et al. 1988). The 
elevation of these areas of concentration varies from near 15 m (50 ft) 
to near 150 m (500 ft). Conserving a broad geographic range of Hoover's 
spurge across its geographical and elevational distribution protects 
the natural environmental processes for the species and provides the 
best chance for retaining the species across the full extent of the 
species' range. The vernal pool types and soils associated with the six 
areas of concentration of Hoover's spurge differ greatly across the 
geographic range of the species; these differences lead to different 
species compositions and environmental conditions between Hoover's 
spurge occurrences. Providing for a mosaic of habitat types both 
between and among vernal pool species occurrences is essential to the 
species' conservation because it would include the full extent of the 
physical and environmental conditions for the species (Fugate 1992; 
Fugate 1998; Gonzales et al.1996; Ikeda and Schlising 1990; Noss et al. 
2002a; Platenkamp 1998; Zedler et al. 1979).
    The distribution of Hoover's spurge reflects a diversity of vernal 
pool habitat types that provide habitat for the species on the alluvial 
fans and old stream terraces of the Sierra Nevada foothills. Vernal 
pool complexes that provide suitable habitat for this species include 
three different physiographic and edaphic settings--old high and lower 
old stream terrace areas with soils having an iron-silica hardpan and 
sites with shallow soils underlain by cemented tufaceous alluvium. The 
Tehama County occurrences of Hoover's spurge are associated with 
slightly to medium acid soils of the Tuscan and Anita soil series that 
are underlain by an iron-silica cemented hardpan (Broyles 1987). The 
Glenn and Colusa County occurrences at the Sacramento National Wildlife 
Refuge are associated with alkaline vernal pools on Willows and Riz 
soil types (Holland 1998; Silveira 2000; CNDDB 2002). The Stanislaus 
County occurrences are associated with neutral to slightly alkaline 
claypan soils of the Meikle series that formed in small drainages of 
Pleistocene alluvium. The Merced County occurrences in the Arena Plains 
are within saline-alkaline vernal pools on Lewis soils (USDA 2001; 
CNDDB 2002). The Tulare County occurrences are associated with lime-
silica cemented hardpan and low-terrace neutral to slightly alkaline 
soils of the Madera soil series. Not all areas of Hoover's spurge have 
been identified as to the specific soil series or soil mapping units on 
which they occur. Many of the occupied vernal pools vary in size from 
1,900 m\2\ (20,520 ft\2\) to 250 ha (618 ac). A vernal pool's parent 
material greatly influences the pool's species composition and 
hydrologic functioning (Hanes and Stromberg 1998; Holland and Jain 
1981, 1988). Soils beneath vernal pools are extremely variable and are 
not the same as soils mapped by soil surveys, but are usually 
undescribed hydric inclusions that vary upon location (Holland and Dain 
1990). Field observations suggest that Hoover's spurge is restricted to 
specific microsites within the vernal pools and may behave somewhat 
independently, depending on environmental and edaphic conditions and 
are likely locally adapted (Alexander and Schlising 1997; Stone et al. 
1988; Vollmar 2002). The primary constituent elements of critical 
habitat for Chamaesyce hooveri are the habitat components that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Chamaesyce hooveri 
germination, growth, and reproduction, including but not limited to, 
vernal pools formed on neutral to saline-alkaline soils over lime-
silica cemented hardpan or claypan, or on acidic soils over iron-silica 
cemented hardpan, that typically become inundated during winter rains, 
but are dry during the summer and do not necessarily fill with water 
every year; and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Chamaesyce hooveri germination, growth and 
reproduction, and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.

Unit 1, Vina Plains Unit, Tehama and Butte Counties (25,102 ac (10,159 
ha))

    This unit, along with Unit 2, is ecologically unusual (criterion 2) 
in that it supports numerous occurrences of the species within vernal 
pools on acidic soils over iron-silica cemented hardpan, including 
Anita and Tuscan soils (Holland 1998; USDA 2001; CNDDB 2002). The Vina 
Plains Unit is also geographically important (criterion 1) because it 
contains over 50 percent of the known occurrences of Chamaesyce 
hooveri, including several large, stable occurrences (CNDDB 2002), and 
because it represents the northern extent of the species' range.
    The unit for Chamaesyce hooveri occupies the area south of Toomes 
Creek and north of Pine Creek to near Cana Highway in southeast Tehema 
County and northwest Butte County. State Route 99 bisects this unit and 
the western boundary generally parallels the Southern Pacific Railway 
line. This unit contains TNC's 4,600 (1,862 ha) Vina Plains preserve, 
making occurrences in the unit more likely to persist over time 
(criterion 4). The majority of the lands included within this unit are 
privately owned. Property ownership and protection within this unit 
includes CDFG (0.4 ha (1 ac)), CDFG administration (1 ac (0.4 ha), TNC 
(5,738 (2,295 ha), TNC easements (11,653 ac (4,661 ha), and WRP 
easements and agreements (142 ac (57 ha)).

Unit 4, Waterford Unit, Stanislaus and Tuolumne Counties (39,038 ac 
(15,799 ha))

    This unit supports Chamaesyce hooveri occurrences within vernal 
pools on Whitney sandy loam soils (USDA 2001; CNDDB 2002), which are 
not otherwise well represented (criterion 2). These soils are typically 
older than those of the alluvial terraces in the Sacramento area, which 
are estimated to

[[Page 46735]]

be of early Pleistocene origin. The Waterford Unit contains very high 
quality, hydrologically intact vernal pool complexes important for the 
conservation of C. hooveri (criterion 4). The unit is located primarily 
in southeastern Stanislaus County, extending on its eastern border into 
the low elevation foothills of the Sierra Nevada in Tuolumne County. It 
is geographically noteworthy (criterion 1) because known occurrences of 
C. hooveri are sparsely distributed in the southern Sierra Nevada 
foothills, and because these occurrences are highly disjunct from 
occurrences of the species in the northern portion of its range. This 
unit is over 140 mi (225 km) from the nearest units to the north. CDFG 
administers approximately (2 ac (0.8 ha), and the remaining land within 
this unit is privately owned.

Unit 5, Turlock Unit, Stanislaus and Merced Counties (35,508 ac (14,370 
ha))

    This unit contains occurrences of the species within large vernal 
pools on Meikle soils, including two of the seven known occurrences of 
Chamaesyce hooveri on the eastern margin of the San Joaquin Valley 
(Holland 1998; CNDDB 2002). The unit also includes an occurrence of C. 
hooveri within the well-known Hickman pools in Stanislaus County. Not 
only does the Hickman pool complex contain one of the largest vernal 
lakes in California at more than 300 ac (121 ha), but it also exhibits 
tremendous biodiversity (criterion 2) (Medeiros 2002).
    The Turlock Unit contains large intact and contiguous vernal pool 
grassland areas that help maintain connectivity between Chamaesyce 
hooveri habitat to the north and south (criterion 3). There are 
numerous vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths in this unit to sustain C. 
hooveri germination, growth, and reproduction. Chamaesyce hooveri 
populations in Stanislaus County typically flower from mid-June into 
October, whereas those in central Merced and Tulare Counties typically 
flower from late May through July (Alexander and Schlising 1997). The 
C. hooveri habitat in this unit is important to conserve phenotypic 
variation within the species and to maintain the geographic 
distribution of C. hooveri throughout its range (criteria 1 and 2). 
Vernal pools in the Turlock Unit are located in southeastern Stanislaus 
and northeastern Merced Counties. They extend from the San Joaquin 
Valley floor to the low-elevation foothills of the Sierra Nevada.

Unit 7A, B, C, and D, Tulare Unit, Tulare County (23,537 ac (9,526 ha))

    This unit is geographically important because it supports almost 20 
percent of the known occurrences of Chamaesyce hooveri (CNDDB 2002). 
This unit also comprises the southern extent of the range of the 
species. Occurrences within this unit are more than 68 mi (110 km) 
distant from the nearest C. hooveri unit to the north. Chamaesyce 
hooveri populations in Tulare County typically flower from late May 
through July, whereas those in Stanislaus and Sacramento County 
typically flower from mid-June into October (Alexander and Schlising 
1997). This phenotypic variation also suggests there may be regional 
differences between these and other occurrences in other portions of 
the species' range (criterion 2).
    There are four subunits within the Tulare Unit located in 
northeastern Tulare County. The unit includes several protected areas 
(criterion 4), including the Sequoia Fields Ecological Reserve and the 
Stone Corral Ecological Reserve in Tulare County managed by CDFG (218 
ac (88 ha)), as well as 33 ac (13 ha) of BLM land. Other areas within 
this unit are privately owned. This unit contains scattered vernal pool 
complexes in northwestern Tulare County.
Orthocarpus campestris var. succulentus
    Fleshy owl's-clover is found usually in low plant numbers in seven 
naturally occurring widely scattered vernal pool complex areas in 
Fresno, Madera, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne Counties in the 
San Joaquin Valley. Fleshy owl's-clover has a sporadic distribution 
within vernal pools, between vernal pools and between vernal pool 
complexes. The specific vernal pool characteristics that determine the 
suitability for fleshy owl's-clover germination and growth are unknown; 
however, it appears that the species seems to favor somewhat smaller, 
somewhat acidic vernal pools as compared to other vernal pool plants.
    Fleshy owl's-clover occurrences are known from with an elevational 
variation of near 50 m (160 ft) to near 550 m (1,800 ft). Conserving a 
broad distribution of fleshy owl's-clover across its geographical and 
elevational distribution protects the natural environmental processes 
for the species and provides the best chance for retaining the species 
across the full extent of its range. The vernal pool types and soils 
associated with the six areas of concentration of fleshy owl's-clover 
differ across the geographic range of the species; these differences 
lead to different species compositions and environmental conditions 
between fleshy owl's-clover occurrences. Providing for a mosaic of 
habitat types both between and among vernal pool species occurrences is 
essential to the species' conservation because it would include the 
full extent of the physical and environmental conditions for the 
species (Fugate 1992; Fugate 1998; Gonzales et al.1996; Ikeda and 
Schlising 1990; Noss et al. 2002a; Platenkamp 1998; Zedler et al. 
1979). The distribution of fleshy owl's-clover reflects a diversity of 
vernal pool habitat types and sizes that provide habitat for the 
species. We are uncertain about specific soils that may correlate with 
the presence of this species, although the species is irregularly found 
on Redding soil series. Vernal pool complexes that provide suitable 
habitat for this species include pools ranging in depth from 15 cm (6.0 
in) to 25 cm (10.0 in), but the species is also found less frequently 
in shallower and deeper pools. Soil pH values for some of the vernal 
pools in Merced County occupied by fleshy owl's-clover range from 4.3 
to 6.2. Although no comprehensive study has been conducted, Merced 
County some vernal pools occupied by fleshy owl's-clover vary in size 
from 80 sq m (0.02 ac) to 486 sq m (0.12 ac). Merced County contains 
the largest aggregations of fleshy owl's-clover, and the occurrences of 
the species are found on mild to strongly acidic soils on Laguna, 
Mehrten, North Merced Gravels, and Riverbank Formations as well as 
Ione, Merthen, and Valley Springs geological formations. The parent 
material of vernal pools greatly influences species' composition and 
hydrologic functioning of the vernal pool (Hanes and Stromberg 1998; 
Holland and Jain 1981, 1988). Although fleshy owl's-clover appears to 
prefer the more weathered acidic, higher-terrace vernal pool complexes 
that are composed of volcanic tuff sand quartzite parent materials, 
soils beneath vernal pools are extremely variable and are not the same 
as soils mapped by soil surveys, but are usually undescribed hydric 
inclusions that vary upon location (Holland and Dain 1990). The primary 
constituent elements of critical habitat for Castilleja campestris ssp. 
succulenta are the habitat components that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Castilleja campestris ssp. 
succulenta germination, growth, and reproduction, including but

[[Page 46736]]

not limited to, hardpan vernal pools on alluvial terraces and San 
Joaquin, Redding, Corning, Keyes, and Pentz soils series, among others, 
and northern basalt flow vernal pools on Hideaway soils series, which 
typically become inundated during winter rains, but are dry during the 
summer and do not necessarily fill with water every year; and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Castilleja campestris ssp. succulenta germination, 
growth and reproduction, and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.

Unit 1, Southeast Sacramento Valley Unit, Sacramento and San Joaquin 
Counties (2,422 ac (980 ha))

    This unit contains occurrences of the species in vernal pools 
occurring on San Joaquin soils (Holland 1998; Sacramento County 1999; 
CNDDB 2002). The unit is geographically important because it represents 
the northernmost extent of the species' range, and because it is the 
only unit designated for this species within the Sacramento Valley. The 
unit is isolated from other Orthocarpus campestris var. succulentus 
occurrences to the south in the San Joaquin Valley by a distance of 
over 50 mi (80 km). This unit occupies the area east of Galt in 
southeastern Sacramento and northeastern San Joaquin Counties. All of 
the lands included within this unit are privately owned.

Unit 2, Waterford Unit, Stanislaus and Tuolumne Counties (33,705 ac 
(13,640 ha))

    This unit supports Orthocarpus campestris var. succulentus 
occurrences within hardpan vernal pools on alluvial terraces on Amador 
and Redding soils (CNDDB 2002). These soil types are not otherwise well 
represented (criterion 2). The unit represents the northernmost extent 
of O. c. var. succulentus range within the San Joaquin Valley, and is 
over 50 mi (80 km) from the isolated occurrence to the north (criterion 
1). It contains a variety of pools and ephemeral habitats in which the 
plants are known to occur, including shallow and deep pools and pools 
with both long and short inundation periods (criterion 2). The 
Waterford Unit is important for the survival of O. c. var. succulentus 
because it represents large areas of contiguous habitat with relatively 
intact hydrology. Vernal pools in the Waterford Unit are located mainly 
in eastern Stanislaus County, but overlap into western Tuolumne County, 
extending into the low elevation foothills of the Sierra Nevada. All 
the lands within this unit are privately owned.

Unit 5, Fresno Unit, Fresno County (26,406 ac (10,686 ha))

    This unit contains occurrences of the species growing within vernal 
pools formed on Fallbrook, Ramona, San Joaquin, Vista, and Pollasky 
soil series (CNDDB 2002). Essential habitat in this unit consists of 
typical ``bowl-like'' pools, whereas other areas are more similar to 
swales. The diversity of vernal pool types found within the Fresno Unit 
contributes to the range of ecological conditions in which Orthocarpus 
campestris var. succulentus occurs (criterion 2). This area is also 
noteworthy because it represents the southern extent of the species' 
range (criterion 1). The Fresno Unit is located south of Millerton 
Lake. Property ownership and protection within this unit includes CDFG 
(1 ac (0.4 ha) and CDFG-administered land (1 ac (0.4 ha)). The 
remainder of the property within this unit is privately owned.

Unit 6A, Table Mountain Unit, Fresno County (4,258 ac (1,723 ha))

    This area supports occurrences of the species within Northern 
Basalt Flow vernal pools (CNDDB 2002). This is the only area where 
Orthocarpus campestris var. succulentus is found on this vernal pool 
type (criterion 2). Northern Basalt Flow pool complexes, such as Table 
Mountain, are extremely rare, occurring only on ancient terraces and 
hilltops. Basalt tables are perched on narrow, sinuous basalt mesas 
above the surrounding low-lying terrain. They typically contain small, 
irregularly clustered pools with ``flashy hydrology'' (Keeler-Wolf et 
al. 1998). They are less common than hardpan and claypan pools that are 
typically found in this region, and occur in complexes that are less 
dense than habitat in units further north.
    Three occurrences of Orthocarpus campestris var. succulentus within 
this unit are wholly or partly in designated reserves, which are on two 
mountains near Millerton Lake. The Sierra Foothill Conservancy's Big 
Table Mountain Preserve includes one of these occurrences, and a 
portion of another, which is shared with BLM. The other is in CDFG's 
Big Table Mountain Ecological Reserve. A fourth nearby occurrence is 
partially under the control of BLM and partly in private ownership. BLM 
owns approximately 350 ac (142 ha) and CDFG owns approximately 419 ac 
(170 ha) of land within this unit. TNC has 650 ac (256 ha) of 
conservation easements within this unit. These preserved areas increase 
the likelihood that the species will persist in the unit over time 
(criterion 4).
    The Table Mountain Unit is comprised of two subunits. Both subunits 
are located east of Millerton Lake on basalt mesas above the San 
Joaquin River. Subunit 6B is located on Kennedy Table in Madera County, 
and Subunit 6A is directly south of this unit across the San Joaquin 
River on Table Mountain in Fresno County.

Neostapfia colusana

    Colusa grass occurrences are known from eight areas of 
concentration with an elevational variation of near 5 m (16 ft) to near 
100 m (350 ft). Conserving a broad distribution of Colusa grass across 
its geographical and elevational distribution protects the natural 
environmental processes for the species and provides the best chance 
for retaining the species across the full extent of the species range. 
The vernal pool types and soils associated with the eight areas of 
concentration of Colusa grass differ greatly across the geographic 
range of the species; these differences lead to different species 
compositions and environmental conditions between Colusa grass 
occurrences. Providing for a mosaic of habitat types both between and 
among vernal pool species occurrences is essential to the species' 
conservation because it would include the full extent of the physical 
and environmental conditions for the species (Fugate 1992; Fugate 1998; 
Gonzales et al. 1996; Ikeda and Schlising 1990; Noss et al. 2002a; 
Platenkamp 1998; Zedler et al. 1979). The distribution of Colusa grass 
reflects a diversity of vernal pool habitat types and sizes that 
provide habitat for the species. Vernal pool complexes that provide 
suitable habitat for this species include two different physiographic 
and edaphic settings: claypan soils of saline-alkali basins and remnant 
alluvial fans and old stream terrace areas with strongly acidic, 
gravelly, and cobbly soils having an iron-silica cemented hardpan, and 
shallow, slightly acidic residual soils of the Pentz series underlain 
by cemented tuffaceous alluvium. Additional settings for Colusa grass 
are found in vernal pool complexes where resistant beds of tuffaceous 
deposits are exposed along intermittent drainages and, in Stanislaus

[[Page 46737]]

County, neutral to slightly alkaline claypan soils on dissected 
alluvial fans. Not all areas of Colusa grass have been identified as to 
the specific soil series or soil mapping units where they occur. 
However, in Merced County, Colusa grass occurs on clay soils on Mehrten 
Formation and also on Riverbank, North Merced Gravels, and Laguna 
Formations. Of the Orcuttieae grasses, Colusa grass inhabits the widest 
range of vernal pool sizes, with the smallest being 100 sq m (1,075 sq 
ft) and the largest at 250 ha (618 ac). The parent material of vernal 
pools greatly influences species composition and hydrologic functioning 
of the vernal pool (Hanes and Stromberg 1998; Holland and Jain 1981, 
1988). Soils beneath vernal pools are extremely variable and are not 
the same as soils mapped by soil surveys, but are usually undescribed 
hydric inclusions that vary by location (Holland and Dain 1990). The 
primary constituent elements of critical habitat for Neostapfia 
colusana are the habitat components that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Neostapfia colusana 
germination, growth, and reproduction, and that typically become 
inundated during winter rains, including but not limited to vernal 
pools formed on the rim of alkaline basins in the Sacramento and San 
Joaquin valleys, as well as on acidic soils of alluvial fans and stream 
terraces along the eastern margin of the San Joaquin Valley and into 
the adjacent foothills. All of these pool types are dry during the 
summer and do not necessarily fill with water every year; and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Neostapfia colusana germination, growth and 
reproduction, and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.

Unit 1, Davis Communications Annex and Grasslands Area Unit, Yolo 
County (440 ac (178 ha))

    This unit is geographically important (criterion 1) because it 
contains one of only six areas where Neostapfia colusana is known to 
occur (EIP Associates 2001; Yolo County Parks 2001; CNDDB 2002). 
Species occurrences within the unit grow in large vernal playa pools of 
the Pescadero soil series (Yolo County 1995; Holland 1998; USDA 2001).
    This unit is located southeast of the City of Davis and south of 
the South Fork of Putah Creek. This unit's western boundary coincides 
with the Solano and Yolo County line. The unit contains land owned by 
Yolo County. Approximately 322 ac (128 ha) is owned by the DoD.

Unit 3, Farmington Unit, Stanislaus County (38,408 ac (15,544 ha)

    This unit supports Neostapfia colusana within vernal pools on 
ecologically noteworthy high terrace landforms and Redding-Pentz-Peters 
soil mapping unit complexes (criterion 2) (USDA 2001; CNDDB 2002). The 
impermeable layers underlying these occupied vernal pools are generally 
iron-silica cemented hardpan. Habitat in this unit includes deeper 
pools that provide the long inundation period required for germination 
of N. colusana (EIP Associates 1999). This unit is geographically 
isolated from the other N. colusana units to the north by over 50 mi 
(80 km) (criterion 1).
    The Farmington unit is located in northeast Stanislaus County. It 
is hydrologically separated from other Neostapfia colusana units to the 
south by the Stanislaus River. The eastern boundary generally parallels 
the Calaveras County Line. Woodward Reservoir and the town of Oakdale 
are all located outside and to the west of the unit. The unit is 
generally south of State Highway 4 and north of State Highway 108. The 
unit boundary is drawn to include these species' occurrences and the 
vernal pool complexes that Holland (1998) mapped and are visible on 
SPOT imagery. Lands within this unit are privately owned.

Unit 4, Waterford Unit, Stanislaus and Tuolumne Counties (70,810 ac 
(28,657 ha))

    The Waterford Unit is important for the conservation of the 
geographic diversity of the species (criterion 1) because it contains 
20 percent of all extant Neostapfia colusana occurrences (CNDDB 2002). 
These occurrences are found within vernal pool complexes formed on 
alluvial terraces and associated Whitney soils, among others. This unit 
contains vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands formed on 
acidic soils of alluvial fans and stream terraces along the eastern 
margin of the San Joaquin Valley and into the adjacent foothills. These 
varied vernal pool habitats are essential for the conservation of the 
species because they provide a diversity of habitat for the species 
(criterion 2).
    The Waterford Unit is bordered by the Stanislaus River to the north 
and the Tuolumne River to the south. The City of La Grange is located 
southeast of this unit. Stanislaus County Road J9 runs west of the 
unit, and the City of Oakdale is located outside of the northwest 
corner. The eastern boundary extends into the low-elevation foothills 
of the Sierra Nevada. Vernal pool complexes in the Waterford Unit are 
mainly located in eastern Stanislaus County, but overlap into 
southwestern Tuolumne County. Lands within this unit are mostly 
privately owned. Approximately 2 ac (0.8 ha) of this unit are lands 
administered by the CDFG.

Unit 5, Turlock Unit, Stanislaus and Merced Counties (35,508 ac (14,370 
ha))

    This unit encompasses large, playa vernal pools where the species 
is found, including the Hickman vernal pool complex in Stanislaus 
County (Holland 1998; CNDDB 2002). This unusual vernal pool complex 
provides a unique habitat for Neostapfia colusana (criterion 2), as 
well as a number of other vernal pool species. Not only does the 
Hickman pool complex contain one of the largest vernal lakes in 
California, occupying more than 300 ac (121 ha), but it also exhibits 
tremendous biodiversity (Medeiros 2000).
    The Turlock Unit is bordered by the Tuolumne River to the north and 
the Merced River to the south. The unit lies between the towns of La 
Grange and Snelling. Stanislaus County Road J9 runs west of the unit 
and the eastern edge is located in the low elevation foothills of the 
Sierra Nevada. Vernal pool complexes in the Turlock Unit are located in 
Stanislaus and Merced Counties. Approximately 41 ac (17 ha) of lands 
within this unit are owned by the California State Parks.

Unit 6, Merced Unit, Merced and Mariposa Counties (93,125 ac (36,688 
ha))

    This unit is geographically important (criterion 1) because it 
contains over 40 percent of all known Neostapfia colusana occurrences 
(CNDDB 2002). The unit also contains a diversity of vernal pool 
habitats for N. colusana, including the only locations where this 
species is known to occur on Keyes'--Pentz, Redding, and Keyes soils 
(criterion 2) (USDA 2001). Although many occurrences of N. colusana 
have been extirpated in the past two decades, the occurrences in the 
Merced Unit are among the most robust remaining

[[Page 46738]]

(criterion 4) (Holland 2000). The area within this unit encompasses the 
largest block of pristine, high-density vernal pool grasslands 
remaining in California (Vollmar 1999).
    A majority of the vernal pool habitat in the Merced Unit is in 
Merced County, although the eastern edge of the unit overlaps into 
Mariposa County in the low-elevation foothills of the Sierra Nevada. 
The northern boundary parallels the Merced River, and Bear Creek serves 
as the southern border. The entire unit is located east of Highway 99. 
The majority of the land in this unit is privately owned and 
approximately 8 ac (3 ha) of lands within this unit are owned by the 
Federal government.

Tuctoria greenei

    Greene's tuctoria occurrences are known from eight general areas of 
concentration from Shasta County to Madera County with an elevational 
variation of from near 30 m (100 ft) to near 1,067 m (3,500 ft). 
Conserving a broad distribution of Greene's tuctoria across its 
geographical and elevational distribution protects the natural 
environmental processes for the species and provides the best chance 
for retaining the species across the full extent of the its range. The 
vernal pool types and soils associated with the eight areas of 
concentration of Greene's tuctoria differ greatly across the geographic 
range of the species; these differences lead to different species 
compositions and environmental conditions between Greene's tuctoria 
occurrences. Providing for a mosaic of habitat types both between and 
among vernal pool species occurrences is essential to the species 
conservation because it would include the full extent of the physical 
and environmental conditions for the species (Fugate 1992; Fugate 1998; 
Gonzales et al.1996; Ikeda and Schlising 1990; Noss et al. 2002a; 
Platenkamp 1998; Zedler et al. 1979). The wide-ranging distribution of 
Greene's tuctoria reflects a diversity of vernal pool habitat types 
that provide habitat for the species. Vernal pool complexes that 
provide suitable habitat for this species include four different 
physiographic and edaphic settings--old high stream terrace, lower old 
stream terrace areas with soils having an iron-silica hardpan, sites 
with shallow soils underlain by cemented tuffaceous alluvium, and 
vernal pool complexes on claypan soils that are slightly acid to 
slightly alkaline. Not all areas of Greene's tuctoria have been 
identified as to the specific soil series or soil mapping units where 
they occur. The Butte County occurrences of Greene's tuctoria are 
associated with soils underlain by tuffaceous alluvium, are considered 
to occur in Northern Basalt Flow and Northern Volcanic Mudflow type 
vernal pool complexes, and one occurrence is found on Tuscan soils. The 
Tehama County occurrences are associated with slightly to medium acid 
soils of the Tuscan and Anita soil series that are underlain by an 
iron-silica cemented hardpan occurring vernal pools and are the only 
area where vernal pools are associated with this type of landform. Many 
of these pools are a fraction of an acre and have a short inundation 
period and fewer number of shallower larger pool sizes well over an 
acre with a comparatively longer inundation period. A vernal pool's 
parent material greatly influences the pool's species composition and 
hydrologic functioning (Hanes and Stromberg 1998; Holland and Jain 
1981; 1988). Soils beneath vernal pools are extremely variable and are 
not the same as soils mapped by soil surveys, but are usually 
undescribed hydric inclusions that vary by location (Holland and Dain 
1990). The primary constituent elements of critical habitat for 
Tuctoria greenei are the habitat components that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Tuctoria greenei germination, 
growth and reproduction, including but not limited to, Northern 
Claypan, Northern Hardpan, and Northern Basalt flow vernal pools that 
typically become inundated during winter rains, but are dry during the 
summer and do not necessarily fill with water every year; and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Tuctoria greenei germination, growth and 
reproduction, and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.

Unit 1, Modoc Plateau Unit, Lassen and Shasta Counties (1,703 ac (689 
ha))

    This unit contains a Tuctoria greenei occurrence within Northern 
Basalt Flow vernal pools (CNDDB 2002). It is the only location where 
the species grows on this vernal pool type. The occurrence is located 
in an area described as a large vernal pool in an open flat in an 
eastside pine forest. It is at a higher elevation, with lower average 
temperatures, than any other occurrence. Thus the unit is ecologically 
unique (criterion 2). It also represents the northern extent of the 
species' range, and is separated from occurrences to the south by over 
68 mi (110 km) (criterion 1).
    This unit occurs within the volcanic plateau of northeastern 
California. The unit is located in the area surrounding Murken Lake 
east of Hat Creek near Cinder Butte. Bidwell Road crosses through the 
southern boundary. The USFS owns approximately 1,530 ac (619 ha) of the 
unit. The remaining lands within this unit are privately owned.

Unit 2, Vina Unit, Tehama and Butte Counties (25,102 ac (10,159 ha))

    This unit is essential to the conservation of Tuctoria greenei 
because it includes 60 percent of the remaining extant occurrences of 
the species (criterion 1) (CNDDB 2002). The unit also represents one of 
only two areas throughout the species' range where T. greenei 
occurrences are not considered to be declining (CNDDB 2002). The 
species occurs in vernal pool complexes within the unit found on Anita 
and Tuscan series soils.
    This unit for Tuctoria greenei occupies the area south of Toomes 
Creek, and north of Pine Creek and the Cana Highway. State Route 99 
bisects this unit and the western boundary generally parallels the 
Southern Pacific Railway line. The majority of the lands included 
within this unit are privately owned. Property ownership within this 
unit includes various types of protected lands (criterion 4), including 
CDFG (1 ac (0.4 ha)), CDFG administered lands (1 ac (0.4 ha)), TNC 
(5,738 ac (2,295 ha)), TNC easements (11,653 ac (4,661 ha)), and WRP 
easements and agreements (142 ac (57 ha)).

Unit 6, Waterford Unit, Stanislaus and Tuolumne Counties (73,111 ac 
(29,588 ha))

    This unit supports occurrences of the species within the only 
vernal pools where Tuctoria greenei is known to occur on slightly 
alkaline soils of the Meikle and Paulsell series (criterion 2) (Holland 
1998; USDA 2001; CNDDB 2002). It is also important to the conservation 
of the geographic distribution of the species because it is one of only 
eight locations where the species remains extant (criterion 1). The 
Waterford Unit is bordered by the Stanislaus River to the north and the 
Tuolumne River to the south. The City of La Grange is located southeast 
of the unit. Stanislaus County Road J9 runs

[[Page 46739]]

west of the unit, and the Oakdale Airport is located outside of the 
northwest corner. The eastern boundary extends into the low-elevation 
foothills of the Sierra Nevada. Vernal pool complexes in the Waterford 
Unit are located mainly in eastern Stanislaus County, but overlap into 
southwestern Tuolumne County. Approximately (2 ac (0.8 ha)) of this 
unit is administered by the CDFG. The remaining lands within this unit 
are privately owned.

Unit 7, Merced Unit, Merced, Madera, and Mariposa Counties (133,460 ac 
(54,011 ha))

    This unit contains numerous occurrences of the species within 
large, hydrologically intact vernal pool complexes areas (criterion 4) 
(Holland 1998; Vollmar 1999), including Northern Hardpan vernal pools 
on Redding, Raynor, and Bear Creek soils series (EIP 1999; USDA 2001). 
These soil and vernal pool type combinations are not otherwise well 
represented (criterion 2). Over 30 percent of the extant occurrences of 
Tuctoria greenei are in the Merced Unit (criterion 1) (CNDDB 2002).
    A majority of the vernal pool habitat in the Merced Unit is in 
Merced County. The eastern edge of the unit overlaps into Mariposa 
County and in the south it extends to the Chowchilla River in Madera 
County. The northern boundary parallels the Merced River. The entire 
unit is located east of Highway 99. Approximately 8 ac (3 ha) is owned 
by the Federal government and the rest is privately owned. TNC has 
11,283 ac (4,513 ha) of easement lands within this unit. The remaining 
lands within this unit are privately owned.

Orcuttia pilosa

    Hairy Orcutt grass occurrences are known from southern Tehama 
County in the Sacramento Valley to southern Madera County in the San 
Joaquin Valley with a predominate elevational variation of from near 55 
m (180 ft) to near 123 m (405 ft). Conserving a broad distribution of 
hairy Orcutt grass across its geographical and elevational distribution 
protects the natural environmental processes for the species and 
provides the best chance for retaining the species across the full 
extent of its range. The vernal pool types and soils associated with 
the six areas of concentration of hairy Orcutt grass differ greatly 
across the geographic range of the species; these differences lead to 
different species compositions and environmental conditions between 
hairy Orcutt grass occurrences. Providing for a mosaic of habitat types 
both between and among vernal pool species occurrences is essential to 
the species' conservation because it would include the full extent of 
the physical and environmental conditions for the species (Fugate 1992; 
Fugate 1998; Gonzales et al.1996; Ikeda and Schlising 1990; Noss et al. 
2002a; Platenkamp 1998; Zedler et al. 1979). The distribution of hairy 
Orcutt grass reflects a diversity of vernal pool habitat types that 
provide habitat for the species on the alluvial fans and old stream 
terraces of the Sierra Nevada foothills. Vernal pool complexes that 
provide suitable habitat for this species include mostly three 
different physiographic and edaphic settings--old high and lower old 
stream terrace areas with soils having an iron-silica hardpan and sites 
with shallow soils underlain by cemented tuffaceous alluvium. The 
Tehama County occurrences of hairy Orcutt grass are associated with 
slightly to medium acid soils of the Tuscan and Anita soil series that 
are underlain by an iron-silica cemented hardpan. Not all areas of 
hairy Orcutt grass have been identified as to the specific soil series 
or soil mapping units on which they occur. Many of the occupied vernal 
pools vary in size from 3,400 sq m (36,600 sq ft) to 250 ha (618 ac). A 
vernal pool's parent material greatly influences the pool's species 
composition and hydrologic functioning (Hanes and Stromberg 1998; 
Holland and Jain 1981, 1988). Soils beneath vernal pools are extremely 
variable and are not the same as soils mapped by soil surveys, but are 
usually undescribed hydric inclusions that vary upon location (Holland 
and Dain 1990). The primary constituent elements of critical habitat 
for Orcuttia pilosa are the habitat components that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Orcuttia pilosa germination, 
growth and reproduction, including but not limited to features 
occurring on both acidic and saline-alkaline soils, with an iron-silica 
cemented hardpan or claypan, and that typically become inundated during 
winter rains, but are dry during the summer and do not necessarily fill 
with water every year; and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Orcuttia pilosa germination, growth and reproduction, 
and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.

Unit 1, Vina Plains Unit, Tehama and Butte Counties (19,306 ac (7,813 
ha))

    This area supports over 25 percent of all known occurrences of the 
species, and represents the northern extent of the species range 
(criterion 1) (CNDDB 2002). It is over 25 mi (40 kmi) from the nearest 
occurrence to the south. Species occurrences in the unit grow in large 
vernal pools on Tuscan and Anita soils (USDA 2001). This area 
represents one of only two occupied locations that have some form of 
special habitat protection (criterion 4).
    The unit for Orcuttia pilosa occupies the area south of Deer Creek 
and north of Pine Creek to near Cana Highway. California State Route 99 
bisects the unit and the western boundary generally parallels the 
Southern Pacific Railway line. The majority of the lands included 
within this unit are privately owned. Land ownership includes 5,660 ac 
(2,264 ha) owned by TNC, which also has additional 9,564 ac (3,826 ha) 
of conservation easements within this unit, and 142 ac (57 ha) of 
private land protected by conservation easement or agreement under the 
WRP.

Unit 4, Turlock Unit, Stanislaus and Merced Counties (48,649 ac (19,688 
ha))

    Vernal pool complexes in the Turlock Unit are located in eastern 
Stanislaus and Merced Counties. The unit contains occurrences of 
Orcuttia pilosa within vernal pool complexes on Whitney and Meikle soil 
mapping units, which are not otherwise well represented (criterion 2) 
(Holland 1998; USDA 2001; CNDDB 2002). This unit also contains the 
Hickman pools in Stanislaus County, and a high concentration of O. 
pilosa occurrences (CNDDB 2002). The Hickman pool complex contains one 
of the largest vernal lakes in California at more than 300 ac (121 ha) 
and represents a unique habitat for O. pilosa (criterion 2). The unit 
encompasses large, intact vernal pool complexes that are more likely to 
allow the species to persist over time (criterion 4).
    The Turlock Unit is bordered by the Tuolumne River to the north and 
the Merced River to the south. It lies between the towns of La Grange 
and Snelling. Stanislaus County Road J9 runs west of the unit and the 
eastern edge is located in the low elevation foothills of the Sierra 
Nevada. Land ownership within this unit includes BLM (17 ac (7 ha)) and 
California State Parks (41 ac (17 ha)). The remaining land within this 
unit is privately owned.

[[Page 46740]]

Orcuttia viscida

    Sacramento Orcutt grass is found in naturally occurring scattered 
vernal pool complexes in Sacramento County, California, and is the most 
geographically restricted Orcuttieae species. The specific vernal pool 
characteristics that determine the suitability for Sacramento Orcutt 
grass germination, growth and reproduction are not well understood. 
Sacramento Orcutt grass occurrences are known from only in eastern 
Sacramento County in the Sacramento Valley with a predominant 
elevational variation of 45 m (150 ft) to 114 m (375 ft). Conserving a 
broad distribution of Sacramento Orcutt grass across its rather 
relatively narrow geographical and elevational distribution protects 
the natural environmental processes for the species and provides the 
best chance for retaining the species across the full extent of the 
species range.
    The vernal pool types and soils associated with the three areas of 
concentration of Sacramento Orcutt grass differ across the geographic 
range of the species and leads to different species compositions and 
environmental conditions between Sacramento Orcutt grass occurrences. 
Providing for a mosaic of habitat types both between and among vernal 
pool species occurrences is essential to the species conservation 
because it would include the full extent of the physical and 
environmental conditions for the species (Fugate 1992, Fugate 1998, 
Gonzales et al. 1996, Ikeda and Schlising 1990, Noss et al. 2002a, 
Platenkamp 1998, Zedler et al. 1979). The distribution of Sacramento 
Orcutt grass reflects a relatively smaller diversity of vernal pool 
habitat types that provide habitat for the species on the old stream 
terraces of the Sierra Nevada foothills. Vernal pool complexes that 
provide suitable habitat for this species include one physiographic and 
edaphic settings-remnant depositional stream terraces at the base of 
the Sierran foothills. The Sacramento County occurrences of Sacramento 
Orcutt grass are associated with Redding soils that are strongly acidic 
underlain by an iron-silica cemented hardpan and with soils mapped in 
the Pentz-Pardee-Red Bluff association. Not all areas of Sacramento 
Orcutt grass have been identified as to the specific soil series or 
soil mapping units where they occur. Many of the occupied vernal pools 
vary in size from 1,000 sq m (0.3 ac) to 8,260 sq m (2 ac). The parent 
material of vernal pools greatly influences species composition and 
hydrologic functioning of the vernal pool (Hanes and Stromberg 1998, 
Holland and Jain 1981, 1988). Soils beneath vernal pools are extremely 
variable and are not the same as soils mapped by soil surveys, but are 
usually undescribed hydric inclusions that vary upon location (Holland 
and Dain 1990). The primary constituent elements of critical habitat 
for Orcuttia viscida are the habitat components that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Orcuttia viscida germination, 
growth and reproduction, including but not limited to vernal pools on 
high terrace landforms on acidic soils such as Red Bluff, Redding, and 
Corning soil series. These habitats typically become inundated during 
winter rains, but are dry during the summer and do not necessarily fill 
with water every year; and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Orcuttia viscida germination, growth and 
reproduction, and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.

Unit 3, Rancho Seco Unit, Sacramento and Amador Counties (35,078 ac 
(14,196 ha))

    This unit marks the southern extent of the range of Orcuttia 
viscida, and is one of only three areas where the species remains 
extant (criterion 1). It supports occurrences of the species within 
relatively undisturbed high terrace vernal pool complexes on Corning 
and Redding soil mapping units. Corning soils are not common to the 
other two units (criterion 2).
    This unit occupies the area south of Laguna Creek and north of the 
Sacramento and San Joaquin County line along Dry Creek. The eastern 
boundary is the low elevation foothills of western Amador County. The 
western limit is bounded by urban and agricultural areas near the 
cities of Galt and Elk Grove, and along the foothill region of the 
southeastern Sacramento Valley. The western boundary also marks a 
change from high terrace soils in the region, including Corning and 
Redding soil mapping units that comprise the extent of Orcuttia viscida 
habitat. The northern and southern boundaries of this unit exclude 
urban and agricultural areas. The majority of land within this unit is 
privately owned, but some includes additional protection which will 
help the species occurrences to persist over time (criterion 4). TNC 
owns 7,736 ac (3,094 ha) and an additional 11 ac (5 ha) of private land 
is protected by WRP easements or agreements.

Orcuttia inaequalis

    San Joaquin Valley Orcutt grass is found in naturally occurring 
widely scattered vernal pool complexes in Fresno, Madera, Merced, 
Stanislaus, and Tulare counties in the northeastern San Joaquin 
Valleys. San Joaquin Valley is the only species found just in the San 
Joaquin Valley. The specific vernal pool characteristics that determine 
the suitability for San Joaquin Valley Orcutt grass germination, 
growth, and successful reproduction are unknown. However, San Joaquin 
Valley is a strict endemic to usually larger vernal pools that range in 
area from 140 sq m (1,500 sq ft) to 4.9 ha (12.1 ac) in size and 30.5 
cm (12 in) to 55.9 cm (22 in) deep but can be found in both smaller and 
larger and shallower and deeper vernal pools (Stone et al. 1988, Volmar 
2002). San Joaquin Valley is found in vernal pool complexes on a 
variety of geological surfaces including Ione, Laguna, Merthen, 
Modesto, North Merced Gravels, Riverbank, Turlock Lake, and Valley 
Springs in the northeastern San Joaquin Valley.
    San Joaquin Valley Orcutt grass occurrences are known from central 
Merced County to northern Tulare County in the northeastern San Joaquin 
Valley with a predominate elevational variation of near 47 m (155 ft) 
to near 570 m (1,870 ft). Conserving a broad distribution San Joaquin 
Valley Orcutt grass across its geographical and elevational 
distribution protects the natural environmental processes for the 
species and provides the best chance for retaining the species across 
the full extent of the species range.
    The vernal pool types and soils associated with the six areas of 
concentration of San Joaquin Valley Orcutt grass differ greatly across 
the geographic range of the species and leads to different species 
compositions and environmental conditions between San Joaquin Valley 
Orcutt grass occurrences. Providing for a mosaic of habitat types both 
between and among vernal pool species occurrences is essential to the 
species conservation because it would include the full extent of the 
physical and environmental conditions for the species (Fugate 1992, 
Fugate 1998, Gonzales et al.1996, Ikeda and Schlising 1990, Noss et al. 
2002a,

[[Page 46741]]

Platenkamp 1998, Zedler et al. 1979). The distribution of San Joaquin 
Valley Orcutt grass reflects a diversity of vernal pool habitat types 
that provide habitat for the species on the alluvial fans and old 
stream terraces of the Sierra Nevada foothills. Vernal pool complexes 
that provide suitable habitat for this species include mostly three 
different physiographic and edaphic settings; old high old stream 
terrace areas with Redding and related soil series; lower old stream 
terraces with San Joaquin and related soil series having an iron-silica 
hardpan but less strongly acidic sites with shallow, residual soils of 
the Pentz and related soil series underlain by a well-cemented 
tuffaceous alluvium. One occurrence in Fresno County is found in a 
rather shallow stony moderately to strongly acidic vernal pool complex 
on residual soils of the Hideaway series at a relatively high 
elevation. Not all areas of San Joaquin Valley Orcutt grass have been 
identified as to the specific soil series or soil mapping units on 
which they occur. The parent material of vernal pools greatly 
influences species composition and hydrologic functioning of the vernal 
pool (Hanes and Stromberg 1998, Holland and Jain 1981, 1988). Soils 
beneath vernal pools are extremely variable and are not the same as 
soils mapped by soil surveys, but are usually undescribed hydric 
inclusions that vary upon location (Holland and Dain 1990). The primary 
constituent elements of critical habitat for Orcuttia inaequalis are 
the habitat components that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Orcuttia inaequalis 
germination, growth and reproduction, including but not limited to 
vernal pools on alluvial fans, high and low stream terraces, and 
tabletop lava flows. These habitats typically become inundated during 
winter rains, but are dry during the summer and do not necessarily fill 
with water every year; and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Orcuttia inaequalis germination, growth and 
reproduction, and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.

Unit 1, Merced Unit, Merced and Mariposa Counties (93,125 ac (37,699 
ha))

    This unit is an important representative of the geographic 
diversity of Orcuttia inaequalis (criterion 1) because it supports over 
half of the known occurrences of the species, and represents the 
northernmost extent of the species' current range (CNDDB 2001). It is 
also ecologically important (criterion 2) because it contains the only 
area where O. inaequalis is found on vernal pools formed on Corning and 
Greenfield soils, and one of only two sites where it is found on San 
Joaquin soils (Holland 1998; EIP 1999; USDA 2001). This unit supports 
some of the largest, most robust occurrences of the species (Holland 
2000). The area within this unit encompasses the largest block of 
pristine, high density vernal pool grasslands remaining in California, 
increasing the likelihood that it will continue to support occurrences 
of the species into the future (criterion 4) (Vollmar 1999).
    A majority of the vernal pool habitat in the Merced Unit is in 
Merced County, although the eastern edge of the unit overlaps into 
Mariposa County in the low elevation foothills of the Sierra Nevada. 
The entire unit is located east of State Highway 99. A majority of the 
land in the Merced Unit is privately owned. Approximately 8 ac (3 ha) 
of this unit is owned by the Federal government. TNC has 8,559 ac 
(3,424 ha) of easement lands within this unit.

Unit 2, Le Grand Unit, Merced, Mariposa, and Madera Counties (32,152 ac 
(13,012ha))

    This unit supports Orcuttia inaequalis occurrences within vernal 
pools formed on alluvial terraces on Raynor clay soils (CNDDB 2001). 
The lack of such soils at other occurrence sites makes the unit 
ecologically important (criterion 2). The Le Grand Unit is also 
essential for the conservation of the species because it contains large 
intact and contiguous vernal pool grassland areas that provide 
connectivity between units to the north and south (criterion 3). This 
unit is important to maintain the range of habitats in which the 
species is known to occur.
    The Le Grand Unit contains an area where Orcuttia inaequalis was 
introduced into six created pools. It germinated and flowered in five 
of them during the 2 years following its introduction (Durgarian 1995; 
Stebbins et al. 1995) and was still present in 2000 (Faubion, in litt. 
2000), thus demonstrating the suitability of the habitat to support 
this species. This site is now treated as an occurrence by the CNDDB 
(2001). The Madera Irrigation District manages the property, which is 
owned by the BOR (Stebbins et al. 1995).
    A majority of the vernal pool habitat in the Le Grand Unit is in 
eastern Merced County. The eastern edge of the unit overlaps into 
Mariposa County and in the south it extends to the Madera County line. 
Bear Creek serves as the northern boundary. The entire unit is located 
east of State Highway 99. TNC has 1,070 ac (428 ha) of easement lands 
within this unit. The remaining lands are privately owned.

Unit 4, Fresno Unit, Fresno County (7,451 ac (3,016 ha))

    This unit contains Orcuttia inaequalis occurrences within vernal 
pools formed on Fallbrook, Ramona, San Joaquin, Vista, and Pollasky 
soil series (CNDDB 2002). Possibly due to this variation of soil types, 
vernal pool habitat in this unit is less dense than habitat in units 
further north. The diversity of vernal pool types found within the 
Fresno Unit contributes to the range of ecological conditions in which 
O. inaequalis occurs (criterion 2). Vernal pool types within this unit 
include Northern Hardpan vernal pools. The unit is also likely to be 
important because it provides connectivity for pollen and seeds between 
units 3 and 5 (criterion 3).
    Located in Fresno County, this unit contains vernal pool habitat 
south of Millerton Lake and east of the San Joaquin River. The eastern 
boundary parallels the low elevation foothill region of the Sierra 
Nevada. All the land within this unit is privately owned.

Unit 5A, Table Mountain Unit, Fresno County (4,258 ac (1,723 ha))

    This area supports Orcuttia inaequalis occurrences within Northern 
Basalt Flow vernal pools (Holland 1998; Keeler-Wolf et al. 1998; CNDDB 
2002). This is the only area in which the species is known to occur 
within these pool types (criterion 2) (CNDDB 2002). Northern Basalt 
Flow vernal pool complexes are an extremely rare vernal pool habitat 
occurring only on ancient terraces and hilltops above the surrounding 
low-lying terrain. They typically contain small, irregularly clustered 
pools with ``flashy hydrology'' (Keeler-Wolf et al. 1998). This unit is 
also geographically noteworthy (criterion 1) because it marks the 
easternmost extent of the range, and includes occurrences at the 
highest elevations for the species.

[[Page 46742]]

    This unit contains protected lands at the Big Table Mountain 
Ecological Reserve, which may help the species persist here over time 
(criterion 4). The Federal government owns 350 ac (142 ha) of this 
unit, the State owns 419 ac (170 ha), and TNC has 650 ac (260 ha) of 
conservation easements within this unit. This unit also contains an 
occurrence of Orcuttia inaequalis that is partially on public land 
administered by the BLM. The pool supports the second-largest 
population of the species known to be extant (CNDDB 2001).
    Unit 5 for Orcuttia inaequalis is comprised of two subunits. Both 
subunits are located east of Millerton Lake on basalt mesas above the 
San Joaquin River. Subunit 5B is located on Kennedy Table in Madera 
County, and Subunit 5A is directly south of this unit across the San 
Joaquin River on Table Mountain in Fresno County.

Unit 6A and B, Tulare Unit, Tulare County (15,243 ac (6,169 ha))

    This unit contains Orcuttia inaequalis occurrences within vernal 
pools on Madera and Greenfield soils (CNDDB 2001; USDA 2001). It 
represents the southernmost extent of O. inaequalis range (criterion 
1).
    There are two subunits within the Tulare Unit. The Tulare Unit is 
located in northwestern Tulare County. Orcuttia inaequalis occurs on 
CDFG land at Sequoia Fields Ecological Reserve (215 ac (88 ha)); 
however, most of the area within this unit is privately owned.

Orcuttia tenuis

    Slender Orcutt grass is found in five general areas of 
concentration from south Sacramento County to the Modoc Plateau and 
west to Lake County with an elevational variation of near 61 m (200 ft) 
to near 1,067 m (3,500 ft). A broad distribution of slender Orcutt 
grass across its geographical and elevational distribution protects the 
natural environmental processes for the species and provides the best 
chance for retaining the species across the full extent of the species 
range.
    The vernal pool types and soils associated with the five general 
areas of concentration of slender Orcutt grass differ greatly across 
the geographic range of the species and leads to different species 
compositions and environmental conditions between slender Orcutt grass 
occurrences. Providing for a mosaic of habitat types both between and 
among vernal pool species is essential because it would include the 
full extent of the physical and environmental conditions for the 
species (Fugate 1992, Fugate 1998, Gonzales et al.1996, Ikeda and 
Schlising 1990, Noss et al. 2002a, Platenkamp 1998, Zedler et al. 
1979). The wide ranging distribution of slender Orcutt grass has lead 
to a large diversity of vernal pool habitat types for the species. The 
Modoc Plateau occurrences are associated mostly with Northern Basalt 
Flow and Northern Volcanic Mudflow type vernal pools. These pools range 
in size from a fraction of an acre to well over an acre with smaller 
pools having a short inundation period. The parent material of vernal 
pools greatly influences species composition and hydrologic functioning 
of the vernal pool (Hanes and Stromberg 1998, Holland and Jain 1981, 
1988). Soils beneath vernal pools are extremely variable and are not 
the same as soils mapped by soil surveys, but are usually undescribed 
hydric inclusions which vary upon location (Holland and Dain 1990). The 
Lake County occurrences are associated with Ashflow type vernal pools 
and are the only area where vernal pools are associated with this type 
of landform. The Redding area vernal pools in the Northeastern 
Sacramento Valley Vernal Pool Region occur on volcanic Tuscan Formation 
or terrace-alluvial Redding soils. The hydrology within the terrace-
alluvial pools tend to be less flashy than those with a volcanic origin 
(Keeler-Wolf et al. 1998). The soils associated with the Sacramento 
County occurrences include those occurring on old terrace formations. 
The primary constituent elements of critical habitat for Orcuttia 
tenuis are the habitat components that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Orcuttia tenuis germination, 
growth and reproduction, including but not limited to, Northern 
Volcanic Ashflow and Northern Volcanic Mudflow vernal pools (Sawyer and 
Keeler-Wolf 1995) with iron-silica and bedrock hardpan impervious 
layers, and that typically become inundated during winter rains, but 
are dry during the summer and do not necessarily fill with water every 
year; and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Orcuttia tenuis germination, growth and reproduction, 
and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.

Unit 1A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, and I, Modoc Plateau Unit, Plumas, 
Lassen, Shasta, Modoc, and Siskiyou Counties (33,146 ac (13,414 ha))

    This unit is important for the conservation of the geographic 
diversity of the species because it represents the northernmost extent 
of the range, and contains almost 25 percent of all known Orcuttia 
tenuis occurrences. The species is found growing within Northern Basalt 
Flow vernal pools occurring on Gooval, Lasvar, Lasvar-Pitvar, and 
Nosoni soils (CNDDB 2002). These soils and vernal pool types are not 
otherwise well represented (criterion 2). Occurrences in the unit are 
all found on the Modoc Plateau, where they are located at higher 
elevations (criterion 1) and experience colder climatic conditions 
(criterion 2) than in any other area throughout the species range. The 
Federal government owns 22,994 ac (9,306 ha) of this unit. The 
remainder is privately owned.
    This unit for Orcuttia tenuis consists of nine subunits largely 
within the volcanic plateau of northeastern California. The nine 
subunits are identified as the Lake Almanor, Crater Lake Mountain, 
Poison Lake, Badger Mountain, Lost Creek, Goose Valley, Long Valley, 
Cayton Creek, and Timbered Crater subunits. The Lake Almanor subunit is 
located in Plumas County, on the southwestern part of Lake Almanor 
along Humbug Humboldt Cross Road and State Route 89. The area extends 
from near the shoreline upslope to the watershed boundary. The Crater 
Lake Mountain subunit is located along Route 44 and encompasses the 
northwestern portion of Crater Lake Mountain as well as Grays and 
Harvey valleys. The watershed boundary was used to determine the extent 
of this subregion. The Poison Lake subunit north of State Route 44 near 
Pittville Road adjacent to South Cabin Reservoir and Ebey Lake. The 
western boundary is near Halls Flat Road. The Badger Mountain subunit 
is located north of Badger Mountain and east of State Route 89 and 
South of Potato Butte. Little Bunch Grass Meadow is included in this 
unit. The Lost Creek subunit is located south of Cinder Butte and west 
of the Hat Creek Rim. Lost Creek near Wilcox Road is within this 
subunit. The Goose Valley subunit is located in Shasta County northwest 
of the intersection of State Route 299 and Route 89 in Goose Valley 
north of Burney, California. The Long Valley subunit is located in Long 
Valley west of Black Ranch Road south of Long Valley Mountain and east 
of Lookout Mountain. The Cayton Creek

[[Page 46743]]

subunit is located in Shasta County north of Cayton Valley and Lake 
Britton east of Route 89. The area includes the northwestern portion of 
the watershed boundary for Fort Mountain along Red Mountain Road. The 
subunit is located in the Shasta National Forest. The Timbered Crater 
subunit is located on the Shasta/Modoc/Siskiyou County border near 
Little Hot Springs Valley. The subunit includes the area adjacent to 
Timbered Crater up to the Whitehorse Mountains and Day Road. The 
Timbered Crater subunit includes an area which has been proposed to be 
designated by the BLM as a Research Natural Area for vernal pools.

Unit 2A, B, and C, Stillwater Plains Unit, Shasta County (10,364 ac 
(4,194 ha))

    This unit is comprised of old alluvial terraces above the 
Sacramento River associated with Igo, Tuscan, Moda, and Redding soils 
(CNDDB 2002), which provide an important diversity of vernal pool 
habitat (criterion 2) for the species. This unit represents the 
northernmost extent of the range of Orcuttia tenuis in the Sacramento 
Valley (criterion 1). The majority of the lands included within this 
unit are privately owned. The BLM owns 81 ac (33 ha) in the unit, while 
the NRCS holds conservation easements or agreements on an additional 
130 ac (52 ha) through its WRP program.
    The Stillwater Plains Unit 2 contains three subunits. These are 
located in the area east and south of the city of Redding near the 
Redding Municipal Airport encompassing Stillwater Plains to the 
confluence of the Sacramento River and Cow Creek.

Unit 3, Inskip Hill, Tehama and Shasta Counties (48,820 ac (19,757 ha))

    This unit supports occurrences of Orcuttia tenuis within vernal 
pools on Guenon, Inskip, Inks, and Toomes soils (CNDDB 2002). It is 
important for maintaining a diversity of habitats for the species 
(criterion 2), and to maintain the geographic distribution of the 
species (criterion 1) because it supports over 40 percent of the known 
species occurrences (CNDDB 2002). This unit is also geographically 
important (criterion 1) because it contains large vernal pool complexes 
that represent some of the last remaining lower elevation vernal pool 
habitats in the northern Sacramento Valley.
    Land ownership within this unit includes BLM (14,839 ac (6,005 
ha)), and the State owns 709 ac (287 ha). TNC has conservation 
easements on 15,575 ac (6,230 ha) within this unit. The remaining lands 
included within this unit are privately owned. This unit occupies the 
area south of the Tehama/Shasta County line south to Sevenmile Creek 
near the Tuscan Buttes. The eastern boundary encompasses the vernal 
pool habitats along the lower elevation bordering the Sacramento River. 
The western boundary roughly follows the Sacramento River. Table 
Mountain west of the Sacramento River north of Paynes Creek and Red 
Bluff is included in this unit.

Unit 4, Vina Plains Unit, Tehama and Butte Counties (25,102 ac (10,159 
ha))

    This unit supports Orcuttia tenuis occurrences within vernal pools 
on Tuscan loam and Inks soils (CNDDB 2002). It is geographically 
noteworthy (criterion 1) for being the southernmost area occupied by 
the species in the Northeastern Sacramento Valley vernal pool region, 
as defined by Keeler-Wolf et al. (1998). The unit is over 100 mi (160 
km) from the nearest area occupied by O. tenuis to the south.
    This unit contains TNC's 4,600 ac (1,862 ha) Vina Plains preserve, 
which will help assure that the species persists at the location into 
the future (criterion 4). The majority of the lands included within 
this unit are privately owned. Property ownership and protection within 
this unit includes CDFG (1 ac (0.4 ha)), CDFG administered land (1 ac 
(0.4 ha)), TNC (192 ac (77 ha)), TNC easements (11,653 ac (4,661 ha)), 
and private land under WRP easements or agreements (142 (57 ha)).
    This unit for Orcuttia tenuis occupies the area south of Toomes 
Creek, and north of Pine Creek and the Cana Highway. State Route 99 
bisects this unit and the western boundary generally parallels the 
Southern Pacific Railway line in southeastern Tehama and northern Butte 
Counties.

Unit 5A and B, Bogg's Lake Unit, Clear Lake Area, Lake County (4,191 ac 
(1,696 ha))

    This unit is ecologically important (criterion 2) because it is the 
only place where Orcuttia tenuis occurrences occupy Northern Volcanic 
Ashflow vernal pools (Keeler-Wolf et al. 1998; CNDDB 2002). This area 
is geographically important (criterion 1) because it represents the 
western extent of the range of Orcuttia tenuis, and some of the last 
remaining vernal pool habitats in Lake County. The unit is over 84 mi 
(135 km) from the nearest units to the north and west.
    The majority of lands within this unit are privately owned. TNC has 
protected the area around Bogg's Lake south of Clear Lake, but most of 
the area is not protected. Property ownership and protection within 
this unit includes CDFG (13 ac (5 ha)) and TNC (192 ac (77 ha)) lands. 
This unit consists of two subunits that are both located south of Clear 
Lake. The southernmost subunit includes Little High Valley.

Tuctoria mucronata

    Solano grass is found in two naturally occurring scattered vernal 
pool complex areas in Solano and Yolo counties in the Sacramento 
Valley. The specific vernal pool characteristics that determine the 
suitability for Solano grass germination and growth are unknown; 
however, it appears that the species seems to favor somewhat larger and 
deeper vernal pools as compared to other vernal pool plants.
    Solano grass occurrences are known from with an elevational 
variation of near 5 m (15 ft) to near 11 m (35 ft). Conserving the 
distribution of Solano grass across its geographical and elevational 
distribution protects the natural environmental processes for the 
species and provides the best chance for retaining the species across 
the full extent of the species range. The vernal pool types and soils 
associated with the two areas of concentration of Solano grass differ 
across the geographic range of the species and leads to different 
species compositions and environmental conditions between Solano grass 
occurrences. Providing for a mosaic of habitat types both between and 
among vernal pool species occurrences is essential to the species 
conservation because it would include the full extent of the physical 
and environmental conditions for the species (Fugate 1992, Fugate 1998, 
Gonzales et al.1996, Ikeda and Schlising 1990, Noss et al. 2002a, 
Platenkamp 1998, Zedler et al. 1979). The distribution of Solano grass 
reflects a diversity of vernal pool habitat types and sizes that 
provide habitat for the species. Vernal pool complexes that provide 
suitable habitat for this species include similar physiographic and 
edaphic settings-claypan soils of saline-alkali flood basin rims basins 
soils. The parent material of vernal pools greatly influences species 
composition and hydrologic functioning of the vernal pool (Hanes and 
Stromberg 1998, Holland and Jain 1981, 1988). Soils beneath vernal 
pools are extremely variable and are not the same as soils mapped by 
soil surveys, but are usually undescribed hydric inclusions that vary 
upon location (Holland and Dain 1990). The primary constituent elements 
of critical habitat for Tuctoria mucronata are the habitat components 
that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the

[[Page 46744]]

adjacent upland margins of these depressions that sustain Tuctoria 
mucronata germination, growth and reproduction, including but not 
limited to, Northern Claypan vernal pools (Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 1995) 
on saline-alkaline clay or silty clay in the Pescadero soil series that 
typically become inundated during winter rains, but are dry during the 
summer and do not necessarily fill with water every year; and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Tuctoria mucronata germination, growth and 
reproduction, and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.

Unit 1, Davis Communications Annex and Grasslands Area Unit, Yolo 
County (440 ac (178 ha))

    This unit is an important representative of the geographic 
distribution of the species (criterion 1) because it represents the 
northern extent of the species' range, and because it is one of only 
two areas where Tuctoria mucronata is known to occur (CNDDB 2002). It 
also includes the largest remaining T. mucronata occurrence (CNDDB 
2002). Tuctoria mucronata within the unit grows in Northern Claypan 
vernal pools on Pescadero soils (CNDDB 2002).
    This unit is located southeast of the City of Davis and south of 
the South Fork of Putah Creek. Its western boundary lies along the 
border between Solano and Yolo Counties. The unit contains land owned 
by Yolo County and by the DOD (310 (125 ha)).

Effects of Critical Habitat Designation

    The regulatory effects of a critical habitat designation under the 
Act are triggered through the provisions of section 7, which applies 
only to activities conducted, authorized, or funded by a Federal agency 
(Federal actions). Regulations implementing this interagency 
cooperation provision of the Act are codified at 50 CFR part 402. 
Individuals, organizations, States, local governments, and other non-
Federal entities are not affected by the designation of critical 
habitat unless their actions occur on Federal lands, require Federal 
authorization, or involve Federal funding.
    Section 7(a)(2) of the Act requires Federal agencies, including us, 
to insure that their actions are not likely to jeopardize the continued 
existence of a listed species or result in the destruction or adverse 
modification of designated critical habitat. This requirement is met 
through section 7 consultation under the Act. Our regulations define 
``jeopardize the continued existence'' as to engage in an action that 
reasonably would be expected, directly or indirectly, to reduce 
appreciably the likelihood of both the survival and recovery of a 
listed species in the wild by reducing the reproduction, numbers, or 
distribution of that species (50 CFR 402.02). ``Destruction or adverse 
modification of designated critical habitat'' is defined as a direct or 
indirect alteration that appreciably diminishes the value of the 
critical habitat for both the survival and recovery of the species (50 
CFR 402.02). Such alterations include, but are not limited to, adverse 
changes to the physical or biological features, i.e., the primary 
constituent elements, that were the basis for determining the habitat 
to be critical. However, in a March 15, 2001, decision of the United 
States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (Sierra Club v. U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service et al., 245 F.3d 434), the Court found our 
definition of destruction or adverse modification to be invalid. In 
response to this decision, we are reviewing the regulatory definition 
of adverse modification in relation to the conservation of the species.
    Section 7(a)(4) requires Federal agencies to confer with us on any 
action that is likely to jeopardize the continued existence of a 
proposed species or result in destruction or adverse modification of 
proposed critical habitat. Conference reports provide conservation 
recommendations to assist the agency in eliminating conflicts that may 
be caused by the proposed action. The conservation recommendations in a 
conference report are advisory.
    We may issue a formal conference report, if requested by the 
Federal action agency. Formal conference reports include an opinion 
that is prepared according to 50 CFR 402.14, as if critical habitat 
were designated. We may adopt the formal conference report as the 
biological opinion when critical habitat is designated, if no 
substantial new information or changes in the action alter the content 
of the opinion (see 50 CFR 402.10(d)).
    If a species is listed or critical habitat is designated, section 
7(a)(2) requires Federal agencies to ensure that activities they 
authorize, fund, or carry out are not likely to jeopardize the 
continued existence of such a species or to destroy or adversely modify 
its critical habitat. If a Federal action may affect a listed species 
or its critical habitat, the responsible Federal agency (action agency) 
must enter into consultation with us. Through this consultation, the 
action agency would ensure that the permitted actions do not destroy or 
adversely modify critical habitat.
    If we issue a biological opinion concluding that a project is 
likely to result in the destruction or adverse modification of critical 
habitat, we would also provide reasonable and prudent alternatives to 
the project, if any are identifiable. Reasonable and prudent 
alternatives are defined at 50 CFR 402.02 as alternative actions 
identified during consultation that can be implemented in a manner 
consistent with the intended purpose of the action, that are consistent 
with the scope of the Federal agency's legal authority and 
jurisdiction, that are economically and technologically feasible, and 
that the Service's Regional Director believes would avoid the 
destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat. Reasonable and 
prudent alternatives can vary from slight project modifications to 
extensive redesign or relocation of the project. Costs associated with 
implementing a reasonable and prudent alternative are similarly 
variable.
    Regulations at 50 CFR 402.16 require Federal agencies to reinitiate 
consultation on previously reviewed actions in instances where critical 
habitat is subsequently designated and the Federal agency has retained 
discretionary involvement or control over the action or such 
discretionary involvement or control is authorized by law. 
Consequently, some Federal agencies may request reinitiation of 
consultation or conference with us on actions for which formal 
consultation has been completed, if those actions may affect designated 
critical habitat or adversely modify or destroy proposed critical 
habitat.
    Federal activities that may affect vernal pool crustaceans or 
vernal pool plants or their critical habitat will require consultation 
under section 7. Activities on private, State, county, or lands under 
local jurisdictions requiring a permit from a Federal agency, such as 
Federal Highway Administration or Federal Emergency Management Act 
funding, or a permit from the Corps under section 404 of the Clean 
Water Act, will continue to be subject to the section 7 consultation 
process. Federal actions not affecting listed species or critical 
habitat, and actions on non-Federal lands that are not federally

[[Page 46745]]

funded, authorized, or permitted do not require section 7 consultation.
    Section 4(b)(8) of the Act requires us to evaluate briefly and 
describe, in any proposed or final regulation that designates critical 
habitat, those activities involving a Federal action that may adversely 
modify such habitat or that may be affected by such designation. We 
note that such activities may also jeopardize the continued existence 
of the species.
    Activities that, when carried out, funded, or authorized by a 
Federal agency may directly or indirectly destroy or adversely modify 
critical habitat for vernal pool crustaceans or vernal pool plants 
include, but are not limited to:
    (1) Activities regulated by the Corps, EPA, or NRCS under the Clean 
Water Act and other acts or regulations, including but not limited to, 
discharge of fill into waters of the U.S., and promulgation of water 
quality standards;
    (2) Construction and maintenance of roads, highways, and rights-of 
way by Caltrans which may modify vernal pool habitat or affect their 
hydrologic functions;
    (3) Sale or exchange of lands by a Federal agency to a non-Federal 
entity;
    (4) Construction, relicensing, and operation of dams or other water 
impoundments by the BOR, Corps, or Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
(FERC);
    (5) Airport construction, improvement, or maintenance activities 
funded or authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration;
    (6) Licensing of construction of communication sites by the Federal 
Communications Commission;
    (7) Funding of construction or development activities by the U.S. 
Department of Housing and Urban Development;
    (8) Military training and maneuvers on DoD lands;
    (9) Execution of water service by the BOR;
    (10) Promulgation and implementation of a land use plan by a 
Federal agency such as the BLM, USFS, or DoD that may alter management 
practices for critical habitat; and
    (11) Approval of pesticide labels by EPA.
    If you have questions regarding whether specific activities may 
constitute adverse modification of critical habitat in California, 
contact the Field Supervisor, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office (see 
ADDRESSES section). If the critical habitat occurs in Oregon, contact 
the Field Supervisor, Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office, 2600 SE. 98th 
Avenue, Portland, OR 97266. Requests for copies of the regulations on 
listed plants and wildlife, and inquiries about prohibitions and 
permits may be addressed to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Branch 
of Endangered Species, 911 NE. 11th Ave, Portland, OR 97232 (telephone 
503/231-2063; facsimile 503/231-6243).

Exclusions Under Section 4(b)(2) of the Act

    Section 4(b)(2) of the Act requires us to designate critical 
habitat on the basis of the best scientific and commercial information 
available, and to consider the economic and other relevant impacts of 
designating a particular area as critical habitat. We may exclude areas 
from critical habitat upon a determination that the benefits of 
exclusions outweigh the benefits of specifying such areas as critical 
habitat. We cannot exclude areas from critical habitat when the 
exclusion will result in the extinction of the species concerned.

Economic Exclusions

    On the basis of the final economic analysis and other relevant 
impacts, as outlined under section 4(b)(2) of the Act, and the economic 
effects associated with this rule, certain exclusions have been made to 
this final designation, as detailed below. Because of the settlement 
agreement that requires us to deliver this rule to the Federal Register 
by July 15, 2003, there was insufficient time to revise the rule to 
fully reflect these exclusions. A technical amendment to the rule to 
take these areas out of the maps and legal descriptions, as well to 
change all the appropriate references in the text of this preamble will 
be completed as soon as funding allows.
    The following counties are excluded from this rule under Section 
4(b)(2): Butte, Madera, Merced, Solano, and Sacramento. We find that 
the benefits of excluding these areas from critical habitat outweigh 
the benefits of including them.
    Section 4(b)(2) of the Act requires us to designate critical 
habitat on the basis of the best scientific information available, and 
to consider the economic and other relevant impacts of designating a 
particular area as critical habitat. We may exclude areas from critical 
habitat upon a determination that the benefits of such exclusions 
outweigh the benefits of specifying such areas as critical habitat. We 
cannot exclude such areas from critical habitat when such exclusion 
will result in the extinction of the species concerned. Following the 
publication of the proposed critical habitat designation, we prepared a 
draft economic analysis of the proposed rulemaking to estimate the 
potential economic effect of the proposed designation. The draft 
analysis was made available for review on November 21, 2002 (67 FR 
70201). We accepted public comment on the draft analysis until December 
23, 2002. On March 14, 2003, we reopened the public comment period and 
accepted comments on the proposed rule and DEA until March 28, 2003 (68 
FR 12336). On the basis of public comment, we prepared a final economic 
analysis of the proposed designation that was used in the development 
of this final rule.

(1) Benefits of Excluding

    In our final analysis, we found that future section 7 consultations 
resulting from the listing of the 15 vernal pool species and the 
critical habitat designation could potentially impose total economic 
costs for consultation and modifications to projects of $1.3 billion 
over 20 years or $115 million per year.
    Most of the costs arise from our assumptions about land value and 
consumer surplus losses. Some of the costs result from the loss in land 
value of land that may need to be set aside on project sites under 
section 7 requirements. Other costs are from the unavailability of 
developable land in certain areas. For most regions, the scale and 
significance of the additional project modifications associated with 
section 7 and critical habitat designations are not sufficient to 
affect regional real estate market dynamics. In other words, although 
some land may not be developed as a result of critical habitat, plenty 
of substitute land is available. In these geographic areas, the overall 
number of new housing units built over the next 20 years is not 
expected to change as a result of the designation. The cost burden of 
project modifications falls on regulated landowners. However, in more 
land-constrained counties the setting-aside of vernal pool habitat may 
result in a reduction in the number of new homes that are built.
    For each of the excluded counties these costs were high. Costs in 
Butte County $64 million, Madera County $24 million, Merced County $91 
million, Solano County $321 million, and Sacramento County $682 
million. We believe that these costs are disproportionately high when 
compared to the costs of section 7 impacts elsewhere in this and other 
designations. In addition, we have considered the following factors.:


[[Page 46746]]


    Butte County: The County's unemployment rate is 7 percent, the 
designation affects 6.6 percent of the county's land, and the annual 
costs represent 0.157 percent of the total annual taxable sales in 
the county.
    Madera County: The County's unemployment rate is 11.8 percent, 
the designation affects 8.2 percent of the county's land, and the 
annual cost represents 0.139 percent of the annual taxable sales in 
the county.
    Merced County: The County's unemployment rate is 14.4 percent, 
the designation affects 27.4 percent of the county's land, and the 
annual cost represents 0.263 percent of the annual taxable sales in 
the county.
    Sacramento County: The designation affects 17.12 percent of the 
county's land, and the annual cost represents 0.206 percent of the 
annual taxable sales in the county.
    Solano County: The designation affects 18.1 percent of the 
county's land, and the annual cost represents 0.362 percent of the 
annual taxable sales in the county.

    The combination of monetary costs as a percent of the actual 
economic activity in the area, existing unemployment rate, and area of 
land affected in the county represents a more specific picture of the 
potential economic damage that would flow from this particular 
designation.

(2) Benefits of Including

    The benefits of including this areas within critical habitat are 
that these areas contribute to the conservation of the species. In 
developing our proposal of critical habitat for the 15 vernal pool 
species, we identified those areas that, based on the scientific and 
commercial data available, we determined contain essential occurrences 
of each of the species and/or are defined by the physical and 
biological features essential to their conservation. We used a number 
of criteria in defining critical habitat including, but not limited to, 
the known species occurrence and distribution data, habitat types, 
degree of habitat fragmentation, soil and landform relationships, 
connectivity and dispersal factors, and conservation biology 
principles.
    Solano County contains essential habitat for six of the listed 
vernal pool species: Contra Costa goldfields, Solano grass, Colusa 
grass, Conservancy fairy shrimp, vernal pool tadpole shrimp, and vernal 
pool fairy shrimp. We believe that critical habitat provides 
conservation value for all of these species because it emphasizes the 
importance of the interrelationship of uplands and pools within vernal 
pool complexes. The uplands support physical and biological features 
that are essential to the conservation of all of these species. 
Exclusion of critical habitat in Solano County may be perceived as 
diminishing the added value of highlighting the essential functions of 
uplands that is provided by critical habitat designation.
    However, since the protections of Sections 7, with respect to the 
jeopardy standard and section 9 will still be in effect, and will 
result in actions that will protect the species, the loss in protection 
of the species will be minimal.

(3) The Benefits of Exclusion Outweigh the Benefits of Inclusion

    Based on the above considerations, and in accordance with section 
4(b)(2) of the Act, we have determined that the benefits of exclusion 
outweigh the benefits of inclusion. The economic analysis found 
unusually high economic costs. Given the fact that much of the existing 
protections for the species will continue, the benefits of exclusion 
outweigh the benefits of inclusion. We find that since the protections 
of Sections 7, with respect to the jeopardy standard and section 9 will 
still be in effect, and will result in actions that will protect the 
species, the loss in protection of the species will be minimal. 
Therefore we do not believe that these exclusions will result in the 
extinction of the species.

Relationship of Critical Habitat to Approved Habitat Conservation Plans

    As described above, section 4(b)(2) of the Act requires us to 
consider other relevant impacts, in addition to economic impacts, of 
designating critical habitat. Section 10(a)(1)(B) of the Act authorizes 
us to issue permits for the take of listed wildlife species incidental 
to otherwise lawful activities. An incidental take permit application 
must be supported by an HCP that identifies conservation measures that 
the permittee agrees to implement for the species to minimize and 
mitigate the impacts of the permitted incidental take. Although take of 
listed plants is not generally prohibited by the Act on private land, 
listed plant species may also be covered in an HCP for wildlife 
species.
    Three proposed critical habitat units (Skunk Hollow Unit 35, a 
portion of San Joaquin Unit 18 for vernal pool fairy shrimp) warrant 
exclusion from the final designation of critical habitat under section 
4(b)(2) of the Act based on the special management considerations and 
protections afforded the vernal pool habitat through several approved 
and legally operative HCPs or NCCP/HCPs. We believe that in most 
instances, the benefits of excluding legally operative HCPs from the 
critical habitat designations will outweigh the benefits of including 
them. The following represents our rationale for excluding the Skunk 
Hollow critical habitat unit (Unit 35), a portion of the San Joaquin 
critical habitat unit (Unit 18 for vernal pool fairy shrimp, and Unit 
14 for vernal pool tadpole shrimp) from the final designated critical 
habitat.
    The Skunk Hollow vernal pool basin (Unit 35) consists of a single, 
large vernal pool and its essential associated watershed in western 
Riverside County. Several federally listed species have been documented 
from the Skunk Hollow vernal pool basin. These include the vernal pool 
fairy shrimp (Simovich, in litt. 2001), the Riverside fairy shrimp 
(Service 2001), Navarretia fossalis, and Orcuttia californica (Service 
1998). The vernal pool complex and watershed is currently protected as 
part of a reserve established within an approved wetland mitigation 
bank in the Rancho Bella Vista HCP area, and as part of the 
conservation measures contained in the Assessment District 161 
Subregional HCP (AD161 HCP).
    The San Joaquin County Multi-Species Conservation Plan (SJMSCP) 
identifies the vernal pool fairy shrimp and the vernal pool tadpole 
shrimp as covered species. The SJMSCP has identified areas where growth 
and development are expected to occur (build-out areas). A portion of 
one of these build-out areas overlaps with the San Joaquin Unit 18 for 
vernal pool fairy shrimp.

(1) Benefits of Inclusion

    The benefits of including HCPs or NCCP/HCPs in critical habitat are 
normally small. The principal benefit of any designated critical 
habitat is that federally funded or authorized activities in such 
habitat that may affect it require consultation under section 7 of the 
Act. Such consultation would ensure that adequate protection is 
provided to avoid adverse modification of critical habitat. Where HCPs 
are in place, our experience indicates that this benefit is small or 
non-existent. Currently approved and permitted HCPs and NCCP/HCPs are 
already designed to ensure the long-term survival of covered species 
within the plan area. Where we have an approved HCPs or NCCP/HCPs, 
lands that we ordinarily would define as critical habitat for covered 
species will normally be protected in reserves and other conservation 
lands by the terms of the HCPs or NCCP/HCPs and their Implementing 
Agreements (IAs). These HCPs or NCCP/HCPs and IAs include management 
measures and protections for conservation lands designed to protect, 
restore, and enhance their value as habitat for covered species.

[[Page 46747]]

    Another possible benefit to including these lands is that the 
designation of critical habitat can serve to educate landowners and the 
public regarding the potential conservation value of an area. This may 
focus and contribute to conservation efforts by other parties by 
clearly delineating areas of high conservation value for certain 
species. Any information about the vernal pool species for which 
critical habitat was proposed in units 35 and 14, and a portion of unit 
18 that reaches a wide audience, including other parties engaged in 
conservation activities, would be considered valuable.

(2) Benefits of Exclusion

    The benefits of excluding HCPs or NCCP/HCPs include relieving 
landowners, communities and counties of any additional regulatory 
burden that might be imposed by critical habitat. This benefit is 
particularly compelling because we have made the determination that 
once a HCP of NCCP/HCP is negotiated and approved by us after public 
comment, activities consistent with the plan will satisfy the 
requirements of the Act. Many HCPs or NCCP/HCPs, particularly large 
regional HCPs or NCCP/HCPs, take many years to develop and, upon 
completion, become regional conservation plans that are consistent with 
the conservation of covered species. Imposing an additional regulatory 
review after HCP or NCCP/HCP completion may jeopardize conservation 
efforts and partnerships in many areas, and could be viewed as a 
disincentive to those developing HCPs or NCCP/HCPs. Excluding HCPs or 
NCCP/HCPs provides us an opportunity to streamline regulatory 
compliance, and provides regulatory certainty for HCP and NCCP/HCP 
participants.
    Another crucial benefit of excluding HCPs or NCCP/HCPs is that it 
would encourage the continued development of partnerships with HCP or 
NCCP/HCPs participants, including states, local governments, 
conservation organizations, and private landowners, that together can 
implement conservation actions we would be unable to accomplish. By 
excluding areas covered by HCPs or NCCP/HCPs from critical habitat 
designation, we clearly maintain our commitments, preserve these 
partnerships, and, we believe, set the stage for more effective 
conservation actions in the future.
    In addition, an HCP or NCCP/HCP application must itself be 
consulted upon. While this consultation will not look specifically at 
the issue of adverse modification of critical habitat, unless critical 
habitat has already been designated within the proposed plan area, it 
will look at the very similar concept of jeopardy to the listed species 
in the plan area. Because HCPs or NCCP/HCPs, particularly large 
regional HCPs or NCCP/HCPs, address land use within the plan 
boundaries, habitat issues within the plan boundaries will have been 
thoroughly addressed in the HCP or NCCP/HCP and consulted upon. Federal 
actions in areas occupied by listed species would still require 
consultation under section 7 of the Act.
    Further, HCPs and NCCP/HCPs typically provide for greater 
conservation benefits to a covered species than section 7 consultations 
because HCPs and NCCP/HCPs assure the long-term protection and 
management of a covered species and its habitat, and funding for such 
management through the standards found in the 5 Point Policy for HCPs 
(64 FR 35242) and the HCP No Surprises regulation (63 FR 8859). Such 
assurances are typically not provided by section 7 consultations which, 
in contrast to HCPs, often do not commit the project proponent to long-
term special management or protections. Thus, a consultation typically 
does not accord the lands it covers the extensive benefits a HCP or 
NCCP/HCP provides. The development and implementation of HCPs or NCCP/
HCPs provide other important conservation benefits, including the 
development of biological information to guide conservation efforts and 
assist in species conservation, and the creation of innovative 
solutions to conserve species while allowing for development.

(3) The Benefits of Exclusion Outweigh the Benefits of Inclusion

    We have reviewed and evaluated HCPs and NCCP/HCPs currently 
approved and have been implemented within the areas being designated as 
critical habitat for the vernal pool crustaceans and plants. Based on 
this evaluation, we find that the benefits of exclusion outweigh the 
benefits of designating the Skunk Hollow area (Unit 35 for vernal pool 
fairy shrimp), and a portion of the San Joaquin area (Unit 18 for 
vernal pool fairy shrimp and Unit 14 for vernal pool tadpole shrimp as 
critical habitat.
    While neither HCP or NCCP/HCP includes vernal pool fairy shrimp as 
a covered species, both HCPs provide protection for the vernal pool 
complex and its associated watershed in perpetuity. Further, the Rancho 
Bell Vista HCP addresses the endangered Riverside fairy shrimp as a 
covered species. The management and protections afforded the vernal 
pool and Riverside fairy shrimp provide for the long-term conservation 
of this pool and vernal pool fairy shrimp. It also preserves the 
partnerships that we have developed with the local jurisdiction and 
project proponents in the development of the HCP and NCCP/HCP. We also 
believe that the management and protections afforded the vernal pool 
fairy shrimp and vernal pool tadpole shrimp in the build-out areas 
through the SJMSCP are adequate for the long-term conservation of these 
species.
    The education benefits of critical habitat, including informing the 
public of areas that are important for long-term survival and 
conservation of the species, are essentially the same as those that 
would occur from the public notice and comment procedures required to 
establish a HCP or NCCP/HCP, as well as the public participation that 
occurs in the development of many regional HCPs or NCCP/HCPs. For these 
reasons, then, we believe, that designation of critical habitat has 
little benefit in areas covered by HCPs, provided that the HCP or NCCP/
HCP and its associated IA are legally operative, and that the HCP or 
NCCP/HCP specifically and adequately covers the species for which 
critical habitat is being designated. We do not believe that this 
exclusion would result in the extinction of these vernal pool species.

Relationship of Critical Habitat to the Draft Western Riverside 
Multiple Species Habitat Conservation Plan (MSHCP)

    The Draft Western Riverside MSHCP has been in development for 
several years. Participants in this HCP include 14 cities, the County 
of Riverside, including the County Flood Control and Water Conservation 
District, County Waste Department; the California Department of 
Transportation, and the California Department of Parks and Recreation. 
The Western Riverside MSHCP is also proposed as a subregional plan 
under the State's NCCP and is being developed in cooperation with CDFG. 
Within the 1.26 million-acre (510,000 ha) planning area of the MSHCP, 
approximately 153,000 ac (62,000 ha) of diverse habitats are proposed 
for conservation. The proposed conservation of 153,000 ac (62,000 ha) 
will compliment other, existing natural and open space areas that are 
already conserved through other means (e.g., State Parks, USFS, and 
County Park lands).
    The County of Riverside and the participating jurisdictions have 
signaled their sustained support for the Western Riverside MSHCP as 
evidenced by the November 5, 2002, passage of a local

[[Page 46748]]

bond measure to fund the acquisition of land in support of the MSHCP. 
On November 14, 2002, a Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental 
Impact Report (EIS/EIR) and Receipt of an Application for an Incidental 
Take Permit was published in the Federal Register. Public comment on 
these documents was accepted until January 14, 2003. Additionally, on 
June 17, 2003, the County of Riverside Board of Supervisors voted 
unanimously to support the completion of the Western Riverside MSHCP.
    Unit 33 (Hemet-San Jacinto Area) contains the PCEs essential to the 
conservation of the vernal pool fairy shrimp. This Unit also lies 
within the boundaries of the planning area for the proposed Western 
Riverside MSHCP. The proposed MSHCP indicates that conservation actions 
within this area will be implemented such that the long-term 
conservation of the vernal pool fairy shrimp will be addressed. 
Although the MSHCP is not yet completed and implemented, significant 
progress has been achieved in the development of this HCP, including 
the preparation of an EIS/EIR, the solicitation of public review and 
comment, and the initiation of a consultation with us on the issuance 
of incidental take permits for those species identified for coverage 
within the draft plan.
    In light of the progress made to date on the development of the 
proposed Western Riverside MSHCP and the anticipated future 
implementation of this HCP, we have excluded Unit 33 from designated 
critical habitat pursuant to section 4(b)(2) of the Act. Our rationale 
for excluding these lands from designated critical habitat is outline 
below.

(1) Benefits of Inclusion

    As stated previously, the benefits of designating critical habitat 
on lands within the boundaries of approved HCPs are normally small. 
Where HCPs are in place that include coverage for the vernal pool fairy 
shrimp or co-occurring vernal pool species, our experience has shown 
that the HCPs and their IAs include management measures and protections 
designed to protect, restore, monitor, manage, and enhance the habitat 
to benefit the conservation of the species. The principal benefit of 
designating critical habitat is that federally authorized or funded 
activities that may affect a species' critical habitat would require 
consultation with us under section 7 of the Act. In the case of the 
proposed Western Riverside MSHCP, we must evaluate the impact of the 
plan on the species for which the participants are seeking incidental 
take permits, pursuant to section 7 of the Act.

(2) Benefits of Exclusion

    Excluding lands defined by Unit 33 from designated critical habitat 
will provide several benefits, as follows: (1) Exclusion of the lands 
from the final designation will enhance our ability to continue working 
with the participants in a spirit of cooperation and partnership; (2) 
other jurisdictions, private landowners, and other entities will likely 
continue to see the benefit of working cooperatively with us to develop 
HCPs which can provide the basis for future opportunities to conserve 
species and their habitats. A more detailed discussion concerning our 
rationale for the benefits of excluding HCPs from critical habitat is 
outlined under in the previous discussion concerning the exclusion of 
approved HCPs. Further, we believe that the analysis conducted 
evaluating the benefits of excluding HCPs from critical habitat versus 
the benefits of including these lands, as previously discussed for the 
exclusion of approved HCPs, is applicable and appropriate for the 
exclusion of the Western Riverside MSHCP from designated critical 
habitat.

Relationship of Critical Habitat to Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological 
Reserve: A State, Federal, and Local Cooperatively Managed Reserve

    The Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological Reserve (SRPER) (Unit 34 for 
vernal pool fairy shrimp) covers approximately 8,300 ac (3360 ha) near 
the town of Murrieta, California. The SRPER is situated on a large mesa 
composed of basaltic and granitic substrates and contains one of the 
largest vernal pool complexes remaining in southern Riverside County. 
Several endemic vernal species are known to occur within the complex 
including the vernal pool fairy shrimp, Riverside fairy shrimp, Santa 
Rosa fairy shrimp (Linderiella santarosae), Orcuttia californica, 
Brodiaea filifolia (Thread-leaved brodiaea), and Eryngium aristulatum 
var. parishii (San Diego button-celery). Established in 1984, the SRPER 
is owned by The Nature Conservancy (TNC), and is cooperatively managed 
by TNC, the Riverside County Regional Park and Open Space District, 
CDFG, and the Service.
    The draft Western Riverside Multiple Species Habitat Conservation 
Plan (MSHCP) identifies the SRPER as an existing natural area that will 
compliment the MSHCP's future establishment of 153,000 ac (62,000 ha) 
of additional conservation lands.

(1) Benefits of Inclusion

    There is minimal benefit from designating critical habitat for the 
vernal pool fairy shrimp within the SRPER because these lands are 
already jointly managed for the conservation of wildlife. One possible 
benefit of including these lands as critical habitat would be to 
educate the public regarding the conservation value of SRPER and the 
vernal pool complex. Additionally, the designation of critical habitat 
for the vernal pool fairy shrimp on SRPER would require consultation 
with us for any action undertaken, authorized, or funded by a Federal 
agency that may affect the species or its designated critical habitat.

(2) Benefits of Exclusion

    Currently, the SRPER provides for regular public education programs 
highlighting the unique ecological features of the area, including the 
vernal pool complex and the species found therein. Designation of 
critical habitat will not have any appreciable effect on the 
development or implementation of public education programs within the 
SRPER. Human activities that would negatively affect the vernal pool 
fairy shrimp and the PCEs that support it are prohibited on SRPER.
    The Recovery Plan for Vernal Pools of Southern California (Recovery 
Plan) (Service 1998) identifies the vernal pool complex on the SRPER in 
the Riverside Management Area. The Recovery Plan was developed with 
assistance from numerous entities and individuals, including the CDFG 
and Metropolitan Water District. Because the SRPER is cooperatively 
managed by local, state, and Federal agencies, including the Service, 
CDFG, TNC, the Riverside County Regional Park and Open Space District, 
and the Metropolitan Water District, proposed activities that could 
affect the vernal pool fairy shrimp would be reviewed by all the 
cooperating management entities.
    The Service, as one of the cooperating management agencies for the 
SRPER, ensures that actions it would authorize on the SRPER will not 
jeopardize the continued existence of the vernal pool fairy shrimp. It 
is highly unlikely that a proposed activity that would jeopardize the 
existence of the species would not also adversely modify the habitat 
essential for the conservation of the vernal pool fairy shrimp.
    TNC is anticipating transferring ownership of SRPER to CDFG. The 
CDFG has already indicated its intent to oversee the SRPER in a manner

[[Page 46749]]

consistent with the present conservation management scheme agreed to by 
the cooperating agencies. Designation of critical habitat on the SRPER 
could be interpreted by CDFG as an unfair burden. Although designation 
of critical habitat would not have any effect of the present management 
of the vernal pool complex on the SRPER, the CDFG would likely view 
such designation as unnecessary.
    Excluding critical habitat designation from the SRPER will preserve 
the cooperative spirit already established among the managing agencies, 
including the CDFG. Such exclusion will not jeopardize the existence of 
the vernal pool fairy shrimp on SRPER, nor will such exclusion provide 
increase the likelihood that activities would be proposed which would 
appreciably diminish the value of the habitat for the conservation of 
the species.

Relationship of Critical Habitat to National Wildlife Refuge and 
National Fish Hatchery Lands

    We have determined that proposed critical habitat units on the 
Sacramento, San Francisco Bay, San Luis, and Kern National Wildlife 
Refuge Complexes, and the Coleman National Fish Hatchery Complex, 
warrant exclusion pursuant to section 4(b)(2) of the Act because the 
benefits of excluding these lands from final critical habitat outweigh 
the benefits of their inclusion.

(1) Benefits of Inclusion

    There is minimal benefit from designating critical habitat for the 
vernal pool species within National Wildlife Refuge and National Fish 
Hatchery lands because these lands are already managed for the 
conservation of wildlife. One possible benefit of including these lands 
as critical habitat would be to educate the public regarding the 
conservation value of these areas and the vernal pool complex they 
support. However, critical habitat designation provides little gain in 
the way of increased recognition for special habitat values on lands 
that are expressly managed to protect and enhance those values. 
Additionally, the designation of critical habitat will not have any 
appreciable effect on the development or implementation of public 
education programs on these areas.
    Critical habitat designation provides little gain in the way of 
increased recognition for special habitat values on lands that are 
expressly managed to protect and enhance those values. All of these 
refuges are developing comprehensive resource management plans that 
will provide for protection and management of all trust resources, 
including federally listed species and sensitive natural habitats. 
These plans, and many of the management actions undertaken to implement 
them, will have to undergo consultation under section 7 of the Act and 
be evaluated for their consistency with the conservation needs of 
listed species.

(2) Benefits of Exclusion

    While the consultation requirement associated with critical habitat 
on the National Wildlife Refuge and Fish Hatchery lands add little 
benefit, it would require the use of resources to ensure regulatory 
compliance that could otherwise be used for on-the ground management of 
the targeted listed or sensitive species. Therefore, the benefits of 
exclusion include relieving additional regulatory burden that might be 
imposed by the critical habitat, which could divert resources from 
substantive resource protection to procedural regulatory efforts.

(3) The Benefits of Exclusion Outweigh the Benefits of Inclusion

    We believe that the potential disincentives to actively manage 
trust resources that is provided by designation of critical habitat are 
appreciably greater than the benefits to be derived from such 
designation. This is a result of the fact that these lands already are 
publically-owned and managed to protect and enhance unique and 
important natural resource values. We therefore conclude that the 
benefits of excluding National Wildlife Refuge and National Fish 
Hatchery lands from the final critical habitat designation outweigh the 
benefits of including them. Exclusion of these lands will not increase 
the likelihood that management activities would be proposed which would 
appreciably diminish the value of the habitat for conservation of the 
species. Further, such exclusion will not result in the extinction of 
the vernal pool species. We therefore conclude that the benefits of 
excluding refuge and Fish Hatchery lands from the final critical 
habitat designation outweigh the benefits of including them.
    In accordance with section 4(b)(2) of the Act, we have excluded 
lands within the Sacramento, San Francisco Bay, San Luis, and Kern 
National Wildlife Refuge Complexes, and the Coleman National Fish 
Hatchery Complex from final critical habitat. The total amount of 
refuge and fishery land excluded from the final designation is 
approximately 33,097 ac (13,238 ha).

Relationship of Critical Habitat to State Managed Ecological Reserves 
and Wildlife Areas

    The State of California establishes ecological reserves ``to 
protect threatened or endangered native plants, wildlife, or aquatic 
organisms or specialized habitat types, both terrestrial and nonmarine 
aquatic, or large heterogeneous natural gene pools'' (Fish and Game 
Code section 1580). They are to ``be preserved in a natural condition, 
or which are to be provided some level of protection as determined by 
the commission, for the benefit of the general public to observe native 
flora and fauna and for scientific study or research.'' (Fish and Game 
Code section 1584). Wildlife areas are for the purposes of propagating, 
feeding and protecting birds, mammals, and fish (Fish and Game Code 
section 1525); However, they too provide habitat for and are also 
managed for the benefit of listed and sensitive species (CDFG in litt. 
2003).
    Take of species except as authorized by State Fish and Game Code is 
prohibited on both State ecological reserves and wildlife areas 
(section 1530 and section 1583). While public uses are permitted on 
most wildlife areas and ecological reserves, such uses are only allowed 
at times and in areas where listed and sensitive species are not 
adversely affected (CDFG in litt. 2003). The management objectives for 
these State lands include: ``to specifically manage for targeted listed 
and sensitive species to provide protection that is equivalent to that 
provided by designation of critical habitat; to provide a net benefit 
to the species through protection and management of the land; to ensure 
adequate information, resources, and funds are available to properly 
manage the habitat; and to establish conservation objectives, adaptive 
management, monitoring and reporting processes to assure an effective 
management program, monitoring and reporting processes to assure an 
effective management program'' (CDFG in litt. 2003).
    We proposed as critical habitat, but have now considered for 
exclusion from the final designation, the CDFG owned lands within the 
Battle Creek, Big Sandy, Grizzly Island, Hill Slough, North Grasslands, 
and Oroville Wildlife Areas and State-owned lands within Allensworth, 
Boggs Lake, Butte Creek Canyon, Calhoun Cut, Carrizo Plains, Dales 
Lake, Fagan Marsh, Phoenix Field, San Joaquin River, Stone Corral, and 
Thomes Creek Ecological Reserves.

[[Page 46750]]

(1) Benefits of Inclusion

    There is minimal benefit from designating critical habitat for the 
vernal pool species within the ecological reserves and wildlife 
management areas because these lands are already managed for the 
conservation of wildlife. One possible benefit of including these lands 
as critical habitat would be to educate the public regarding the 
conservation value of these areas and the vernal pool complex they 
support. However, critical habitat designation provides little gain in 
the way of increased recognition for special habitat values on lands 
that are expressly managed to protect and enhance those values. 
Additionally, the designation of critical habitat will not have any 
appreciable effect on the development or implementation of public 
education programs on these areas.
    The designation of critical habitat would require consultation with 
us for any action undertaken, authorized, or funded by a Federal agency 
that may affect the species or its designated critical habitat. 
However, the management objects for State ecological reserves and 
wildlife management area already include specifically managing for 
targeted listed and sensitive species (CDFG in litt. 2003); therefore, 
the benefit from additional consultation is likely also to be minimal.

(2) Benefits of Exclusion

    While the consultation requirement associated with critical habitat 
on the Ecological Reserves and Wildlife Management Areas add little 
benefit, it would require the use of resources to ensure regulatory 
compliance that could otherwise be used for on-the ground management of 
the targeted listed or sensitive species (CDFG in litt. 2003). 
Additionally, the State has expressed a concern that the designation of 
these lands and associated regulatory requirements may cause delays 
that could be expected to reduce the CDFG's ability to respond to 
vernal pool management issues that arise on the ecological reserves and 
wildlife areas. Therefore, the benefits of exclusion include relieving 
additional regulatory burden that might be imposed by the critical 
habitat, which could divert resources from substantive resource 
protection to procedural regulatory efforts.

(3) The Benefits of Exclusion Outweigh the Benefits of Inclusion

    We believe that the potential disincentives to actively manage 
State trust resources that is provided by designation of critical 
habitat are appreciably greater than the benefits to be derived from 
such designation. This is a result of the fact that these lands already 
are publically-owned and managed to protect and enhance unique and 
important natural resource values. We therefore conclude that the 
benefits of excluding CDFG ecological reserves and wildlife areas from 
the final critical habitat designation outweigh the benefits of 
including them. Such exclusion will not result in the extinction of the 
vernal pool species. Further, we do believe that such exclusion will 
increase the likelihood that activities would be proposed that would 
appreciably diminish the value of the habitat for the conservation of 
these species.
    In accordance with section 4(b)(2) of the Act, we have excluded 
California Department of Fish and Game owned lands within the Battle 
Creek, Big Sandy, Grizzly Island, Hill Slough, North Grasslands, and 
Oroville Wildlife Areas and State-owned lands within Allensworth, Boggs 
Lake, Butte Creek Canyon, Calhoun Cut, Carrizo Plains, Dales Lake, 
Fagan Marsh, Phoenix Field, San Joaquin River, Stone Corral, and Thomes 
Creek Ecological Reserves. The total amount of land excluded for State-
owned lands excluded within wildlife areas or ecological reserves is 
approximately 20,933 ac (8,373 ha).

Relationship of Critical Habitat to Military Lands

    Section 4(b)(2) of the Act requires us to base critical habitat 
designations on the best scientific and commercial data available, 
after taking into consideration the economic and any other relevant 
impact of specifying any particular area as critical habitat. It also 
requires us to gather information regarding the designation of critical 
habitat and the effects thereof from all relevant sources, including 
the Unites States Air Force and the United States Army. The following 
discussions are provided on Travis AFB, Beale AFB, Camp Roberts, and 
Fort Hunter Liggett.

Travis Air Force Base

    Travis AFB has several vernal pool complexes that support the 
vernal pool fairy shrimp and Lasthenia conjugens and also contain PCEs 
for Neostapfia colusana, Conservancy fairy shrimp, Tuctoria mucronata, 
and vernal pool tadpole shrimp. As a result of wetland surveys, Travis 
AFB had identified 235 vernal pools on approximately 40 ha (100 ac) of 
the 445 ha (1,100 ac) that are not developed on the base. To date, only 
Lasthenia conjugens and the vernal fairy shrimp have been discovered on 
Travis AFB within these 40 ha (100 ac).

(1) Benefits of Inclusion

    The benefits of designating critical habitat on Travis AFB are 
small because the vernal pool complexes on the base are already the 
focus of vernal pool conservation activities on the base; existing 
controls on base development already preserve habitat for listed 
species located there. Travis AFB has completed development of an INRMP 
to outline protection and management strategies for natural resources 
on the base, including vernal pool species and habitats. In addition, 
Travis AFB has provided private researchers and the general public 
opportunities for scientific and educational benefits, and controls 
access to the vernal pool complexes to avoid causing inadvertent harm 
to the species.

(2) Benefits of Exclusion

    Designating critical habitat on Travis AFB would significantly 
impact their ability to: (1) Fulfill present and future mission systems 
and taskings supporting national defense; (2) adversely impact routine 
operations and maintenance activities; (3) hinder improvements with the 
base water supply; (4) hinder the time line for construction and 
increase the costs associated with the proposed 350-room visitor's 
quarters; (5) conflict with the management of the air space to support 
airfield safety; (6) impair the ability to protect military aircrew, 
aircraft, and public safety; (7) impede essential training; and (8) 
limit their ability to prevent or reduce aircraft bird strikes (Travis 
AFB, in litt. 2002). Additionally, designation of critical habitat 
would adversely impact civilian contracting in Solano County. Travis 
AFB is Solano County's largest employer and local contracting totaled 
$75 million dollars in fiscal year 2002. Also, the designation of 
critical habitat will increase costs associated with environmental 
documentation of proposed projects, may restrict future critical 
training missions to jeopardize the bases's viability and operational 
capabilities, impact future associated economic benefits to the 
surrounding communities, and may affect future base closing decisions 
(Travis AFB in litt. 2002).
    The main benefits of exclusion are ensuring that the mission 
execution and military training activities can continue without 
interruption at Travis AFB while the Habitat Conservation Management 
Plan (HCMP) for the base is being implemented. Additionally, future 
mission assignments to Travis

[[Page 46751]]

AFB will not be precluded based upon vernal pool critical habitat 
designation (Travis AFB, in litt. 2002).

(3) The Benefits of Exclusion Outweigh the Benefits of Inclusion

    Based on the above considerations, and consistent with the 
direction provided in section 4(b)(2) of the Act, we have determined 
that the benefits of excluding Travis AFB as critical habitat outweigh 
the benefits of including it as critical habitat for vernal pool 
species. Further, we have determined that excluding the Travis AFB will 
not result in the extinction of the Conservancy fairy shrimp, the 
vernal pool fairy shrimp, the vernal pool tadpole shrimp, N. colusana, 
T. mucronata, and L. conjugens. If significant additional information 
become available that changes our analysis of the benefits of excluding 
compared to the benefits of including Travis AFB in the critical 
habitat designation, we may revise this final designation accordingly.

Beale Air Force Base

    Beale AFB completed their INRMP in 1999. Within their INRMP, Beale 
AFB established a Vernal Pool Conservation and Management Area to 
protect vernal pool complexes on the western side of the base. In 
cooperation with Beale AFB, we agreed not to sign the INRMP and are 
awaiting the draft Habitat Conservation and Management Plan (HCMP) so 
that we can consult on both documents. Beale AFB has several 
substantial vernal pool complexes that support the vernal pool fairy 
shrimp and vernal pool tadpole shrimp, especially on the western side 
of the base.
    The Beale AFB HCMP may be completed in 2004 depending on funding. 
We will consult with Beale AFB under section 7 of the Act on the 
development and implementation of the INRMP, HCMP and base 
comprehensive plan.

(1) Benefits of Inclusion

    The benefits of designating critical habitat on Beale AFB are small 
because the vernal pool complexes on the western side of the base are 
already the focus of vernal pool conservation activities on the base. 
Beale AFB is completing the development of their HCMP to outline 
protection and management strategies for natural resources on the base, 
including vernal pool species and habitats. In addition, Beale AFB has 
provided private researchers and the general public opportunities for 
scientific and educational benefits, and controls access to the vernal 
pool complexes to avoid causing inadvertent harm to the species.

(2) Benefits of Exclusion

    Designating critical habitat on Beale AFB would significantly 
impact their ability to: (1) Fulfill present and future mission systems 
and taskings supporting national defense; (2) adversely impact routine 
operations and maintenance activities; (3) hinder improvements with the 
base water supply; (4) hinder the time line for construction and 
increase the costs associated with the proposed 350-room visitor's 
quarters; (5) conflict with the management of the air space to support 
airfield safety; (6) impair the ability to protect military aircrew, 
aircraft, and public safety; (7) impede essential training; and (8) 
limit their ability to prevent or reduce aircraft bird strikes (Beale 
AFB, in litt. 2002). Additionally, the economic costs to Beale AFB and 
the economy of Yuba County could be considerable as the designation of 
critical habitat may restrict enough future critical training missions 
to jeopardize the bases's viability and operational capabilities, 
impacting future associated economic benefits to the surrounding 
communities, and may affect future base closing decisions (Beale AFB, 
in litt. 2002).
    The main benefit of exclusion would be ensuring that the military 
training activities can continue without interruption at Beale AFB 
while the HCMP is being completed. Additionally, future mission 
assignments to Beale AFB will not be precluded from the decision making 
process based upon vernal pool critical habitat designation (Beale AFB, 
in litt. 2002).

(3) The Benefits of Exclusion Outweigh the Benefits of Inclusion

    Based on the above considerations, and consistent with the 
direction provided in section 4(b)(2) of the Act, we have determined 
that the benefits of excluding Beale AFB as critical habitat outweigh 
the benefits of including it as critical habitat for vernal pool 
species. Further, we have determined that excluding the Beale AFB will 
not result in the extinction of the Conservancy fairy shrimp, the 
vernal pool fairy shrimp, the vernal pool tadpole shrimp, N. colusana, 
T. mucronata, and L. conjugens. If significant additional information 
become available that changes our analysis of the benefits of excluding 
compared to the benefits of including Beale AFB in the critical habitat 
designation, we may revise this final designation accordingly.

Fort Hunter Liggett and Camp Roberts

    Fort Hunter Liggett (6,519 ha (16,298 ac)) and Camp Roberts (13,247 
ha (33,117 ac)) occur in San Luis Obispo and Monterey Counties. We are 
reviewing but have not approved INRMPs for Camp Roberts and Fort Hunter 
Liggett. Both bases have several substantial vernal pool complexes that 
support the vernal pool fairy shrimp.

(1) Benefits of Inclusion

    Analysis of remote sensing data collected since 1994 suggests the 
loss of vernal pools in the coastal county area of California is 
occurring at a steady, and possibly increasing, rate. These trends are 
based on a recent vernal pool mapping report for Monterey, San Benito, 
San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties (Holland 2003). It 
is also likely that the species that depend on these habitats are also 
being adversely affected to an increasing degree.
    We do not believe, at the present time, that the management plans 
on either base demonstrate how they will help recover vernal pool fairy 
shrimp. Additionally, the current plans do not provide an assurance of 
implementation, or demonstrate that proposed conservation efforts will 
be effective in promoting conservation.

(2) Benefits of Exclusion

    At Camp Roberts, activities potentially affected include the use of 
field artillery pieces, range training, drop zone use, and use of tank 
trails or roads. Military operations in training areas with listed 
fairy shrimp at Fort Hunter Liggett would also be modified. One of 
these training areas contains a multi-purpose range complex that only 
occurs at four military bases in the country (FHL 2002b). Consistent 
access to the facility is critical because comparable facilities at 
other locations are scheduled for use several months to years in 
advance. Initiating and completing section 7 consultations that would 
arise from a critical habitat designation would likely result in 
alterations to, and delays in, training schedules at the multi-purpose 
range complex. If critical habitat is designated on these bases, the 
military would need to consider and possibly implement alternatives 
that modify the timing, location, and intensity of training activities. 
The main benefit of these 4(b)(2) exclusions is to ensure that mission-
critical military training activities can continue without interruption 
while we continue to work with military staff to jointly refine and

[[Page 46752]]

complete the INRMPs for the two military bases.
    Also, the maintenance of positive working relationships between our 
agency and the military is essential to completing the INRMPs for Camp 
Roberts and Fort Hunter Liggett. The number of listed species and the 
diversity of training operations on these military bases will 
ultimately result in two inherently complicated documents. Crafting 
conservation strategies for multiple species that require different 
habitats, while ensuring the lands on the military bases are still 
available for training purposes, requires that working relationships 
between the different agencies are optimized. We expect that when the 
INRMPs are completed and adopted in the upcoming months, they will 
provide equal or greater protection to vernal pool fairy shrimp habitat 
than a critical habitat designation.

(3) The Benefits of Exclusion Outweigh the Benefits of Inclusion

    Based on the above considerations, and consistent with the 
direction provided in section 4(b)(2) of the Act, we have determined 
that the benefits of excluding Fort Hunter Liggett and Camp Roberts as 
critical habitat for vernal pool fairy shrimp (unit 29) outweigh the 
benefits of including it as critical habitat for vernal pool species. 
We base this determination on the need for maintaining mission-critical 
military training activities (ARNG 2002a; Fort Hunter Liggett 2002a), 
the need to maintain positive working relationships that are necessary 
to complete plans designed to conserve vernal pool fairy shrimp and its 
habitat, and economic considerations relating to section 7 consultation 
costs and other indirect effects (EPS 2002).
    Further, we have determined that excluding these two bases will not 
result in the extinction of the vernal pool fairy shrimp. If 
significant additional information become available that changes our 
analysis of the benefits of excluding compared to the benefits of 
including either of these two bases in the critical habitat 
designation, we may revise this final designation accordingly.

Relationship of Critical Habitat to Tribal Lands

    Section 4(b)(2) of the Act requires us to gather information 
regarding the designation of critical habitat and the effects thereof 
from all relevant sources, including Indian Pueblos and Tribes. In 
accordance with Secretarial Order 3206, ``American Indian Tribal 
Rights, Federal-Tribal Trust Responsibilities, and the Endangered 
Species Act'' (June 5, 1997); the President's memorandum of April 29, 
1994, ``Government-to-Government Relations with Native American Tribal 
Governments,'' and Executive Order 13175, we recognize the need to 
consult with federally recognized Indian Tribes on a Government-to-
Government basis. In the Secretarial Order 3206, it is stated that, 
``American Indian Tribal Rights, Federal-Tribal Trust Responsibilities, 
and the Endangered Species Act'' (1997) provides that critical habitat 
should not be designated in an area that may impact Tribal trust 
resources unless it is determined to be essential to conserve a listed 
species.
    During the public comment period, the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of 
Chico Rancheria, California sent us a letter requesting to have 260 ha 
(645 ac) of their trust lands excluded from critical habitat 
designation for the vernal pool tadpole shrimp (unit 4). The Mechoopda 
Tribe want to work on a government-to-government basis. They believe 
that the designation of critical habitat on their land will impede 
their ability to beneficially manage it, and will interfere with their 
sovereign governmental interests. The letter also stated that they 
intend to independently manage the environmental resources on their 
lands in a manner that protects these resources while preserving their 
cultural values and heritage.
    Along with their letter, the Tribe sent us a copy of the Mechoopda 
Indian Tribe Environmental Management Plan. We reviewed the plan, and 
although it afforded some protection to listed species, we found that 
it did not meet our conservation goals. In response to the Tribe's 
request to be excluded from critical habitat, we solicited additional 
information from the Tribe and requested a meeting. During this 
meeting, we communicated our desired conservation goals and objectives, 
and provided technical advice for the modification of the management 
plan to enhance its benefits for the conservation of listed species. We 
established an effective working relationship and the technical 
assistance that we provided enabled them to develop voluntary measures 
to better conserve vernal pool species and their habitat on Tribal 
lands. These voluntary measures are contained within a letter and 
revised Mechoopda Indian Tribe Environmental Management Plan dated 
March 2003, which the Tribal chairman submitted during the second open 
comment period.
    Their revised management plan demonstrates the Tribe's willingness 
to work cooperatively with us toward landscape-scale conservation 
efforts that will benefit vernal pool species. The Tribe's revised 
management plan includes early consultation for activities with us to 
determine the potential for effects to listed species, coordination 
with us to follow methods and protocols to survey for listed vernal 
pool species, and appropriate actions to conserve listed species based 
on the results of the surveys. The revised management plan also 
specifically provides periodic updates as appropriate. We have 
determined that the plan provides sufficient conservation benefit to 
the species and assurances that the conservation management strategies 
will be implemented and effective. In short, their revised management 
plan allows the Tribe to exercise their sovereign status and provide 
for special management protections and conservation of the vernal pool 
habitat.

(1) Benefits of Inclusion

    Few additional benefits are provided by including the Mechoopda 
Indian Tribe lands in this critical habitat designation beyond what 
will be achieved through the implementation of their revised management 
plan. Although surveys for listed vernal pool species have not been 
conducted on their property, occurrences of listed vernal pool species 
are known on adjacent lands. This increases the likelihood that listed 
species also occupy the Mechoopda's land because the habitat is 
similar, and in some parts, contiguous with the Tribal lands.
    Another possible benefit to including these lands is that the 
designation of critical habitat can serve to educate landowners and the 
public regarding the potential conservation value of an area. This may 
focus and contribute to conservation efforts by other parties by 
clearly delineating areas of high conservation value for certain 
species. Any information about the vernal pool species for which 
critical habitat was proposed on Mechoopda Tribeland that reaches a 
wide audience, including other parties engaged in conservation 
activities, would be considered valuable.

(2) Benefits of Exclusion

    We believe that exclusion of Mechoopda Tribal lands from critical 
habitat would have substantial benefits including: (1) The furtherance 
of our Federal Trust obligations and our deference to the Mechoopda 
Tribe to develop and implement Tribal conservation and natural resource 
management plans for their land; (2) the establishment and maintenance 
of effective working relationships to promote the conservation of 
vernal pool species while streamlining the

[[Page 46753]]

consultation process; (3) the allowance for meaningful collaboration 
and cooperation in scientific studies to learn more about the life 
history and habitat requirements of species that may occur on their 
land; and (4) providing conservation benefits to the vernal pool 
ecosystem and vernal pool species that depend on it, that might not 
otherwise occur.
    The Mechoopda Tribe has committed to greater conservation measures 
on their lands than would be available through the designation of 
critical habitat. As described in the Mechoopda's revised management 
plan, our working relationship with the Mechoopda Tribe will result in 
the implementation of beneficial natural resource programs, including 
species preservation. The Mechoopda Tribe has demonstrated their 
commitment to ensuring the long-term viability of federally listed 
species on Tribal lands by implementing conservation measures that will 
contribute to their recovery. Exclusion from critical habitat will 
contribute to an improved partnership with the Mechoopda Tribe, the 
incentive of avoiding the perceived additional regulatory requirements, 
and opportunities to streamline regulatory compliance.
    If listed vernal pool species are found on the Tribe's land, the 
Mechoopda consult with us for any project that may adversely affect 
listed species under section 7(a)(2), regardless of whether critical 
habitat is designated or not. Thus, we find little additional benefit 
through section 7 consultation for critical habitat. Furthermore, the 
Mechoopda Tribe has been under the Environmental Protection Agency's 
(EPA's) General Assistance Program. The Mechoopda Tribe has adopted an 
Environmental Policy Act that is intended to establish and maintain the 
highest attainable standards of environmental quality within any and 
all land held in trust for the benefit of the Tribe. In addition to the 
Mechoopda Tribe's environmental protection ordinances, activities on 
Tribal lands are subject to the provisions the Clean Water Act. 
Projects proposed on Tribal lands subject to Federal funding or 
approval will also be subject to compliance with NEPA.

(3) The Benefits of Exclusion Outweigh the Benefits of Inclusion

    Based on the above considerations, and consistent with the 
direction provided in section 4(b)(2) of the Act, we have determined 
that the benefits of excluding Mechoopda Tribal land as critical 
habitat outweigh the benefits of including it as critical habitat for 
the vernal pool tadpole shrimp (unit 4).
    In summary, the benefits of including the Tribe's land are limited 
to minor educational benefits. The benefits of excluding these areas 
from being designated as critical habitat are more significant, and 
include encouraging the continued development and implementation of 
special management measures. The Mechoopda Tribal lands has their own 
environmental organization, the Mechoopda EPA, which is responsible for 
the management of the Tribe's natural resources, and which recognizes 
the importance of implementing conservation measures that will 
contribute to the conservation of federally-listed species on their 
lands. The Mechoopda Tribe have already demonstrated their willingness 
to work with us to address the habitat needs of listed species that may 
occur on their lands. The exclusion of critical habitat for the 
Mechoopda trust lands is consistent with our published policies on 
Native American natural resource management by allowing the Mechoopda 
Tribe to manage their own natural resources.
    Further, we have determined that excluding these lands will not 
result in the extinction of the vernal pool tadpole shrimp. If 
significant additional information become available that changes our 
analysis of the benefits of excluding compared to the benefits of 
including Mechoopda Tribal land in the critical habitat designation, we 
may revise this final designation accordingly.

Exclusion Summary

    We have reviewed the overall effect of the exclusion of the above 
mentioned approved and draft HCPs, the Santa Rosa Plateau Ecological 
Reserve, State managed lands, National Wildlife Refuge lands, National 
Fish hatchery lands, Tribal trust lands, military installations, and 
Butte, Madera, Merced, Solano, and Sacramento Counties, California on 
the vernal pool species and their designated critical habitat and have 
determined that the benefits of excluding these areas outweighs the 
benefits of including them in this critical habitat designation. The 
lands removed from critical habitat as a result of these exclusions 
will not jeopardize the long-term survival and conservation of the 
species or lead to their extinction.

Economic Analysis

    Our draft and final analyses evaluated the potential future effects 
associated with the section 7 consultation requirements for the 15 
vernal pool species that may occur coextensively with this designation, 
as well as the subset of effects associated solely with the critical 
habitat designation. To quantify the economic impacts that are 
coextensive with the critical habitat designation, the analysis 
evaluated a ``without section 7'' scenario and compared it to a ``with 
section 7'' scenario. The ``without section 7'' baseline represented 
the level of protection currently afforded the species under the Act if 
section 7 protective measures were absent, and includes protections 
afforded by other Federal, State, and local laws such as the CEQA. The 
``with section 7'' scenario identifies land-use activities likely to 
involve a Federal nexus that may affect the species or its designated 
critical habitat, and that therefore have the potential to be subject 
to future consultations under section 7 of the Act.
    Upon identifying section 7 impacts, the analysis considers the 
subset of impacts that can be attributed exclusively to the critical 
habitat designation. The subset of section 7 impacts likely to be 
affected solely by the designation of critical habitat represents a 
lower-bound estimate of potential impact. The categories of potential 
costs and benefits considered in the analysis includes costs associated 
with: (1) Conducting section 7 consultations associated with the 
listing or with the critical habitat; (2) modifications to project, 
activities, or land uses resulting from the section 7 consultations; 
(3) uncertainty and public perceptions resulting from the designation 
of critical habitat; (4) surplus effects associated with changes in the 
housing market, and (5) potential offsetting benefits associated with 
critical habitat including educational benefits. There may also be 
indirect economic effects associated with the designation of critical 
habitat. Indirect effects are impacts associated with actions that do 
not have a Federal nexus or otherwise are not subject to the provisions 
of section 7 under the Act. Examples of indirect effects that are 
considered in the economic analysis include impacts associated with 
creation of Habitat Conservation Plans, impacts under other State and 
local laws, and impacts associated with timing delays and regulatory 
uncertainty.
    In our final analysis, we found that total costs that may be 
attributable to future section 7 consultations resulting from the 
listing of the 15 vernal pool species and the critical habitat 
designation could be about $1.3 billion over the next 20 years, or 
about $115 million annually. The costs attributable

[[Page 46754]]

solely to the designation of critical habitat are a result of expected 
project modifications and a reduction in the net number of new housing 
associated with real estate development. Several counties have been 
excluded from this rule because of the high economic impacts found by 
our economic analysis.
    The following counties are excluded from this rule under Section 
4(b)(2): Butte, Madera, Merced, Solano, and Sacramento. The exclusion 
of these counties substantially reduces the economic effect of this 
rule.
    A copy of the final economic analysis and supporting documents are 
included in our supporting record for this rulemaking and may be 
obtained by contacting the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office (see 
ADDRESSES section). Copies of the final economic analysis also are 
available on the Internet at http://pacific.fws.gov/news/.

Required Determinations

Regulatory Planning and Review

    In accordance with Executive Order 12866, this document is a 
significant rule and was reviewed by the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB). Our detailed assessment of the economic effects of the 
proposed designation are described in the Final Economic Analysis of 
Critical Habitat Designation for Vernal Pool Species. This analysis 
indicates that the total costs that may be attributable to future 
section 7 consultations resulting from the listing of the 15 vernal 
pool species and the critical habitat designation could be about $1.3 
billion over the next 20 years, or about $115 million annually. It is 
important to note the estimated economic includes impacts to areas 
ultimately excluded from the final designation and therefore likely 
over estimates the potential economic impact of the final designation. 
Several counties have been excluded from this rule because of the high 
economic impacts found by our economic analysis. The following counties 
are excluded from this rule under section 4(b)(2): Butte, Madera, 
Merced, Solano, and Sacramento. The exclusion of these counties 
substantially reduces the economic effect of this rule.

Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 U.S.C. 601 et seq.)

    Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA) (as amended by the Small 
Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (SBREFA) of 1996), 
whenever a Federal agency is required to publish a notice of rulemaking 
for any proposed or final rule, it must prepare and make available for 
public comment a regulatory flexibility analysis that describes the 
effect of the rule on small entities, i.e., small businesses, small 
organizations, and small governmental jurisdictions. However, no 
regulatory flexibility analysis is required if the head of the agency 
certifies that the rule will not have a significant economic impact on 
a substantial number of small entities. SBREFA amended the RFA to 
require Federal agencies to provide a statement of the factual basis 
for certifying that a rule will not have a significant economic impact 
on a substantial number of small entities.
    Based on the information in our economic analysis (DEA and 
Addendum), we are certifying that the critical habitat designation for 
the 15 vernal pools species will not have a significant effect on a 
substantial number of small entities because a substantial number of 
small entities are not affected by the designation. Several counties 
have been excluded from this rule because of the high economic impacts 
found by our economic analysis. The following counties are excluded 
from this rule under Section 4(b)(2): Butte, Madera, Merced, Solano, 
and Sacramento. The exclusion of these counties substantially reduces 
the economic effect of this rule.
    Small entities include small organizations, such as independent 
nonprofit organizations, and small governmental jurisdictions, 
including school boards and city and town governments that serve fewer 
than 50,000 residents, as well as small businesses. The RFA/SBREFA 
requires that agencies use the Small Business Administration's 
definition of ``small business'' that has been codified at 13 CFR 
121.201. Small businesses include manufacturing and mining concerns 
with fewer than 500 employees, wholesale trade entities with fewer than 
100 employees, retail and service businesses with less than $5 million 
in annual sales, general and heavy construction businesses with less 
than $27.5 million in annual business, special trade contractors doing 
less than $11.5 million in annual business, and agricultural businesses 
with annual sales less than $750,000. The RFA/SBREFA defines ``small 
governmental jurisdiction'' as the government of a city, county, town, 
school district, or special district with a population of less than 
50,000. Our analysis showed that only two percent of the small land 
developers affected by section 7 are expected to experience effects 
that on average would constitute three percent of its gross annual 
revenue. The effects to small businesses associated solely with the 
designation, which would occur only in the San Francisco Bay Area, 
would be less given the findings in the analysis that showed these 
effects constituted about one-half of the estimated coextensive costs. 
Although certain State agencies may be affected by this critical 
habitat designation, State governments are not considered small 
governments, for the purposes of the RFA. SBREFA further defines 
``small organization'' as any not for profit enterprise that is 
independently owned and operated and is not dominant in its field.
    The RFA/SBREFA does not explicitly define either ``substantial 
number'' or ``significant economic impact.'' Consequently, to assess 
whether a ``substantial number'' of small entities is affected by this 
designation. This analysis considers the relative number of small 
entities likely to be impacted in an area. In addition, Federal courts 
and Congress have indicated that an RFA/SBREFA is properly limited to 
impacts to entities directly subject to the requirements of the 
regulation (Service 2002). Therefore, entities not directly regulated 
by the listing or critical habitat designation are not considered in 
this section of the analysis.
    Even where the requirements of section 7 might apply due to 
critical habitat, based on our experience with section 7 consultations 
for all listed species, virtually all projects, including those that, 
in their initial proposed form, would result in jeopardy or adverse 
modification determinations under section 7, can be implemented 
successfully with, at most, the adoption of reasonable and prudent 
alternatives. These measures by definition must be economically 
feasible and within the scope of authority of the Federal agency 
involved in the consultation.
    For these reasons, we are certifying that the designation of 
critical habitat for the 15 vernal pool species will not have a 
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. 
Therefore, a regulatory flexibility analysis is not required.

Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (5 U.S.C. 801 et 
seq.)

    Under the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act (5 
U.S.C. 801 et seq.), this rule is not a major rule. Our detailed 
assessment of the economic effects of this designation are described in 
the DEA and final economic analysis.
    Several counties have been excluded from this rule because of the 
high economic impacts among small entities estimated from our economic 
analysis. Based on the economic analysis, the

[[Page 46755]]

following counties are excluded from this rule under section 4(b)(2) of 
the Act: Butte, Madera, Merced, Solano, and Sacramento. The exclusion 
of these counties substantially reduces the economic effect of this 
rule. Based on the effects identified in the economic analysis and the 
exclusions we have made, we believe that this critical habitat 
designation will not have an effect on the economy of $100 million or 
more, will not cause a major increase in costs or prices for consumers, 
and will not have significant adverse effects on competition, 
employment, investment, productivity, innovation, or the ability of 
U.S.-based enterprises to compete with foreign-based enterprises. Refer 
to the final economic analysis for a discussion of the potential 
effects of the proposed designation.

Executive Order 13211

    On May 18, 2001, the President issued Executive Order 13211, on 
regulations that significantly affect energy supply, distribution, and 
use. Executive Order 13211 requires agencies to prepare Statements of 
Energy Effects when undertaking certain actions. Although this rule is 
a significant regulatory action under Executive Order 12866, it is not 
expected to significantly affect energy production supply and 
distribution facilities because no energy production, supply, and 
distribution facilities are included within designated critical 
habitat. Further, for the reasons described in the economic analysis, 
we do not believe the designation of critical habitat for the 15 vernal 
pool species in California and Oregon will affect future energy 
production. Therefore, this action is not a significant energy action 
and no Statement of Energy Effects is required.

Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (2 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.)

    The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (2 U.S.C. 1501 et seq.) requires 
each agency, unless otherwise prohibited by law, to assess the effects 
of Federal regulatory actions on State, local, and tribal governments, 
and the private sector. Under section 202 of UMRA, we must prepare a 
written statement, including a cost-benefit analysis, for significant 
regulatory actions that include a Federal mandate resulting in the 
expenditure by State, local, and tribal governments, in the aggregate, 
or by the private sector, of $100 million or more in any one year. Even 
though the economic analysis that was prepared in support of this 
rulemaking fully assesses the effects of this designation on Federal, 
State, local, and tribal governments, and to the private sector, the 
designation of critical habitat will not result in a Federal mandate 
imposing an enforceable duty upon those entities and a written 
statement is not required.

Takings

    In accordance with Executive Order 12630 (``Government Actions and 
Interference with Constitutionally Protected Private Property 
Rights''), we have analyzed the potential takings implications of 
designating critical habitat for these 15 vernal pool species in a 
takings implications assessment. The takings implications assessment 
concludes that this final designation of critical habitat for the 15 
vernal pool species does not pose significant takings implications.

Federalism

    In accordance with Executive Order 13132, this final rule does not 
have significant Federalism effects or impose substantial direct 
compliance costs on State and local governments. This designation 
requires Federal agencies to ensure that their actions do not adversely 
modify critical habitat; it does not impose direct obligations on State 
or local governments. A Federalism assessment is not required. In 
keeping with Department of Interior policy, we requested information 
from appropriate State agencies in California and Oregon. The economic 
analysis does address possible impacts to State programs that may 
receive Federal funding. However, it does not conclude that there will 
be substantial costs to those programs due to the designation of 
critical habitat.
    The designations may have some benefit to these governments, in 
that the areas essential to the conservation of the 15 vernal pool 
species are more clearly defined, and the primary constituent elements 
of the habitat necessary to their survival are specifically identified. 
While this definition and identification do not alter where and what 
federally sponsored activities may occur, they may assist these local 
governments in long-range planning, rather than causing them to wait 
for case-by-case section 7 consultation to occur.

Civil Justice Reform

    In accordance with Executive Order 12988, the Department of the 
Interior's Office of the Solicitor has determined that this rule does 
not unduly burden the judicial system and does meet the requirements of 
sections 3(a) and 3(b)(2) of the Order. We have designated critical 
habitat in accordance with the provisions of the Endangered Species 
Act. The rule uses standard property descriptions and identifies the 
primary constituent elements within the designated areas to assist the 
public in understanding the habitat needs of the vernal pool 
crustaceans and vernal pool plants.

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.)

    This rule does not contain any information collection requirements 
for which OMB approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act is required. 
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to 
respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB 
control number.

National Environmental Policy Act

    We have determined that we do not need to prepare an Environmental 
Assessment and/or an Environmental Impact Statement as defined by the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 in connection with 
regulations adopted pursuant to section 4(a) of the Endangered Species 
Act. We published a notice outlining our reason for this determination 
in the Federal Register on October 25, 1983 (48 FR 49244).

Government to Government Relationship With Tribes

    In accordance with the President's memorandum of April 29, 1994, 
``Government-to-Government Relations with Native American Tribal 
Governments'' (59 FR 22951); Executive Order 13175 (November 9, 2000; 
65 FR 67249) and the Department of the Interior's manual at 512 DM 2, 
we readily acknowledge our responsibility to communicate meaningfully 
with recognized Federal Tribes on a government-to-government basis. We 
have excluded Tribal trust lands of the Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico 
Rancheria, California, from this final critical habitat designation 
pursuant to section 4(b)(2) of the Act. Please refer to Relationship of 
Critical Habitat to Tribal Lands for further discussion of our 
exclusion of these Tribal trust lands.

References Cited

    A complete list of all references cited herein, as well as others, 
is available upon request from the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office 
(see ADDRESSES section).

Authors

    The primary authors of this notice are the staff of the Sacramento 
Fish and Wildlife Office (see ADDRESSES section).

List of Subjects in 50 CFR Part 17

    Endangered and threatened species, Exports, Imports, Reporting and

[[Page 46756]]

recordkeeping requirements, Transportation.

Regulation Promulgation

0
Accordingly, we amend part 17, subchapter B of chapter I, title 50 of 
the Code of Federal Regulations as set forth below:

PART 17--[AMENDED]

0
1. The authority citation for part 17 continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1361-1407; 16 U.S.C. 1531-1544; 16 U.S.C. 
4201-4245; Pub. L. 99-625, 100 Stat. 3500; unless otherwise noted.


0
2. Amend Sec.  17.11(h) by revising the entry for ``Fairy shrimp, 
Conservancy,'' ``Fairy shrimp, longhorn,'' ``Fairy shrimp, vernal 
pool,'' and ``Tadpole shrimp, vernal pool'' under ``CRUSTACEANS'' to 
read as follows:


Sec.  17.11  Endangered and threatened wildlife.

* * * * *
    (h) * * *

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      Species                                                Vertebrate
----------------------------------------------------                      population where                                                     Special
                                                       Historic range       endangered or        Status     When listed   Critical habitat      rules
          Common name              Scientific name                           threatened
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
                                                                      * * * * * * *
          Crustaceans
 
                                                                      * * * * * * *
Fairy shrimp, Conservancy......  Branchinecta        U.S.A. (CA).......  Entire............  E                      552  17.95(h)..........           NA
                                  conservatio.
Fairy shrimp, longhorn.........  Branchinecta        U.S.A. (CA).......  Entire............  E                      552  17.95(h)..........           NA
                                  longiantenna.
 
                                                                      * * * * * * *
Fairy shrimp, vernal pool......  Branchinecta        U.S.A. (CA, OR)...  Entire............  E                      552  17.95(h)..........           NA
                                  lynchi.
 
                                                                      * * * * * * *
Tadpole shrimp, vernal pool....  Lepidurus packardi  U.S.A. (CA).......  Entire............  E                      552  17.95(h)..........           NA
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

0
3. Amend Sec.  17.12(h) by revising the entry for Castilleja campestris 
ssp. succulenta (fleshy owl's-clover), Chamaesyce hooveri (Hoover's 
spurge), Lasthenia conjugens (Contra Costa goldfields), Limnanthes 
floccosa ssp. californica (Butte County meadowfoam), Neostapfia 
colusana (Colusa grass), Orcuttia inaequalis (San Joaquin Valley Orcutt 
grass), Orcuttia pilosa (hairy Orcutt grass), Orcuttia tenuis (slender 
Orcutt grass), Orcuttia viscida (Sacramento Orcutt grass), Tuctoria 
greenei (Greene's tuctoria), and Tuctoria mucronata (Solano grass) 
under ``FLOWERING PLANTS'' to read as follows:


Sec.  17.12  Endangered and threatened plants.

* * * * *
    (h) * * *

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      Species
----------------------------------------------------   Historic range          Family            Status     When listed   Critical habitat     Special
        Scientific name              Common name                                                                                                rules
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
        Flowering Plants
                                                                      * * * * * * *
Castilleja campestris ssp.       Fleshy owl's-       U.S.A. (CA).......  Scrophulariaceae..  T                      611  17.96(a)..........           NA
 succulenta.                      clover.
Chamaesyce hooveri.............  Hoover's spurge...  U.S.A. (CA).......  Euphorbiaceae.....  T                      611  17.96(a)..........           NA
                                                                      * * * * * * *
Lasthenia conjugens............  Contra Costa        U.S.A. (CA).......  Asteraceae........  E                      619  17.96(a)..........           NA
                                  goldfields.
                                                                      * * * * * * *
Limnanthes floccosa ssp.         Butte County        U.S.A. (CA).......  Limnanthaceae.....  E                      471  17.96(a)..........           NA
 californica.                     meadow foam.
                                                                      * * * * * * *
Neostapfia colusana............  Colusa grass......  U.S.A. (CA).......  Poaceae...........  T                      611  17.96(a)..........           NA
                                                                      * * * * * * *
Orcuttia inaequalis............  San Joaquin Valley  U.S.A. (CA).......  Poaceae...........  T                      611  17.96(a)..........           NA
                                  Orcutt grass.
Orcuttia pilosa................  Hairy Orcutt grass  U.S.A. (CA).......  Poaceae...........  T                      611  17.96(a)..........           NA
Orcuttia tenuis................  Slender Orcutt      U.S.A. (CA).......  Poaceae...........  T                      611  17.96(a)..........           NA
                                  grass.
Orcuttia viscida...............  Sacramento Orcutt   U.S.A. (CA).......  Poaceae...........  T                      611  17.96(a)..........           NA
                                  grass.
                                                                      * * * * * * *
Tuctoria greenei...............  Greene's tuctoria.  U.S.A. (CA).......  Poaceae...........  T                      611  17.96(a)..........           NA
Tuctoria mucronata.............  Solano grass......  U.S.A. (CA).......  Poaceae...........  T                       44  17.96(a)..........           NA
                                                                     * * * * * * * *
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 46757]]

0
4. In Sec.  17.95 add critical habitat for Conservancy fairy shrimp 
(Branchinecta conservatio), longhorn fairy shrimp (Branchinecta 
longiantenna), vernal pool fairy shrimp (Branchinecta lynchi), and 
vernal pool tadpole shrimp (Lepidurus packardi) under paragraph (h) in 
the same alphabetical order as this species occurs in Sec.  17.11(h), 
to read as follows:


Sec.  17.95  Critical habitat--fish and wildlife.

* * * * *
    (h) Crustaceans.
* * * * *
Conservancy fairy shrimp (Branchinecta conservatio)
    (1) Critical habitat units are depicted for Tehama, Glenn, Colusa, 
Stanislaus, Mariposa and Ventura Counties, California, on the map 
below.
    (2) The primary constituent elements of critical habitat for 
Conservancy fairy shrimp are the habitat components that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths that typically become 
inundated during winter rains and hold water for sufficient lengths of 
time necessary for Conservancy fairy shrimp incubation, reproduction, 
dispersal, feeding, and sheltering, including but not limited to large, 
playa vernal pools often on basin rim landforms and alkaline soils, but 
which are dry during the summer and do not necessarily fill with water 
every year; and
    (ii) The geographic, topographic, and edaphic features that support 
aggregations or systems of hydrologically interconnected pools, swales, 
and other ephemeral wetlands and depressions within a matrix of 
surrounding uplands that together form hydrologically and ecologically 
functional units called vernal pool complexes. These features 
contribute to the filling and drying of the vernal pool, and maintain 
suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and soil moisture 
for vernal pool crustacean hatching, growth and reproduction, and 
dispersal, but not necessarily every year.
    (3) Existing manmade features and structures, such as buildings, 
roads, railroads, airports, runways, other paved areas, lawns, and 
other urban landscaped areas do not contain one or more of the primary 
constituent elements. Federal actions limited to those areas, 
therefore, would not trigger a consultation under section 7 of the Act 
unless they may affect the species and/or primary constituent elements 
in adjacent critical habitat.
    (4) Critical habitat does not include the following lands although 
they may fall within the legal descriptions below:
    (i) Lands within the following California counties: Butte, Madera, 
Merced, Sacramento, and Solano;
    (ii) Federally-owned lands within the boundaries of the Kern, 
Sacramento, San Francisco Bay, and San Luis National Wildlife Refuges 
and National Wildlife Refuge Complexes, and the Coleman National Fish 
Hatchery;
    (iii) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Allensworth, 
Boggs Lake, Butte Creek Canyon, Calhoun Cut, Carrizo Plains, Dales 
Lake, Fagan Marsh, Phoenix Field, San Joaquin River, Stone Corral, and 
Thomes Creek Ecological Reserves;
    (iv) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Battle Creek, 
Big Sandy, Grizzly Island, Hill Slough, North Grasslands, and Oroville 
Wildlife Areas.
    (5) Unit 1: Butte and Tehama Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Acorn Hollow, Campbell Mound, Foster Island, 
Nord, Richardson Springs, Richardson Springs NW, and Vina, California, 
land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 592400, 
4416700; 592500, 4416600; 592500, 4416000; 592000, 4416000; 592000, 
4415800; 592500, 4415800; 593800, 4416300; 594100, 4416300; 594400, 
4416300; 594400, 4415800; 594900, 4415800; 594900, 4416300; 595500, 
4416300; 595500, 4416400; 595900, 4416500; 596000, 4416500; 596100, 
4416400; 596200, 4416500; 596300, 4416600; 596400, 4416700; 596500, 
4416700; 596500, 4416800; 596600, 4416800; 597100, 4416400; 597100, 
4415600; 596800, 4415200; 597100, 4415000; 597800, 4415500; 598100, 
4415200; 597600, 4414600; 597600, 4414400; 597300, 4413800; 597300, 
4413300; 598200, 4413900; 598400, 4413900; 598400, 4413600; 597400, 
4411900; 597600, 4411900; 598300, 4412700; 598500, 4413300; 598900, 
4413300; 598900, 4411800; 599400, 4411700; 599800, 4411700; 599800, 
4411000; 599300, 4410700; 599100, 4410800; 599000, 4410800; 598800, 
4410600; 598500, 4410400; 598300, 4410100; 598100, 4410000; 598000, 
4409900; 597700, 4409800; 597600, 4409600; 597500, 4409500; 597300, 
4409500; 597100, 4409400; 596900, 4409200; 596800, 4409200; 596700, 
4409100; 596200, 4409100; 596000, 4408900; 595900, 4408800; 595700, 
4408800; 595500, 4408200; 594300, 4408200; 594100, 4408300; 594000, 
4408400; 593600, 4408500; 593400, 4408200; 593300, 4408200; 593300, 
4408500; 592900, 4408500; 592900, 4408600; 593000, 4408600; 593100, 
4409200; 593200, 4409200; 593200, 4409300; 592900, 4409300; 592900, 
4409500; 593100, 4409600; 593100, 4409500; 593200, 4409500; 593200, 
4409800; 593300, 4409900; 593300, 4410400; 593100, 4410400; 592900, 
4410200; 592600, 4410200; 592600, 4410000; 592500, 4409900; 592500, 
4409700; 591700, 4409400; 591500, 4409400; 591700, 4409100; 591700, 
4409000; 591500, 4409000; 591500, 4408600; 590900, 4408600; 590900, 
4408900; 590700, 4409000; 590800, 4409400; 591000, 4409500; 591200, 
4409500; 591100, 4409800; 590500, 4409800; 590300, 4409600; 590300, 
4409500; 590100, 4409500; 590000, 4409400; 590300, 4409400; 590400, 
4409000; 590500, 4408600; 590100, 4408600; 590100, 4408800; 589900, 
4409000; 589500, 4408900; 589300, 4408900; 589300, 4409200; 589400, 
4409200; 589400, 4409400; 589300, 4409400; 589300, 4409800; 589700, 
4409800; 589700, 4410600; 588400, 4410600; 588300, 4411300; 588100, 
4411400; 588100, 4412000; 588100, 4413300; 588200, 4413500; 588300, 
4413900; 588500, 4414000; 588500, 4414600; 589200, 4414700; 589200, 
4415000; 589200, 4415300; 589400, 4415500; 589700, 4415600; 589700, 
4415800; 589900, 4415800; 590000, 4415900; 590000, 4416000; 589900, 
4416000; 589400, 4415900; 589100, 4415800; 589000, 4415700; 588800, 
4415500; 588700, 4415400; 588600, 4415100; 588200, 4415100; 588200, 
4416000; 588300, 4416200; 588300, 4416600; 588800, 4417000; 589100, 
4417400; 589200, 4417600; 589200, 4417700; 589300, 4417900; 589300, 
4418100; 589400, 4418200; 589300, 4418300; 590700, 4419800; 588000, 
4417000; 587500, 4416400; 587200, 4415500; 587200, 4415100; 587300, 
4415000; 587300, 4414500; 587200, 4414400; 587100, 4414300; 586900, 
4414000; 586400, 4413900; 586200, 4413700; 586000, 4413600; 585800, 
4413600; 585800, 4414700; 585300, 4414700; 585300, 4413800; 585200, 
4413700; 584800, 4413700; 584600, 4413600; 584400, 4413600; 584200, 
4413500; 584000, 4413700; 583200, 4413400; 583000, 4414200; 583700, 
4414600; 583500, 4415000; 583000, 4415900; 583000, 4416400; 582900, 
4416700; 582800, 4416900; 582700, 4417000; 582700, 4417200; 582900, 
4417300; 582800, 4417400; 582700, 4417500; 582700, 4417600; 582600, 
4417700; 582600, 4418000; 582600, 4418100; 582600, 4418200; 582700, 
4418300; 582500, 4418400; 582400, 4418300; 582200, 4418300; 582100, 
4418400; 582100,

[[Page 46758]]

4418500; 582000, 4418600; 582100, 4418700; 582100, 4418900; 582200, 
4419100; 582100, 4419300; 582200, 4419500; 582100, 4419600; 582000, 
4419700; 582100, 4419800; 582100, 4419900; 582200, 4420000; 582200, 
4420300; 582100, 4420500; 582200, 4420600; 582200, 4420800; 582300, 
4421100; 582900, 4421500; 582900, 4421600; 583300, 4422000; 583400, 
4422100; 583900, 4422100; 584100, 4422300; 584200, 4422300; 584300, 
4422400; 584400, 4422500; 584600, 4422900; 585100, 4423400; 585600, 
4423700; 585800, 4423900; 585800, 4424200; 586100, 4424200; 586600, 
4424800; 586800, 4424900; 587300, 4425500; 587400, 4425600; 587500, 
4425800; 587500, 4425900; 587600, 4426000; 587700, 4426100; 587800, 
4426100; 587900, 4426200; 587900, 4426300; 588200, 4426500; 588700, 
4429900; 588900, 4429500; 589500, 4429500; 589500, 4428600; 589500, 
4428000; 589800, 4427100; 590500, 4426400; 590500, 4425300; 591200, 
4424400; 591500, 4423300; 591600, 4422100; 591700, 4421900; 591900, 
4421800; 593000, 4421800; 593100, 4421500; 593500, 4421400; 593700, 
4420900; 591800, 4420600; 591800, 4420400; 592300, 4420500; 592800, 
4420400; 593100, 4420500; 594000, 4420800; 594400, 4420600; 594500, 
4420300; 593800, 4420000; 593600, 4419700; 593600, 4419400; 593200, 
4419100; 593600, 4418900; 594300, 4419000; 594300, 4418800; 594300, 
4418700; 594200, 4418300; 594100, 4418000; 594100, 4417900; 594700, 
4417900; 595100, 4417800; 595800, 4417300; 595800, 4416600; 595100, 
4416500; 594400, 4416500; 594000, 4416400; 593300, 4416400; 592800, 
4416600; returning to 592400, 4416700; excluding land bound by 591500, 
4409600; 591400, 4409600; 590700, 4410600; 591600, 4410600; 591600, 
4410200; 591400, 4410200; 591400, 4409900; 591600, 4409900; returning 
to 591500, 4409600.
    (6) Unit 2: Colusa and Glen Counties, California. [Reserved]
    (7) Unit 3: Solano County, California. [Reserved]
    (8) Unit 4: Solano County, California. [Reserved]
    (9) Unit 5: Stanislaus County, California. [Reserved]
    (10) Unit 6: Mariposa and Merced Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Haystack Mtn., Illinois Hill, Indian Gulch, Le 
Grand, Merced, Merced Falls, Owens Reservoir, Plainsburg, Planada, 
Raynor Creek, Snelling, Winton, and Yosemite Lake, California, land 
bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 745500, 
4140300; 746100, 4139500; 746800, 4138500; 747700, 4137700; 748500, 
4135800; 748700, 4135100; 749500, 4134000; 750700, 4131700; 751600, 
4130500; 752000, 4130200; 752100, 4130200; 752200, 4130200; 752800, 
4130100; 753300, 4130400; 753500, 4130400; 753900, 4130200; 754000, 
4129300; 753400, 4128400; 753900, 4127700; 754400, 4127700; 754600, 
4127400; 755300, 4128400; 755400, 4128400; 755600, 4127700; 756900, 
4126400; 757800, 4125800; 758400, 4126300; 758500, 4126300; 758600, 
4126000; 757900, 4125100; 757400, 4125100; 757200, 4124700; 756500, 
4123700; 753500, 4122400; 750200, 4122400; 750200, 4121400; 748600, 
4121400; 748600, 4121900; 747800, 4121900; 747800, 4123300; 748300, 
4123300; 748300, 4123500; 748500, 4123500; 748600, 4123500; 748600, 
4123900; 747800, 4123900; 747800, 4124600; 747400, 4125100; 747400, 
4125500; 746900, 4125500; 746900, 4125800; 747000, 4125900; 746900, 
4125900; 746600, 4125800; 746300, 4125700; 746200, 4125600; 746200, 
4125500; 745700, 4125500; 745700, 4125100; 744500, 4125100; 744500, 
4125300; 744400, 4125300; 744400, 4125200; 743700, 4125200; 743700, 
4125800; 744500, 4125800; 744500, 4126200; 743700, 4126200; 743700, 
4127000; 742400, 4127000; 742000, 4127200; 742000, 4128600; 742800, 
4128600; 742800, 4129100; 742900, 4129100; 743000, 4129100; 743000, 
4129200; 743400, 4129300; 743600, 4129500; 743600, 4130700; 743500, 
4130700; 743500, 4130900; 743100, 4130900; 743000, 4130800; 743000, 
4130600; 742400, 4130600; 742400, 4130800; 742000, 4130800; 742000, 
4131100; 741200, 4131100; 741300, 4131000; 741500, 4131000; 741600, 
4130900; 741600, 4130700; 741400, 4130400; 741300, 4130200; 740400, 
4130200; 740400, 4130300; 740300, 4130300; 740300, 4131100; 740500, 
4131100; 740500, 4131200; 740700, 4131200; 740700, 4131300; 740800, 
4131400; 741000, 4131400; 741000, 4131500; 741100, 4131500; 741100, 
4131600; 741000, 4131900; 741000, 4132100; 740800, 4132200; 740700, 
4132200; 740500, 4132100; 740400, 4132100; 740400, 4132200; 740300, 
4132200; 740200, 4132200; 740200, 4132300; 739900, 4132600; 740000, 
4132600; 740300, 4132800; 740300, 4133500; 738800, 4133500; 738300, 
4133600; 738100, 4133600; 737100, 4133400; 737100, 4134200; 736600, 
4134200; 733900, 4134200; 733900, 4134800; 733800, 4134900; 733800, 
4135000; 733000, 4135000; 733000, 4135800; 732500, 4135800; 730300, 
4135700; 730200, 4135600; 730100, 4135600; 729900, 4135700; 729900, 
4136500; 729900, 4136700; 730000, 4136700; 730100, 4136600; 730200, 
4136600; 730300, 4136600; 730400, 4136700; 730500, 4136800; 730600, 
4136900; 730600, 4137000; 730600, 4137200; 730600, 4137300; 730500, 
4137400; 730400, 4137500; 730300, 4137500; 729900, 4137700; 729800, 
4137700; 729700, 4137600; 729400, 4137600; 729300, 4137800; 729300, 
4138400; 729200, 4138500; 729000, 4138400; 728800, 4138700; 728400, 
4138800; 728200, 4138800; 727900, 4138600; 727700, 4138500; 727600, 
4138400; 727400, 4138300; 727400, 4137800; 727300, 4137800; 727300, 
4137600; 727400, 4137600; 727400, 4137500; 727300, 4137500; 727300, 
4137400; 727400, 4137400; 727400, 4137200; 726500, 4137200; 726500, 
4136500; 726400, 4136400; 725800, 4136400; 725800, 4137200; 725000, 
4137200; 724900, 4138800; 725500, 4138800; 725500, 4138700; 725800, 
4138700; 725800, 4138800; 725900, 4138800; 725900, 4139500; 726500, 
4139500; 726500, 4139600; 725900, 4139600; 725800, 4139600; 725800, 
4140200; 725900, 4140200; 725900, 4140900; 725400, 4140900; 725400, 
4140800; 725100, 4140800; 725100, 4141000; 724900, 4141000; 724900, 
4141200; 724100, 4141200; 724100, 4141600; 723400, 4141600; 723400, 
4141100; 723200, 4141100; 723200, 4140600; 723400, 4140500; 723400, 
4139500; 724000, 4139500; 724000, 4139400; 723900, 4138900; 723900, 
4138700; 723500, 4138200; 723400, 4138200; 723400, 4138300; 723000, 
4138300; 723000, 4138700; 723000, 4138900; 723100, 4139100; 723200, 
4139400; 723300, 4139500; 722100, 4139500; 722000, 4140500; 721900, 
4141100; 721900, 4141900; 721900, 4143400; 720800, 4143400; 720900, 
4141800; 721000, 4141500; 721000, 4141200; 721100, 4141100; 721000, 
4141000; 717800, 4140900; 717700, 4142500; 714500, 4142400; 714500, 
4144900; 715500, 4144900; 715500, 4145000; 715800, 4145000; 715900, 
4145000; 716000, 4145000; 716100, 4145100; 716100, 4145200; 716000, 
4145200; 715900, 4145300; 715900, 4145400; 716000, 4145500; 716000, 
4145600; 716100, 4145700; 717000, 4145700; 717700, 4145300; 717800, 
4145300; 717800, 4145200; 717800, 4145100; 717600, 4144900; 717600, 
4144800; 717600, 4144700; 717800, 4144500; 717900, 4144600; 718200, 
4144600; 718400, 4144500; 718700, 4144500; 718700, 4144800; 718600, 
4145000; 718700, 4145100; 718700, 4145600; 718600, 4145600; 718600, 
4145700; 718700,

[[Page 46759]]

4145800; 718600, 4145900; 718500, 4146000; 718500, 4146100; 718600, 
4146200; 718600, 4146500; 718300, 4146500; 718200, 4146600; 718200, 
4146800; 718300, 4146800; 718500, 4146900; 718600, 4147000; 718600, 
4147100; 718400, 4147200; 718500, 4147300; 718500, 4147600; 718700, 
4147600; 718700, 4147400; 719000, 4147500; 719100, 4147700; 719300, 
4147600; 719600, 4147900; 719700, 4148000; 719700, 4148100; 719800, 
4148200; 720000, 4148200; 720600, 4148200; 720600, 4148300; 720700, 
4148400; 720800, 4148400; 720900, 4148500; 722700, 4148500; 722700, 
4148600; 722900, 4148600; 723200, 4148700; 723400, 4148700; 723200, 
4148600; 723100, 4148500; 723000, 4148400; 723200, 4148200; 723400, 
4148200; 723500, 4148300; 723600, 4148400; 723600, 4148500; 723800, 
4148500; 723800, 4148400; 723900, 4148400; 723900, 4148500; 724000, 
4148700; 724200, 4148500; 724200, 4148900; 724300, 4149000; 724300, 
4149100; 724500, 4149000; 724500, 4149300; 724700, 4149400; 724900, 
4149600; 725000, 4149700; 725000, 4150000; 724900, 4150100; 725000, 
4150200; 725200, 4150200; 725300, 4150400; 725400, 4150500; 725400, 
4150600; 725100, 4150900; 724700, 4150900; 724700, 4153400; 725000, 
4153500; 725400, 4153900; 725600, 4154100; 725800, 4154200; 726000, 
4154300; 726200, 4154000; 726300, 4153800; 726300, 4153700; 727800, 
4153700; 727800, 4153400; 727900, 4153400; 727900, 4153500; 728400, 
4153600; 728700, 4153700; 729000, 4153700; 729000, 4153600; 729100, 
4153500; 729300, 4153400; 729400, 4153400; 729400, 4153300; 729300, 
4153200; 729500, 4153100; 729800, 4153100; 729900, 4153200; 729900, 
4154200; 730000, 4154200; 730100, 4154300; 730600, 4154300; 730700, 
4154400; 731000, 4154600; 731200, 4154700; 731500, 4154700; 731800, 
4154900; 732200, 4154900; 732600, 4154800; 733200, 4154500; 733400, 
4154500; 733700, 4154300; 734700, 4154300; 734900, 4154600; 735100, 
4154800; 735100, 4154900; 735500, 4155300; 735600, 4155300; 735800, 
4155500; 736100, 4155900; 737100, 4155400; 737800, 4155000; 738200, 
4154200; 738300, 4153300; 739000, 4152800; 739100, 4152200; 740200, 
4151800; 740800, 4151500; 740800, 4150300; 741100, 4149900; 741700, 
4149400; 742100, 4148500; 742100, 4147100; 743400, 4146100; 744000, 
4145600; 744400, 4144600; 744300, 4143900; 743900, 4142700; 744000, 
4142000; 744200, 4141700; returning to 745500, 4140300; excluding land 
bound by 727200, 4138700; 726600, 4139500; 726600, 4139600; 726800, 
4139600; 727000, 4139700; 727200, 4140000; 727300, 4140500; 727200, 
4140700; 727400, 4140700; 727500, 4140800; 727400, 4141100; 727800, 
4141100; 727800, 4140700; 728300, 4140700; 728300, 4139600; 727900, 
4139300; 727900, 4139000; 727800, 4138800; 727400, 4138800; returning 
to 727200, 4138700; and excluding land bound by 726700, 4139700; 
726400, 4140000; 726600, 4140000; 726800, 4140200; 726900, 4140100; 
726900, 4140000; 726800, 4139800; returning to 726700, 4139700; and 
excluding land bound by 726200, 4138000; 725800, 4138000; 725800, 
4138200; 725700, 4138200; 725700, 4138500; 725800, 4138500; 725800, 
4138400; 726200, 4138400; returning to 726200, 4138000; and excluding 
land bound by 727000, 4137600; 726800, 4137600; 726800, 4137800; 
726500, 4137800; 726500, 4138000; 727300, 4138100; 727300, 4138000; 
727200, 4137900; 727000, 4137800; returning to 727000, 4137600; and 
excluding land bound by 741100, 4136400; 741000, 4136400; 740900, 
4136400; 740700, 4136400; 740500, 4136400; 740300, 4136300; 740000, 
4136300; 739800, 4136100; 739700, 4135900; 739500, 4135800; 739200, 
4135900; 738900, 4135900; 738700, 4135700; 738500, 4135800; 738300, 
4135800; 738200, 4135600; 738000, 4135500; 737900, 4135400; 737700, 
4135300; 737400, 4135200; 737300, 4135300; 737300, 4135900; 737600, 
4135900; 737600, 4136700; 739400, 4136700; 739400, 4136400; 739900, 
4136400; 740200, 4136700; 741100, 4136700; returning to 741100, 
4136400.
    (11) Subunit 7A: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (12) Subunit 7B: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (13) Subunit 7C: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (14) Subunit 7D: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (15) Subunit 7E: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (16) Subunit 7F: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (17) Unit 8: Ventura County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Alamo Mountain, Lion Canyon, Lockwood Valley, San 
Guillermo, Topatopa Mountain, California, land bounded by the following 
UTM 11 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 310100, 3830500; 309400, 3831000; 
308400, 3830900; 307200, 3830600; 306000, 3831200; 304700, 3831300; 
303400, 3832100; 302100, 3832600; 301600, 3833600; 300400, 3833600; 
299200, 3834000; 298200, 3834400; 297700, 3835300; 297900, 3837300; 
299500, 3837500; 301200, 3838400; 301500, 3839300; 303400, 3841000; 
303800, 3842700; 304900, 3843600; 305800, 3843600; 307700, 3843400; 
309500, 3843400; 310500, 3844200; 311900, 3844600; 313400, 3845400; 
314500, 3844100; 315200, 3843800; 315700, 3842400; 316500, 3841100; 
317200, 3838100; 317200, 3837000; 316500, 3833900; 315700, 3833300; 
315200, 3834100; 314000, 3834100; 313100, 3832200; 311500, 3830800; 
returning to 310100, 3830500.
    (18) Maps follow of critical habitat units 1, 5 through 7, and 8 
(respectively) for Conservancy fairy shrimp.
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P

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BILLING CODE 4310-55-C
Longhorn Fairy Shrimp (Branchinecta longiantenna)
    (1) Critical habitat units are depicted for Alameda, Contra Costa, 
and San Luis Obispo Counties, California, on the map below.
    (2) The primary constituent elements of critical habitat for 
longhorn fairy

[[Page 46763]]

shrimp are the habitat components that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths that typically become 
inundated during winter rains and hold water for sufficient lengths of 
time necessary for longhorn fairy shrimp incubation, reproduction, 
dispersal, feeding, and sheltering, including but not limited to, 
large, playa vernal pools often on basin rim landforms and alkaline 
soils, but which are dry during the summer and do not necessarily fill 
with water every year; and
    (ii) The geographic, topographic, and edaphic features that support 
aggregations or systems of hydrologically interconnected pools, swales, 
and other ephemeral wetlands and depressions within a matrix of 
surrounding uplands that together form hydrologically and ecologically 
functional units called vernal pool complexes. These features 
contribute to the filling and drying of the vernal pool, and maintain 
suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and soil moisture 
for vernal pool crustacean hatching, growth and reproduction, and 
dispersal, but not necessarily every year.
    (3) Existing manmade features and structures, such as buildings, 
roads, railroads, airports, runways, other paved areas, lawns, and 
other urban landscaped areas do not contain one or more of the primary 
constituent elements. Federal actions limited to those areas, 
therefore, would not trigger a consultation under section 7 of the Act 
unless they may affect the species and/or primary constituent elements 
in adjacent critical habitat.
    (4) Critical habitat does not include the following lands although 
they may fall within the legal descriptions below:
    (i) Lands within the following California counties: Butte, Madera, 
Merced, Sacramento, and Solano;
    (ii) Federally-owned lands within the boundaries of the Kern, 
Sacramento, San Francisco Bay, and San Luis National Wildlife Refuges 
and National Wildlife Refuge Complexes, and the Coleman National Fish 
Hatchery;
    (iii) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Allensworth, 
Boggs Lake, Butte Creek Canyon, Calhoun Cut, Carrizo Plains, Dales 
Lake, Fagan Marsh, Phoenix Field, San Joaquin River, Stone Corral, and 
Thomes Creek Ecological Reserves;
    (iv) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Battle Creek, 
Big Sandy, Grizzly Island, Hill Slough, North Grasslands, and Oroville 
Wildlife Areas.
    (5) Subunit 1A: Contra Costa County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Byron Hot Springs, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 614700, 4184000; 614600, 
4184000; 614600, 4184500; 614900, 4185000; 614600, 4185300; 614600, 
4185900; 614700, 4185900; 614800, 4185400; 615100, 4185200; 615100, 
4185500; 615300, 4185500; 615400, 4185200; 615600, 4184900; 615800, 
4184900; 616000, 4184800; 616000, 4184700; 615800, 4184500; 615700, 
4184500; 615500, 4184200; 615100, 4184200; 614800, 4184200; returning 
to 614700, 4184000.
    (6) Subunit 1B: Alameda County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Byron Hot Springs, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 616200, 4179000; 616100, 
4179000; 615900, 4179200; 615900, 4179400; 615700, 4179600; 615500, 
4180100; 615100, 4180500; 614800, 4180800; 614400, 4180900; 614100, 
4181100; 614600, 4181500; 614700, 4181500; 614700, 4181700; 614900, 
4181700; 615200, 4181400; 615400, 4181300; 615500, 4181200; 615500, 
4181100; 615600, 4181100; 615700, 4181300; 615800, 4181200; 616000, 
4180600; 616000, 4180500; 616200, 4180200; 616200, 4179900; 615900, 
4179900; 615900, 4179700; 616200, 4179500; returning to 616200, 
4179000.
    (7) Subunit 2A: Merced, California. [Reserved]
    (8) Subunit 2B: Merced, California. [Reserved]
    (9) Subunit 2C: Merced, California. [Reserved]
    (10) Unit 3: San Luis Obispo County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Chimineas Ranch, McKittrick Summit, Painted Rock, and 
Simmler, California, land bounded by the following UTM 11 NAD 83 
coordinates (E, N): 247900, 3894600; 245800, 3895500; 243500, 3896000; 
242700, 3896400; 242200, 3897600; 240100, 3898900; 239500, 3899300; 
239300, 3899600; 238300, 3900400; 237900, 3900300; 236100, 3901000; 
235800, 3901300; 235800, 3902300; 235500, 3903500; 234800, 3904400; 
233000, 3904900; 231800, 3905800; 231600, 3907000; 231900, 3908800; 
231800, 3909400; 229400, 3910200; 227200, 3911200; 227300, 3913400; 
228100, 3913800; 229000, 3913900; 231900, 3913200; 233300, 3913200; 
234300, 3912900; 235100, 3912100; 235300, 3911200; 233900, 3910100; 
233700, 3909700; 235300, 3909000; 235700, 3908500; 237200, 3907500; 
237700, 3906300; 238200, 3905800; 239100, 3905200; 239100, 3904900; 
242800, 3902600; 244400, 3901300; 244400, 3901000; 244700, 3900700; 
244800, 3899100; 245400, 3898800; 247200, 3896600; 248200, 3895000; 
returning to 247900, 3894600.
    (11) Maps follow of critical habitat units 1 and 3 (respectively) 
for longhorn fairy shrimp.

BILLING CODE 4310-55-P

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[[Page 46765]]


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[[Page 46766]]


BILLING CODE 4310-55-C
Vernal Pool Fairy Shrimp (Branchinecta lynchi)
    (1) Critical habitat units are depicted for Jackson County, Oregon; 
Shasta, Tehama, Glenn, Colusa, Placer, Napa, Contra Costa, Alameda, 
Amador, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Mariposa, Fresno, Tulare, Kings, San 
Benito, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Counties, 
California on the map below:
    (2) The primary constituent elements of critical habitat for vernal 
pool fairy shrimp are the habitat components that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths that typically become 
inundated during winter rains and hold water for sufficient lengths of 
time necessary for vernal pool fairy shrimp incubation, reproduction, 
dispersal, feeding, and sheltering, including but not limited to, 
Northern Hardpan, Northern Claypan, Northern Volcanic Mud Flow, and 
Northern Basalt Flow vernal pools formed on a variety of geologic 
formations and soil types, but which are dry during the summer and do 
not necessarily fill with water every year; and
    (ii) The geographic, topographic, and edaphic features that support 
aggregations or systems of hydrologically interconnected pools, swales, 
and other ephemeral wetlands and depressions within a matrix of 
surrounding uplands that together form hydrologically and ecologically 
functional units called vernal pool complexes. These features 
contribute to the filling and drying of the vernal pool, and maintain 
suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and soil moisture 
for vernal pool crustacean hatching, growth and reproduction, and 
dispersal, but not necessarily every year.
    (3) Existing manmade features and structures, such as buildings, 
roads, railroads, airports, runways, other paved areas, lawns, and 
other urban landscaped areas do not contain one or more of the primary 
constituent elements. Federal actions limited to those areas, 
therefore, would not trigger a consultation under section 7 of the Act 
unless they may affect the species and/or primary constituent elements 
in adjacent critical habitat.
    (4) Critical habitat does not include the following lands although 
they may fall within the legal descriptions below:
    (i) Lands within the following California counties: Butte, Madera, 
Merced, Sacramento, and Solano;
    (ii) Federally-owned lands within the boundaries of the Kern, 
Sacramento, San Francisco Bay, and San Luis National Wildlife Refuges 
and National Wildlife Refuge Complexes, and the Coleman National Fish 
Hatchery;
    (iii) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Allensworth, 
Boggs Lake, Butte Creek Canyon, Calhoun Cut, Carrizo Plains, Dales 
Lake, Fagan Marsh, Phoenix Field, San Joaquin River, Stone Corral, and 
Thomes Creek Ecological Reserves;
    (iv) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Battle Creek, 
Big Sandy, Grizzly Island, Hill Slough, North Grasslands, and Oroville 
Wildlife Areas.
    (5) Subunit 1A: Jackson County, Oregon. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Shady Cove, Oregon, land bounded by the following UTM 10 
NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 513900, 4709700; 513600, 4709700; 513600, 
4709800; 513500, 4709800; 513500, 4710000; 513700, 4710000; 513700, 
4710300; 513200, 4710300; 513200, 4710600; 513100, 4710600; 513100, 
4710800; 514300, 4710800; 514300, 4710300; 514100, 4710300; 514100, 
4709900; 513900, 4709900; returning to 513900, 4709700.
    (6) Subunit 1B: Jackson County, Oregon. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Shady Cove, Oregon, land bounded by the following UTM 10 
NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 513900, 4707000; 513600, 4707000; 513600, 
4707300; 513700, 4707300; 513700, 4707400; 513800, 4707400; 513800, 
4707500; 513400, 4707500; 513400, 4708000; 514700, 4708000; 514700, 
4707700; 514600, 4707700; 514600, 4707600; 514200, 4707600; 514200, 
4707500; 514100, 4707500; 514100, 4707300; 514000, 4707300; 514000, 
4707200; 513900, 4707200; returning to 513900, 4707000.
    (7) Subunit 1C: Jackson County, Oregon. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Shady Cove, Oregon, land bounded by the following UTM 10 
NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 512000, 4706600; 511800, 4706600; 511800, 
4706700; 511300, 4706700; 511300, 4706800; 511200, 4706800; 511200, 
4706900; 511100, 4706900; 511100, 4707000; 511000, 4707000; 511000, 
4707200; 511100, 4707200; 511100, 4707300; 511200, 4707300; 511200, 
4707400; 511100, 4707400; 511100, 4707500; 511200, 4707500; 511200, 
4707600; 511400, 4707600; 511400, 4707700; 511600, 4707700; 511600, 
4707800; 511800, 4707800; 511800, 4707300; 511900, 4707300; 511900, 
4706800; 512000, 4706800; returning to 512000, 4706600.
    (8) Subunit 1D: Jackson County, Oregon. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Eagle Point and Shady Cove, Oregon, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 515900, 4706700; 515900, 
4707000; 516200, 4707000; 516200, 4706900; 516300, 4706900; 516300, 
4706700; 516400, 4706700; 516400, 4706800; 516500, 4706800; 516500, 
4707000; 516700, 4707000; 516700, 4706900; 516900, 4706900; 516900, 
4707000; 517000, 4707000; 517000, 4707100; 517100, 4707100; 517100, 
4706900; 517400, 4706900; 517400, 4706700; 517300, 4706700; 517300, 
4706500; 517200, 4706500; 517200, 4706400; 517100, 4706400; 517100, 
4706300; 516700, 4706300; 516700, 4705600; 516500, 4705600; 516500, 
4705500; 516600, 4705500; 516600, 4705400; 516700, 4705400; 516700, 
4704800; 516600, 4704800; 516600, 4704600; 516300, 4704600; 516300, 
4704500; 516400, 4704500; 516400, 4704400; 516500, 4704400; 516500, 
4704300; 515800, 4704300; 515800, 4704600; 516000, 4704600; 516000, 
4704700; 515500, 4704700; 515500, 4704800; 515400, 4704800; 515400, 
4705100; 515500, 4705100; 515500, 4705200; 515700, 4705200; 515700, 
4705300; 515800, 4705300; 515800, 4705900; 515700, 4705900; 515700, 
4706200; 515600, 4706200; 515600, 4706400; 515500, 4706400; 515500, 
4706500; 515100, 4706500; 515100, 4706700; 515000, 4706700; 515000, 
4706900; 514700, 4706900; 514700, 4707000; 514600, 4707000; 514600, 
4707200; 514700, 4707200; 514700, 4707300; 515000, 4707300; 515000, 
4707200; 515100, 4707200; 515100, 4707100; 515200, 4707100; 515200, 
4707000; 515300, 4707000; 515300, 4706800; 515400, 4706800; 515400, 
4706700; 515500, 4706700; 515500, 4706600; 515600, 4706600; 515600, 
4706700; returning to 515900, 4706700; excluding land bound by 515900, 
4706700; 515900, 4706500; 516000, 4706500; 516000, 4706400; 516100, 
4706400; 516100, 4706600; 516000, 4706600; 516000, 4706700; returning 
to 515900, 4706700.
    (9) Subunit 1E: Jackson County, Oregon. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Boswell Mountain and Shady Cove, Oregon, land bounded 
by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 510500, 4706000; 
510400, 4706000; 510400, 4706100; 510300, 4706100; 510300, 4706300; 
510100, 4706300; 510100, 4706400; 510000, 4706400; 510000, 4706500; 
509800, 4706500; 509800, 4706700; 510000, 4706700; 510000, 4706900; 
510100, 4706900; 510100, 4707000;

[[Page 46767]]

510200, 4707000; 510200, 4706900; 510500, 4706900; 510500, 4707000; 
510600, 4707000; 510600, 4707100; 510800, 4707100; 510800, 4706900; 
511000, 4706900; 511000, 4706500; 510700, 4706500; 510700, 4706300; 
510500, 4706300; returning to 510500, 4706000.
    (10) Subunit 1F: Jackson County, Oregon. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Eagle Point and Shady Cove, Oregon, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 511400, 4704800; 511200, 
4704800; 511200, 4705000; 511000, 4705000; 511000, 4705200; 510900, 
4705200; 510900, 4705300; 510800, 4705300; 510800, 4705900; 511000, 
4705900; 511000, 4706000; 511300, 4706000; 511300, 4705900; 511500, 
4705900; 511500, 4705100; 511400, 4705100; returning to 511400, 
4704800; excluding land bound by 511300, 4705300; 511300, 4705500; 
511200, 4705500; 511200, 4705300; returning to 511300, 4705300.
    (11) Subunit 1G: Jackson County, Oregon. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Eagle Point, Oregon, land bounded by the following UTM 
10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 517700, 4704000; 517200, 4704000; 517200, 
4704100; 517100, 4704100; 517100, 4704300; 517000, 4704300; 517000, 
4704700; 516900, 4704700; 516900, 4704900; 517000, 4704900; 517000, 
4705000; 517100, 4705000; 517100, 4705100; 517600, 4705100; 517600, 
4705000; 517800, 4705000; 517800, 4704900; 517900, 4704900; 517900, 
4704800; 519100, 4704800; 519100, 4704700; 519300, 4704700; 519300, 
4704600; 519400, 4704600; 519400, 4704300; 519100, 4704300; 519100, 
4704200; 518600, 4704200; 518600, 4704100; 517900, 4704100; 517900, 
4704200; 517700, 4704200; returning to 517700, 4704000.
    (12) Subunit 2A: Jackson County, Oregon. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Eagle Point, Oregon, land bounded by the following UTM 
10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 514300, 4698400; 513400, 4698400; 513400, 
4698500; 513300, 4698500; 513300, 4698600; 513400, 4698600; 513400, 
4698700; 513500, 4698700; 513500, 4698800; 513700, 4698800; 513700, 
4699000; 513800, 4699000; 513800, 4699100; 513900, 4699100; 513900, 
4699200; 514200, 4699200; 514200, 4698800; 514300, 4698800; 514300, 
4698900; 514400, 4698900; 514400, 4699000; 514900, 4699000; 514900, 
4698900; 515100, 4698900; 515100, 4699100; 515200, 4699100; 515200, 
4699000; 515500, 4699000; 515500, 4698800; 515600, 4698800; 515600, 
4699000; 515700, 4699000; 515700, 4698900; 515800, 4698900; 515800, 
4698500; 515500, 4698500; 515500, 4698700; 515400, 4698700; 515400, 
4698600; 515300, 4698600; 515300, 4698500; 515100, 4698500; 515100, 
4698600; 514900, 4698600; 514900, 4698500; 514400, 4698500; 514400, 
4698600; 514300, 4698600; returning to 514300, 4698400.
    (13) Subunit 2B: Jackson County, Oregon. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Brownsboro and Eagle Point, Oregon, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 520800, 4694400; 520700, 
4694400; 520700, 4694500; 520500, 4694500; 520500, 4694600; 520400, 
4694600; 520400, 4694700; 520300, 4694700; 520300, 4694800; 519900, 
4694800; 519900, 4694900; 519500, 4694900; 519500, 4695200; 519400, 
4695200; 519400, 4695600; 519300, 4695600; 519300, 4695800; 519200, 
4695800; 519200, 4695900; 519100, 4695900; 519100, 4696000; 519000, 
4696000; 519000, 4696200; 519300, 4696200; 519300, 4696300; 519100, 
4696300; 519100, 4696400; 518900, 4696400; 518900, 4696500; 518800, 
4696500; 518800, 4696400; 518600, 4696400; 518600, 4696700; 518500, 
4696700; 518500, 4696800; 518400, 4696800; 518400, 4696900; 518300, 
4696900; 518300, 4697000; 518200, 4697000; 518200, 4697100; 518100, 
4697100; 518100, 4697200; 517600, 4697200; 517600, 4697300; 517300, 
4697300; 517300, 4697400; 517100, 4697400; 517100, 4697600; 517000, 
4697600; 517000, 4697800; 516900, 4697800; 516900, 4698400; 517300, 
4698400; 517300, 4698300; 517500, 4698300; 517500, 4698200; 517600, 
4698200; 517600, 4698300; 517900, 4698300; 517900, 4697800; 518500, 
4697800; 518500, 4697700; 518600, 4697700; 518600, 4697600; 518800, 
4697600; 518800, 4697700; 519100, 4697700; 519100, 4697600; 519300, 
4697600; 519300, 4697500; 519400, 4697500; 519400, 4697400; 519500, 
4697400; 519500, 4697300; 519700, 4697300; 519700, 4697200; 519800, 
4697200; 519800, 4697100; 520000, 4697100; 520000, 4696800; 519900, 
4696800; 519900, 4696700; 520400, 4696700; 520400, 4696600; 520500, 
4696600; 520500, 4696300; 520400, 4696300; 520400, 4696100; 520500, 
4696100; 520500, 4696200; 520600, 4696200; 520600, 4696100; 520700, 
4696100; 520700, 4695900; 520600, 4695900; 520600, 4695800; 520500, 
4695800; 520500, 4695500; 520700, 4695500; 520700, 4695400; 520800, 
4695400; returning to 520800, 4694400.
    (14) Subunit 2C: Jackson County, Oregon. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Eagle Point, Oregon, land bounded by the following UTM 
10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 516100, 4697400; 515000, 4697400; 515000, 
4697800; 515200, 4697800; 515200, 4697700; 515300, 4697700; 515300, 
4697800; 516100, 4697800; returning to 516100, 4697400.
    (15) Subunit 2D: Jackson County, Oregon. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Eagle Point, Oregon, land bounded by the following UTM 
10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 516200, 4696200; 515900, 4696200; 515900, 
4696900; 516100, 4696900; 516100, 4697000; 516500, 4697000; 516500, 
4697100; 516800, 4697100; 516800, 4697200; 517000, 4697200; 517000, 
4697100; 517200, 4697100; 517200, 4697000; 517300, 4697000; 517300, 
4696900; 517400, 4696900; 517400, 4696600; 517200, 4696600; 517200, 
4696700; 516800, 4696700; 516800, 4696600; 516300, 4696600; 516300, 
4696500; 516200, 4696500; returning to 516200, 4696200.
    (16) Subunit 2E: Jackson County, Oregon. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Eagle Point, Oregon, land bounded by the following UTM 
10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 515200, 4695800; 515000, 4695800; 515000, 
4695900; 514500, 4695900; 514500, 4695800; 514300, 4695800; 514300, 
4695900; 514200, 4695900; 514200, 4696000; 514100, 4696000; 514100, 
4695900; 514000, 4695900; 514000, 4695800; 513900, 4695800; 513900, 
4695900; 513800, 4695900; 513800, 4696600; 513500, 4696600; 513500, 
4696800; 515600, 4696800; 515600, 4696600; 515500, 4696600; 515500, 
4696400; 515100, 4696400; 515100, 4696300; 515200, 4696300; 515200, 
4695800; excluding land bound by 514700, 4696300; 514700, 4696500; 
514500, 4696500; 514500, 4696400; 514300, 4696400; 514300, 4696500; 
514200, 4696500; 514200, 4696400; 514100, 4696400; 514100, 4696300; 
returning to 514700, 4696300.
    (17) Subunit 3A: Jackson County, Oregon. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Eagle Point, Oregon, land bounded by the following UTM 
10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 511600, 4698900; 511600, 4699000; 511400, 
4699000; 511400, 4699100; 511100, 4699100; 511100, 4699200; 510700, 
4699200; 510700, 4699300; 510600, 4699300; 510600, 4699500; 510900, 
4699500; 510900, 4699600; 511200, 4699600; 511200, 4699700; 511300, 
4699700; 511300, 4699900; 511400, 4699900; 511400, 4700000; 511500, 
4700000; 511500, 4699900; 511600, 4699900; 511600, 4699800; 511700, 
4699800; 511700, 4699900; 511900, 4699900; 511900, 4698900; returning 
to 511600, 4698900.

[[Page 46768]]

    (18) Subunit 3B: Jackson County, Oregon. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Eagle Point and Sams Valley, Oregon, land bounded by 
the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 511600, 4698900; 
511600, 4698600; 511300, 4698600; 511300, 4698700; 511200, 4698700; 
511200, 4698600; 511000, 4698600; 511000, 4698500; 510700, 4698500; 
510700, 4698600; 510500, 4698600; 510500, 4698500; 509600, 4698500; 
509600, 4698100; 509400, 4698100; 509400, 4698000; 509200, 4698000; 
509200, 4697800; 509300, 4697800; 509300, 4697600; 509400, 4697600; 
509400, 4697200; 509500, 4697200; 509500, 4697000; 510100, 4697000; 
510100, 4697100; 511700, 4697100; 511700, 4697000; 511900, 4697000; 
511900, 4696400; 510800, 4696400; 510800, 4696300; 510600, 4696300; 
510600, 4696400; 510300, 4696400; 510300, 4696500; 509700, 4696500; 
509700, 4696600; 509600, 4696600; 509600, 4696500; 508900, 4696500; 
508900, 4696600; 508600, 4696600; 508600, 4696700; 508400, 4696700; 
508400, 4696800; 508300, 4696800; 508300, 4696900; 508200, 4696900; 
508200, 4697000; 508100, 4697000; 508100, 4697100; 508000, 4697100; 
508000, 4697300; 508100, 4697300; 508100, 4697600; 508400, 4697600; 
508400, 4697700; 508600, 4697700; 508600, 4697800; 508500, 4697800; 
508500, 4698000; 508400, 4698000; 508400, 4698400; 508500, 4698400; 
508500, 4698500; 508800, 4698500; 508800, 4698600; 508900, 4698600; 
508900, 4698300; 509000, 4698300; 509000, 4698400; 509100, 4698400; 
509100, 4698600; 509200, 4698600; 509200, 4698700; 509500, 4698700; 
509500, 4698900; 509800, 4698900; 509800, 4699000; 510100, 4699000; 
510100, 4699100; 511000, 4699100; 511000, 4699000; 511300, 4699000; 
511300, 4698900; 511600, 4698900; excluding land bound by 508600, 
4697100; 508600, 4697300, 508500, 4697300; 508500, 4697100; returning 
to 508600, 4697100; and excluding land bound by 509100, 469700; 509100, 
4697800; 508800, 4697800; 508800, 4697700; returning to 509100, 469700.
    (19) Subunit 3C: Jackson County, Oregon. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Sams Valley, Oregon, land bounded by the following UTM 
10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 508300, 4695000; 507800, 4695000; 507800, 
4695200; 507400, 4695200; 507400, 4695400; 506900, 4695400; 506900, 
4695800; 506800, 4695800; 506800, 4695900; 506400, 4695900; 506400, 
4695800; 505600, 4695800; 505600, 4696000; 505800, 4696000; 505800, 
4696700; 506200, 4696700; 506200, 4696800; 506100, 4696800; 506100, 
4697300; 506200, 4697300; 506200, 4697600; 506800, 4697600; 506800, 
4697500; 506900, 4697500; 506900, 4697300; 506800, 4697300; 506800, 
4697200; 506700, 4697200; 506700, 4696700; 507000, 4696700; 507000, 
4697000; 506900, 4697000; 506900, 4697200; 507000, 4697200; 507000, 
4697400; 507100, 4697400; 507100, 4697500; 507200, 4697500; 507200, 
4697400; 507300, 4697400; 507300, 4697300; 507400, 4697300; 507400, 
4697100; 507500, 4697100; 507500, 4697000; 507600, 4697000; 507600, 
4696900; 507700, 4696900; 507700, 4696700; 507900, 4696700; 507900, 
4696000; 508300, 4696000; returning to 508300, 4695000.
    (20) Subunit 4A: Jackson County, Oregon. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Sams Valley, Oregon, land bounded by the following UTM 
10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 508600, 4701300; 508400, 4701300; 508400, 
4701500; 508300, 4701500; 508300, 4701900; 508200, 4701900; 508200, 
4702000; 508100, 4702000; 508100, 4702100; 508000, 4702100; 508000, 
4702200; 507900, 4702200; 507900, 4702300; 507800, 4702300; 507800, 
4702400; 507700, 4702400; 507700, 4702500; 507600, 4702500; 507600, 
4702400; 507500, 4702400; 507500, 4702300; 507300, 4702300; 507300, 
4702200; 507400, 4702200; 507400, 4702100; 507600, 4702100; 507600, 
4702000; 507700, 4702000; 507700, 4701800; 507800, 4701800; 507800, 
4701700; 507900, 4701700; 507900, 4701400; 507700, 4701400; 507700, 
4701500; 507600, 4701500; 507600, 4701600; 507300, 4701600; 507300, 
4701700; 507100, 4701700; 507100, 4701800; 507000, 4701800; 507000, 
4701900; 506900, 4701900; 506900, 4702000; 506800, 4702000; 506800, 
4702200; 506700, 4702200; 506700, 4702400; 506600, 4702400; 506600, 
4702500; 506500, 4702500; 506500, 4702700; 506600, 4702700; 506600, 
4702900; 506700, 4702900; 506700, 4703100; 506800, 4703100; 506800, 
4703400; 507000, 4703400; 507000, 4703500; 507200, 4703500; 507200, 
4703400; 507300, 4703400; 507300, 4703300; 507800, 4703300; 507800, 
4703200; 507900, 4703200; 507900, 4703100; 508000, 4703100; 508000, 
4703000; 508100, 4703000; 508100, 4702900; 508200, 4702900; 508200, 
4702800; 508300, 4702800; 508300, 4702700; 508400, 4702700; 508400, 
4702500; 508500, 4702500; 508500, 4702300; 508600, 4702300; 508600, 
4701900; 508800, 4701900; 508800, 4701500; 508700, 4701500; 508700, 
4701400; 508600, 4701400; returning to 508600, 4701300.
    (21) Subunit 4B: Jackson County, Oregon. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Sams Valley, Oregon, land bounded by the following UTM 
10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 504000, 4698900; 503800, 4698900; 503800, 
4699000; 503700, 4699000; 503700, 4699400; 503800, 4699400; 503800, 
4699800; 503700, 4699800; 503700, 4700900; 503800, 4700900; 503800, 
4700800; 503900, 4700800; 503900, 4700700; 504000, 4700700; 504000, 
4700600; 504300, 4700600; 504300, 4700500; 504400, 4700500; 504400, 
4699500; 504200, 4699500; 504200, 4699200; 504100, 4699200; 504100, 
4699100; 504000, 4699100; returning to 504000, 4698900.
    (22) Unit 5: Shasta County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Balls Ferry, Cottonwood, Enterprise, and Palo Cedro, 
California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, 
N): 564200, 4480900; 563600, 4480900; 563300, 4481000; 563100, 4480900; 
562900, 4480900; 562500, 4481200; 562400, 4481500; 562400, 4481700; 
562300, 4482400; 562000, 4482500; 561900, 4482800; 561800, 4483300; 
561500, 4483700; 561000, 4484000; 560700, 4485400; 560700, 4486500; 
560800, 4486700; 561000, 4486900; 561200, 4487000; 561300, 4487600; 
561600, 4487900; 562000, 4487900; 562500, 4487400; 562700, 4487100; 
562900, 4487200; 563200, 4487200; 563300, 4487000; 563300, 4486700; 
563800, 4486400; 564300, 4484700; 564300, 4484400; 564500, 4484100; 
564500, 4483800; 564600, 4483700; 564600, 4483400; 564400, 4483100; 
564100, 4482800; 564100, 4482600; 564300, 4482600; 564300, 4482400; 
564300, 4482300; 564200, 4482200; 564100, 4482100; 564000, 4482100; 
564200, 4481800; 564200, 4480900; excluding land bound by 562900, 
4482600; 562900, 4485000; 562100, 4485000; 562100, 4485372; 562100, 
4485400; 561700, 4485400; 561700, 4485400; 561700, 4485779; 561700, 
4485800; 561300, 4485800; 561300, 4484100; 562100, 4484100; 562300, 
4484010; 562300, 4484000; 562300, 4483803; 562300, 4483800; 562304, 
4483794; 562500, 4483500; 562500, 4483500; 562400, 4483500; 562400, 
4483500; 562400, 4482600; returning to 562900, 4482600.
    (23) Unit 6: Tehama County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Corning, Gerber, Henleyville, Red Bluff East, Red Bluff 
West, West of Gerber, California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 
NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 555200, 4423600; 555100, 4423600; 555000, 
4423600;

[[Page 46769]]

554600, 4424900; 555100, 4425600; 557200, 4426300; 557800, 4426800; 
558300, 4426500; 559500, 4428300; 558200, 4428200; 557800, 4428500; 
557400, 4429300; 558000, 4429900; 558600, 4430000; 558600, 4431100; 
560000, 4431600; 559200, 4431900; 558300, 4432000; 557400, 4432200; 
557400, 4432600; 558400, 4433100; 558400, 4433600; 557800, 4433600; 
557500, 4433800; 557300, 4434400; 555100, 4434800; 555100, 4435400; 
557000, 4436200; 557900, 4439000; 557000, 4439000; 554600, 4437400; 
553200, 4437000; 553200, 4437600; 554500, 4438100; 555400, 4439700; 
556500, 4439800; 556500, 4441800; 558500, 4442600; 558500, 4443000; 
557400, 4442900; 557000, 4443000; 556800, 4443400; 557500, 4444300; 
558000, 4443700; 558400, 4443700; 559800, 4443900; 559800, 4443700; 
559700, 4443500; 559700, 4443200; 559900, 4443400; 560000, 4443500; 
560500, 4443500; 560700, 4443600; 561000, 4443700; 561700, 4443900; 
562400, 4444000; 562500, 4444100; 562600, 4444100; 562600, 4444500; 
562900, 4444500; 563400, 4444500; 563400, 4444400; 563500, 4444400; 
563700, 4444400; 563800, 4443800; 564200, 4443800; 564300, 4443600; 
564200, 4443400; 564100, 4443200; 564000, 4443200; 564000, 4443000; 
564100, 4443000; 564100, 4442800; 564100, 4442700; 564100, 4442600; 
564200, 4442600; 564300, 4442900; 564400, 4443100; 564400, 4443400; 
564700, 4443400; 565200, 4443400; 565500, 4443300; 565800, 4442900; 
566100, 4442900; 566200, 4442500; 566100, 4442400; 566100, 4442100; 
565800, 4441900; 566000, 4441600; 566000, 4441500; 565400, 4441200; 
565500, 4441000; 565400, 4440800; 565400, 4440200; 565400, 4439000; 
566100, 4439000; 566100, 4439300; 566500, 4439900; 566400, 4440400; 
566000, 4440600; 567500, 4441200; 567900, 4441200; 568700, 4440600; 
568400, 4440400; 568300, 4439900; 568700, 4439100; 569500, 4439400; 
570200, 4438100; 569400, 4438200; 569000, 4438300; 568600, 4438400; 
567800, 4438400; 567600, 4438400; 567400, 4438200; 567000, 4438100; 
567000, 4438000; 566800, 4437700; 566800, 4437400; 566200, 4437400; 
566200, 4438200; 565900, 4438400; 565400, 4438000; 564200, 4438000; 
564200, 4437800; 563900, 4437800;

563600, 4437600; 563400, 4437400; 563400, 4436900; 563400, 4436600; 
563200, 4436600; 563200, 4436200; 563200, 4435800; 563500, 4435800; 
563700, 4436100; 564200, 4436400; 564500, 4436500; 564700, 4436500; 
564900, 4436400; 564900, 4436200; 564800, 4435800; 565100, 4435800; 
564800, 4435500; 564500, 4435500; 564400, 4435400; 564200, 4435200; 
564100, 4435000; 563800, 4434900; 563600, 4434700; 563500, 4434500; 
563400, 4434500; 563200, 4434200; 563600, 4434200; 563600, 4432600; 
563700, 4432600; 563500, 4432100; 564500, 4432000; 564500, 4431500; 
565400, 4431500; 565400, 4431400; 567000, 4431300; 567000, 4430700; 
566800, 4430500; 567400, 4430500; 567500, 4429600; 566800, 4429600; 
566300, 4429600; 566100, 4429700; 566100, 4429100; 566000, 4429200; 
565800, 4429300; 565500, 4429200; 565300, 4429200; 565100, 4429000; 
564600, 4429000; 564300, 4428700; 564000, 4428700; 563700, 4428500; 
563700, 4428200; 564100, 4428200; 564600, 4428200; 565500, 4428300; 
566600, 4428100; 566600, 4428000; 567000, 4428000; 567100, 4427900; 
567300, 4427200; 566900, 4427200; 566100, 4426900; 566000, 4426700; 
565500, 4426700; 565400, 4426600; 564800, 4426600; 564800, 4426200; 
564800, 4425900; 563700, 4425800; 562600, 4425100; 562300, 4425000; 
562100, 4425000; 562000, 4425000; 561800, 4424900; 561700, 4424800; 
561600, 4424800; 561500, 4424800; 561300, 4424800; 561200, 4424800; 
560900, 4424900; 560700, 4424900; 560400, 4425000; 560100, 4424900; 
559800, 4424800; 559800, 4424500; 559700, 4424400; 559400, 4424300; 
559300, 4424400; 559200, 4424500; 559100, 4424500; 558900, 4424700; 
558700, 4424800; 558300, 4424800; 558100, 4424800; 557900, 4424600; 
557700, 4424500; 557300, 4424300; 557000, 4424200; 556800, 4424100; 
556600, 4424100; 556100, 4424000; 555900, 4424000; 555800, 4423900; 
555900, 4423800; 555800, 4423800; 555500, 4423800; 555400, 4423800; 
555300, 4423700; returning to 555200, 4423600.
    (24) Unit 7: Butte and Tehama Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Acorn Hollow, Campbell Mound, Foster Island, 
Nord, Richardson Springs, Richardson Springs NW, and Vina, California, 
land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N):
    (i) Start at 592400, 4416700; 592500, 4416600; 592500, 4416000; 
592000, 4416000; 592000, 4415800; 592500, 4415800; 593800, 4416300; 
594100, 4416300; 594400, 4416300; 594400, 4415800; 594900, 4415800; 
594900, 4416300; 595500, 4416300; 595500, 4416400; 595900, 4416500; 
596000, 4416500; 596100, 4416400; 596200, 4416500; 596300, 4416600; 
596400, 4416700; 596500, 4416700; 596500, 4416800; 596600, 4416800; 
597100, 4416400; 597100, 4415600; 596800, 4415200; 597100, 4415000; 
597800, 4415500; 598100, 4415200; 597600, 4414600; 597600, 4414400; 
597300, 4413800; 597300, 4413300; 598200, 4413900; 598400, 4413900; 
598400, 4413600; 597400, 4411900; 597600, 4411900; 598300, 4412700; 
598500, 4413300; 598900, 4413300; 598900, 4411800; 599400, 4411700; 
599800, 4411700; 599800, 4411000; 599300, 4410700; 599100, 4410800; 
599000, 4410800; 598800, 4410600; 598500, 4410400; 598300, 4410100; 
598100, 4410000; 598000, 4409900; 597700, 4409800; 597600, 4409600; 
597500, 4409500; 597300, 4409500; 597100, 4409400; 596900, 4409200; 
596800, 4409200; 596700, 4409100; 596200, 4409100; 596000, 4408900; 
595900, 4408800; 595700, 4408800; 595500, 4408200; 594300, 4408200; 
594100, 4408300; 594000, 4408400; 593600, 4408500; 593400, 4408200; 
593300, 4408200; 593300, 4408500; 592900, 4408500; 592900, 4408600; 
593000, 4408600; 593100, 4409200; 593200, 4409200; 593200, 4409300; 
592900, 4409300; 592900, 4409500; 593100, 4409600; 593100, 4409500; 
593200, 4409500; 593200, 4409800; 593300, 4409900; 593300, 4410400; 
593100, 4410400; 592900, 4410200; 592600, 4410200; 592600, 4410000; 
592500, 4409900; 592500, 4409700; 591700, 4409400; 591500, 4409400; 
591700, 4409100; 591700, 4409000; 591500, 4409000; 591500, 4408600; 
590900, 4408600; 590900, 4408900; 590700, 4409000; 590800, 4409400; 
591000, 4409500; 591200, 4409500; 591100, 4409800; 590500, 4409800; 
590300, 4409600; 590300, 4409500; 590100, 4409500; 590000, 4409400; 
590300, 4409400; 590400, 4409000; 590500, 4408600; 590100, 4408600; 
590100, 4408800; 589900, 4409000; 589500, 4408900; 589300, 4408900; 
589300, 4409200; 589400, 4409200; 589400, 4409400; 589300, 4409400; 
589300, 4409800; 589700, 4409800; 589700, 4410600; 588400, 4410600; 
588300, 4411300; 588100, 4411400; 588100, 4412000; 588100, 4413300; 
588200, 4413500; 588300, 4413900; 588500, 4414000; 588500, 4414600; 
589200, 4414700; 589200, 4415000; 589200, 4415300; 589400, 4415500; 
589700, 4415600; 589700, 4415800; 589900, 4415800; 590000, 4415900; 
590000, 4416000; 589900, 4416000; 589400, 4415900; 589100, 4415800; 
589000, 4415700; 588800, 4415500; 588700, 4415400; 588600, 4415100; 
588200, 4415100; 588200, 4416000; 588300, 4416200; 588300, 4416600; 
588800, 4417000; 589100, 4417400; 589200,

[[Page 46770]]

4417600; 589200, 4417700; 589300, 4417900; 589300, 4418100; 589400, 
4418200; 589300, 4418300; 590700, 4419800; 588000, 4417000; 587500, 
4416400; 587200, 4415500; 587200, 4415100; 587300, 4415000; 587300, 
4414500; 587200, 4414400; 587100, 4414300; 586900, 4414000; 586400, 
4413900; 586200, 4413700; 586000, 4413600; 585800, 4413600; 585800, 
4414700; 585300, 4414700; 585300, 4413800; 585200, 4413700; 584800, 
4413700; 584600, 4413600; 584400, 4413600; 584200, 4413500; 584000, 
4413700; 583200, 4413400; 583000, 4414200; 583700, 4414600; 583500, 
4415000; 583000, 4415900; 583000, 4416400; 582900, 4416700; 582800, 
4416900; 582700, 4417000; 582700, 4417200; 582900, 4417300; 582800, 
4417400; 582700, 4417500; 582700, 4417600; 582600, 4417700; 582600,

4418000; 582600, 4418100; 582600, 4418200; 582700, 4418300; 582500, 
4418400; 582400, 4418300; 582200, 4418300; 582100, 4418400; 582100, 
4418500; 582000, 4418600; 582100, 4418700; 582100, 4418900; 582200, 
4419100; 582100, 4419300; 582200, 4419500; 582100, 4419600; 582000, 
4419700; 582100, 4419800; 582100, 4419900; 582200, 4420000; 582200, 
4420300; 582100, 4420500; 582200, 4420600; 582200, 4420800; 582300, 
4421100; 582900, 4421500; 582900, 4421600; 583300, 4422000; 583400, 
4422100; 583900, 4422100; 584100, 4422300; 584200, 4422300; 584300, 
4422400; 584400, 4422500; 584600, 4422900; 585100, 4423400; 585600, 
4423700; 585800, 4423900; 585800, 4424200; 586100, 4424200; 586600, 
4424800; 586800, 4424900; 587300, 4425500; 587400, 4425600; 587500, 
4425800; 587500, 4425900; 587600, 4426000; 587700, 4426100; 587800, 
4426100; 587900, 4426200; 587900, 4426300; 588200, 4426500; 588700, 
4429900; 588900, 4429500; 589500, 4429500; 589500, 4428600; 589500, 
4428000; 589800, 4427100; 590500, 4426400; 590500, 4425300; 591200, 
4424400; 591500, 4423300; 591600, 4422100; 591700, 4421900; 591900, 
4421800; 593000, 4421800; 593100, 4421500; 593500, 4421400; 593700, 
4420900; 591800, 4420600; 591800, 4420400; 592300, 4420500; 592800, 
4420400; 593100, 4420500; 594000, 4420800; 594400, 4420600; 594500, 
4420300; 593800, 4420000; 593600, 4419700; 593600, 4419400; 593200, 
4419100; 593600, 4418900; 594300, 4419000; 594300, 4418800; 594300, 
4418700; 594200, 4418300; 594100, 4418000; 594100, 4417900; 594700, 
4417900; 595100, 4417800; 595800, 4417300; 595800, 4416600; 595100, 
4416500; 594400, 4416500; 594000, 4416400; 593300, 4416400; 592800, 
4416600; returning to 592400, 4416700; excluding land bound by 591500, 
4409600; 591600, 4409900; 591400, 4409900; 591400, 4410200; 591600, 
4410200; 591600, 4410600; 590700, 4410600; 591400, 4409600; returning 
to 591500, 4409600.
    (ii) Start at 602900, 4402100; 602700, 4402100; 602300, 4402600; 
602300, 4402700; 601800, 4403300; 601200, 4403300; 601000, 4403400; 
601000, 4403200; 601100, 4403100; 601100, 4402700; 600300, 4402700; 
600300, 4403000; 600200, 4403200; 600200, 4403600; 599700, 4403600; 
599600, 4403700; 599400, 4403700; 599200, 4403600; 598100, 4403600; 
597900, 4403800; 597800, 4403800; 597000, 4404000; 596600, 4404400; 
596600, 4404700; 596900, 4404700; 596900, 4404800; 596600, 4404800; 
596600, 4405100; 596700, 4405200; 596500, 4405200; 596200, 4405000; 
596100, 4405000; 596100, 4405400; 596500, 4405400; 596500, 4405900; 
595600, 4405900; 595400, 4405900; 595400, 4406600; 595800, 4406600; 
595800, 4407400; 596100, 4407400; 596300, 4407700; 596400, 4407800; 
596800, 4407800; 596800, 4407500; 597300, 4407500; 597300, 4407700; 
597600, 4407700; 597900, 4407500; 598100, 4407500; 598100, 4407100; 
597700, 4406800; 597800, 4406700; 597500, 4406500; 597300, 4406700; 
597100, 4406600; 597500, 4406100; 597100, 4405900; 597600, 4405100; 
598000, 4405300; 598400, 4404700; 598500, 4404800; 598200, 4405300; 
598400, 4405300; 598500, 4405400; 598600, 4405500; 598700, 4405400; 
598800, 4405600; 598900, 4405600; 598900, 4404800; 598900, 4404400; 
599000, 4404400; 599200, 4404000; 599300, 4404000; 599500, 4404200; 
599700, 4404100; 600100, 4404200; 600400, 4404200; 600400, 4404400; 
599800, 4404400; 599800, 4405200; 599600, 4405200; 599500, 4405100; 
599600, 4405000; 599600, 4404800; 599100, 4404800; 599100, 4405700; 
599000, 4405800; 598900, 4406100; 598700, 4406000; 598500, 4406300; 
598500, 4407200; 598300, 4407200; 598300, 4407500; 598300, 4407700; 
598800, 4407900; 598900, 4408100; 599200, 4408400; 600200, 4408900; 
600300, 4408800; 600300, 4408400; 600000, 4408100; 600400, 4407600; 
599500, 4406700; 599500, 4406200; 600300, 4406000; 601200, 4405600; 
601800, 4405600; 602000, 4405500; 602200, 4405200; 602500, 4405200; 
602700, 4404900; 603300, 4404700; 604500, 4404200; 605200, 4404200; 
605600, 4404000; 605600, 4403600; 605100, 4403300; 604700, 4403400; 
604500, 4403300; 604475, 4403175; 604400, 4403100; 604300, 4403100; 
604200, 4403000; 604100, 4402900; 604000, 4402900; 603800, 4402800; 
603800, 4402600; 603600, 4402400; 603400, 4402400; 603200, 4402500; 
603100, 4402400; 602900, 4402400; returning to 602900, 4402100.
    (25) Unit 8: Glenn and Tehama Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Black Butte Dam and Kirkwood, California, land 
bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 563400, 
4405400; 563200, 4405700; 562800, 4405800; 561400, 4406200; 560900, 
4406200; 560600, 4406300; 560500, 4406400; 560400, 4406600; 560400, 
4406900; 560800, 4406900; 560800, 4407300; 561200, 4407300; 561200, 
4411300; 565500, 4411300; 565500, 4410500; 568400, 4410500; 568400, 
4411400; 570500, 4411400; 570800, 4411700; 571400, 4411500; 571500, 
4411000; 572100, 4410900; 572100, 4410100; 571800, 4409600; 570500, 
4409000; 570200, 4409000; 570200, 4409300; 569700, 4409300; 569700, 
4409000; 569800, 4407700; 569900, 4407000; 569800, 4406100; 569800, 
4405500; 569400, 4405500; 568600, 4405900; 568300, 4405900; 567500, 
4405500; 567200, 4405500; 565000, 4405500; 564600, 4405800; 564100, 
4405800; 563700, 4405600; returning to 563400, 4405400.
    (26) Unit 9: Butte County, California. [Reserved]
    (27) Unit 10: Colusa and Glenn Counties, California. [Reserved]
    (28) Unit 11: Yuba County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Browns Valley and Wheatland, California, land bounded 
by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 632400, 4329000; 
631300, 4329000; 631300, 4329200; 631600, 4329200; 631600, 4329800; 
631900, 4329800; 631900, 4330600; 632800, 4330600; 633000, 4330900; 
633000, 4331300; 633100, 4331500; 633500, 4331700; 633800, 4331500; 
633800, 4332200; 635000, 4332200; 635000, 4329900; 633800, 4329900; 
633600, 4330100; 633300, 4330100; 633300, 4330300; 632700, 4330100; 
632400, 4329900; returning to 632400, 4329000.
    (29) Unit 12: Placer and Sacramento Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Citrus Heights, Lincoln, Pleasant Grove, Rio 
Linda, Roseville, and Sheridan, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N):
    (i) Start at 4309600; 640200, 4306200; 640100, 4306200; 640200, 
4306700; 640000, 4306800; 639900, 4306700;

[[Page 46771]]

639600, 4306700; 639500, 4306900; 639200, 4306900; 639200, 4306800; 
639000, 4306800; 638700, 4306600; 638300, 4306600; 638300, 4307400; 
637500, 4307400; 637500, 4308200; 639000, 4308300; 639000, 4309600; 
639400, 4309600; 639400, 4309300; 639800, 4309300; 639800, 4309800; 
639400, 4309800; 639400, 4310400; 639700, 4310300; 639900, 4310300; 
640500, 4310700; 640500, 4311000; 640900, 4311000; 641000, 4311200; 
641200, 4311200; 641200, 4311500; 641900, 4311500; 642100, 4311000; 
642000, 4310900; 642000, 4310800; 642100, 4310800; 642100, 4310300; 
642900, 4310500; 642900, 4310600; 643300, 4310700; 643700, 4310500; 
644000, 4310900; 644300, 4310400; 645400, 4310400; 645800, 4310200; 
646100, 4310200; 646300, 4310000; 647500, 4310000; 647500, 4310200; 
646800, 4310200; 646500, 4310300; 646500, 4310600; 646600, 4310700; 
646100, 4310700; 645900, 4310800; 645900, 4311200; 646100, 4311100; 
646500, 4311100; 646500, 4311200; 646300, 4311200; 646300, 4311400; 
646400, 4311700; 646800, 4311700; 646800, 4312000; 646900, 4312100; 
646800, 4312500; 647000, 4312600; 647100, 4312800; 647300, 4312800; 
647400, 4312700; 647400, 4312800; 647300, 4312900; 647100, 4312900; 
646800, 4312698; 646800, 4313000; 646900, 4313400; 647100, 4313800; 
647300, 4314200; 648300, 4314200; 648300, 4313900; 647900, 4313400; 
647900, 4312700; 648000, 4312500; 647900, 4311500; 647700, 4311500; 
647600, 4311300; 647300, 4311400; 646900, 4311400; 646900, 4311300; 
647200, 4311300; 647500, 4311200; 647800, 4311200; 647900, 4311100; 
647800, 4311000; 646900, 4311000; 646800, 4310900; 646800, 4310800; 
647400, 4310800; 647500, 4310900; 647600, 4310800; 647800, 4310700; 
648000, 4310700; 648000, 4309700; 647200, 4309700; 647200, 4309200; 
646700, 4309100; 646700, 4308800; 646600, 4308800; 646100, 4309100; 
646100, 4308200; 646400, 4307900; 646400, 4307100; 646400, 4306700; 
645600, 4306700; 645600, 4307100; 645600, 4308400; 644400, 4308400; 
644400, 4308300; 643900, 4308300; 643900, 4307400; 643700, 4307400; 
643300, 4308900; 643100, 4308500; 643000, 4308900; 642700, 4308900; 
642900, 4308200; 642800, 4308100; 642600, 4307500; 642300, 4307400; 
642100, 4307200; 641500, 4307200; 641500, 4307500; 642000, 4307500; 
642000, 4307600; 642300, 4307600; 642300, 4308900; 642200, 4308900; 
642200, 4308300; 641500, 4308300; 641400, 4310500; 640900, 4310500; 
640700, 4310400; 640500, 4310400; 640500, 4309800; 640300, 4309800; 
640300, 4309700; 640500, 4309700; 640600, 4306700; 640500, 4306300; 
returning to 640200, 4306200.
    (ii) Start at 644400, 4306700; 644400, 4307000; 644500, 4307000; 
644600, 4306900; 644600, 4306700; returning to 644400, 4306700.
    (iii) Start at 647700, 4301800; 647700, 4301300; 648100, 4301200; 
648300, 4301300; 648400, 4301300; 648500, 4301200; 648300, 4301100; 
648200, 4301000; 648200, 4300300; 648400, 4300300; 648400, 4299000; 
648600, 4299000; 648900, 4298800; 649200, 4298100; 649600, 4298100; 
649700, 4297900; 649200, 4297400; 649100, 4297600; 648900, 4297500; 
649000, 4297200; 649000, 4297100; 647900, 4297100; 647900, 4297300; 
648500, 4297700; 648500, 4297900; 648300, 4297900; 648300, 4298100; 
648400, 4298200; 648400, 4298300; 648300, 4298400; 648200, 4298400; 
648100, 4298300; 648000, 4298200; 648200, 4298100; 648200, 4297900; 
647600, 4297900; 647600, 4299300; 646800, 4299300; 646800, 4299700; 
646900, 4299700; 646900, 4300300; 646800, 4300500; 645800, 4300500; 
645800, 4300200; 646600, 4300300; 646500, 4300200; 646500, 4299700; 
646300, 4299700; 646300, 4299400; 646400, 4299400; 646400, 4299300; 
646400, 4297200; 645800, 4297200; 645800, 4296435; 645800, 4296300; 
645800, 4296100; 645700, 4296100; 645600, 4296000; 645500, 4296100; 
645300, 4296000; 645200, 4296000; 645200, 4296100; 645100, 4296100; 
645000, 4296200; 645200, 4296200; 645400, 4296300; 645600, 4296400; 
645700, 4296700; 645700, 4297000; 643300, 4297000; 643300, 4295300; 
643800, 4295400; 643200, 4295000; 642500, 4295000; 642600, 4290000; 
642400, 4289800; 641600, 4289500; 640500, 4289500; 640500, 4289400; 
640200, 4289400; 640200, 4289900; 639700, 4289900; 639700, 4289400; 
639500, 4289400; 639400, 4289500; 637300, 4289500; 637300, 4288400; 
636700, 4288400; 636700, 4288000; 636600, 4288000; 636500, 4287700; 
635700, 4287700; 635600, 4288900; 634900, 4289000; 634500, 4288700; 
634500, 4288300; 634100, 4288500; 634000, 4288700; 634500, 4289100; 
633400, 4289100; 633300, 4288700; 632800, 4288700; 632800, 4289200; 
633100, 4289200; 633500, 4289500; 633800, 4289500; 633800, 4289700; 
634100, 4289900; 634100, 4290398; 634200, 4290400; 634200, 4290500; 
634400, 4290600; 634100, 4290800; 633800, 4290800; 633700, 4290900; 
633700, 4291300; 633800, 4291200; 634900, 4291200; 634900, 4290500; 
635000, 4290400; 635700, 4290400; 636100, 4290400; 636300, 4290100; 
637000, 4290100; 637200, 4290200; 637200, 4290400; 638100, 4290700; 
637900, 4292300; 638300, 4292500; 638200, 4292800; 638300, 4292800; 
638300, 4293000; 638800, 4293000; 638800, 4293100; 639000, 4293100; 
638900, 4294300; 638600, 4294300; 638300, 4294500; 637300, 4294400; 
637300, 4295500; 638100, 4295500; 638200, 4295700; 638700, 4295700; 
638700, 4295300; 638300, 4295300; 638300, 4294900; 638900, 4294900; 
638900, 4295300; 639500, 4295300; 639500, 4295400; 640000, 4295400; 
640000, 4295800; 639500, 4296100; 639500, 4296900; 639300, 4296900; 
639300, 4298500; 640000, 4298500; 640000, 4300100; 639500, 4300100; 
639500, 4299800; 639300, 4299800; 639300, 4298700; 639100, 4298700; 
639000, 4298500; 638800, 4298500; 638700, 4298300; 638700, 4298100; 
638500, 4298000; 638500, 4297800; 638200, 4297800; 638100, 4297700; 
638000, 4297800; 637800, 4297800; 637600, 4297600; 637200, 4297600; 
637200, 4297300; 636900, 4297100; 636300, 4296900; 635600, 4297200; 
635100, 4297200; 634300, 4297100; 634400, 4297200; 633600, 4297200; 
633600, 4297800; 634200, 4297800; 634200, 4297600; 635200, 4297700; 
635200, 4298400; 635500, 4298500; 635500, 4298300; 635600, 4298300; 
635600, 4298500; 635800, 4298500; 635800, 4300000; 636000, 4300100; 
636000, 4300900; 637700, 4300900; 637700, 4300100; 639200, 4300100; 
639200, 4301000; 640000, 4301000; 640000, 4301700; 637700, 4301700; 
638100, 4302100; 638600, 4302100; 639100, 4302300; 639900, 4302200; 
640000, 4301800; 640800, 4301800; 640800, 4302500; 641200, 4302700; 
641500, 4302700; 641600, 4302200; 641900, 4301900; 642200, 4302200; 
642800, 4301900; 643400, 4301400; 643700, 4302100; 644300, 4302300; 
644400, 4302400; 644400, 4302600; 644400, 4302800; 643600, 4302800; 
643600, 4303000; 643200, 4303000; 643200, 4303400; 642700, 4303400; 
642600, 4303500; 642800, 4304000; 643600, 4304400; 644000, 4304400; 
644300, 4304600; 644300, 4304900; 644100, 4304900; 644100, 4305000; 
644000, 4305000; 644000, 4306700; 642400, 4306700; 642800, 4306900; 
643600, 4307100; 644100, 4307100; 644100, 4306800; 644200, 4306800; 
644200, 4306700; 644400, 4306700; 644400, 4305900; 644700, 4305900; 
644700, 4305400; 644800, 4305400; 644800, 4305200; 645100, 4305200; 
645100, 4305100; 645200, 4305000; 645400, 4305100; 645600, 4305100; 
646100,

[[Page 46772]]

4304500; 646100, 4305100; 646200, 4305100; 646400, 4304700; 647000, 
4304700; 647200, 4304400; 647700, 4304500; 647500, 4303700; 647400, 
4303500; 645400, 4303500; 645300, 4303700; 645100, 4303700; 644800, 
4303600; 644900, 4303100; 644700, 4303000; 644700, 4302500; 644500, 
4302300; 644500, 4301900; 644700, 4301900; 644800, 4302000; 644900, 
4302100; 645100, 4302100; 645300, 4302300; 645600, 4302300; 646000, 
4302600; 646200, 4302600; 646500, 4302900; 646600, 4303100; 646800, 
4303100; 646800, 4303200; 647000, 4303200; 647100, 4303300; 647200, 
4303300; 647300, 4303400; 647400, 4303400; 647400, 4303200; 647500, 
4303200; 647500, 4303500; 648200, 4303500; 648400, 4303400; 648300, 
4303300; 648500, 4303200; 648600, 4303200; 648700, 4303100; 648600, 
4303000; 648200, 4303000; 648100, 4302900; 647700, 4302900; returning 
to 647700, 4301800; excluding land bound by 640300, 4294900; 640300, 
4294200; 641000, 4294200; 641000, 4294900; returning to 640300, 
4294900.
    (30) Unit 13: Sacramento County, California. [Reserved]
    (31) Unit 14: Amador and Sacramento Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Carbondale, Clay, Goose Creek, and 
Sloughhouse, California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 
coordinates (E, N): 668900, 4255600; 669300, 4255400; 670600, 4255800; 
671500, 4256400; 671700, 4256000; 671900, 4256000; 672200, 4255600; 
672400, 4255600; 672700, 4256400; 673200, 4256400; 672800, 4255100; 
672800, 4254800; 673100, 4254900; 673800, 4254900; 674000, 4254600; 
674000, 4254400; 674500, 4254000; 674500, 4253700; 674100, 4253500; 
674100, 4252900; 674300, 4252300; 674500, 4251900; 674500, 4251600; 
673400, 4251500; 673300, 4251400; 673300, 4251200; 673900, 4251000; 
674000, 4250500; 674300, 4250000; 674300, 4249800; 674200, 4249700; 
673900, 4249700; 673600, 4249900; 672500, 4249900; 671900, 4250200; 
671300, 4250200; 671100, 4250500; 671000, 4250500; 671000, 4249800; 
670700, 4249800; 670700, 4249500; 670800, 4249300; 670800, 4249000; 
670900, 4248900; 670900, 4248500; 670500, 4248300; 670500, 4248125; 
670400, 4248100; 670400, 4248000; 670100, 4248000; 670100, 4247800; 
670500, 4247500; 671100, 4247500; 671600, 4247700; 671800, 4247600; 
671900, 4247300; 671900, 4247100; 671500, 4246800; 671600, 4246600; 
671800, 4246000; 671300, 4245300; 670800, 4245000; 670000, 4244200; 
670000, 4244100; 670500, 4243800; 670200, 4243400; 670200, 4243300; 
670300, 4243200; 670400, 4243100; 670600, 4242600; 671200, 4242900; 
671600, 4243000; 671600, 4242700; 670700, 4242100; 669800, 4242100; 
669300, 4241900; 668900, 4241900; 668700, 4241800; 668500, 4241600; 
668400, 4241600; 668200, 4241700; 668000, 4242000; 667900, 4242000; 
667400, 4241600; 667400, 4241800; 666400, 4241700; 665400, 4241700; 
665400, 4242700; 665000, 4242700; 665000, 4242300; 664800, 4242300; 
664800, 4242200; 664700, 4242200; 664600, 4242100; 664500, 4242100; 
664500, 4241300; 664000, 4241300; 664000, 4241000; 663500, 4241000; 
663500, 4240900; 663400, 4240800; 663300, 4240800; 663300, 4240600; 
663100, 4240600; 663100, 4240900; 662800, 4240900; 662800, 4240500; 
662700, 4240400; 662700, 4240000; 662500, 4240000; 662500, 4239600; 
662100, 4239600; 662100, 4239400; 662000, 4239300; 661700, 4239300; 
661700, 4239200; 661400, 4239000; 661400, 4239900; 661500, 4239900; 
661500, 4241600; 661500, 4241900; 661700, 4242000; 662200, 4242000; 
662200, 4241600; 662900, 4241600; 662800, 4242300; 662500, 4242300; 
662600, 4243000; 662900, 4243100; 663400, 4243100; 663400, 4243800; 
663000, 4243800; 663000, 4243900; 662500, 4243900; 662700, 4244700; 
662850, 4244800; 663000, 4244900; 663100, 4245300; 663800, 4245300; 
663900, 4245500; 664400, 4245600; 664500, 4245200; 664600, 4245200; 
664900, 4245275; 665000, 4245300; 664900, 4245700; 664900, 4246500; 
664400, 4246500; 663900, 4246700; 662500, 4246300; 662200, 4246300; 
662100, 4246400; 661700, 4246400; 662000, 4247300; 661800, 4247500; 
660900, 4247500; 660850, 4247100; 659700, 4247100; 659500, 4247300; 
659500, 4248300; 660000, 4248300; 659900, 4249600; 660000, 4249900; 
659900, 4250200; 659400, 4249700; 659400, 4249500; 659300, 4249200; 
659100, 4249000; 659100, 4248900; 659200, 4248800; 659100, 4248700; 
658900, 4248700; 658800, 4248600; 658600, 4248600; 658500, 4248800; 
658400, 4248900; 658200, 4249000; 658200, 4248900; 658300, 4248700; 
658500, 4248500; 658500, 4248400; 658400, 4248300; 658400, 4247900; 
658100, 4247900; 658000, 4248500; 656700, 4248500; 656300, 4248900; 
655900, 4248200; 656100, 4248100; 656100, 4248000; 656000, 4247800; 
655200, 4247800; 655200, 4247200; 654700, 4247200; 654700, 4248750; 
654700, 4249000; 655100, 4249000; 655800, 4249000; 656300, 4249700; 
656600, 4249500; 657200, 4250200; 656700, 4251100; 657700, 4251100; 
657700, 4251500; 656700, 4251400; 656700, 4252100; 656500, 4252300; 
656500, 4252600; 657000, 4253700; 657400, 4254600; 657800, 4254300; 
657800, 4254200; 658900, 4253500; 659000, 4253500; 659300, 4253300; 
660000, 4254500; 660100, 4254800; 660200, 4254900; 660300, 4255200; 
660600, 4255300; 660700, 4255400; 660800, 4256000; 660600, 4256200; 
660300, 4256100; 660000, 4256200; 659800, 4256300; 659850, 4256450; 
659900, 4256600; 660200, 4256500; 660300, 4256800; 660600, 4256700; 
660800, 4256800; 660600, 4257000; 660700, 4257500; 660600, 4257600; 
660600, 4258000; 659900, 4258000; 659900, 4258100; 659700, 4258300; 
659700, 4258500; 659600, 4258800; 659700, 4259100; 660100, 4259300; 
660300, 4259100; 660500, 4259100; 660600, 4259300; 660800, 4259300; 
661300, 4259800; 661600, 4259700; 661600, 4259300; 661800, 4259300; 
661800, 4259100; 662200, 4259100; 662200, 4259600; 662400, 4259600; 
662700, 4259100; 662900, 4258900; 662800, 4258700; 662700, 4258500; 
662000, 4258100; 661500, 4257700; 661200, 4257100; 661600, 4256700; 
662000, 4256700; 661900, 4256400; 661800, 4256100; 661800, 4255800; 
661600, 4255600; 662100, 4255400; 662300, 4255800; 663100, 4255800; 
664100, 4256600; 664500, 4257000; 664800, 4257500; 664800, 4257800; 
665100, 4258100; 665100, 4258500; 665400, 4258700; 665900, 4258800; 
666500, 4258800; 666700, 4258600; 666600, 4258200; 666300, 4258000; 
666100, 4257400; 666000, 4257300; 666000, 4257000; 666400, 4257000; 
666500, 4257600; 666800, 4257600; 666900, 4257400; 666900, 4257100; 
666700, 4256900; 666800, 4256700; 666700, 4256300; 666600, 4256100; 
667200, 4256100; 667400, 4256300; 667600, 4256300; 667800, 4256100; 
667900, 4256300; 668100, 4256300; 668400, 4255900; returning to 668900, 
4255600.
    (32) Unit 15: Solano County, California. [Reserved]
    (33) Unit 16: Solano County, California. [Reserved]
    (34) Unit 17: Napa County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Cuttings Wharf, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 562800, 4228500; 562500, 
4228500; 561500, 4228900; 561300, 4229000; 560800, 4229200; 560600, 
4229600; 560400, 4230200; 560500, 4230600; 560500, 4230900; 560800, 
4231200; 561400, 4231200; 561400, 4230700; 561600, 4230600; 561900, 
4230600; 562100, 4230800; 562500, 4230800; 563200, 4230900; 563200, 
4230600; 563800, 4229500;

[[Page 46773]]

564100, 4229600; 564300, 4229200; 563200, 4228900; 563000, 4228900; 
returning to 562800, 4228500.
    (35) Unit 18: San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties, California. From 
USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle maps Farmington, Linden, Peters, and Valley 
Springs SW, California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 
coordinates (E, N): 677400, 4201600; 675800, 4201600; 675700, 4203000; 
675900, 4203000; 675900, 4203200; 675700, 4203200; 675700, 4204800; 
672500, 4204700; 672500, 4205600; 672800, 4205800; 672800, 4206300; 
672100, 4206300; 672100, 4206500; 671800, 4206500; 671600, 4206700; 
671600, 4207100; 673200, 4207100; 673200, 4207396; 674000, 4207400; 
674000, 4207700; 674700, 4207500; 674700, 4207200; 675100, 4207200; 
675600, 4207400; 675600, 4208100; 675300, 4208100; 675300, 4208000; 
674500, 4208000; 674400, 4208100; 674200, 4208200; 673900, 4208400; 
673900, 4208700; 674800, 4208800; 674700, 4209300; 674600, 4209300; 
674600, 4209600; 673900, 4209600; 673900, 4209800; 673500, 4209700; 
673200, 4209600; 673200, 4209500; 673100, 4209500; 673100, 4211900; 
673500, 4211800; 673900, 4211700; 673900, 4211400; 674100, 4211400; 
674100, 4211500; 674300, 4211500; 674300, 4211600; 674900, 4211400; 
675200, 4211500; 675200, 4211700; 675300, 4211800; 675300, 4211900; 
675500, 4211900; 675500, 4212400; 676000, 4212400; 676600, 4211200; 
676300, 4211200; 676400, 4211000; 676300, 4210600; 676200, 4210500; 
676100, 4210500; 675800, 4210300; 675600, 4210200; 675700, 4210000; 
675900, 4209700; 675900, 4209600; 676500, 4209600; 676700, 4210100; 
676700, 4210800; 677200, 4211300; 678700, 4211300; 678800, 4210500; 
680200, 4210400; 680200, 4209700; 681100, 4209700; 681800, 4210300; 
682900, 4210100; 682900, 4209600; 681500, 4209100; 681300, 4208500; 
680800, 4208400; 680800, 4206100; 680500, 4205700; 680400, 4205100; 
679700, 4204600; 679700, 4203305; 679200, 4203300; 679200, 4203400; 
679000, 4203400; 679000, 4203300; 678500, 4203300; 678400, 4203100; 
678300, 4203100; 678300, 4203000; 678400, 4202900; 678400, 4202700; 
677700, 4202200; 677700, 4202200; 677600, 4201700; 677500, 4201700; 
returning to 677400, 4201600.
    (36) Subunit 19A: Contra Costa County, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Antioch South and Brentwood, California, land 
bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 611400, 
4193400; 610900, 4193500; 610200, 4193700; 609900, 4193900; 609700, 
4194000; 609100, 4194000; 608100, 4194300; 608500, 4194900; 608400, 
4195100; 608600, 4195300; 608600, 4195900; 609600, 4195900; 609500, 
4195600; 609200, 4195100; 609200, 4195000; 609300, 4194900; 609900, 
4194800; 610200, 4194800; 610500, 4195100; 611200, 4195900; 612100, 
4196300; 612500, 4195900; 611700, 4194500; 611700, 4194300; returning 
to 611400, 4193400.
    (37) Subunit 19B: Contra Costa County, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Byron Hot Springs and Clifton Court Forebay, 
California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, 
N): 622300, 4190400; 622400, 4189900; 623000, 4189300; 622900, 4188700; 
622200, 4188700; 622100, 4188800; 621900, 4189000; 621700, 4189300; 
621400, 4189700; 621200, 4190000; 621200, 4190400; 621100, 4190400; 
621100, 4188700; 620900, 4188700; 620600, 4188400; 620400, 4188600; 
620400, 4188100; 620500, 4187900; 620600, 4187800; 620700, 4187700; 
620900, 4187700; 621100, 4187500; 620500, 4187100; 620500, 4186900; 
621300, 4187281; 621600, 4187400; 622000, 4187000; 622400, 4186400; 
622600, 4186100; 622500, 4186000; 622500, 4185800; 622000, 4185300; 
621200, 4185300; 621000, 4185500; 620800, 4185500; 620500, 4185200; 
620200, 4185300; 619900, 4185600; 619600, 4185500; 618200, 4186600; 
618100, 4187100; 617700, 4187400; 617800, 4187900; 618200, 4188100; 
618500, 4188300; 618400, 4188600; 617700, 4188800; 617400, 4189000; 
617400, 4189200; 618200, 4189500; 618100, 4189800; 618200, 4190100; 
618700, 4190300; 618700, 4190700; 619000, 4191000; 619300, 4191100; 
619600, 4191100; 619800, 4190700; 619900, 4190700; 620100, 4190900; 
620400, 4190900; 620500, 4191200; 621800, 4191200; 622200, 4190700; 
returning to 622300, 4190400.
    (38) Subunit 19C: Alameda County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Altamont and Livermore, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 612400, 4176300; 612100, 
4176300; 612100, 4176400; 612000, 4176500; 611800, 4176500; 611600, 
4176500; 611600, 4175300; 611400, 4175300; 611200, 4175400; 610900, 
4175400; 610800, 4175900; 610400, 4175900; 610300, 4175200; 610200, 
4175100; 610000, 4175000; 610000, 4174800; 609100, 4175400; 608600, 
4175600; 608400, 4175900; 610000, 4175900; 610000, 4176500; 610400, 
4176500; 610400, 4178500; 610800, 4178300; 610800, 4177500; 610800, 
4177200; 611200, 4177200; 611900, 4176700; 612400, 4176700; 612400, 
4177200; 613300, 4177200; 613400, 4177000; 613300, 4176900; 613300, 
4176800; 613300, 4176700; 613200, 4176700; 613200, 4176300; 613400, 
4176300; 613400, 4176200; 613500, 4176200; 613500, 4176300; 613600, 
4176400; 613700, 4176400; 613700, 4176600; 614400, 4175500; 614300, 
4175400; 614200, 4175400; 614100, 4175300; 614000, 4175300; 613900, 
4175200; 613800, 4175100; 613700, 4175100; 613700, 4175200; 613600, 
4175200; 613600, 4176100; 613300, 4176100; 613200, 4175900; 613100, 
4175900; 612800, 4176100; 612700, 4176100; 612500, 4175900; 612400, 
4175900; returning to 612400, 4176300; and excluding land bound by 
612400, 4176300; 612500, 4176300; 612700, 4176300; 612700, 4176400; 
612400, 4176400; returning to 612400, 4176300.
    (39) Unit 20: Stanislaus County, California. [Reserved]
    (40) Unit 21: Mariposa, Merced, and Stanislaus Counties, 
California. From USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle maps Cooperstown, La Grange, 
Merced Falls, Montpelier, Paulsell, Snelling, and Turlock Lake, 
California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, 
N):
    (i) Start at 732200, 4162500; 732700, 4162700; 733000, 4162600; 
733600, 4162100; 733700, 4161500; 733600, 4161000; 734600, 4160400; 
734800, 4160200; 734800, 4159500; 734400, 4158700; 734300, 4158100; 
734500, 4157900; 734700, 4158000; 734900, 4158300; 735000, 4158800; 
735500, 4158800; 735700, 4158600; 735600, 4158100; 736200, 4157500; 
736800, 4157300; 736900, 4157100; 736900, 4156500; 736300, 4156500; 
736000, 4156300; 735500, 4156300; 734100, 4156900; 733400, 4157100; 
731700, 4156900; 730900, 4156500; 728900, 4156600; 728700, 4156700; 
728700, 4156800; 728600, 4156900; 728300, 4156900; 728100, 4156800; 
727900, 4156800; 727100, 4156800; 726900, 4156600; 726700, 4156500; 
726300, 4156500; 726100, 4156600; 725800, 4156500; 725600, 4156400; 
725500, 4156300; 725400, 4156200; 725100, 4156100; 725000, 4156000; 
724900, 4156000; 724800, 4156100; 724300, 4156100; 724300, 4155700; 
723800, 4155700; 723900, 4155300; 723300, 4155400; 722700, 4155100; 
722700, 4155400; 722300, 4155400; 722300, 4156800; 722900, 4156800; 
722900, 4157400; 723500, 4157400; 723500, 4157000; 723700, 4157000; 
723700, 4156900; 724300, 4156900; 724300, 4157400; 724200, 4157400; 
724100, 4158200; 723800, 4158200; 723700,

[[Page 46774]]

4159000; 722500, 4159000; 722500, 4159200; 722400, 4159200; 722300, 
4159300; 722200, 4159300; 721600, 4159300; 721600, 4159500; 721500, 
4159600; 721500, 4159800; 721600, 4159800; 721600, 4159900; 721700, 
4159900; 721700, 4160500; 721100, 4160500; 721100, 4160100; 720800, 
4160100; 720800, 4160500; 719500, 4160500; 719500, 4160300; 720000, 
4159600; 719600, 4159600; 719600, 4159500; 719500, 4159500; 719400, 
4159500; 719300, 4159400; 719100, 4159400; 719000, 4159400; 718900, 
4159300; 718700, 4159100; 718600, 4159000; 718600, 4158900; 718400, 
4158900; 718200, 4158800; 718200, 4158700; 718300, 4158600; 718400, 
4158500; 718500, 4158500; 718600, 4158400; 718700, 4158400; 718900, 
4158300; 719000, 4158100; 719000, 4157900; 718700, 4157600; 718000, 
4157700; 717800, 4157400; 717900, 4157200; 718000, 4157000; 718400, 
4157300; 718700, 4156700; 718700, 4156300; 717500, 4156300; 717500, 
4156700; 717100, 4156700; 717100, 4156300; 716600, 4156300; 716600, 
4155800; 716300, 4155700; 716200, 4155000; 715900, 4154900; 715900, 
4155100; 715800, 4155200; 715800, 4155300; 715700, 4155400; 715600, 
4155700; 715500, 4155800; 715400, 4155800; 715300, 4156600; 715400, 
4156600; 715400, 4157200; 715400, 4157400; 715500, 4157400; 715500, 
4157600; 717600, 4157600; 717600, 4159700; 718100, 4160200; 718200, 
4160500; 718400, 4160800; 718700, 4161100; 716800, 4161100; 716800, 
4160400; 714900, 4160400; 714900, 4160900; 715000, 4160900; 715000, 
4161000; 715200, 4161000; 715200, 4161100; 714400, 4161100; 714400, 
4161200; 713700, 4161200; 713700, 4161100; 713300, 4161100; 713200, 
4161200; 713100, 4161100; 713100, 4161000; 713400, 4160700; 713400, 
4160600; 713600, 4160500; 713800, 4160800; 713900, 4160800; 714000, 
4160700; 714000, 4160400; 711100, 4160300; 711100, 4161900; 709500, 
4161900; 709500, 4163500; 707900, 4163500; 707900, 4163100; 707000, 
4163100; 707000, 4165600; 707400, 4165600; 707400, 4165800; 706700, 
4166100; 706500, 4165800; 706200, 4166000; 706300, 4166300; 706200, 
4166400; 706200, 4166500; 706300, 4166500; 706300, 4166700; 706200, 
4166700; 706200, 4167100; 706500, 4167100; 706700, 4166700; 706800, 
4166700; 706800, 4166300; 707000, 4166300; 707000, 4166100; 707200, 
4166100; 707200, 4166700; 707400, 4166700; 707800, 4166000; 707800, 
4165600; 708000, 4165800; 708200,

4165800; 708400, 4165700; 708400, 4165500; 708200, 4165400; 708200, 
4165300; 708300, 4165200; 708400, 4165200; 708500, 4165300; 708600, 
4165400; 708800, 4165400; 709100, 4165100; 710200, 4165100; 710200, 
4166400; 710100, 4166400; 710100, 4166500; 710000, 4166500; 709900, 
4166500; 709900, 4166700; 709800, 4166700; 709800, 4167100; 710200, 
4166800; 711000, 4167600; 711600, 4167800; 712400, 4167800; 712400, 
4167300; 712900, 4167300; 712900, 4167200; 712600, 4166900; 711800, 
4167000; 711600, 4166800; 711600, 4166600; 711800, 4166500; 711800, 
4166600; 711900, 4166600; 712000, 4166300; 712100, 4166500; 712200, 
4166500; 712300, 4166400; 712500, 4166400; 712500, 4166200; 712700, 
4166200; 712700, 4166300; 712800, 4166300; 713000, 4166100; 712800, 
4166000; 712700, 4165800; 712500, 4165800; 712500, 4165600; 712700, 
4165600; 712600, 4165400; 712400, 4165500; 712300, 4165400; 712500, 
4165300; 712500, 4165200; 712400, 4165100; 712600, 4165100; 712600, 
4165000; 712600, 4164900; 712700, 4164800; 712600, 4164700; 712500, 
4164800; 712400, 4164800; 712400, 4164300; 712800, 4164500; 713100, 
4164300; 713200, 4164100; 712900, 4163800; 712900, 4163700; 713100, 
4163800; 713500, 4164000; 713600, 4164000; 713600, 4164100; 713700, 
4164300; 714200, 4164300; 714400, 4164500; 714500, 4164800; 714600, 
4164800; 714800, 4164700; 714800, 4164200; 714400, 4164000; 714400, 
4163600; 714500, 4163500; 715200, 4164000; 715300, 4164200; 715400, 
4164200; 715300, 4163900; 715100, 4163700; 715000, 4163500; 714800, 
4163300; 714900, 4163200; 715000, 4163200; 715700, 4163200; 715900, 
4163100; 716000, 4162900; 716100, 4162800; 716200, 4162800; 716300, 
4162900; 716400, 4163000; 716500, 4163100; 716600, 4163200; 716600, 
4163500; 716500, 4163600; 716500, 4163800; 716600, 4164100; 716800, 
4164500; 716700, 4164900; 716800, 4165300; 717200, 4165800; 717200, 
4166100; 717000, 4166400; 716600, 4166400; 716400, 4166300; 716400, 
4166900; 716600, 4166900; 716800, 4167100; 716800, 4167350; 717000, 
4167400; 717500, 4167400; 718100, 4167300; 718500, 4167100; 718600, 
4166600; 718700, 4166400; 719100, 4166700; 719300, 4166800; 719500, 
4166800; 719500, 4166500; 719600, 4166400; 719600, 4166100; 719800, 
4166100; 719900, 4166300; 719900, 4166200; 720700, 4166200; 720700, 
4163700; 721700, 4163700; 722400, 4164100; 722400, 4165300; 722200, 
4165300; 722200, 4165400; 721500, 4165400; 721500, 4166100; 721000, 
4166300; 720700, 4166500; 720900, 4166600; 721000, 4166700; 721100, 
4166900; 721000, 4167000; 720300, 4167000; 720100, 4166900; 720200, 
4166700; 720200, 4166600; 720100, 4166500; 720000, 4166500; 719800, 
4166800; 719500, 4167400; 719500, 4167600; 719700, 4167800; 720500, 
4167800; 720700, 4167700; 720900, 4167500; 721100, 4167400; 721300, 
4167700; 721700, 4167700; 722000, 4167600; 722500, 4167600; 722900, 
4167500; 723300, 4167400; 723000, 4168400; 723000, 4169200; 723300, 
4169700; 723800, 4169800; 724100, 4169800; 724600, 4169200; 724700, 
4168300; 725100, 4167900; 725300, 4167200; 726200, 4167100; 726500, 
4166800; 726500, 4166600; 727300, 4166000; 727700, 4165800; 729000, 
4165800; 730100, 4165400; 730400, 4165100; 730500, 4164900; 730700, 
4164100; 731300, 4164100; 731700, 4163800; 731800, 4163400; 732200, 
4162800; returning to 732200, 4162500.
    (ii) Start at 704200, 4166200; 704000, 4166200; 703800, 4166400; 
703400, 4166600; 703400, 4166800; 703500, 4166800; 703600, 4166900; 
703700, 4167000; 703700, 4167200; 704600, 4167600; 704700, 4167600; 
704800, 4167500; 705000, 4167400; 705300, 4167400; 705300, 4166400; 
705000, 4166300; 704400, 4166300; returning to 704200, 4166200.
    (iii) Start at 712600, 4155200; 712600, 4156800; 712900, 4156800; 
712900, 4157100; 714800, 4157200; 714800, 4156800; 714300, 4156300; 
714200, 4156200; 714000, 4155500; 714000, 4155400; 713800, 4155400; 
returning to 712600, 4155200.
    (42) Unit 22: Mariposa and Merced Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Haystack Mtn., Indian Gulch, Le Grand, Merced, 
Merced Falls, Owens Reservoir, Plainsburg, Planada, Snelling, Winton, 
and Yosemite Lake, California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 
83 coordinates (E, N): 745300, 4139300; 745500, 4139300; 745500, 
4137700; 746600, 4137100; 747300, 4137300; 747200, 4135800; 747600, 
4135300; 747600, 4134800; 748100, 4134400; 747800, 4133700; 748400, 
4133300; 748600, 4133900; 749500, 4133400; 749600, 4132100; 750400, 
4131600; 750100, 4129800; 751700, 4129800; 751400, 4129700; 751300, 
4129700; 751100, 4129500; 751000, 4129400; 750900, 4129200; 750800, 
4129000; 750600, 4128900; 750500, 4128800; 750300, 4128700; 750000, 
4128700; 749900, 4128700; 749600, 4128800; 749400, 4128600; 749100, 
4128500; 748900, 4128400; 748900, 4128100;

[[Page 46775]]

748800, 4128000; 748700, 4127800; 748500, 4127600; 748300, 4127500; 
748300, 4127300; 748300, 4127100; 748200, 4127000; 748100, 4126800; 
748000, 4126700; 747900, 4126700; 747800, 4126700; 747700, 4126400; 
747500, 4126200; 747400, 4126000; 747200, 4126000; 747000, 4125900; 
746900, 4125900; 746600, 4125800; 746300, 4125700; 746200, 4125600; 
746200, 4125500; 745700, 4125500; 745700, 4125100; 744500, 4125100; 
744500, 4125300; 744400, 4125300; 744400, 4125200; 743700, 4125200; 
743700, 4125800; 744500, 4125800; 744500, 4126200; 743700, 4126200; 
743700, 4127000; 742400, 4127000; 742000, 4127200; 742000, 4128600; 
742800, 4128600; 742800, 4129100; 742900, 4129100; 743000, 4129100; 
743000, 4129200; 743400, 4129300; 743600, 4129500; 743600, 4130700; 
743500, 4130700; 743500, 4132200; 744000, 4133400; 742700, 4133400; 
742600, 4133500; 741500, 4132900; 740900, 4132200; 740800, 4132600; 
740300, 4132600; 740300, 4133500; 741000, 4133500; 741000, 4133900; 
741900, 4133900; 741800, 4135800; 741000, 4135800; 741000, 4136400; 
741100, 4136400; 741100, 4136700; 740200, 4136700; 739900, 4136400; 
739400, 4136400; 739400, 4136700; 737600, 4136700; 737600, 4135900; 
737300, 4135900; 737300, 4135300; 737400, 4135200; 737200, 4135000; 
736800, 4134800; 736800, 4134600; 736800, 4134400; 736600, 4134200; 
733900, 4134200; 733900, 4134800; 733800, 4134900; 733800, 4135000; 
733000, 4135000; 733000, 4135800; 732500, 4135800; 730300, 4135700; 
730200, 4135600; 730100, 4135600; 729900, 4135700; 729900, 4136500; 
729900, 4136700; 730000, 4136700; 730100, 4136600; 730200, 4136600; 
730300, 4136600; 730400, 4136700; 730500, 4136800; 730600, 4136900; 
730600, 4137000; 730600, 4137200; 730600, 4137300; 730500, 4137400; 
730400, 4137500; 730300, 4137500; 729900, 4137700; 729800, 4137700; 
729700, 4137600; 729400, 4137600; 729300, 4137800; 729300, 4138400; 
729200, 4138500; 729000, 4138400; 728800, 4138700; 728400, 4138800; 
728200, 4138800; 727900, 4138600; 727700, 4138500; 727600, 4138400; 
727400, 4138300; 727400, 4137800; 727300, 4137800; 727300, 4137600; 
727400, 4137600; 727400, 4137500; 727300, 4137500; 727300, 4137400; 
727400, 4137400; 727400, 4137200; 726500, 4137200; 726500, 4136500; 
726400, 4136400; 725800, 4136400; 725800, 4137200; 725000, 4137200; 
724900, 4138800; 725500, 4138800; 725500, 4138700; 725800, 4138700;

725800, 4138800; 725900, 4138800; 725900, 4139500; 726500, 4139500; 
726500, 4139600; 725900, 4139600; 725800, 4139600; 725800, 4140200; 
725900, 4140200; 725900, 4140900; 725400, 4140900; 725400, 4140800; 
725100, 4140800; 725100, 4141000; 724900, 4141000; 724900, 4141200; 
724100, 4141200; 724100, 4141600; 723400, 4141600; 723400, 4141100; 
723200, 4141100; 723200, 4140600; 723400, 4140500; 723400, 4139500; 
724000, 4139500; 724000, 4139400; 723900, 4138900; 723900, 4138700; 
723500, 4138200; 723400, 4138200; 723400, 4138300; 723000, 4138300; 
723000, 4138700; 723000, 4138900; 723100, 4139100; 723200, 4139400; 
723300, 4139500; 722100, 4139500; 722000, 4140500; 721900, 4141100; 
721900, 4141900; 721900, 4143400; 720800, 4143400; 720900, 4141800; 
721000, 4141500; 721000, 4141200; 721100, 4141100; 721000, 4141000; 
717800, 4140900; 717700, 4142500; 714500, 4142400; 714500, 4144900; 
715500, 4144900; 715500, 4145000; 715800, 4145000; 715900, 4145000; 
716000, 4145000; 716100, 4145100; 716100, 4145200; 716000, 4145200; 
715900, 4145300; 715900, 4145400; 716000, 4145500; 716000, 4145600; 
716100, 4145700; 717000, 4145700; 717700, 4145300; 717800, 4145300; 
717800, 4145200; 717800, 4145100; 717600, 4144900; 717600, 4144800; 
717600, 4144700; 717800, 4144500; 717900, 4144600; 718200, 4144600; 
718400, 4144500; 718700, 4144500; 718700, 4144800; 718600, 4145000; 
718700, 4145100; 718700, 4145600; 718600, 4145600; 718600, 4145700; 
718700, 4145800; 718600, 4145900; 718500, 4146000; 718500, 4146100; 
718600, 4146200; 718600, 4146500; 718300, 4146500; 718200, 4146600; 
718200, 4146800; 718300, 4146800; 718500, 4146900; 718600, 4147000; 
718600, 4147100; 718400, 4147200; 718500, 4147300; 718500, 4147600; 
718700, 4147600; 718700, 4147400; 719000, 4147500; 719100, 4147700; 
719300, 4147600; 719600, 4147900; 719700, 4148000; 719700, 4148100; 
719800, 4148200; 720000, 4148200; 720600, 4148200; 720600, 4148300; 
720700, 4148400; 720800, 4148400; 720900, 4148500; 722700, 4148500; 
722700, 4148600; 722900, 4148600; 723200, 4148700; 723400, 4148700; 
723200, 4148600; 723100, 4148500; 723000, 4148400; 723200, 4148200; 
723400, 4148200; 723500, 4148300; 723600, 4148400; 723600, 4148500; 
723800, 4148500; 723800, 4148400; 723900, 4148400; 723900, 4148500; 
724000, 4148700; 724200, 4148500; 724200, 4148900; 724300, 4149000; 
724300, 4149100; 724500, 4149000; 724500, 4149300; 724700, 4149400; 
724900, 4149600; 725000, 4149700; 725000, 4150000; 724900, 4150100; 
725000, 4150200; 725200, 4150200; 725300, 4150400; 725400, 4150500; 
725400, 4150600; 725100, 4150900; 724700, 4150900; 724700, 4153400; 
725000, 4153500; 725400, 4153900; 725600, 4154100; 725800, 4154200; 
726000, 4154300; 726200, 4154000; 726300, 4153800; 726300, 4153700; 
727800, 4153700; 727800, 4153400; 727900, 4153400; 727900, 4153500; 
728400, 4153600; 728700, 4153700; 729000, 4153700; 729000, 4153600; 
729100, 4153500; 729300, 4153400; 729400, 4153400; 729400, 4153300; 
729300, 4153200; 729500, 4153100; 729800, 4153100; 729900, 4153200; 
729900, 4154200; 730000, 4154200; 730100, 4154300; 730600, 4154300; 
730700, 4154400; 731000, 4154600; 731200, 4154700; 731500, 4154700; 
731800, 4154900; 732200, 4154900; 732600, 4154800; 733200, 4154500; 
733400, 4154500; 733700, 4154300; 734700, 4154300; 734900, 4154600; 
735100, 4154800; 735100, 4154900; 735500, 4155300; 735600, 4155300; 
735800, 4155500; 736100, 4155900; 737100, 4155400; 737800, 4155000; 
738200, 4154200; 738300, 4153300; 739000, 4152800; 739100, 4152200; 
740200, 4151800; 740800, 4151500; 740800, 4150300; 741100, 4149900; 
741700, 4149400; 742100, 4148500; 742100, 4147100; 743400, 4146100; 
744000, 4145600; 744400, 4144600; 744300, 4143900; 743900, 4142700; 
744000, 4142000; 744200, 4141700; 745500, 4140300; 745500, 4139600;

745500, 4139500; 745400, 4139400; returning to 745300, 4139300; 
excluding land bound by 727200, 4138700; 727400, 4138800; 727800, 
4138800; 727900, 4139000; 727900, 4139300; 728300, 4139600; 728300, 
4140700; 727800, 4140700; 727800, 4141100; 727400, 4141100; 727500, 
4140800; 727400, 4140700; 727200, 4140700; 727300, 4140500; 727200, 
4140000; 727000, 4139700; 726800, 4139600; 726600, 4139600; 726600, 
4139500; returning to 727200, 4138700; and excluding land bound by 
726200, 4138000; 726200, 4138400; 725800, 4138400; 725800, 4138500; 
725700, 4138500; 725700, 4138200; 725800, 4138200; 725800, 4138000; 
returning to 726200, 4138000; and excluding land bound by 727000, 
4137600; 727000, 4137800; 727200, 4137900; 727300, 4138000; 727300, 
4138100; 726500, 4138000; 726500, 4137800; 726800, 4137800; 726800, 
4137600; returning to 727000, 4137600; and excluding land bound by 
726700, 4139700; 726800,

[[Page 46776]]

4139800; 726900, 4140000; 726900, 4140100; 726800, 4140200; 726600, 
4140000; 726400, 4140000; returning to 726700, 4139700.
    (43) Subunit 23A: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (44) Subunit 23B: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (45) Subunit 23C: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (46) Subunit 23D: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (47) Subunit 23E: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (48) Subunit 23F: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (49) Subunit 23G: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (50) Subunit 24A: Madera County, California. [Reserved]
    (51) Subunit 24B: Fresno County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Friant, California, land bounded by the following UTM 11 
NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 263200, 4089800; 263100, 4089400; 261700, 
4088800; 261700, 4089200; 261700, 4089400; 261600, 4089400; 261500, 
4089400; 261300, 4089400; 261300, 4088200; 261100, 4088200; 261100, 
4087400; 260400, 4087400; 260400, 4087500; 260100, 4087500; 260100, 
4086900; 259800, 4086900; 259800, 4086700; 259300, 4086700; 259300, 
4087600; 259600, 4087500; 260000, 4087500; 260100, 4087900; 260000, 
4088100; 259700, 4088300; 258500, 4088300; 258000, 4088300; 258000, 
4089100; 258200, 4089200; 258200, 4089100; 258500, 4089100; 258700, 
4089200; 258700, 4089600; 258800, 4089600; 258900, 4089700; 258900, 
4089800; 258600, 4089800; 258600, 4089900; 258200, 4089900; 258200, 
4089700; 258100, 4089600; 257700, 4089600; 257700, 4089200; 257400, 
4089200; 257400, 4089900; 257200, 4089900; 257200, 4089200; 256600, 
4089200; 256600, 4089700; 256800, 4089700; 256800, 4090000; 256600, 
4090000; 256600, 4090200; 256800, 4090800; 257000, 4091500; 257100, 
4092700; 257100, 4092900; 257200, 4093100; 257300, 4094300; 257300, 
4095400; 257400, 4095500; 258200, 4096300; 258900, 4096300; 258900, 
4096700; 259100, 4097500; 259500, 4097700; 259600, 4097700; 259800, 
4097600; 259800, 4097400; 260000, 4097200; 260200, 4097200; 260300, 
4097000; 260600, 4096800; 260800, 4096600; 261500, 4096600; 261800, 
4096500; 262200, 4096600; 262400, 4097000; 263100, 4097200; 263300, 
4097200; 263600, 4097200; 264900, 4096500; 264700, 4096300; 264200, 
4096300; 263800, 4096500; 263800, 4096000; 263600, 4095900; 263500, 
4095800; 263500, 4095700; 263500, 4095600; 263900, 4095600; 263900, 
4095300; 263600, 4095300; 263600, 4095100; 263800, 4095100; 263800, 
4095000; 263300, 4094700; 262300, 4094200; 261800, 4093600; 260700, 
4093400; 259900, 4092300; 259900, 4092100; 260200, 4092100; 261200, 
4092400; 262200, 4091500; 262900, 4091800; 263400, 4091300; 263400, 
4089900; returning to 263200, 4089800.
    (52) Unit 25: Madera County, California. [Reserved]
    (53) Subunit 26A: Kings and Tulare Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Burris Park, Monson, Remnoy, and Traver, 
California, land bounded by the following UTM 11 NAD 83 coordinates (E, 
N): 287000, 4034600; 287000, 4034300; 285000, 4034400; 285000, 4033800; 
283100, 4033800; 283100, 4033100; 282600, 4033100; 282600, 4032600; 
282200, 4032600; 282100, 4031800; 282100, 4031100; 280100, 4031100; 
280100, 4030800; 279000, 4030600; 278700, 4030500; 278500, 4030100; 
278100, 4030000; 276400, 4030100; 275700, 4029600; 275500, 4029200; 
275300, 4028600; 275000, 4028300; 274700, 4028100; 274700, 4029800; 
275600, 4029800; 276100, 4030400; 276400, 4030600; 276800, 4031400; 
277500, 4031500; 278200, 4031900; 279500, 4031800; 279000, 4032900; 
280500, 4032900; 281400, 4033300; 281800, 4033200; 283000, 4034300; 
283800, 4034400; 284700, 4035200; 286800, 4035100; 287000, 4035100; 
288500, 4035100; 288500, 4035600; 287700, 4035700; 287700, 4036700; 
289300, 4036700; 289400, 4037400; 291100, 4037400; 291100, 4037200; 
291800, 4037200; 291900, 4036800; 291900, 4035600; 292700, 4035800; 
292700, 4036500; 293500, 4036400; 293500, 4036000; 294300, 4036000; 
294300, 4035600; 293500, 4035600; 293400, 4034000; 292600, 4034000; 
292600, 4035400; 291900, 4035400; 291700, 4035400; 291700, 4035600; 
290500, 4035700; 290500, 4036100; 289800, 4036100; 289800, 4035700; 
289400, 4035700; 289400, 4034500; 288500, 4034500; 288500, 4034200; 
287700, 4034200; 287700, 4034500; returning to 287000, 4034600.
    (54) Subunit 26B: Tulare County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Monson, California, land bounded by the following UTM 11 
NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 297500, 4035500; 296700, 4035500; 296700, 
4036300; 297500, 4036300; returning to 297500, 4035500.
    (55) Subunit 27A: Tulare County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Alpaugh, Corcoran, and Taylor Weir, California, land 
bounded by the following UTM 11 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 279200, 
3986500; 278900, 3986500; 278900, 3986700; 278600, 3987200; 278500, 
3987400; 278300, 3987500; 277100, 3987600; 276900, 3988500; 276900, 
3989000; 276500, 3989000; 276000, 3989900; 275900, 3990800; 276100, 
3991000; 276100, 3991500; 276400, 3991500; 276400, 3992300; 276400, 
3992500; 274400, 3992500; 274400, 3994100; 274800, 3994100; 274800, 
3994700; 274900, 3994900; 275700, 3994900; 273700, 3997300; 276500, 
3997300; 276700, 3997200; 278100, 3997200; 278100, 3995600; 279600, 
3995600; 279600, 3994000; 278000, 3994000; 278000, 3992400; 278800, 
3992400; 278800, 3991600; 279600, 3991600; 279600, 3990800; 279600, 
3990000; 279600, 3989200; 278700, 3989200; 278700, 3987600; 279200, 
3987600; returning to 279200, 3986500.
    (56) Subunit 27B: Tulare County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Alpaugh, , Delano West, and Kern, California, land 
bounded by the following UTM 11 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N):
    (i) Start at 288000, 3974500; 288000, 3974900; 288400, 3974900; 
288400, 3975200; 288800, 3975200; 288800, 3976100; 285400, 3976100; 
285100, 3976300; 285000, 3976800; 284900, 3977300; 284600, 3977500; 
284600, 3977700; 283200, 3977700; 282900, 3977400; 284000, 3976400; 
284000, 3976200; 283900, 3976200; 282000, 3976200; 281000, 3977900; 
282200, 3977900; 282600, 3977600; 282800, 3977700; 282800, 3977900; 
283100, 3978100; 283100, 3978200; 283200, 3978200; 283200, 3979400; 
286500, 3979400; 286500, 3980200; 287300, 3980200; 287300, 3979300; 
287700, 3979300; 287700, 3977800; 289000, 3977800; 288900, 3976200; 
290500, 3976100; 290400, 3976000; 290400, 3975200; 291400, 3975200; 
291400, 3975300; 291500, 3975300; 291400, 3974400; 291300, 3974400; 
291200, 3973600; 292200, 3973600; 292200, 3973200; 292000, 3973200; 
292000, 3972800; 292800, 3972800; 292800, 3972000; 292000, 3972000; 
292000, 3971200; 289500, 3971200; 289500, 3972500; 290400, 3972500; 
290400, 3974500; 288400, 3974500; returning to 288000, 3974500.
    (ii) Start at 288000, 3974500; 288000, 3973700; 287200, 3973700; 
287200, 3973000; 285800, 3973000; 285800, 3973600; 285500, 3973600; 
285500, 3973700; 285000, 3973700; 285000, 3972800; 283900, 3972800; 
283000, 3974500; returning to 288000, 3974500.
    (57) Unit 28: Monerey and San Benito Counties, California. From 
USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle maps Hepsedam Peak, Hernandez Reservoir, 
Llanda,

[[Page 46777]]

Lonoak Monarch Peak, Pinalito Canyon, Rock Spring Peak, San Benito, and 
Topo Valley, California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 
coordinates (E, N): 691600, 4008600; 690800, 4008600; 689500, 4009400; 
689000, 4010100; 688900, 4010700; 687800, 4011000; 687100, 4011000; 
685400, 4012100; 684900, 4013300; 683600, 4014100; 683400, 4014900; 
682700, 4015200; 682500, 4016200; 683100, 4016600; 683100, 4017700; 
684200, 4019500; 684200, 4020500; 683400, 4022200; 681700, 4023500; 
681100, 4023600; 680700, 4024400; 680600, 4025500; 679800, 4025700; 
679300, 4026900; 678700, 4027300; 678100, 4026600; 677400, 4026400; 
676000, 4025600; 676000, 4025000; 676600, 4024500; 676800, 4023700; 
675800, 4022500; 675600, 4021200; 675000, 4020200; 674200, 4019900; 
672200, 4016700; 670800, 4015700; 670000, 4015700; 669500, 4016000; 
669100, 4016700; 669600, 4017400; 669500, 4018600; 670100, 4019300; 
670300, 4022200; 671000, 4023000; 672700, 4024100; 673500, 4024300; 
674800, 4026200; 674500, 4026500; 674600, 4027000; 674100, 4027300; 
673000, 4026800; 672400, 4027000; 671600, 4028700; 670700, 4028700; 
669700, 4028900; 669700, 4030100; 669800, 4030700; 670300, 4032100; 
670700, 4035100; 671300, 4037100; 669100, 4037700; 669200, 4038600; 
668700, 4040300; 669800, 4042700; 671900, 4043300; 674100, 4043500; 
676000, 4045600; 677300, 4046700; 683000, 4043300; 683800, 4042200; 
683700, 4040600; 682300, 4039700; 681300, 4038600; 681600, 4037000; 
681700, 4035800; 680800, 4034500; 678800, 4035200; 678000, 4036000; 
677600, 4037100; 677200, 4037800; 676800, 4037900; 676100, 4038500; 
675800, 4039000; 675000, 4038500; 675100, 4038000; 674700, 4037600; 
673100, 4037000; 673800, 4036500; 674000, 4035500; 674700, 4035000; 
675500, 4034700; 676000, 4033600; 676800, 4033300; 677600, 4032700; 
678100, 4032100; 679000, 4031400; 679600, 4031200; 679900, 4031700; 
679900, 4032700; 680500, 4033000; 681000, 4032500; 681500, 4031500; 
682600, 4031200; 684400, 4028700; 685200, 4028700; 685500, 4028200; 
687400, 4029500; 688000, 4030700; 688800, 4031100; 689700, 4031200; 
691200, 4032600; 692000, 4032300; 692500, 4031600; 693200, 4031300; 
693700, 4031300; 694300, 4030900; 693800, 4029500; 692600, 4028500; 
693500, 4028500; 694300, 4027800; 694300, 4027200; 695100, 4026100; 
696600, 4024900; 696600, 4023700; 697200, 4022600; 697900, 4022600; 
698300, 4021500; 699200, 4020500; 699100, 4019400; 698500, 4019300; 
698000, 4018700; 697100, 4018800; 695700, 4017900; 695400, 4016900; 
695100, 4016500; 694900, 4015900; 694900, 4015000; 694400, 4013700; 
693800, 4013100; 693600, 4012100; 692400, 4010900; 692000, 4009100; 
returning to 691600, 4008600.
    (58) Subunit 29A: Monterey County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Jolon and Williams Hill, California, land bounded by 
the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 674900, 3975500; 
674700, 3975500; 674600, 3976300; 673400, 3976300; 673400, 3976700; 
673000, 3976700; 673000, 3977900; 670600, 3977800; 670600, 3977600; 
668400, 3979200; 668300, 3979300; 667100, 3980200; 667700, 3980200; 
667700, 3981800; 667300, 3981800; 667300, 3982100; 668000, 3982100; 
668500, 3981900; 668700, 3981600; 668500, 3981100; 668700, 3980600; 
669400, 3980100; 669800, 3980500; 670600, 3980700; 671400, 3980600; 
671400, 3979500; 671900, 3979500; 672700, 3978600; 674700, 3978600; 
675400, 3978200; 674600, 3976900; 674800, 3975700; 674900, 3975600; 
returning to 674900, 3975500.
    (59) Subunit 29B: Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties, 
California. From USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle maps Adelaida, Bradley Paso 
Robles, San Miguel, Valleton, and Wunpost, California, land bounded by 
the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N):
    (i) Start at 705500, 3965500; 705400, 3965500; 705200, 3974500; 
704000, 3974500; 703700, 3973800; 703700, 3973400; 703200, 3972500; 
702900, 3972300; 702600, 3972000; 702500, 3971900; 701900, 3971200; 
701600, 3971200; 701300, 3971000; 700800, 3971000; 700000, 3971000; 
700000, 3970400; 699000, 3970400; 699000, 3970500; 699200, 3970700; 
699800, 3972200; 700200, 3972800; 700400, 3973600; 700800, 3974300; 
701300, 3974700; 701700, 3975500; 702900, 3976300; 703200, 3976900; 
704200, 3977800; 704800, 3977900; 705400, 3977900; 706100, 3978300; 
706700, 3978700; 706700, 3978300; 706200, 3976700; 706100, 3975500; 
706300, 3975100; 706500, 3974400; 706400, 3971900; 706600, 3970800; 
707000, 3970100; 707000, 3969400; 706800, 3969200; 706800, 3968200; 
706600, 3967400; returning to 705500, 3965500.
    (ii) Start at 707500, 3961300; 706900, 3961300; 706900, 3961400; 
706500, 3961700; 705700, 3962200; 704900, 3963400; 705500, 3964000; 
705400, 3964400; 705500, 3964400; 705800, 3963600; 705700, 3963000; 
706000, 3962800; 706800, 3963500; 707600, 3963500; 707500, 3962800; 
707900, 3962500; 708100, 3962000; returning to 707500, 3961300.
    (iii) Start at 694300, 3961200; 694200, 3961400; 694800, 3961800; 
694900, 3962400; 694700, 3962800; 694800, 3963500; 695400, 3963500; 
695700, 3963400; 695800, 3963100; 695500, 3963100; 695500, 3961400; 
694300, 3961400; returning to 694300, 3961200. 705700, 3957100; 705300, 
3957100; 705300, 3961100; 706200, 3961200; 706200, 3961100; 706000, 
3961000; 705600, 3959800; 705900, 3959400; 706000, 3958800; 706600, 
3958600; 706900, 3958000; 706900, 3957600; 706400, 3957200; returning 
to 705700, 3957100.
    (iv) Start at 703200, 3952200; 703000, 3952200; 703000, 3953500; 
702200, 3953500; 702100, 3954300; 702900, 3955100; 705400, 3955100; 
705300, 3956700; 705400, 3956700; 705800, 3956500; 706300, 3956000; 
707900, 3956100; 707900, 3955400; 708100, 3955100; 707600, 3954000; 
707300, 3953600; 705700, 3952600; 705000, 3952800; returning to 703200, 
3952200.
    (60) Subunit 29C: Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties, 
California. From USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle maps Cholame Hills, Creston, 
Estrella, Pasa Robles, and Ranchito Canyon, California, land bounded by 
the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 717700, 3941700; 
717400, 3941700; 717000, 3941900; 717200, 3942500; 715100, 3944900; 
715300, 3945200; 714500, 3945900; 714800, 3946200; 714600, 3946400; 
714000, 3946400; 713200, 3947000; 713200, 3947200; 713600, 3947800; 
713500, 3948400; 713200, 3948700; 712800, 3947900; 712600, 3947900; 
712500, 3948000; 712500, 3948800; 711600, 3949100; 711300, 3949300; 
711200, 3949800; 710600, 3949900; 710500, 3950000; 710500, 3950200; 
710900, 3950400; 710900, 3950600; 710600, 3950700; 709400, 3950500; 
709300, 3952100; 709800, 3952800; 709800, 3954800; 709500, 3955200; 
709500, 3955600; 710200, 3955600; 710400, 3955500; 711000, 3955300; 
711500, 3954600; 711600, 3953600; 713900, 3953600; 714200, 3954000; 
714500, 3953800; 715000, 3953700; 715300, 3953500; 715500, 3953400; 
715700, 3953400; 716000, 3953700; 716500, 3953700; 716800, 3953600; 
717600, 3953700; 717900, 3954200; 718500, 3954600; 718900, 3954800; 
719300, 3954900; 720400, 3955600; 721400, 3956700; 722200, 3958400; 
722500, 3960400; 723300, 3962100; 724200, 3962500; 724400, 3963300; 
725100, 3964000; 725100, 3963300; 725000, 3962100; 725600, 3961700; 
726100,

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3961700; 726100, 3961300; 725200, 3960400; 725100, 3959200; 724700, 
3958300; 724300, 3956700; 724700, 3956500; 725200, 3955000; 724100, 
3953600; 723800, 3952700; 723400, 3952000; 723100, 3950600; 723500, 
3949700; 723500, 3949000; 724100, 3948500; 723500, 3948400; 722300, 
3948900; 719200, 3948900; 719200, 3949700; 718300, 3949700; 718300, 
3948900; 718900, 3948900; 719000, 3948700; 719200, 3948700; 719200, 
3948100; 720000, 3948100; 720000, 3946500; 720200, 3946400; 720800, 
3945700; 721000, 3945200; 721100, 3944900; 721100, 3943400; 720100, 
3943400; 718700, 3942200; returning to 717700, 3941700.
    (61) Unit 30: San Luis Obispo County, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Chimneas Ranch, McKittrick Summit, Painted 
Rock, and Simmler, California, land bounded by the following UTM 11 NAD 
83 coordinates (E, N): 247900, 3894600; 245800, 3895500; 243500, 
3896000; 242700, 3896400; 242200, 3897600; 240100, 3898900; 239500, 
3899300; 239300, 3899600; 238300, 3900400; 237900, 3900300; 236100, 
3901000; 235800, 3901300; 235800, 3902300; 235500, 3903500; 234800, 
3904400; 233000, 3904900; 231800, 3905800; 231600, 3907000; 231900, 
3908800; 231800, 3909400; 229400, 3910200; 227200, 3911200; 227300, 
3913400; 228100, 3913800; 229000, 3913900; 231900, 3913200; 233300, 
3913200; 234300, 3912900; 235100, 3912100; 235300, 3911200; 233900, 
3910100; 233700, 3909700; 235300, 3909000; 235700, 3908500; 237200, 
3907500; 237700, 3906300; 238200, 3905800; 239100, 3905200; 239100, 
3904900; 242800, 3902600; 244400, 3901300; 244400, 3901000; 244700, 
3900700; 244800, 3899100; 245400, 3898800; 247200, 3896600; 248200, 
3895000; returning to 247900, 3894600.
    (62) Unit 31: Santa Barbara County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Figueroa Mtn., Lake Cachuma, Los Olivos, and Santa 
Ynez, California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 
coordinates (E, N): 775000, 3831900; 774200, 3831800; 773600, 3831900; 
772500, 3831800; 772100, 3831400; 771400, 3831500; 770400, 3831000; 
769800, 3830900; 769300, 3831100; 769100, 3831300; 768500, 3832600; 
768500, 3833300; 768700, 3833700; 769900, 3834700; 770200, 3834700; 
771900, 3835200; 772300, 3835300; 772800, 3835000; 773100, 3835000; 
773100, 3835300; 773700, 3835300; 773700, 3835700; 773600, 3836100; 
773200, 3836900; 773800, 3837100; 774300, 3836500; 774900, 3836300; 
thence east to UTM zone 11, land bounded by the following UTM 11 NAD 83 
coordinates (E, N): 224900, 3836300; 225100, 3836200; 225300, 3836400; 
225600, 3837000; 226600, 3838500; 228200, 3839300; 229800, 3839000; 
232200, 3840500; 232400, 3841700; 232300, 3842700; 231600, 3843100; 
230300, 3844900; 230000, 3846200; 230800, 3846400; 231200, 3846200; 
231700, 3846200; 232000, 3846500; 232800, 3847000; 233800, 3847000; 
234500, 3846400; 234700, 3845600; 235200, 3845600; 235900, 3844500; 
236400, 3844200; 236400, 3843800; 235900, 3843600; 235700, 3843300; 
235500, 3843000; 235200, 3842900; 235100, 3842800; 235100, 3842000; 
235300, 3841300; 235200, 3840700; 234700, 3840000; 234900, 3839700; 
234600, 3839500; 234600, 3839300; 234300, 3839300; 233800, 3839300; 
233100, 3838200; 232900, 3838000; 232300, 3837900; 232100, 3838200; 
231800, 3838400; 231400, 3838500; 230700, 3837700; 230800, 3837200; 
230300, 3836600; 230100, 3836100; 230000, 3835700; 229100, 3835300; 
228900, 3834900; 228800, 3833800; 228000, 3833300; 227400, 3833200; 
227000, 3832800; 226700, 3832400; 226100, 3832400; 225800, 3832500; 
225200, 3832000; 225000, 3831900; 224800, 3831900 thence west to UTM 
zone 10 to the point of beginning at UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates 775000, 
3831900.
    (63) Unit 32: Ventura County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Alamo Mountain, Lion Canyon, Lockwood Valley, San 
Guillermo, and Topatopa Mountains, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 11 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 310100, 3830500; 309400, 
3831000; 308400, 3830900; 307200, 3830600; 306000, 3831200; 304700, 
3831300; 303400, 3832100; 302100, 3832600; 301600, 3833600; 300400, 
3833600; 299200, 3834000; 298200, 3834400; 297700, 3835300; 297900, 
3837300; 299500, 3837500; 301200, 3838400; 301500, 3839300; 303400, 
3841000; 303800, 3842700; 304900, 3843600; 305800, 3843600; 307700, 
3843400; 309500, 3843400; 310500, 3844200; 311900, 3844600; 313400, 
3845400; 314500, 3844100; 315200, 3843800; 315700, 3842400; 316500, 
3841100; 317200, 3838100; 317200, 3837000; 316500, 3833900; 315700, 
3833300; 315200, 3834100; 314000, 3834100; 313100, 3832200; 311500, 
3830800; returning to 310100, 3830500.
    (64) Subunit 33A: Riverside County, California. [Reserved]
    (65) Subunit 33B: Riverside County, California. [Reserved]
    (66) Subunit 33C: Riverside County, California. [Reserved]
    (67) Maps follow of critical habitat units 1 through 4, 5, 6 
through 9, 11 and 12, 13 and 14, 15 through 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 through 
23, 24 and 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, and 32 (respectively) for vernal 
pool fairy shrimp.
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P

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BILLING CODE 4310-55-C
Vernal Pool Tadpole Shrimp (Lepidurus packardi)
    (1) Critical habitat units are depicted for Shasta, Tehama, Glenn, 
Colusa, Alameda, Amador, Stanislaus, Mariposa, Fresno, Tulare and Kings 
Counties, California on the map below.

[[Page 46795]]

    (2) The primary constituent elements of critical habitat for vernal 
pool tadpole shrimp are the habitat components that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths that typically become 
inundated during winter rains and hold water for sufficient lengths of 
time necessary for vernal pool tadpole shrimp incubation, reproduction, 
dispersal, feeding, and sheltering, but which are dry during the summer 
and do not necessarily fill with water every year, including but not 
limited to, vernal pools on Redding and Corning soils on high terrace 
landforms, and
    (ii) The geographic, topographic, and edaphic features that support 
aggregations or systems of hydrologically interconnected pools, swales, 
and other ephemeral wetlands and depressions within a matrix of 
surrounding uplands that together form hydrologically and ecologically 
functional units called vernal pool complexes. These features 
contribute to the filling and drying of the vernal pool, and maintain 
suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and soil moisture 
for vernal pool crustacean hatching, growth and reproduction, and 
dispersal, but not necessarily every year.
    (3) Existing manmade features and structures, such as buildings, 
roads, railroads, airports, runways, other paved areas, lawns, and 
other urban landscaped areas do not contain one or more of the primary 
constituent elements. Federal actions limited to those areas, 
therefore, would not trigger a consultation under section 7 of the Act 
unless they may affect the species and/or primary constituent elements 
in adjacent critical habitat.
    (4) Critical habitat does not include the following lands although 
they may fall within the legal descriptions below:
    (i) Lands within the following California counties: Butte, Madera, 
Merced, Sacramento, and Solano;
    (ii) Federally-owned lands within the boundaries of the Kern, 
Sacramento, San Francisco Bay, and San Luis National Wildlife Refuges 
and National Wildlife Refuge Complexes, and the Coleman National Fish 
Hatchery;
    (iii) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Allensworth, 
Boggs Lake, Butte Creek Canyon, Calhoun Cut, Carrizo Plains, Dales 
Lake, Fagan Marsh, Phoenix Field, San Joaquin River, Stone Corral, and 
Thomes Creek Ecological Reserves;
    (iv) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Battle Creek, 
Big Sandy, Grizzly Island, Hill Slough, North Grasslands, and Oroville 
Wildlife Areas.
    (5) Unit 1: Shasta County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Cottonwood, Enterprise and Palo Cedro, California, land 
bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 564200, 
4480900; 563600, 4480900; 563300, 4481000; 563100, 4480900; 562900, 
4480900; 562500, 4481200; 562400, 4481500; 562400, 4481700; 562300, 
4482400; 562000, 4482500; 561900, 4482800; 561800, 4483300; 561500, 
4483700; 561000, 4484000; 560700, 4485400; 560700, 4486500; 560800, 
4486700; 561000, 4486900; 561200, 4487000; 561300, 4487600; 561600, 
4487900; 562000, 4487900; 562500, 4487400; 562700, 4487100; 562900, 
4487200; 563200, 4487200; 563300, 4487000; 563300, 4486700; 563800, 
4486400; 564300, 4484700; 564300, 4484400; 564500, 4484100; 564500, 
4483800; 564600, 4483700; 564600, 4483400; 564400, 4483100; 564100, 
4482800; 564100, 4482600; 564300, 4482600; 564300, 4482400; 564300, 
4482300; 564200, 4482200; 564100, 4482100; 564000, 4482100; 564200, 
4481800; returning to 564200, 4480900; and excluding land bounded by 
562900, 4482600; 562400, 4482600; 562400, 4483500; 562400, 4483500; 
562500, 4483500; 562500, 4483500; 562304, 4483794; 562300, 4483800; 
562300, 4483803; 562300, 4484000; 562300, 4484010; 562100, 4484100; 
561300, 4484100; 561300, 4485800; 561700, 4485800; 561700, 4485779; 
561700, 4485400; 561700, 4485400; 562100, 4485400; 562100, 4485372; 
562100, 4485000; 562900, 4485000; returning to 562900, 4482600.
    (6) Unit 2: Shasta and Tehama Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Balls Ferry, Bend, Dales, Red Bluff East, 
Shingletown and Tuscan Buttes NE, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 570200, 4454800; 570200, 
4455000; 570600, 4455900; 570000, 4456100; 569500, 4456300; 569300, 
4456500; 568900, 4456500; 568600, 4456500; 568000, 4456800; 567900, 
4457100; 567900, 4458000; 568400, 4458800; 569100, 4459800; 569600, 
4460500; 569500, 4460800; 569000, 4460600; 568300, 4460700; 567500, 
4460700; 566800, 4460000; 566400, 4460000; 565900, 4461100; 565800, 
4461400; 565800, 4461700; 566000, 4462000; 565800, 4462300; 565900, 
4462400; 565800, 4462500; 565900, 4462600; 565800, 4462800; 565900, 
4462900; 565900, 4463000; 566000, 4463100; 566300, 4463100; 566500, 
4463300; 566500, 4463600; 566700, 4463700; 566800, 4463700; 566900, 
4463600; 567100, 4463500; 567200, 4463600; 567600, 4463400; 568300, 
4463200; 569800, 4463200; 570600, 4463900; 570800, 4464300; 572000, 
4465200; 572000, 4466300; 572100, 4466600; 572800, 4467300; 573500, 
4468600; 573400, 4469000; 573100, 4469400; 572900, 4469600; 572600, 
4469600; 571800, 4468800; 571400, 4468100; 571000, 4467900; 571000, 
4468700; 571200, 4468700; 571100, 4469200; 571200, 4469500; 571200, 
4470500; 570500, 4470900; 570300, 4471000; 570100, 4471000; 569800, 
4470900; 569600, 4471000; 569400, 4471400; 569400, 4471800; 569700, 
4471900; 569600, 4472000; 569900, 4472200; 570200, 4472100; 570500, 
4472000; 570800, 4472200; 570900, 4472100; 571000, 4472100; 571300, 
4472200; 571700, 4472200; 571900, 4472200; 572200, 4472300; 572500, 
4472100; 573900, 4472100; 574300, 4473200; 575100, 4473200; 575600, 
4473500; 576000, 4473900; 576600, 4473900; 577300, 4473900; 577700, 
4474200; 578600, 4474200; 579300, 4474400; 580000, 4474400; 580600, 
4474700; 581900, 4474700; 582400, 4475300; 583000, 4475400; 583200, 
4475400; 583700, 4475000; 584200, 4475200; 584600, 4475200; 585400, 
4474500; 586000, 4473600; 586100, 4473400; 585800, 4472600; 585500, 
4472100; 584800, 4471900; 584500, 4471600; 584500, 4471400; 584700, 
4471100; 584700, 4470800; 584500, 4470500; 583400, 4469700; 583100, 
4469400; 582600, 4468500; 582600, 4467600; 582700, 4466900; 582700, 
4466700; 581900, 4465800; 581000, 4465500; 580600, 4465200; 580400, 
4464000; 580200, 4463300; 578900, 4462700; 578500, 4462300; 578100, 
4462000; 577800, 4460900; 577700, 4460000; 576700, 4459300; 576600, 
4458800; 576800, 4458300; 576800, 4457100; 576400, 4456700; 575500, 
4456800; 574900, 4456800; 574100, 4455900; 573500, 4455600; 572300, 
4455300; 572000, 4455300; 571600, 4455600; 571400, 4455400; 571100, 
4454900; 570600, 4454900; returning to 570200, 4454800.
    (7) Unit 3: Butte and Tehama Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Acorn Hollow, Campbell Mound, Foster Island, 
Nord, Richardson Springs, Richardson Springs NW and Vina, California, 
land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N):
    (i) Start at 592400, 4416700; 592500, 4416600; 592500, 4416000; 
592000, 4416000; 592000, 4415800; 592500, 4415800; 593800, 4416300; 
594100, 4416300; 594400, 4416300; 594400, 4415800; 594900, 4415800; 
594900,

[[Page 46796]]

4416300; 595500, 4416300; 595500, 4416400; 595900, 4416500; 596000, 
4416500; 596100, 4416400; 596200, 4416500; 596300, 4416600; 596400, 
4416700; 596500, 4416700; 596500, 4416800; 596600, 4416800; 597100, 
4416400; 597100, 4415600; 596800, 4415200; 597100, 4415000; 597800, 
4415500; 598100, 4415200; 597600, 4414600; 597600, 4414400; 597300, 
4413800; 597300, 4413300; 598200, 4413900; 598400, 4413900; 598400, 
4413600; 597400, 4411900; 597600, 4411900; 598300, 4412700; 598500, 
4413300; 598900, 4413300; 598900, 4411800; 599400, 4411700; 599800, 
4411700; 599800, 4411000; 599300, 4410700; 599100, 4410800; 599000, 
4410800; 598800, 4410600; 598500, 4410400; 598300, 4410100; 598100, 
4410000; 598000, 4409900; 597700, 4409800; 597600, 4409600; 597500, 
4409500; 597300, 4409500; 597100, 4409400; 596900, 4409200; 596800, 
4409200; 596700, 4409100; 596200, 4409100; 596000, 4408900; 595900, 
4408800; 595700, 4408800; 595500, 4408200; 594300, 4408200; 594100, 
4408300; 594000, 4408400; 593600, 4408500; 593400, 4408200; 593300, 
4408200; 593300, 4408500; 592900, 4408500; 592900, 4408600; 593000, 
4408600; 593100, 4409200; 593200, 4409200; 593200, 4409300; 592900, 
4409300; 592900, 4409500; 593100, 4409600; 593100, 4409500; 593200, 
4409500; 593200, 4409800; 593300, 4409900; 593300, 4410400; 593100, 
4410400; 592900, 4410200; 592600, 4410200; 592600, 4410000; 592500, 
4409900; 592500, 4409700; 591700, 4409400; 591500, 4409400; 591700, 
4409100; 591700, 4409000; 591500, 4409000; 591500, 4408600; 590900, 
4408600; 590900, 4408900; 590700, 4409000; 590800, 4409400; 591000, 
4409500; 591200, 4409500; 591100, 4409800; 590500, 4409800; 590300, 
4409600; 590300, 4409500; 590100, 4409500; 590000, 4409400; 590300, 
4409400; 590400, 4409000; 590500, 4408600; 590100, 4408600; 590100, 
4408800; 589900, 4409000; 589500, 4408900; 589300, 4408900; 589300, 
4409200; 589400, 4409200; 589400, 4409400; 589300, 4409400; 589300, 
4409800; 589700, 4409800; 589700, 4410600; 588400, 4410600; 588300, 
4411300; 588100, 4411400; 588100, 4412000; 588100, 4413300; 588200, 
4413500; 588300, 4413900; 588500, 4414000; 588500, 4414600; 589200, 
4414700; 589200, 4415000; 589200, 4415300; 589400, 4415500; 589700, 
4415600; 589700, 4415800; 589900, 4415800; 590000, 4415900; 590000, 
4416000; 589900, 4416000; 589400, 4415900; 589100, 4415800; 589000, 
4415700; 588800, 4415500; 588700, 4415400; 588600, 4415100; 588200, 
4415100; 588200, 4416000; 588300, 4416200; 588300, 4416600; 588800, 
4417000; 589100, 4417400; 589200, 4417600; 589200, 4417700; 589300, 
4417900; 589300, 4418100; 589400, 4418200; 589300, 4418300; 590700, 
4419800; 588000, 4417000; 587500, 4416400; 587200, 4415500; 587200, 
4415100; 587300, 4415000; 587300, 4414500; 587200, 4414400; 587100, 
4414300; 586900, 4414000; 586400, 4413900; 586200, 4413700; 586000, 
4413600; 585800, 4413600; 585800, 4414700; 585300, 4414700; 585300, 
4413800; 585200, 4413700; 584800, 4413700; 584600, 4413600; 584400, 
4413600; 584200, 4413500; 584000, 4413700; 583200, 4413400; 583000, 
4414200; 583700, 4414600; 583500, 4415000; 583000, 4415900; 583000, 
4416400; 582900, 4416700; 582800, 4416900; 582700, 4417000; 582700, 
4417200; 582900, 4417300; 582800, 4417400; 582700, 4417500; 582700, 
4417600; 582600, 4417700; 582600, 4418000; 582600, 4418100; 582600, 
4418200; 582700, 4418300; 582500, 4418400; 582400, 4418300; 582200, 
4418300; 582100, 4418400; 582100, 4418500; 582000, 4418600; 582100, 
4418700; 582100, 4418900; 582200, 4419100; 582100, 4419300; 582200, 
4419500; 582100, 4419600; 582000, 4419700; 582100, 4419800; 582100, 
4419900; 582200, 4420000; 582200, 4420300; 582100, 4420500; 582200, 
4420600; 582200, 4420800; 582300, 4421100; 582900, 4421500; 582900, 
4421600; 583300, 4422000; 583400, 4422100; 583900, 4422100; 584100, 
4422300; 584200, 4422300; 584300, 4422400; 584400, 4422500; 584600, 
4422900; 585100, 4423400; 585600, 4423700; 585800, 4423900; 585800, 
4424200; 586100, 4424200; 586600, 4424800; 586800, 4424900; 587300, 
4425500; 587400, 4425600; 587500, 4425800; 587500, 4425900; 587600, 
4426000; 587700, 4426100; 587800, 4426100; 587900, 4426200; 587900, 
4426300; 588200, 4426500; 588700, 4429900; 588900, 4429500; 589500, 
4429500; 589500, 4428600; 589500, 4428000; 589800, 4427100; 590500, 
4426400; 590500, 4425300; 591200, 4424400; 591500, 4423300; 591600, 
4422100; 591700, 4421900; 591900, 4421800; 593000, 4421800; 593100, 
4421500; 593500, 4421400; 593700, 4420900; 591800, 4420600; 591800, 
4420400; 592300, 4420500; 592800, 4420400; 593100, 4420500; 594000, 
4420800; 594400, 4420600; 594500, 4420300; 593800, 4420000; 593600, 
4419700; 593600, 4419400; 593200, 4419100; 593600, 4418900; 594300, 
4419000; 594300, 4418800; 594300, 4418700; 594200, 4418300; 594100, 
4418000; 594100, 4417900; 594700, 4417900; 595100, 4417800; 595800, 
4417300; 595800, 4416600; 595100, 4416500; 594400, 4416500; 594000, 
4416400; 593300, 4416400; 592800, 4416600; returning to 592400, 
4416700; and excluding land bounded by 591500, 4409600; 591400, 
4409600; 590700, 4410600; 591600, 4410600; 591600, 4410200; 591400, 
4410200; 591400, 4409900; 591600, 4409900; returning to 591500, 
4409600.
    (ii) Start at 602900, 4402100; 602700, 4402100; 602300, 4402600; 
602300, 4402700; 601800, 4403300; 601200, 4403300; 601000, 4403400; 
601000, 4403200; 601100, 4403100; 601100, 4402700; 600300, 4402700; 
600300, 4403000; 600200, 4403200; 600200, 4403600; 599700, 4403600; 
599600, 4403700; 599400, 4403700; 599200, 4403600; 598100, 4403600; 
597900, 4403800; 597800, 4403800; 597000, 4404000; 596600, 4404400; 
596600, 4404700; 596900, 4404700; 596900, 4404800; 596600, 4404800; 
596600, 4405100; 596700, 4405200; 596500, 4405200; 596200, 4405000; 
596100, 4405000; 596100, 4405400; 596500, 4405400; 596500, 4405900; 
595600, 4405900; 595400, 4405900; 595400, 4406600; 595800, 4406600; 
595800, 4407400; 596100, 4407400; 596300, 4407700; 596400, 4407800; 
596800, 4407800; 596800, 4407500; 597300, 4407500; 597300, 4407700; 
597600, 4407700; 597900, 4407500; 598100, 4407500; 598100, 4407100; 
597700, 4406800; 597800, 4406700; 597500, 4406500; 597300, 4406700; 
597100, 4406600; 597500, 4406100; 597100, 4405900; 597600, 4405100; 
598000, 4405300; 598400, 4404700; 598500, 4404800; 598200, 4405300; 
598400, 4405300; 598500, 4405400; 598600, 4405500; 598700, 4405400; 
598800, 4405600; 598900, 4405600; 598900, 4404800; 598900, 4404400; 
599000, 4404400; 599200, 4404000; 599300, 4404000; 599500, 4404200; 
599700, 4404100; 600100, 4404200; 600400, 4404200; 600400, 4404400; 
599800, 4404400; 599800, 4405200; 599600, 4405200; 599500, 4405100; 
599600, 4405000; 599600, 4404800; 599100, 4404800; 599100, 4405700; 
599000, 4405800; 598900, 4406100; 598700, 4406000; 598500, 4406300; 
598500, 4407200; 598300, 4407200; 598300, 4407500; 598300, 4407700; 
598800, 4407900; 598900, 4408100; 599200, 4408400; 600200, 4408900; 
600300, 4408800; 600300, 4408400; 600000, 4408100; 600400, 4407600; 
599500, 4406700; 599500, 4406200; 600300, 4406000; 601200, 4405600; 
601800,

[[Page 46797]]

4405600; 602000, 4405500; 602200, 4405200; 602500, 4405200; 602700, 
4404900; 603300, 4404700; 604500, 4404200; 605200, 4404200; 605600, 
4404000; 605600, 4403600; 605100, 4403300; 604700, 4403400; 604500, 
4403300; 604475, 4403175; 604400, 4403100; 604300, 4403100; 604200, 
4403000; 604100, 4402900; 604000, 4402900; 603800, 4402800; 603800, 
4402600; 603600, 4402400; 603400, 4402400; 603200, 4402500; 603100, 
4402400; 602900, 4402400; returning to 602900, 4402100.
    (8) Unit 4: Butte County, California. [Reserved]
    (9) Unit 5: Colusa and Glen Counties, California. [Reserved]
    (10) Unit 6: Colusa County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Colusa and Meridian, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 589200, 4335900; 587900, 
4335900; 587900, 4336000; 587400, 4336600; 587300, 4336800; 586900, 
4337800; 586700, 4337800; 586700, 4337700; 586400, 4337700; 586400, 
4336800; 586300, 4336600; 586000, 4336600; 585800, 4336900; 585800, 
4337200; 585900, 4337200; 585900, 4338200; 586100, 4338200; 586100, 
4338400; 586800, 4338900; 587000, 4338500; 587000, 4338400; 586800, 
4338200; 587000, 4338100; 587500, 4337600; 587700, 4337800; 588800, 
4336700; 588900, 4336700; 589100, 4336500; 589100, 4336900; 589200, 
4336900; returning to 589200, 4335900
    (11) Unit 7: Yuba County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle 
maps Browns Valley and Wheatland, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 632400, 4329000; 631300, 
4329000; 631300, 4329200; 631600, 4329200; 631600, 4329800; 631900, 
4329800; 631900, 4330600; 632800, 4330600; 633000, 4330900; 633000, 
4331300; 633100, 4331500; 633500, 4331700; 633800, 4331500; 633800, 
4332200; 635000, 4332200; 635000, 4329900; 633800, 4329900; 633600, 
4330100; 633300, 4330100; 633300, 4330300; 632700, 4330100; 632400, 
4329900; returning to 632400, 4329000.
    (12) Unit 8: Sacramento, California. [Reserved]
    (13) Unit 9: Amador and Sacramento Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Carbondale, Clay, Goose Creek and Sloughhouse, 
California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, 
N): 668900, 4255600; 669300, 4255400; 670600, 4255800; 671500, 4256400; 
671700, 4256000; 671900, 4256000; 672200, 4255600; 672400, 4255600; 
672700, 4256400; 673200, 4256400; 672800, 4255100; 672800, 4254800; 
673100, 4254900; 673800, 4254900; 674000, 4254600; 674000, 4254400; 
674500, 4254000; 674500, 4253700; 674100, 4253500; 674100, 4252900; 
674300, 4252300; 674500, 4251900; 674500, 4251600; 673400, 4251500; 
673300, 4251400; 673300, 4251200; 673900, 4251000; 674000, 4250500; 
674300, 4250000; 674300, 4249800; 674200, 4249700; 673900, 4249700; 
673600, 4249900; 672500, 4249900; 671900, 4250200; 671300, 4250200; 
671100, 4250500; 671000, 4250500; 671000, 4249800; 670700, 4249800; 
670700, 4249500; 670800, 4249300; 670800, 4249000; 670900, 4248930; 
670900, 4248500; 670500, 4248300; 670500, 4248125; 670400, 4248100; 
670400, 4248000; 670100, 4248000; 670100, 4247800; 670500, 4247500; 
671100, 4247500; 671600, 4247700; 671800, 4247600; 671900, 4247300; 
671900, 4247100; 671500, 4246800; 671600, 4246600; 671800, 4246000; 
671250, 4245360; 670800, 4245000; 670000, 4244200; 670000, 4244100; 
670500, 4243800; 670200, 4243400; 670200, 4243300; 670300, 4243200; 
670400, 4243100; 670600, 4242600; 671200, 4242900; 671600, 4243000; 
671600, 4242700; 670700, 4242100; 669800, 4242100; 669300, 4241900; 
668900, 4241900; 668700, 4241800; 668500, 4241600; 668400, 4241600; 
668200, 4241700; 668000, 4242000; 667900, 4242000; 667400, 4241600; 
667400, 4241800; 666400, 4241700; 665400, 4241700; 665400, 4242700; 
665000, 4242700; 665000, 4242300; 664800, 4242300; 664800, 4242200; 
664700, 4242200; 664600, 4242100; 664500, 4242100; 664500, 4241300; 
664000, 4241300; 664000, 4241000; 663500, 4241000; 663500, 4240900; 
663400, 4240800; 663300, 4240800; 663300, 4240600; 663100, 4240600; 
663100, 4240900; 662800, 4240900; 662800, 4240500; 662700, 4240400; 
662700, 4240000; 662500, 4240000; 662500, 4239600; 662100, 4239600; 
662100, 4239400; 662000, 4239300; 661700, 4239300; 661700, 4239200; 
661400, 4239000; 661400, 4239900; 661500, 4239900; 661500, 4241600; 
661500, 4241900; 661700, 4242000; 662200, 4242000; 662200, 4241600; 
662900, 4241600; 662800, 4242300; 662500, 4242300; 662600, 4243000; 
662900, 4243100; 663400, 4243100; 663400, 4243800; 663000, 4243800; 
663000, 4243900; 662500, 4243900; 662700, 4244700; 662850, 4244800; 
663000, 4244900; 663100, 4245300; 663800, 4245300; 663900, 4245500; 
664400, 4245600; 664500, 4245200; 664600, 4245200; 664900, 4245275; 
665000, 4245300; 664900, 4245700; 664900, 4246500; 664400, 4246500; 
663900, 4246700; 662500, 4246300; 662230, 4246300; 662100, 4246400; 
661700, 4246400; 662000, 4247300; 661800, 4247500; 660900, 4247500; 
660850, 4247100; 659700, 4247100; 659500, 4247300; 659500, 4248300; 
660000, 4248300; 659900, 4249600; 660000, 4249900; 659900, 4250200; 
659400, 4249700; 659400, 4249500; 659300, 4249200; 659100, 4249000; 
659100, 4248900; 659200, 4248800; 659100, 4248700; 658900, 4248700; 
658800, 4248600; 658600, 4248600; 658500, 4248800; 658400, 4248900; 
658200, 4249000; 658200, 4248900; 658300, 4248700; 658500, 4248500; 
658500, 4248400; 658400, 4248300; 658400, 4247900; 658100, 4247900; 
658000, 4248500; 656700, 4248500; 656300, 4248900; 655900, 4248200; 
656100, 4248100; 656100, 4248000; 656000, 4247800; 655200, 4247800; 
655200, 4247200; 654700, 4247200; 654700, 4248750; 654700, 4249000; 
655100, 4249000; 655800, 4249000; 656300, 4249700; 656600, 4249500; 
657200, 4250200; 656700, 4251100; 657700, 4251100; 657700,

4251500; 656700, 4251400; 656700, 4252100; 656500, 4252300; 656500, 
4252600; 657000, 4253700; 657400, 4254600; 657800, 4254300; 657800, 
4254200; 658900, 4253500; 659000, 4253500; 659300, 4253300; 660000, 
4254500; 660100, 4254800; 660200, 4254900; 660300, 4255200; 660600, 
4255300; 660700, 4255400; 660800, 4256000; 660600, 4256200; 660300, 
4256100; 660000, 4256200; 659800, 4256300; 659850, 4256450; 659900, 
4256600; 660200, 4256500; 660300, 4256800; 660600, 4256700; 660800, 
4256800; 660600, 4257000; 660700, 4257500; 660600, 4257600; 660600, 
4258000; 659900, 4258000; 659900, 4258100; 659700, 4258300; 659700, 
4258500; 659600, 4258800; 659700, 4259100; 660100, 4259300; 660300, 
4259100; 660500, 4259100; 660600, 4259300; 660800, 4259300; 661300, 
4259800; 661600, 4259700; 661600, 4259300; 661800, 4259300; 661800, 
4259100; 662200, 4259100; 662200, 4259600; 662400, 4259600; 662700, 
4259100; 662900, 4258900; 662800, 4258700; 662700, 4258500; 662000, 
4258100; 661500, 4257700; 661200, 4257100; 661600, 4256700; 662000, 
4256700; 661900, 4256400; 661800, 4256100; 661800, 4255800; 661600, 
4255600; 662100, 4255400; 662300, 4255800; 663100, 4255800; 664100, 
4256600; 664500, 4257000; 664800, 4257500; 664800, 4257800; 665100, 
4258100; 665100, 4258500; 665400, 4258700; 665900, 4258800; 666500, 
4258800; 666700, 4258600; 666600,

[[Page 46798]]

4258200; 666300, 4258000; 666100, 4257400; 666000, 4257300; 666000, 
4257000; 666400, 4257000; 666500, 4257600; 666800, 4257600; 666900, 
4257400; 666900, 4257100; 666700, 4256900; 666800, 4256700; 666700, 
4256300; 666600, 4256100; 667200, 4256100; 667400, 4256300; 667600, 
4256300; 667800, 4256100; 667900, 4256300; 668100, 4256300; 668400, 
4255900; returning to 668900, 4255600.
    (14) Unit 10: Yolo County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Davis and Saxon, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 615400, 4260700; 614500, 
4260700; 614500, 4261500; 614200, 4261500; 614200, 4261800; 614000, 
4261800; 614000, 4262300; 615400, 4262300; returning to 615400, 
4260700.
    (15) Unit 11: Solano County, California. [Reserved]
    (16) Unit 12: Solano County, California. [Reserved]
    (17) Unit 13: Stanislaus County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Knights Ferry, Oakdale, Paulsell and Waterford 
California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, 
N):
    (i) Start at 698400, 4172400; 698100, 4172800; 698200, 4173000; 
697400, 4174300; 697300, 4174300; 697300, 4174500; 697800, 4174500; 
697800, 4176300; 697700, 4176300; 697700, 4179300; 696800, 4179300; 
696600, 4180000; 696600, 4180200; 697100, 4179900; 697700, 4180200; 
697700, 4180400; 697600, 4180400; 697600, 4182200; 698700, 4182200; 
699000, 4182600; 700300, 4182600; 700300, 4183400; 699400, 4183400; 
699400, 4184100; 700800, 4185100; 704100, 4186300; 705300, 4187700; 
705700, 4187700; 706500, 4187700; 706200, 4186800; 705600, 4185900; 
706800, 4184600; 705500, 4183800; 705000, 4183100; 704800, 4181800; 
701800, 4181800; 701800, 4181500; 701500, 4181100; 702000, 4179500; 
703200, 4179500; 703000, 4178800; 702900, 4178800; 702600, 4178900; 
702400, 4178900; 702400, 4178500; 702800, 4178300; 702900, 4178300; 
703100, 4177800; 703100, 4177500; 703000, 4177300; 702700, 4177500; 
702600, 4177500; 702500, 4177400; 702700, 4177200; 702700, 4177000; 
702600, 4177100; 702400, 4177100; 702400, 4177000; 702400, 4176800; 
702300, 4176800; 702300, 4177100; 702200, 4177200; 702000, 4177100; 
702100, 4176900; 702000, 4176800; 701800, 4176800; 701600, 4176700; 
701600, 4176500; 701600, 4176200; 701700, 4175900; 701800, 4175800; 
702000, 4175800; 702000, 4175100; 701600, 4175100; 701600, 4174200; 
701900, 4173700; 701800, 4173600; 701700, 4173500; 701700, 4173300; 
701700, 4173200; 701600, 4173200; 701500, 4173100; 701500, 4173000; 
701600, 4173000; 701600, 4172800; 701500, 4172600; 701300, 4172500; 
701100, 4172600; 700700, 4172600; 700600, 4172600; 700500, 4172700; 
700500, 4172900; 700400, 4172900; 700400, 4172800; 700100, 4172700; 
699600, 4172700; 699500, 4172800; 699300, 4172800; 699100, 4172500; 
698800, 4172500; 698700, 4172600; returning to 698400, 4172400; and 
excluding land bound by 700700, 4176200; 699400, 4176200; 699300, 
4176200; 699300, 4177800; 701000, 4177800; 701000, 4177000; 700500, 
4177000; 700500, 4176600; 700700, 4176400; returning to 700700, 
4176200; and excluding land bound by 699400, 4179400; 698100, 4179400; 
698400, 4179500; 698400, 4180200; 699800, 4180200; 699800, 4180000; 
699600, 4179800; returning to 699400, 4179400.
    (ii) Start at 702000, 4169700; 701000, 4169700; 700700, 4169700; 
700700, 4170500; 700500, 4170500; 700500, 4170900; 700300, 4170900; 
700300, 4171100; 700300, 4171800; 701200, 4171800; 702000, 4171800; 
702000, 4169800; returning to 702000, 4169700.
    (18) Unit 14: Alameda County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Milpitas and Niles, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 591200, 4148600; 590700, 
4148600; 590700, 4148700; 590300, 4149200; 589400, 4150300; 589500, 
4150200; 589900, 4150100; 590100, 4150400; 590900, 4150000; 591500, 
4150800; 591600, 4150700; 591800, 4150700; 592000, 4150900; 592300, 
4150600; 592300, 4150400; 592200, 4150000; 592100, 4149600; 592000, 
4149500; 591600, 4149500; 591600, 4148800; returning to 591200, 
4148600.
    (19) Unit 15: Madera, Mariposa and Merced, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Haystack Mtn., Illinois Hill, Indian Gulch, Le 
Grand, Merced, Merced Falls, Owens Reservoir, Plainsburg, Planada, 
Raynor Creek, Snelling, Winton, and Yosemite Lake, California, land 
bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N):
    (i) Start at 736600, 4134200; 733900, 4134200; 733900, 4134800; 
733800, 4134900; 733800, 4135000; 733000, 4135000; 733000, 4135800; 
732500, 4135800; 730300, 4135700; 730200, 4135600; 730100, 4135600; 
729900, 4135700; 729900, 4136500; 729900, 4136700; 730000, 4136700; 
730100, 4136600; 730200, 4136600; 730300, 4136600; 730400, 4136700; 
730500, 4136800; 730600, 4136900; 730600, 4137000; 730600, 4137200; 
730600, 4137300; 730500, 4137400; 730400, 4137500; 730300, 4137500; 
729900, 4137700; 729800, 4137700; 729700, 4137600; 729400, 4137600; 
729300, 4137800; 729300, 4138400; 729200, 4138500; 729000, 4138400; 
728800, 4138700; 728400, 4138800; 728200, 4138800; 727900, 4138600; 
727700, 4138500; 727600, 4138400; 727400, 4138300; 727400, 4137800; 
727300, 4137800; 727300, 4137600; 727400, 4137600; 727400, 4137500; 
727300, 4137500; 727300, 4137400; 727400, 4137400; 727400, 4137200; 
726500, 4137200; 726500, 4136500; 726400, 4136400; 725800, 4136400; 
725800, 4137200; 725000, 4137200; 724900, 4138800; 725500, 4138800; 
725500, 4138700; 725800, 4138700; 725800, 4138800; 725900, 4138800; 
725900, 4139500; 726500, 4139500; 726500, 4139600; 725900, 4139600; 
725800, 4139600; 725800, 4140200; 725900, 4140200; 725900, 4140900; 
725400, 4140900; 725400, 4140800; 725100, 4140800; 725100, 4141000; 
724900, 4141000; 724900, 4141200; 724100, 4141200; 724100, 4141600; 
723400, 4141600; 723400, 4141100; 723200, 4141100; 723200, 4140600; 
723400, 4140500; 723400, 4139500; 724000, 4139500; 724000, 4139400; 
723900, 4138900; 723900, 4138700; 723500, 4138200; 723400, 4138200; 
723400, 4138300; 723000, 4138300; 723000, 4138700; 723000, 4138900; 
723100, 4139100; 723200, 4139400; 723300, 4139500; 722100, 4139500; 
722000, 4140500; 721900, 4141100; 721900, 4141900; 721900, 4143400; 
720800, 4143400; 720900, 4141800; 721000, 4141500; 721000, 4141200; 
721100, 4141100; 721000, 4141000; 717800, 4140900; 717700, 4142500; 
714500, 4142400; 714500, 4144900; 715500, 4144900; 715500, 4145000; 
715800, 4145000; 715900, 4145000; 716000, 4145000; 716100, 4145100; 
716100, 4145200; 716000, 4145200; 715900, 4145300; 715900, 4145400; 
716000, 4145500; 716000, 4145600; 716100, 4145700; 717000, 4145700; 
717700, 4145300; 717800, 4145300; 717800, 4145200; 717800, 4145100; 
717600, 4144900; 717600, 4144800; 717600, 4144700; 717800, 4144500; 
717900, 4144600; 718200, 4144600; 718400, 4144500; 718700, 4144500; 
718700, 4144800; 718600, 4145000; 718700, 4145100; 718700, 4145600; 
718600, 4145600; 718600, 4145700; 718700, 4145800; 718600, 4145900; 
718500, 4146000; 718500, 4146100; 718600, 4146200; 718600, 4146500; 
718300, 4146500; 718200, 4146600; 718200, 4146800; 718300, 4146800; 
718500,

[[Page 46799]]

4146900; 718600, 4147000; 718600, 4147100; 718400, 4147200; 718500, 
4147300; 718500, 4147600; 718700, 4147600; 718700, 4147400; 719000, 
4147500; 719100, 4147700; 719300, 4147600; 719600, 4147900; 719700, 
4148000; 719700, 4148100; 719800, 4148200; 720000, 4148200; 720600, 
4148200; 720600, 4148300; 720700, 4148400; 720800, 4148400; 720900, 
4148500; 722700, 4148500; 722700, 4148600; 722900, 4148600; 723200, 
4148700; 723400, 4148700; 723200, 4148600; 723100, 4148500; 723000, 
4148400; 723200, 4148200; 723400, 4148200; 723500, 4148300; 723600, 
4148400; 723600, 4148500; 723800, 4148500; 723800, 4148400; 723900, 
4148400; 723900, 4148500; 724000, 4148700; 724200, 4148500; 724200, 
4148900; 724300, 4149000; 724300, 4149100; 724500, 4149000; 724500,

4149300; 724700, 4149400; 724900, 4149600; 725000, 4149700; 725000, 
4150000; 724900, 4150100; 725000, 4150200; 725200, 4150200; 725300, 
4150400; 725400, 4150500; 725400, 4150600; 725100, 4150900; 724700, 
4150900; 724700, 4153400; 725000, 4153500; 725400, 4153900; 725600, 
4154100; 725800, 4154200; 726000, 4154300; 726200, 4154000; 726300, 
4153800; 726300, 4153700; 727800, 4153700; 727800, 4153400; 727900, 
4153400; 727900, 4153500; 728400, 4153600; 728700, 4153700; 729000, 
4153700; 729000, 4153600; 729100, 4153500; 729300, 4153400; 729400, 
4153400; 729400, 4153300; 729300, 4153200; 729500, 4153100; 729800, 
4153100; 729900, 4153200; 729900, 4154200; 730000, 4154200; 730100, 
4154300; 730600, 4154300; 730700, 4154400; 731000, 4154600; 731200, 
4154700; 731500, 4154700; 731800, 4154900; 732200, 4154900; 732600, 
4154800; 733200, 4154500; 733400, 4154500; 733700, 4154300; 734700, 
4154300; 734900, 4154600; 735100, 4154800; 735100, 4154900; 735500, 
4155300; 735600, 4155300; 735800, 4155500; 736100, 4155900; 737100, 
4155400; 737800, 4155000; 738200, 4154200; 738300, 4153300; 739000, 
4152800; 739100, 4152200; 740200, 4151800; 740800, 4151500; 740800, 
4150300; 741100, 4149900; 741700, 4149400; 742100, 4148500; 742100, 
4147100; 743400, 4146100; 744000, 4145600; 744400, 4144600; 744300, 
4143900; 743900, 4142700; 744000, 4142000; 744200, 4141700; 745500, 
4140300; 745500, 4139600; 745500, 4139500; 745400, 4139400; 745300, 
4139300; 745200, 4139200; 744900, 4139000; 744800, 4138800; 744900, 
4138500; 744700, 4137700; 744400, 4137500; 744200, 4137600; 744000, 
4137500; 743800, 4137500; 743400, 4137400; 743100, 4137300; 743100, 
4137200; 742900, 4137000; 742700, 4137000; 742600, 4136900; 742600, 
4136600; 742400, 4136500; 742000, 4136400; 741800, 4136500; 741400, 
4136400; 741100, 4136400; 741100, 4136700; 740200, 4136700; 739900, 
4136400; 739400, 4136400; 739400, 4136700; 737600, 4136700; 737600, 
4135900; 737300, 4135900; 737300, 4135300; 737400, 4135200; 737200, 
4135000; 736800, 4134800; 736800, 4134600; 736800, 4134400; returning 
to 736600, 4134200; excluding land bound by 727200, 4138700; 726600, 
4139500; 726600, 4139600; 726800, 4139600; 727000, 4139700; 727200, 
4140000; 727300, 4140500; 727200, 4140700; 727400, 4140700; 727500, 
4140800; 727400, 4141100; 727800, 4141100; 727800, 4140700; 728300, 
4140700; 728300, 4139600; 727900, 4139300; 727900, 4139000; 727800, 
4138800; 727400, 4138800; returning to 727200, 4138700; and excluding 
land bound by 726700, 4139700; 726400, 4140000; 726600, 4140000; 
726800, 4140200; 726900, 4140100; 726900, 4140000; 726800, 4139800; 
returning to 726700, 4139700; and excluding land bound by 726200, 
4138000; 725800, 4138000; 725800, 4138200; 725700, 4138200; 725700, 
4138500; 725800, 4138500; 725800, 4138400; 726200, 4138400; returning 
to 726200, 4138000; and excluding land bound by 727000, 4137600; 
726800, 4137600; 726800, 4137800; 726500, 4137800; 726500, 4138000; 
727300, 4138100; 727300, 4138000; 727200, 4137900; 727000, 4137800; 
returning to 727000, 4137600.
    (ii) Start at 745300, 4139300; 745400, 4139400; 745500, 4139500; 
745500, 4139600; 745500, 4140300; 746100, 4139500; 746800, 4138500; 
747700, 4137700; 748500, 4135800; 748700, 4135100; 749500, 4134000; 
750700, 4131700; 751600, 4130500; 752000, 4130200; 752100, 4130200; 
752200, 4130200; 752800, 4130100; 753300, 4130400; 753500, 4130400; 
753900, 4130200; 754000, 4129300; 753400, 4128400; 753900, 4127700; 
754400, 4127700; 754600, 4127400; 755300, 4128400; 755400, 4128400; 
755600, 4127700; 756900, 4126400; 757800, 4125800; 758400, 4126300; 
758500, 4126300; 758600, 4126000; 757900, 4125100; 757400, 4125100; 
757800, 4124400; 757800, 4124000; 758200, 4124000; 758500, 4123600; 
758800, 4123600; 759000, 4123900; 759300, 4123900; 759700, 4123500; 
759700, 4123400; 759200, 4122900; 760300, 4121300; 761000, 4121000; 
761300, 4120300; 762100, 4119400; 762300, 4119400; 762700, 4118600; 
762800, 4118000; 762100, 4118900; 760500, 4118000; 760400, 4117100; 
759700, 4117100; 759700, 4115300; 756500, 4115300; 756500, 4117100; 
756600, 4117100; 756500, 4117200; 756200, 4117300; 755800, 4117200; 
755700, 4117200; 755700, 4116700; 755700, 4116600; 755500, 4116500; 
755400, 4116500; 754900, 4116300; 754800, 4116300; 754800, 4116600; 
753700, 4116600; 753700, 4116400; 753300, 4116400; 753300, 4115600; 
753100, 4115500; 752700, 4115400; 752400, 4115300; 752200, 4115200; 
752200, 4115600; 751800, 4115600; 752000, 4115800; 751900, 4116000; 
751400, 4116100; 751100, 4116300; 751300, 4116300; 751300, 4116900; 
751100, 4116900; 750800, 4116900; 750700, 4117000; 750000, 4116800; 
749300, 4116800; 749300, 4116500; 746000, 4116500; 746000, 4116600; 
745200, 4116600; 745200, 4117800; 744600, 4117800; 744600, 4118600; 
743600, 4118600; 743600, 4119000; 745400, 4119000; 745400, 4119700; 
744700, 4119700; 744700, 4120500; 745300, 4120500; 745500, 4120600; 
745600, 4120700; 746000, 4120700; 746000, 4121400; 746200, 4121500; 
746200, 4121600; 746400, 4121700; 746400, 4121800; 747600, 4120700; 
746500, 4120700; 746500, 4119700; 747000, 4119700; 747000, 4120300; 
747800, 4120300; 747800, 4120000; 748400, 4120000; 747800, 4120500; 
747800, 4121400; 748600, 4121400; 748600, 4121900; 747800, 4121900; 
747800, 4123300; 748300, 4123300; 748300, 4123500; 748500, 4123500; 
748600, 4123500; 748600, 4123900; 747800, 4123900; 747800, 4124600; 
747400, 4125100; 747400, 4125500; 746900, 4125500; 746900, 4125800; 
747000, 4125900; 746900, 4125900; 746600, 4125800; 746300, 4125700; 
746200, 4125600; 746200, 4125500; 745700, 4125500; 745700, 4125100; 
744500, 4125100; 744500, 4125300; 744400, 4125300; 744400, 4125200; 
743700, 4125200; 743700, 4125800; 744500, 4125800; 744500, 4126200; 
743700, 4126200; 743700, 4127000; 742400, 4127000; 742000, 4127200; 
742000, 4128600; 742800, 4128600; 742800, 4129100; 742900, 4129100; 
743000, 4129100; 743000, 4129200; 743400, 4129300; 743600, 4129500; 
743600, 4130700; 743500, 4130700; 743500, 4130900; 743100, 4130900; 
743000, 4130800; 743000, 4130600; 742400, 4130600; 742400, 4130800; 
742000, 4130800; 742000, 4131100; 741200, 4131100; 741300, 4131000; 
741500, 4131000; 741600, 4130900; 741600, 4130700; 741400, 4130400; 
741300, 4130200; 740400, 4130200; 740400, 4130300; 740300, 4130300; 
740300,

[[Page 46800]]

4131100; 740500, 4131100; 740500, 4131200; 740700, 4131200; 740700, 
4131300; 740800, 4131400; 741000, 4131400; 741000, 4131500; 741100, 
4131500; 741100, 4131600; 741000, 4131900; 741000, 4132100; 740800, 
4132200; 740700, 4132200; 740500, 4132100; 740400, 4132100; 740400, 
4132200; 740300, 4132200; 740200, 4132200; 740200, 4132300; 739900, 
4132600; 740000, 4132600; 740300, 4132800; 740300, 4133500; 741000, 
4133500; 741000, 4133900; 741900, 4133900; 741800, 4135800; 741000, 
4135800; 741000, 4136400; 741100, 4136400; 741400, 4136400; 741800,

4136500; 742000, 4136400; 742400, 4136500; 742600, 4136600; 742600, 
4136900; 742700, 4137000; 742900, 4137000; 743100, 4137200; 743100, 
4137300; 743400, 4137400; 743800, 4137500; 744000, 4137500; 744200, 
4137600; 744400, 4137500; 744700, 4137700; 744900, 4138500; 744800, 
4138800; 744900, 4139000; 745200, 4139200; returning to 745300, 
4139300.
    (20) Subunit 16A: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (21) Subunit 16B: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (22) Subunit 16C: Gustine, San Luis Ranch, Stevinson, California. 
[Reserved]
    (23) Subunit 16D: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (24) Subunit 16E: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (25) Subunit 16F: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (26) Subunit 16G: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (27) Unit 17: Fresno County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Academy and Millerton Lake East, California, land 
bounded by the following UTM 11 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 267300, 
4097300; 266900, 4097300; 267000, 4097600; 267800, 4098300; 268100, 
4098700; 268100, 4098900; 268000, 4099100; 267400, 4099800; 267400, 
4100300; 267700, 4100800; 268100, 4101400; 268600, 4101400; 269100, 
4101100; 269600, 4101100; 269800, 4101300; 269900, 4101500; 269600, 
4102200; 269200, 4102400; 268600, 4102800; 268700, 4103800; 269100, 
4103800; 269600, 4103100; 270200, 4103500; 270300, 4103500; 270700, 
4102500; 270500, 4102400; 270300, 4102200; 270300, 4101900; 270500, 
4101500; 270600, 4101100; 270500, 4101000; 270200, 4100700; 269400, 
4100500; 268300, 4100500; 268100, 4100300; 268100, 4100100; 268400, 
4099800; 268600, 4099500; 268700, 4099200; 268700, 4098900; 268600, 
4098300; 268500, 4098100; 268400, 4097800; 268100, 4097600; 267800, 
4097400; returning to 267300, 4097300.
    (28) Subunit 18A: Kings and Tulare County, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Burris Park, Monson, Remnoy and Traver, 
California, land bounded by the following UTM 11 NAD 83 coordinates (E, 
N): 287000, 4034600; 287000, 4035100; 288500, 4035100; 288500, 4035600; 
287700, 4035700; 287700, 4036700; 289300, 4036700; 289400, 4037400; 
291100, 4037400; 291100, 4037200; 291800, 4037200; 291900, 4036800; 
291900, 4035600; 292700, 4035800; 292700, 4036500; 293500, 4036400; 
293500, 4036000; 294300, 4036000; 294300, 4035600; 293500, 4035600; 
293400, 4034000; 292600, 4034000; 292600, 4035400; 291900, 4035400; 
291700, 4035400; 291700, 4035600; 290500, 4035700; 290500, 4036100; 
289800, 4036100; 289800, 4035700; 289400, 4035700; 289400, 4034500; 
288500, 4034500; 288500, 4034200; 287700, 4034200; 287700, 4034500; 
returning to 287000, 4034600.
    (29) Subunit 18B: Tulare County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Monson, California, land bounded by the following UTM 11 
NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 297500, 4035500; 296700, 4035500; 296700, 
4036300; 297500, 4036300; returning to 297500, 4035500.
    (30) Subunit 18C: Tulare County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Ivanhoe , California, land bounded by the following UTM 
11 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 299200, 4038600; 298400, 4038600; 298400, 
4039500; 298500, 4039800; 298900, 4039900; 298900, 4041000; 299700, 
4041000; 299300, 4041500; 300900, 4041500; 300900, 4041400; 300400, 
4041400; 300400, 4040100; 300300, 4040100; 300300, 4039400; 299200, 
4039400; returning to 299200, 4038600.
    (31) Maps follow of critical habitat units 1 and 2, 3 and 4, 6 and 
7, 8 through 10, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18 (respectively) for vernal 
pool tadpole shrimp.
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BILLING CODE 4310-55-C

0
5. In Sec.  17.96 add critical habitat for Lasthenia conjugens (Contra 
Costa goldfields), Chamaesyce hooveri (Hoover's spurge), Limnanthes 
floccosa ssp. californica (Butte County meadowfoam), Neostapfia 
colusana (Colusa grass), Orcuttia inaequalis (San Joaquin Valley Orcutt 
grass), Orcuttia

[[Page 46809]]

pilosa (hairy Orcutt grass), Orcuttia tenuis (slender Orcutt grass), 
Orcuttia viscida (Sacramento Orcutt grass), Tuctoria greenei (Greene's 
tuctoria), Tuctoria mucronata (Solano grass) and Castilleja campestris 
ssp. succulenta (fleshy owl's-clover) under paragraph (a) by adding 
entries for these species in alphabetical order by family under 
Asteraceae, Euphorbiaceae, Limnanthaceae, Poaceae, and 
Scrophulariaceae, (respectively) to read as follows:


Sec.  17.96  Critical habitat--plants.

    (a) Flowering plants.
* * * * *
    Family Asteraceae: Lasthenia conjugens (Contra Costa Goldfields).
    (1) Critical habitat units are depicted for Mendocino, Napa, Contra 
Costa, Alameda, Santa Clara and Monterey Counties, California, on the 
map below.
    (2) The primary constituent elements of critical habitat for 
Lasthenia conjugens are the habitat components that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, moist flats, and other ephemeral wetlands 
and depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Lasthenia conjugens 
germination, growth and reproduction, including, but not limited to, 
vernal pools on clay soils from a variety of soils series, rock outcrop 
pools on basalt flows, and vernal pools in saline alkaline transition 
zones with tidal marsh habitats. All of these habitats typically become 
inundated during winter rains, but are dry during the summer and do not 
necessarily fill with water every year; and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Lasthenia conjugens germination, growth and 
reproduction, and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.
    (3) Critical habitat does not include existing manmade features and 
structures, such as buildings, roads, aqueducts, railroads, airport 
runways and buildings, other paved areas, lawns, and other urban 
landscaped areas not containing one or more of the primary constituent 
elements.
    (4) Critical habitat does not include the following lands although 
they may fall within the legal descriptions below:
    (i) Lands within the following California counties: Butte, Madera, 
Merced, Sacramento, and Solano;
    (ii) Federally-owned lands within the boundaries of the Kern, 
Sacramento, San Francisco Bay, and San Luis National Wildlife Refuges 
and National Wildlife Refuge Complexes, and the Coleman National Fish 
Hatchery;
    (iii) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Allensworth, 
Boggs Lake, Butte Creek Canyon, Calhoun Cut, Carrizo Plains, Dales 
Lake, Fagan Marsh, Phoenix Field, San Joaquin River, Stone Corral, and 
Thomes Creek Ecological Reserves;
    (iv) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Battle Creek, 
Big Sandy, Grizzly Island, Hill Slough, North Grasslands, and Oroville 
Wildlife Areas.
    (5) Unit 1: Mendocino County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Point Arena, California, land bounded by the following 
UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 441000, 4310900; 440700, 4310900; 
440500, 4311100; 440200, 4311100; 440000, 4311300; 439500, 4311000; 
438900, 4311000; 438500, 4311400; 438500, 4311800; 438500, 4312500; 
438500, 4312700; 438700, 4313000; 439000, 4313100; 439100, 4313500; 
439300, 4313900; 439500, 4314000; 439800, 4313900; 440100, 4314000; 
441000, 4314000; 441200, 4314200; 441300, 4314200; 441600, 4313700; 
441700, 4313500; 442200, 4313400; 442500, 4313300; 442900, 4312800; 
443200, 4312300; 443300, 4312000; 443300, 4311800; 442500, 4311800; 
442400, 4312000; 442200, 4312000; 441300, 4311000; returning to 441000, 
4310900.
    (6) Unit 2: Napa County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle 
maps Capell Valley, and Yountville, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 567300, 4248100; 567200, 
4248300; 567000, 4249800; 566700, 4250000; 566400, 4250300; 566100, 
4250400; 566000, 4250500; 565500, 4250500; 565100, 4250500; 565100, 
4250800; 565400, 4251200; 566000, 4251800; 566600, 4251600; 566800, 
4250900; 567300, 4250500; 568100, 4250500; 568300, 4250100; 568100, 
4250000; 568400, 4249400; 568500, 4249300; 568300, 4249100; 567800, 
4249000; 567500, 4248900; 567400, 4248600; returning to 567300, 
4248100.
    (7) Unit 3: Napa County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle 
maps Cuttings Wharf, and Napa, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 564100, 4232800; 563800, 
4233000; 563500, 4233200; 563500, 4233400; 563700, 4233500; 563800, 
4233600; 563800, 4235100; 563800, 4235200; 563900, 4235300; 564200, 
4235400; 564400, 4235300; 564500, 4235100; 564700, 4235000; 564700, 
4234900; 564800, 4234700; 564700, 4234400; 564800, 4234200; 564700, 
4234100; 564700, 4234000; 564800, 4233800; 565100, 4233600; 565100, 
4233500; 565000, 4233300; 564800, 4233100; 564600, 4233200; returning 
to 564100, 423800.
    (8) Unit 4: Solano County, California. [Reserved]
    (9) Subunit 5A: Solano County, California. [Reserved]
    (10) Subunit 5B: Solano County, California. [Reserved]
    (11) Unit 6: Contra Costa County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Benicia, and Mare Island, California, land bounded by 
the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 568300, 4207000; 
568200, 4207000; 568200, 4207100; 568100, 4207100; 568100, 4207000; 
567900, 4207100; 567700, 4207200; 567600, 4207200; 567600, 4207100; 
567500, 4207100; 567200, 4207100; 566600, 4207700; 566400, 4207500; 
565900, 4207400; 565700, 4207700; 566400, 4208500; 566800, 4208500; 
566800, 4208000; 566900, 4208000; 566900, 4207900; 566900, 4207800; 
567100, 4207800; 567100, 4207900; 567000, 4207900; 567000, 4208000; 
567100, 4208100; 567200, 4208200; 567500, 4207800; 567900, 4207400; 
568200, 4207200; 568500, 4207100; 568400, 4207100; returning to 568300, 
4207000.
    (12) Unit 7: Contra Costa County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Byron Hot Springs, and Clifton Court Forebay, 
California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, 
N): 620500, 4185200; 620200, 4185300; 620200, 4185500; 620000, 4185900; 
620000, 4186100; 620500, 4186100; 620700, 4186200; 620700, 4186600; 
620200, 4186800; 620100, 4186900; 620000, 4186800; 619900, 4186600; 
619900, 4186400; 619800, 4186300; 619600, 4186400; 619500, 4186300; 
619600, 4186100; 619600, 4185700; 619400, 4185700; 618200, 4186600; 
618100, 4187100; 617700, 4187400; 617800, 4187900; 618400, 4187900; 
618400, 4187500; 619000, 4186900; 619400, 4186700; 619500, 4186900; 
619500, 4189200; 619300, 4189400; 619400, 4189600; 619000, 4189700; 
618700, 4189400; 618500, 4189000; 617800, 4188900; 617700, 4188800; 
617400, 4189000; 617400, 4189200; 618200, 4189500; 618100, 4189800; 
618200, 4190100; 618700, 4190300; 618700, 4190700; 619000, 4191000; 
619300,

[[Page 46810]]

4191100; 619600, 4191100; 619800, 4190700; 619900, 4190700; 620100, 
4190900; 620400, 4190900; 620500, 4191200; 621800, 4191200; 622200, 
4190700; 622300, 4190400; 621200, 4190400; 621100, 4190400; 621100, 
4188700; 620900, 4188700; 620600, 4188400; 620400, 4188600; 620400, 
4188100; 620500, 4187900; 620600, 4187800; 620700, 4187700; 620900, 
4187700; 621100, 4187500; 620500, 4187100; 620500, 4186900; 621300, 
4187281; 621700, 4187100; 621800, 4186900; 621600, 4186200; 621600, 
4186000; 621800, 4185900; 621900, 4186100; 621800, 4186500; 621900, 
4186600; 622100, 4186600; 622200, 4186400; 622300, 4186200; 622500, 
4186000; 622500, 4185800; 622000, 4185300; 621200, 4185300; 621200, 
4185700; 621300, 4186000; 621100, 4186100; 620500, 4185900; 620600, 
4185400; returning to 620500, 4185200.
    (13) Unit 8: Alameda County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Milipitas, and Niles, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 591200, 4148600; 590700, 
4148600; 590700, 4148700; 590300, 4149200; 589400, 4150300; 589500, 
4150200; 589900, 4150100; 590100, 4150400; 590900, 4150000; 591500, 
4150800; 591600, 4150700; 591800, 4150700; 592000, 4150900; 592300, 
4150600; 592300, 4150400; 592200, 4150000; 592100, 4149600; 592000, 
4149500; 591600, 4149500; 591600, 4148800; returning to 591200, 
4148600.
    (14) Unit 9: Monterey County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Marina, Salinas, Seaside, and Spreckles, California, 
land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 608100, 
4048800; 607700, 4048800; 607200, 4048900; 606700, 4049100; 606500, 
4049200; 606400, 4049300; 606300, 4049500; 606100, 4049800; 606000, 
4049900; 605600, 4050300; 605500, 4050500; 605400, 4050800; 605400, 
4051200; 605700, 4052100; 606000, 4052700; 606000, 4052800; 606900, 
4053300; 607200, 4053200; 607900, 4053100; 608100, 4053100; 608400, 
4053000; 609100, 4053000; 609300, 4053200; 609500, 4053500; 609600, 
4053700; 609700, 4053900; 609700, 4054100; 609800, 4054300; 609900, 
4054600; 609900, 4054900; 610200, 4055500; 610200, 4056300; 610400, 
4056500; 610600, 4056600; 610700, 4056700; 610900, 4056800; 611100, 
4056700; 611200, 4056700; 612200, 4056600; 612700, 4056600; 612900, 
4056600; 613000, 4056600; 613100, 4056500; 613100, 4056400; 613200, 
4056200; 613100, 4056000; 613100, 4055500; 613000, 4055200; 613000, 
4055000; 612900, 4054900; 612600, 4054300; 612400, 4053900; 612000, 
4053800; 611600, 4053600; 611300, 4053400; 610800, 4052900; 610400, 
4051900; 610400, 4051300; 610700, 4050800; 610600, 4050600; 610200, 
4050600; 609900, 4050500; 609800, 4050300; 609800, 4050000; 609900, 
4049700; 609900, 4049400; 609800, 4049300; 608600, 4049000; 608400, 
4049000; 608200, 4048900; returning to 608100, 4048800.
    (15) Maps follow of critical habitat units 1, 2 through 5, 6, 7, 8, 
and 9 (respectively) for Contra Costa goldfields.
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P

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BILLING CODE 4310-55-C
    Family Euphorbiaceae: Chamaesyce hooveri (Hoovers Spurge).
    (1) Critical habitat units are depicted for Tehama, Glenn, Colusa, 
Stanislaus, Tulare and Tuolumne Counties, California, on the map below.
    (2) The primary constituent elements of critical habitat for 
Chamaesyce hooveri are the habitat components that provide:

[[Page 46817]]

    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Chamaesyce hooveri 
germination, growth and reproduction, including but not limited to, 
vernal pools formed on neutral to saline-alkaline soils over lime-
silica cemented hardpan or claypan, or on acidic soils over iron-silica 
cemented hardpan, that typically become inundated during winter rains, 
but are dry during the summer and do not necessarily fill with water 
every year; and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Chamaesyce hooveri germination, growth and 
reproduction, and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.
    (3) Critical habitat does not include existing manmade features and 
structures, such as buildings, roads, aqueduct, railroads, airport 
runways and buildings, other paved areas, lawns, and other urban 
landscaped areas not containing one or more of the primary constituent 
elements.
    (4) Critical habitat does not include the following lands although 
they may fall within the legal descriptions below:
    (i) Lands within the following California counties: Butte, Madera, 
Merced, Sacramento, and Solano;
    (ii) Federally-owned lands within the boundaries of the Kern, 
Sacramento, San Francisco Bay, and San Luis National Wildlife Refuges 
and National Wildlife Refuge Complexes, and the Coleman National Fish 
Hatchery;
    (iii) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Allensworth, 
Boggs Lake, Butte Creek Canyon, Calhoun Cut, Carrizo Plains, Dales 
Lake, Fagan Marsh, Phoenix Field, San Joaquin River, Stone Corral, and 
Thomes Creek Ecological Reserves;
    (iv) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Battle Creek, 
Big Sandy, Grizzly Island, Hill Slough, North Grasslands, and Oroville 
Wildlife Areas.
    (5) Unit 1: Butte and Tehama Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Acorn Hollow, Foster Island, Los Molinos, 
Nord, Richardson Springs NW, and Vina, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 588700, 4429900; 588900, 
4429500; 589500, 4429500; 589500, 4428600; 589500, 4428000; 589800, 
4427100; 590500, 4426400; 590500, 4425300; 591200, 4424400; 591500, 
4423300; 591600, 4422100; 590900, 4420900; 590700, 4419800; 588000, 
4417000; 587500, 4416400; 587200, 4415500; 587200, 4415100; 587300, 
4415000; 587300, 4414500; 587200, 4414400; 587100, 4414300; 586900, 
4414000; 586400, 4413900; 586200, 4413700; 586000, 4413600; 585800, 
4413600; 585800, 4414700; 585300, 4414700; 585300, 4413800; 585200, 
4413700; 584800, 4413700; 584600, 4413600; 584400, 4413600; 584200, 
4413500; 584000, 4413700; 583200, 4413400; 583000, 4414200; 583700, 
4414600; 583500, 4415000; 583000, 4415900; 583000, 4416400; 582900, 
4416700; 582800, 4416900; 582700, 4417000; 582700, 4417200; 582900, 
4417300; 582800, 4417400; 582700, 4417500; 582700, 4417600; 582600, 
4417700; 582600, 4418000; 582600, 4418100; 582600, 4418200; 582700, 
4418300; 582500, 4418400; 582400, 4418300; 582200, 4418300; 582100, 
4418400; 582100, 4418500; 582000, 4418600; 582100, 4418700; 582100, 
4418900; 582200, 4419100; 582100, 4419300; 582200, 4419500; 582100, 
4419600; 582000, 4419700; 582100, 4419800; 582100, 4419900; 582200, 
4420000; 582200, 4420300; 582100, 4420500; 582200, 4420600; 582200, 
4420800; 582300, 4421100; 582900, 4421500; 582900, 4421600; 583300, 
4422000; 583400, 4422100; 583900, 4422100; 584100, 4422300; 584200, 
4422300; 584300, 4422400; 584400, 4422500; 584600, 4422900; 585100, 
4423400; 585600, 4423700; 585800, 4423900; 585800, 4424200; 586100, 
4424200; 586600, 4424800; 586800, 4424900; 587300, 4425500; 587400, 
4425600; 587500, 4425800; 587500, 4425900; 587600, 4426000; 587700, 
4426100; 587800, 4426100; 587900, 4426200; 587900, 4426300; 587900, 
4426800; 587800, 4426900; 587900, 4427000; 588000, 4427300; 587900, 
4427300; 587800, 4427200; 587600, 4426800; 587500, 4426600; 587400, 
4426400; 587200, 4426200; 586700, 4425700; 586500, 4425700; 586200, 
4425400; 585900, 4425400; 585800, 4425400; 585500, 4425600; 584900, 
4425600; 584900, 4425400; 584900, 4425200; 585000, 4425000; 584800, 
4425000; 584600, 4424900; 584500, 4424900; 584300, 4425000; 584100, 
4425000; 583900, 4425200; 583700, 4425400; 583400, 4425500; 583300, 
4425500; 583300, 4425300; 583100, 4425300; 583000, 4425400; 582900, 
4425200; 582800, 4425000; 582700, 4424800; 582700, 4424600; 582600, 
4424500; 582600, 4424200; 582400, 4424100; 582300, 4423800; 582100, 
4423600; 582100, 4423500; 581300, 4422800; 581000, 4422600; 580600, 
4422800; 580200, 4423800; 579900, 4424500; 579700, 4424800; 579500, 
4425400; 579700, 4425600; 580100, 4425600; 580800, 4426400; 581700, 
4427000; 582300, 4427000; 582300, 4426900; 582400, 4426800; 582500, 
4426800; 582700, 4426700; 582800, 4426700; 583500, 4426800; 583900, 
4426900; 584000, 4427000; 584200, 4427100; 584600, 4427600; 584800, 
4427900; 585100, 4428200; 585900, 4428500; 586300, 4428500; 586900, 
4428900; 587300, 4429100; 588300, 4429600; 588500, 4430000; returning 
to 588700, 4429900.
    (6) Unit 2: Butte County, California. [Reserved]
    (7) Unit 3: Colusa and Glenn Counties, California. [Reserved]
    (8) Unit 4: Stanislaus and Tuolumne Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Cooperstown, Keystone, Knights Ferry, La 
Grange Paulsell, California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 
83 coordinates (E, N): 720800, 4176400; 721400, 4175900; 722200, 
4175300; 722700, 4175200; 722800, 4173600; 723000, 4173500; 723200, 
4173600; 723700, 4173600; 724000, 4173300; 724100, 4172300; 722800, 
4172200; 721700, 4171200; 721600, 4170700; 721500, 4170500; 721400, 
4170400; 721200, 4170300; 721000, 4170100; 721000, 4169600; 720900, 
4169600; 720000, 4168500; 718900, 4168000; 718700, 4168100; 718100, 
4168500; 718000, 4168500; 717900, 4168600; 716200, 4168600; 715900, 
4168500; 715600, 4168300; 715500, 4168200; 715400, 4168300; 715400, 
4169400; 714900, 4169900; 714900, 4170000; 715100, 4170000; 715200, 
4170200; 715300, 4170200; 715300, 4170400; 715300, 4171200; 715200, 
4171200; 715200, 4171000; 715100, 4171000; 715100, 4170700; 714900, 
4170700; 714900, 4170300; 713900, 4169800; 713800, 4169900; 713000, 
4169500; 712500, 4169400; 712200, 4169400; 712000, 4169600; 711500, 
4169900; 711300, 4169900; 710500, 4169100; 709300, 4169100; 709100, 
4169500; 709100, 4169700; 708900, 4169700; 708800, 4169900; 708700, 
4169900; 708600, 4169800; 708500, 4169900; 708400, 4170000; 708700, 
4170200; 708800, 4170300; 708900, 4170400; 709100, 4170500; 709200, 
4170600; 709400, 4170600; 709400, 4170800; 709300, 4170800; 709200, 
4170900; 709100, 4170800; 708800, 4170700; 708800, 4170600; 708500, 
4170500;

[[Page 46818]]

708400, 4170300; 708100, 4170200; 707900, 4170200; 707900, 4170300; 
708100, 4170500; 708200, 4170500; 708200, 4170600; 708000, 4170600; 
708200, 4170800; 708200, 4170900; 708100, 4170900; 707900, 4170700; 
707700, 4170700; 707700, 4170800; 707600, 4170900; 707400, 4170900; 
707100, 4171100; 707100, 4171200; 707200, 4171300; 707300, 4171200; 
707500, 4171300; 707800, 4171600; 707900, 4171600; 708100, 4171600; 
708200, 4171700; 708100, 4171800; 708100, 4171900; 708300, 4171900; 
708300, 4172100; 708400, 4172100; 708500, 4172200; 708500, 4172300; 
708700, 4172400; 708800, 4172500; 708800, 4172600; 708700, 4172700; 
708500, 4172700; 708400, 4172800; 708300, 4172700; 708200, 4172700; 
708100, 4172600; 708000, 4172500; 707900, 4172500; 707800, 4172700; 
707600, 4172600; 707400, 4172500; 707400, 4172600; 707200, 4172700; 
707100, 4172300; 707000, 4172200; 706700, 4172200; 706700, 4172300; 
706500, 4172300; 706400, 4172300; 706400, 4172400; 706200, 4172600; 
706300, 4172700; 706400, 4172800; 706300, 4172800; 706200, 4172800; 
706100, 4172900; 705900, 4173100; 705800, 4173300; 705800, 4173500; 
706000, 4173800; 705900, 4173900; 705800, 4174100; 705700, 4174200; 
705500, 4174200; 705400, 4174100; 705400, 4173700; 705300, 4173500; 
705200, 4173200; 705100, 4174700; 705400, 4175400; 705000, 4175900; 
705300, 4176300; 705700, 4176700; 705700, 4177000; 705700, 4177500; 
705700, 4177700; 705200, 4177900; 705000, 4178100; 705400, 4178900; 
706200, 4178400; 706300, 4178000; 706200, 4177600; 706200, 4177100; 
706700, 4177100; 706700, 4175900; 706800, 4175700; 707100, 4175600; 
707400, 4175600; 707600, 4175500; 707700, 4175700; 707800, 4175700; 
707900, 4175900; 707900, 4176000; 708000, 4176500; 708500, 4176400; 
709800, 4176600; 709900, 4176400; 709900, 4176200; 710000, 4176100; 
710300, 4176100; 710300, 4176200; 710400, 4176300; 710600, 4176400; 
710700, 4176400; 710800, 4176500; 710800, 4176600; 711000, 4176700; 
711200, 4176700; 711400, 4176700; 711600, 4176900; 711700, 4177200; 
711700, 4177600; 711900, 4178100; 711800, 4178900; 710700, 4178900; 
710600, 4178800; 710300, 4179200; 709900, 4179500; 709500, 4179600; 
709100, 4180800; 709200, 4182200; 709700, 4182700; 710300, 4182900; 
711400, 4182100; 712400, 4182100; 713200, 4182000; 714100, 4182600; 
714700, 4182000; 715200, 4181600; 715600, 4180900; 715400, 4180400; 
716600, 4180400; 716900, 4179900; 717700, 4180100; 718500, 4180000; 
718700, 4179200; 719300, 4178700; 719700, 4177600; 720300, 4177700; 
720700, 4177700; returning to 720800, 4176400; excluding land bound by 
717800, 4170900; 718000, 4171000; 718000, 4171300; 718800, 4171500; 
718800, 4171400; 718900, 4171000; 719000, 4171000; 719100, 4170900; 
718900, 4170400; 718800, 4170200; 718600, 4170200; 718600, 4170100; 
718100, 4170200; 717700, 4170200; 717300, 4170300; 717300, 4170500; 
717800, 4170500; returning to 717800, 4170900.
    (9) Unit 5: Merced and Stanislaus Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Cooperstown, La Grange, Merced Falls, 
Montpelier, Paulsell, Snelling, Turlock Lake, California, land bounded 
by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N):
    (i) Start at 724100, 4158200; 723800, 4158200; 723700, 4159000; 
722500, 4159000; 722500, 4159200; 722400, 4159200; 722300, 4159300; 
722200, 4159300; 721600, 4159300; 721600, 4159500; 721500, 4159600; 
721500, 4159800; 721600, 4159800; 721600, 4159900; 721700, 4159900; 
721700, 4160500; 721100, 4160500; 721100, 4160100; 720800, 4160100; 
720800, 4160500; 719500, 4160500; 719500, 4160300; 720000, 4159600; 
719600, 4159600; 719600, 4159500; 719500, 4159500; 719400, 4159500; 
719300, 4159400; 719100, 4159400; 719000, 4159400; 718900, 4159300; 
718700, 4159100; 718600, 4159000; 718600, 4158900; 718400, 4158900; 
718200, 4158800; 718200, 4158700; 718300, 4158600; 718400, 4158500; 
718500, 4158500; 718600, 4158400; 718700, 4158400; 718900, 4158300; 
719000, 4158100; 719000, 4157900; 718700, 4157600; 718000, 4157700; 
717800, 4157400; 717900, 4157200; 718000, 4157000; 718400, 4157300; 
718700, 4156700; 718700, 4156300; 717500, 4156300; 717500, 4156700; 
717100, 4156700; 717100, 4156300; 716600, 4156300; 716600, 4155800; 
716300, 4155700; 716200, 4155000; 715900, 4154900; 715900, 4155100; 
715800, 4155200; 715800, 4155300; 715700, 4155400; 715600, 4155700; 
715500, 4155800; 715400, 4155800; 715300, 4156600; 715400, 4156600; 
715400, 4157200; 715400, 4157400; 715500, 4157400; 715500, 4157600; 
717600, 4157600; 717600, 4159700; 718100, 4160200; 718200, 4160500; 
718400, 4160800; 718700, 4161100; 716800, 4161100; 716800, 4160400; 
714900, 4160400; 714900, 4160900; 715000, 4160900; 715000, 4161000; 
715200, 4161000; 715200, 4161100; 714400, 4161100; 714400, 4161200; 
713700, 4161200; 713700, 4161100; 713300, 4161100; 713200, 4161200; 
713100, 4161100; 713100, 4161000; 713400, 4160700; 713400, 4160600; 
713600, 4160500; 713800, 4160800; 713900, 4160800; 714000, 4160700; 
714000, 4160400; 711100, 4160300; 711100, 4161900; 709500, 4161900; 
709500, 4163500; 707900, 4163500; 707900, 4163100; 707000, 4163100; 
707000, 4165600; 707400, 4165600; 707400, 4165800; 706700, 4166100; 
706500, 4165800; 706200, 4166000; 706300, 4166300; 706200, 4166400; 
706200, 4166500; 706300, 4166500; 706300, 4166700; 706200, 4166700; 
706200, 4167100; 706500, 4167100; 706700, 4166700; 706800, 4166700; 
706800, 4166300; 707000, 4166300; 707000, 4166100; 707200, 4166100; 
707200, 4166700; 707400, 4166700; 707800, 4166000; 707800, 4165600; 
708000, 4165800; 708200, 4165800; 708400, 4165700; 708400, 4165500; 
708200, 4165400; 708200, 4165300; 708300, 4165200; 708400, 4165200; 
708500, 4165300; 708600, 4165400; 708800, 4165400; 709100, 4165100; 
710200, 4165100; 710200, 4166400; 710100, 4166400; 710100, 4166500; 
710000, 4166500; 709900, 4166500; 709900, 4166700; 709800, 4166700; 
709800, 4167100; 710200, 4166800; 711000, 4167600; 711600, 4167800; 
712400, 4167800; 712400, 4167300; 712900, 4167300; 712900, 4167200; 
712600, 4166900; 711800, 4167000; 711600, 4166800; 711600, 4166600; 
711800, 4166500; 711800, 4166600; 711900, 4166600; 712000, 4166300; 
712100, 4166500; 712200, 4166500; 712300, 4166400; 712500, 4166400; 
712500, 4166200; 712700, 4166200; 712700, 4166300; 712800, 4166300; 
713000, 4166100; 712800, 4166000; 712700, 4165800; 712500, 4165800; 
712500, 4165600; 712700, 4165600; 712600, 4165400; 712400, 4165500; 
712300, 4165400; 712500, 4165300; 712500, 4165200; 712400, 4165100; 
712600, 4165100; 712600, 4165000; 712600, 4164900; 712700, 4164800; 
712600, 4164700; 712500, 4164800; 712400, 4164800; 712400, 4164300; 
712800, 4164500; 713100, 4164300; 713200, 4164100; 712900, 4163800; 
712900, 4163700; 713100, 4163800; 713500, 4164000; 713600, 4164000; 
713600, 4164100; 713700, 4164300; 714200, 4164300; 714400, 4164500; 
714500, 4164800; 714600, 4164800; 714800, 4164700; 714800, 4164200; 
714400, 4164000; 714400, 4163600; 714500, 4163500; 715200, 4164000; 
715300, 4164200; 715400, 4164200; 715300, 4163900; 715100, 4163700; 
715000, 4163500; 714800, 4163300; 714900,

[[Page 46819]]

4163200; 715000, 4163200; 715700, 4163200; 715900, 4163100; 716000, 
4162900; 716100, 4162800; 716200, 4162800; 716300, 4162900; 716400, 
4163000; 716500, 4163100; 716600, 4163200; 716600, 4163500; 716500, 
4163600; 716500, 4163800; 716600, 4164100; 716800, 4164500; 716700, 
4164900; 716800, 4165300; 717200, 4165800; 717200, 4166100; 717000, 
4166400; 716600, 4166400; 716400, 4166300; 716400, 4166900; 716600, 
4166900; 716800, 4167100; 716800, 4167350; 717000, 4167400; 717500, 
4167400; 718100, 4167300; 718500, 4167100; 718600, 4166600; 718700, 
4166400; 719100, 4166700; 719300, 4166800; 719500, 4166800; 719500, 
4166500; 719600, 4166400; 719600, 4166100; 719800, 4166100; 719900, 
4166300; 719900, 4166200; 720700, 4166200; 720700, 4163700; 721700, 
4163700; 722400, 4164100; 722400, 4165300; 722200, 4165300; 722200, 
4165400; 721500, 4165400; 721500, 4166100; 721000, 4166300; 720700, 
4166500; 720900, 4166600; 721000, 4166700; 721100, 4166900; 721000, 
4167000; 720300, 4167000; 720100, 4166900; 720200, 4166700; 720200, 
4166600; 720100, 4166500; 720000, 4166500; 719800, 4166800; 719500, 
4167400; 719500, 4167600; 719700, 4167800; 720500, 4167800; 720700, 
4167700; 720900, 4167500; 721100, 4167400; 721300, 4167700; 721700, 
4167700; 722000, 4167600; 722500, 4167600; 723200, 4167100; 723500, 
4166300; 723000, 4166100; 723200, 4165600; 723400, 4165700; 723600, 
4165600; 723600, 4165100; 723700, 4164900; 724300, 4164900; 725000, 
4163700; 725300, 4163800; 724900, 4162800; 725100, 4162700; 725400, 
4162700; 726000, 4164100; 726300, 4163500; 726200, 4163100; 726000, 
4163000; 726100, 4162700; 726200, 4160600; 730600, 4160700; 730600, 
4161100; 731000, 4160800; 731700, 4160700; 732000, 4160000; 733500, 
4159000; 733700, 4158700; 733300, 4158600; 733300, 4158300; 733800, 
4157700; 733400, 4157100; 731700, 4156900; 730900, 4156500; 728900, 
4156600; 728700, 4156700; 728700, 4156800; 728600, 4156900; 728300, 
4156900; 728100, 4156800; 727900, 4156800; 727100, 4156800; 726900, 
4156600; 726700, 4156500; 726300, 4156500; 726100, 4156600; 725800, 
4156500; 725600, 4156400; 725500, 4156300; 725400, 4156200; 725100, 
4156100; 725000, 4156000; 724900, 4156000; 724800, 4156100; 724300, 
4156100; 724300, 4155700; 723800, 4155700; 723900, 4155300; 723300, 
4155400; 722700, 4155100; 722700, 4155400; 722300, 4155400; 722300, 
4156800; 722900, 4156800; 722900, 4157400; 723500, 4157400; 723500, 
4157000; 723700, 4157000; 723700, 4156900; 724300, 4156900; 724300, 
4157400; 724200, 4157400; returning to 724100, 4158200.
    (ii) Start at 704200, 4166200; 704000, 4166200; 703800, 4166400; 
703400, 4166600; 703400, 4166800; 703500, 4166800; 703600, 4166900; 
703700, 4167000; 703700, 4167200; 704600, 4167600; 704700, 4167600; 
704800, 4167500; 705000, 4167400; 705300, 4167400; 705300, 4166400; 
705000, 4166300; 704400, 4166300; returning to 704200, 4166200.
    (iii) Start at 712600, 4155200; 712600, 4156800; 712900, 4156800; 
712900, 4157100; 714800, 4157200; 714800, 4156800; 714300, 4156300; 
714200, 4156200; 714000, 4155500; 714000, 4155400; 713800, 4155400; 
returning to 712600, 4155200.
    (10) Subunit 6A: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (11) Subunit 6B: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (12) Subunit 6C: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (13) Subunit 7A: Tulare County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Ivanhoe, and Stokes Mtn., California, land bounded by 
the following UTM 11 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N):
    (i) Start at 300900, 4041500; 300900, 4041800; 300200, 4041800; 
299900, 4041900; 299600, 4042100; 299200, 4042700; 298900, 4043000; 
298900, 4043300; 299200, 4043500; 299700, 4043500; 299700, 4044700; 
300100, 4045300; 300700, 4045400; 301200, 4044900; 301400, 4044900; 
301400, 4045200; 301300, 4045200; 301300, 4045800; 302200, 4045800; 
302200, 4045600; 302500, 4045600; 303000, 4045900; 303100, 4045900; 
303300, 4045700; 303600, 4045700; 303800, 4046100; 304300, 4046100; 
304500, 4046300; 304700, 4046300; 304900, 4046800; 304700, 4047700; 
304800, 4047900; 304700, 4048300; 304800, 4048500; 305400, 4048500; 
305800, 4048000; 306000, 4047900; 306300, 4047900; 306500, 4047600; 
306500, 4047000; 306300, 4046900; 306100, 4045900; 305900, 4045300; 
305600, 4045100; 305400, 4044300; 305400, 4044100; 305900, 4043900; 
305700, 4043400; 305700, 4042400; 305000, 4042400; 304900, 4042000; 
304200, 4042000; 304100, 4041600; 301400, 4041700; returning to 300900, 
4041500.
    (ii) Start at 300900, 4041500; 300900, 4041400; 300400, 4041400; 
300400, 4040100; 300300, 4040100; 300300, 4039400; 300300, 4039300; 
300000, 4039300; 300000, 4038600; 299200, 4038600; 298400, 4038600; 
298400, 4039500; 298500, 4039800; 298900, 4039900; 298900, 4041000; 
299700, 4041000; 299300, 4041500; returning to 300900, 4041500.
    (14) Subunit 7B: Tulare County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Auckland, Ivanhoe, Stokes Mtn., and Woodlake, 
California, land bounded by the following UTM 11 NAD 83 coordinates (E, 
N):
    (i) Start at 308500, 4033700; 308200, 4033800; 308000, 4033900; 
308100, 4034300; 308000, 4034500; 308000, 4034900; 307700, 4035100; 
307500, 4035400; 307400, 4035600; 307400, 4035800; 307200, 4036300; 
306900, 4036900; 307100, 4037300; 306700, 4038300; 306700, 4038400; 
306800, 4038500; 307000, 4038500; 307200, 4038600; 307100, 4038700; 
307100, 4039900; 308100, 4040200; 308500, 4040700; 308200, 4041500; 
307600, 4041500; 307100, 4042000; 307100, 4042600; 307700, 4043700; 
307800, 4044500; 308200, 4044700; 309000, 4043900; 309600, 4043400; 
311700, 4043400; 312100, 4043000; 312700, 4043000; 313000, 4042700; 
313000, 4042300; 312500, 4042000; 311000, 4041000; 311000, 4040400; 
310600, 4040200; 310600, 4039900; 310400, 4039900; 310400, 4039800; 
310000, 4039800; 310000, 4039500; 309900, 4039400; 309900, 4039200; 
309700, 4039200; 309300, 4039200; 309300, 4038800; 308900, 4038800; 
308900, 4038400; 308100, 4038400; 308000, 4038200; 307900, 4038200; 
307900, 4037600; 308100, 4037600; 308100, 4037400; 308300, 4037400; 
308300, 4038000; 308700, 4038000; 308700, 4037900; 308800, 4037800; 
308700, 4037600; 308900, 4037600; 308900, 4037400; 308700, 4037400; 
308700, 4037200; 309100, 4037200; 309100, 4036800; 308700, 4036800; 
308700, 4037000; 308100, 4037000; 308100, 4036900; 308200, 4036900; 
308200, 4036800; 308100, 4036800; 308100, 4036600; 308300, 4036600; 
308300, 4036500; 308500, 4036500; 308400, 4035800; 308300, 4035800; 
308300, 4035400; 308900, 4035000; 309000, 4034800; 308700, 4034800; 
308700, 4034100; 308600, 4034100; 308600, 4034000; 308700, 4033900; 
returning to 308500, 4033700.
    (ii) Start at 315900, 4034500; 314100, 4034600; 313400, 4034900; 
312800, 4035000; 312800, 4035100; 313000, 4035100; 313000, 4035900; 
312500, 4035900; 312500, 4035700; 312300, 4035700; 312100, 4035500; 
312000, 4035500; 312000, 4035100; 311300, 4035100; 311300, 4035300; 
311500, 4035300; 311500, 4035500; 311100, 4035600; 311100, 4035300; 
311000, 4035200; 311000, 4035100; 310500, 4035100; 310400, 4035000; 
310300,

[[Page 46820]]

4035100; 310300, 4035900; 310600, 4035900; 310600, 4036700; 310800, 
4036700; 310800, 4037000; 310500, 4037000; 310500, 4037100; 310600, 
4037400; 310400, 4037600; 309800, 4037600; 309900, 4038400; 310100, 
4038400; 310100, 4038200; 310500, 4038200; 310500, 4037900; 310800, 
4037900; 310800, 4038300; 311200, 4038300; 311200, 4038700; 311500, 
4038700; 311500, 4038800; 311600, 4038800; 311600, 4039000; 311700, 
4039100; 312000, 4039100; 312000, 4039500; 311800, 4039500; 311600, 
4039600; 311700, 4040000; 312100, 4040700; 312700, 4041000; 313000, 
4041000; 313600, 4040500; 313700, 4040300; 313100, 4039600; 312700, 
4039600; 312700, 4039400; 313300, 4039400; 313500, 4039000; 313100, 
4038600; 313700, 4038600; 313900, 4038500; 314100, 4038000; 314600, 
4038000; 314800, 4037500; 314800, 4037200; 314000, 4036600; 314100, 
4036400; 314900, 4036400; 315100, 4036600; 315500, 4036600; 316100, 
4036400; 316400, 4035400; 316400, 4035200; returning to 315900, 
4034500.
    (15) Subunit 7C: Tulare County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Monson, California, land bounded by the following UTM 11 
NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 297500, 4035500; 297500, 4035200; 296800, 
4035300; 296200, 4035300; 296700, 4036800; 297500, 4036700; 297500, 
4036300; returning to 297500, 4035500.
    (16) Subunit 7D: Tulare County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Monson, and Traver, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 11 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 294300, 4035600; 293500, 
4035600; 293400, 4034000; 292600, 4034000; 292600, 4035400; 291900, 
4035400; 291700, 4035400; 291700, 4035600; 290500, 4035700; 290500, 
4036100; 289800, 4036100; 289800, 4035700; 289400, 4035700; 289400, 
4034500; 288500, 4034500; 288500, 4034200; 287700, 4034200; 287700, 
4034500; 287000, 4034600; 287000, 4035100; 288500, 4035100; 288500, 
4035600; 287700, 4035700; 287700, 4036700; 289300, 4036700; 289400, 
4037400; 291100, 4037400; 291100, 4037200; 291800, 4037200; 291900, 
4036800; 292700, 4036800; 292700, 4037600; 291900, 4037700; 292000, 
4039500; 292300, 4039200; 292800, 4039200; 292800, 4038500; 293200, 
4038500; 293200, 4038400; 294400, 4038400; returning to 294300, 
4035600.
    (17) Maps follow of critical habitat units 1 and 2, 4 through 6 and 
7 (respectively) for Hoover's spurge.
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BILLING CODE 4310-55-C

Family Limnanthaceae: Limnanthes floccosa ssp. californica (Butte 
County Meadowfoam).
    (1) Critical habitat units are depicted for Tehama County, 
California, on the map below.

[[Page 46824]]

    (2) The primary constituent elements of critical habitat for 
Limnanthes floccosa ssp. californica are the habitat components that 
provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Limnanthes floccosa ssp. 
californica germination, growth and reproduction, including but not 
limited to, vernal pool swales and the margins of vernal pools on the 
Tuscan, Redbluff, Riverbank, and Modesto geologic formations underlain 
by Tuscan-Anita and Igo-Redding complex soils among others. These 
habitats typically become inundated during winter rains, but are dry 
during the summer and do not necessarily fill with water every year; 
and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Limnanthes floccosa ssp. californica germination, 
growth and reproduction, and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.
    (3) Critical habitat does not include existing manmade features and 
structures, such as buildings, roads, aqueducts, railroads, airport 
runways and buildings, other paved areas, lawns, and other urban 
landscaped areas not containing one or more of the primary constituent 
elements.
    (4) Critical habitat does not include the following lands although 
they may fall within the legal descriptions below:
    (i) Lands within the following California counties: Butte, Madera, 
Merced, Sacramento, and Solano;
    (ii) Federally-owned lands within the boundaries of the Kern, 
Sacramento, San Francisco Bay, and San Luis National Wildlife Refuges 
and National Wildlife Refuge Complexes, and the Coleman National Fish 
Hatchery;
    (iii) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Allensworth, 
Boggs Lake, Butte Creek Canyon, Calhoun Cut, Carrizo Plains, Dales 
Lake, Fagan Marsh, Phoenix Field, San Joaquin River, Stone Corral, and 
Thomes Creek Ecological Reserves;
    (iv) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Battle Creek, 
Big Sandy, Grizzly Island, Hill Slough, North Grasslands, and Oroville 
Wildlife Areas.
    (5) Unit 1: Butte and Tehama Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Campbell Mound, Nord, Richardson Springs, and 
Richardson Springs NW, California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 
NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 595500, 4408200; 594300, 4408200; 594100, 
4408300; 594000, 4408400; 593600, 4408500; 593400, 4408200; 593300, 
4408200; 593300, 4408500; 592900, 4408500; 592900, 4408600; 593000, 
4408600; 593100, 4409200; 593200, 4409200; 593200, 4409300; 592900, 
4409300; 592900, 4409500; 593100, 4409600; 593100, 4409500; 593200, 
4409500; 593200, 4409800; 593300, 4409900; 593300, 4410400; 593100, 
4410400; 592900, 4410200; 592600, 4410200; 592600, 4410000; 592500, 
4409900; 592500, 4410800; 592700, 4411200; 593300, 4411400; 594000, 
4411600; 594600, 4412400; 594400, 4412800; 594200, 4412800; 594100, 
4412500; 593800, 4412500; 593800, 4412700; 593600, 4412900; 593300, 
4413100; 593200, 4412400; 593000, 4412200; 592600, 4412200; 592400, 
4412600; 591700, 4412600; 590900, 4411000; 590700, 4411000; 590000, 
4411600; 589000, 4411900; 588100, 4412000; 588100, 4413300; 588200, 
4413500; 588300, 4413900; 588500, 4414000; 588500, 4414600; 589200, 
4414700; 589200, 4415000; 590800, 4416100; 592400, 4416700; 592500, 
4416600; 592500, 4416000; 592000, 4416000; 592000, 4415800; 592500, 
4415800; 593800, 4416300; 594100, 4416300; 594400, 4416300; 594400, 
4415800; 594900, 4415800; 594900, 4416300; 595500, 4416300; 595500, 
4416400; 595900, 4416500; 596000, 4416500; 596100, 4416400; 596200, 
4416500; 596300, 4416600; 596400, 4416700; 596500, 4416700; 596500, 
4416800; 596600, 4416800; 597100, 4416400; 597100, 4415600; 596800, 
4415200; 597100, 4415000; 597800, 4415500; 598100, 4415200; 597600, 
4414600; 597600, 4414400; 597300, 4413800; 597300, 4413300; 598200, 
4413900; 598400, 4413900; 598400, 4413600; 597400, 4411900; 597600, 
4411900; 598300, 4412700; 598500, 4413300; 598900, 4413300; 598900, 
4411800; 599400, 4411700; 599800, 4411700; 599800, 4411000; 599300, 
4410700; 599100, 4410800; 599000, 4410800; 598800, 4410600; 598500, 
4410400; 598300, 4410100; 598100, 4410000; 598000, 4409900; 597700, 
4409800; 597600, 4409600; 597500, 4409500; 597300, 4409500; 597100, 
4409400; 596900, 4409200; 596800, 4409200; 596700, 4409100; 596200, 
4409100; 596000, 4408900; 595900, 4408800; 595700, 4408800; returning 
to 595500, 4408200.
    (6) Unit 2: Butte County, California. [Reserved]
    (7) Unit 3: Butte County, California. [Reserved]
    (8) Unit 4: Butte County, California. [Reserved]
    (9) Map follows of critical habitat units 1 through 4 for Butte 
County meadowfoam.
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P

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[[Page 46826]]


BILLING CODE 4310-55-C
Family Poaceae: Neostapfia colusana (Colusa Grass)
    (1) Critical habitat units are depicted for Yolo, Stanislaus, 
Mariposa, Tuolumne and Calaveras Counties, California, on the map 
below.
    (2) The primary constituent elements of critical habitat for 
Neostapfia colusana are the habitat components that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Neostapfia colusana 
germination, growth and reproduction, and that typically become 
inundated during winter rains, including but not limited to vernal 
pools formed on the rim of alkaline basins in the Sacramento and San 
Joaquin valleys, as well as on acidic soils of alluvial fans and stream 
terraces along the eastern margin of the San Joaquin Valley and into 
the adjacent foothills. All of these pool types are dry during the 
summer and do not necessarily fill with water every year; and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Neostapfia colusana germination, growth and 
reproduction, and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.
    (3) Critical habitat does not include existing manmade features and 
structures, such as buildings, roads, aqueducts, railroads, airport 
runways and buildings, other paved areas, lawns, and other urban 
landscaped areas not containing one or more of the primary constituent 
elements.
    (4) Critical habitat does not include the following lands although 
they may fall within the legal descriptions below:
    (i) Lands within the following California counties: Butte, Madera, 
Merced, Sacramento, and Solano;
    (ii) Federally-owned lands within the boundaries of the Kern, 
Sacramento, San Francisco Bay, and San Luis National Wildlife Refuges 
and National Wildlife Refuge Complexes, and the Coleman National Fish 
Hatchery;
    (iii) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Allensworth, 
Boggs Lake, Butte Creek Canyon, Calhoun Cut, Carrizo Plains, Dales 
Lake, Fagan Marsh, Phoenix Field, San Joaquin River, Stone Corral, and 
Thomes Creek Ecological Reserves;
    (iv) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Battle Creek, 
Big Sandy, Grizzly Island, Hill Slough, North Grasslands, and Oroville 
Wildlife Areas.
    (5) Unit 1: Yolo County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle 
maps Davis, and Saxon, California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 
NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 615400, 4260700; 614500, 4260700; 614500, 
4261500; 614200, 4261500; 614200, 4261800; 614000, 4261800; 614000, 
4262300; 615400, 4262300; returning to 615400, 4260700.
    (6) Unit 2: Solano County, California. [Reserved]
    (7) Unit 3: Calaveras and Stanislaus Counties, California. From 
USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle maps Bachelor Valley, Copperopolis, 
Farmington, Knights Ferry, and Oakdale, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 697300, 4184800; 697100, 
4185000; 696900, 4185400; 696500, 4185700; 696900, 4186000; 696900, 
4186300; 696600, 4186300; 696600, 4187000; 696000, 4187000; 696000, 
4186900; 695800, 4186700; 695600, 4186700; 695500, 4186500; 695400, 
4185900; 695100, 4185400; 694600, 4185500; 694600, 4185700; 694900, 
4186200; 694800, 4186200; 694600, 4186100; 694400, 4186100; 694300, 
4186000; 694200, 4186000; 693900, 4186200; 693800, 4186200; 693700, 
4186100; 693700, 4185900; 693500, 4185800; 693300, 4185600; 693100, 
4185500; 693000, 4185200; 692500, 4185200; 692400, 4185400; 692500, 
4185500; 692500, 4185600; 692500, 4186200; 692600, 4186300; 692600, 
4186800; 692500, 4186800; 692400, 4186900; 692300, 4186800; 692200, 
4187000; 692100, 4186800; 692000, 4187000; 691900, 4187000; 691900, 
4186800; 691800, 4186800; 691700, 4187200; 691600, 4187200; 691400, 
4187200; 691300, 4187200; 691200, 4187300; 691000, 4187400; 690800, 
4187800; 690800, 4187900; 690900, 4187900; 691000, 4188000; 691000, 
4187900; 691100, 4187900; 691100, 4188100; 691000, 4188200; 690900, 
4188200; 690900, 4188100; 690700, 4188000; 690600, 4188100; 690600, 
4188300; 690400, 4188500; 690300, 4188700; 690300, 4188800; 690100, 
4188900; 690200, 4189100; 690300, 4189100; 690500, 4189200; 690000, 
4189300; 689900, 4189400; 691100, 4189400; 691100, 4189900; 690900, 
4190000; 691000, 4190100; 690900, 4190500; 691000, 4190600; 691000, 
4190800; 691100, 4190800; 691200, 4190600; 691400, 4190700; 691600, 
4190600; 691600, 4190500; 691700, 4190500; 691800, 4190400; 691800, 
4190600; 692100, 4190600; 692200, 4190400; 692300, 4190500; 692300, 
4190700; 692200, 4190700; 692200, 4190800; 692000, 4190800; 691900, 
4190900; 691700, 4190700; 691600, 4190700; 691600, 4190800; 691500, 
4191100; 691700, 4191100; 691700, 4191700; 693100, 4191900; 693600, 
4192400; 693800, 4193200; 694000, 4193300; 693900, 4193200; 694000, 
4193200; 694100, 4193100; 694200, 4193100; 694600, 4192900; 694700, 
4192800; 694500, 4192500; 695200, 4192500; 695400, 4192400; 695700, 
4192100; 695800, 4192000; 695800, 4191700; 695900, 4191700; 695900, 
4191500; 696000, 4191400; 696000, 4191200; 696400, 4191200; 696400, 
4191500; 696500, 4191500; 696500, 4192500; 696300, 4192500; 695100, 
4193400; 695100, 4193500; 694900, 4193600; 694800, 4193800; 694600, 
4193800; 694600, 4193900; 694500, 4193900; 694500, 4193800; 694400, 
4193800; 694400, 4193900; 694300, 4193900; 694300, 4193700; 694200, 
4193700; 694000, 4193800; 693900, 4193900; 693700, 4194200; 693700, 
4194400; 693600, 4194700; 693500, 4194700; 693500, 4194600; 693300, 
4194500; 693100, 4194600; 692900, 4194500; 692000, 4194900; 692000, 
4195900; 691800, 4195900; 691300, 4195600; 691100, 4195900; 691400, 
4196000; 691400, 4196100; 691300, 4196200; 691300, 4196300; 691400, 
4196400; 691400, 4196500; 691200, 4196500; 690900, 4196300; 690800, 
4196200; 690600, 4196400; 690600, 4196500; 690700, 4196600; 690500, 
4196600; 690300, 4196500; 689800, 4196500; 689500, 4196400; 689500, 
4197000; 689100, 4197000; 688900, 4196600; 688900, 4196700; 688800, 
4196700; 688800, 4196200; 686900, 4196200; 687000, 4196400; 687200, 
4197000; 687900, 4197100; 687900, 4198500; 688200, 4198800; 688400, 
4198800; 688500, 4199200; 688800, 4199100; 688800, 4199900; 688500, 
4199900; 688500, 4200000; 688000, 4200200; 688100, 4201700; 686600, 
4201800; 686300, 4202600; 686300, 4202900; 686500, 4203100; 687700, 
4203800; 687800, 4203800; 687900, 4203500; 688600, 4203800; 689100, 
4203600; 689400, 4203800; 689400, 4204400; 690200, 4204400; 690300, 
4203600; 691600, 4204200; 692500, 4204600; 692400, 4203100; 693200, 
4202800; 693200, 4202100; 692800, 4200800; 695000, 4199200; 695800, 
4199200; 696200, 4199100; 696500, 4198900; 696600, 4198700; 696800, 
4198100; 696900,

[[Page 46827]]

4197800; 697300, 4198400; 697700, 4198400; 697500, 4197100; 697800, 
4196700; 698300, 4196700; 699100, 4195600; 699300, 4195300; 699600, 
4195300; 700000, 4194700; 700200, 4194600; 700200, 4194000; 700900, 
4194000; 702000, 4193700; 702300, 4193800; 702300, 4194600; 702600, 
4194700; 702900, 4194500; 702900, 4193800; 702200, 4193100; 702300, 
4192400; 703900, 4191600; 703900, 4191100; 704400, 4190700; 705400, 
4190400; 705700, 4189100; 705500, 4188600; 705100, 4188500; 704800, 
4188500; 704300, 4188900; 703800, 4188500; 703600, 4188500; 703400, 
4189100; 702300, 4189000; 700700, 4188500; 700100, 4188500; 700000, 
4188800; 699600, 4188300; 699800, 4188200; 700100, 4187600; 699900, 
4186200; 698400, 4185200; returning to 697300, 4184800.
    (8) Unit 4: Stanislaus and Tuolumne Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Cooperstown, Keystone, Knights Ferry, La 
Grange, Oakdale, Paulsell, and Waterford, California, land bounded by 
the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N):
    (i) Start at 710300, 4182900; 711400, 4182100; 712400, 4182100; 
713200, 4182000; 714100, 4182600; 714700, 4182000; 715200, 4181600; 
715600, 4180900; 715400, 4180400; 716600, 4180400; 716900, 4179900; 
717700, 4180100; 718500, 4180000; 718700, 4179200; 719300, 4178700; 
719700, 4177600; 720300, 4177700; 720700, 4177700; 720800, 4176400; 
721400, 4175900; 722200, 4175300; 722700, 4175200; 722800, 4173600; 
723000, 4173500; 723200, 4173600; 723700, 4173600; 724000, 4173300; 
724100, 4172300; 722800, 4172200; 721700, 4171200; 721600, 4170700; 
721500, 4170500; 721400, 4170400; 721200, 4170300; 721000, 4170100; 
721000, 4169600; 720900, 4169600; 720000, 4168500; 718900, 4168000; 
718700, 4168100; 718100, 4168500; 718000, 4168500; 717900, 4168600; 
716200, 4168600; 715900, 4168500; 715600, 4168300; 715500, 4168200; 
715400, 4168300; 715400, 4169400; 714900, 4169900; 714900, 4170000; 
715100, 4170000; 715200, 4170200; 715300, 4170200; 715300, 4170400; 
715300, 4171200; 715200, 4171200; 715200, 4171000; 715100, 4171000; 
715100, 4170700; 714900, 4170700; 714900, 4170300; 713900, 4169800; 
713800, 4169900; 713000, 4169500; 712500, 4169400; 712200, 4169400; 
712000, 4169600; 711500, 4169900; 711300, 4169900; 710500, 4169100; 
709300, 4169100; 709100, 4169500; 709100, 4169700; 708900, 4169700; 
708800, 4169900; 708700, 4169900; 708600, 4169800; 708500, 4169900; 
708400, 4170000; 708700, 4170200; 708800, 4170300; 708900, 4170400; 
709100, 4170500; 709200, 4170600; 709400, 4170600; 709400, 4170800; 
709300, 4170800; 709200, 4170900; 709100, 4170800; 708800, 4170700; 
708800, 4170600; 708500, 4170500; 708400, 4170300; 708100, 4170200; 
707900, 4170200; 707900, 4170300; 708100, 4170500; 708200, 4170500; 
708200, 4170600; 708000, 4170600; 708200, 4170800; 708200, 4170900; 
708100, 4170900; 707900, 4170700; 707700, 4170700; 707700, 4170800; 
707600, 4170900; 707400, 4170900; 707100, 4171100; 707100, 4171200; 
707200, 4171300; 707300, 4171200; 707500, 4171300; 707800, 4171600; 
707900, 4171600; 708100, 4171600; 708200, 4171700; 708100, 4171800; 
708100, 4171900; 708300, 4171900; 708300, 4172100; 708400, 4172100; 
708500, 4172200; 708500, 4172300; 708700, 4172400; 708800, 4172500; 
708800, 4172600; 708700, 4172700; 708500, 4172700; 708400, 4172800; 
708300, 4172700; 708200, 4172700; 708100, 4172600; 708000, 4172500; 
707900, 4172500; 707800, 4172700; 707600, 4172600; 707400, 4172500; 
707400, 4172600; 707200, 4172700; 707100, 4172300; 707000, 4172200; 
706700, 4172200; 706700, 4172300; 706500, 4172300; 706400, 4172300; 
706400, 4172400; 706200, 4172600; 706300, 4172700; 706400, 4172800; 
706300, 4172800; 706200, 4172800; 706100, 4172900; 705900, 4173100; 
705800, 4173300; 705800, 4173500; 706000, 4173800; 705900, 4173900; 
705800, 4174100; 705700, 4174200; 705500, 4174200; 705400, 4174100; 
705400, 4173700; 705300, 4173500; 705200, 4173200; 705100, 4173200; 
705100, 4172600; 704900, 4172400; 704800, 4172100; 704600, 4172100; 
704500, 4171900; 704400, 4171800; 704500, 4171600; 704600, 4171400; 
704700, 4171500; 704900, 4171200; 704700, 4171100; 704900, 4171000; 
704800, 4170900; 704600, 4170900; 704600, 4170700; 704800, 4170200; 
705100, 4170200; 705000, 4170100; 705000, 4169600; 705000, 4169500; 
704900, 4169400; 704800, 4169300; 704100, 4169300; 703500, 4169500; 
703400, 4169600; 703400, 4170100; 703600, 4170200; 703600, 4170300; 
703500, 4170300; 703500, 4170600; 703500, 4170700; 703500, 4170800; 
703400, 4170900; 703400, 4171300; 703300, 4171400; 703200, 4171500; 
703400,

4171500; 703400, 4171800; 703600, 4171800; 703600, 4174000; 704300, 
4174000; 704300, 4173700; 705200, 4173700; 705100, 4174700; 705400, 
4175400; 705000, 4175900; 705300, 4176300; 705700, 4176700; 705700, 
4177000; 705700, 4177500; 705100, 4177500; 705000, 4177300; 704800, 
4177300; 704800, 4177100; 704600, 4177100; 704500, 4177200; 704500, 
4177400; 704300, 4177500; 704200, 4177300; 704000, 4177300; 703800, 
4177100; 703500, 4177300; 703500, 4177800; 703800, 4178200; 704000, 
4178200; 704100, 4178100; 704200, 4178100; 704200, 4178400; 703900, 
4178400; 703900, 4178800; 703800, 4178900; 703900, 4179100; 703900, 
4179200; 703500, 4179200; 703200, 4179500; 703000, 4178800; 702900, 
4178800; 702600, 4178900; 702400, 4178900; 702400, 4178500; 702800, 
4178300; 702900, 4178300; 703100, 4177800; 703100, 4177500; 703000, 
4177300; 702700, 4177500; 702600, 4177500; 702500, 4177400; 702700, 
4177200; 702700, 4177000; 702600, 4177100; 702400, 4177100; 702400, 
4177000; 702400, 4176800; 702300, 4176800; 702300, 4177100; 702200, 
4177200; 702000, 4177100; 702100, 4176900; 702000, 4176800; 701800, 
4176800; 701600, 4176700; 701600, 4176500; 701600, 4176200; 701700, 
4175900; 701800, 4175800; 702000, 4175800; 702000, 4175100; 701600, 
4175100; 701600, 4174200; 701900, 4173700; 701800, 4173600; 701700, 
4173500; 701700, 4173300; 701700, 4173200; 701600, 4173200; 701500, 
4173100; 701500, 4173000; 701600, 4173000; 701600, 4172800; 701500, 
4172600; 701300, 4172500; 701100, 4172600; 700700, 4172600; 700600, 
4172600; 700500, 4172700; 700500, 4172900; 700400, 4172900; 700400, 
4172800; 700100, 4172700; 699600, 4172700; 699500, 4172800; 699300, 
4172800; 699100, 4172500; 698800, 4172500; 698700, 4172600; 698400, 
4172400; 698100, 4172800; 698200, 4173000; 697400, 4174300; 697300, 
4174300; 697300, 4174500; 697800, 4174500; 697800, 4176300; 697700, 
4176300; 697700, 4179300; 696800, 4179300; 696600, 4180000; 696600, 
4180200; 697100, 4179900; 697700, 4180200; 697700, 4180400; 697600, 
4180400; 697600, 4182200; 698700, 4182200; 699000, 4182600; 700300, 
4182600; 700300, 4183400; 699400, 4183400; 699400, 4184100; 700800, 
4185100; 704100, 4186300; 705300, 4187700; 705700, 4187700; 706300, 
4188200; 706700, 4188300; 706800, 4188500; 707100, 4188600; 707600, 
4188800; 707900, 4189100; 708400, 4189600; 708700, 4190000; 709200, 
4189300; 709200, 4188600; 710100, 4188200; 709900, 4186700; 708900, 
4185800; 708800, 4185000; 709600, 4184200; 710300, 4183900; returning 
to 710300, 4182900; excluding land bound

[[Page 46828]]

by 699400, 4179400; 698100, 4179400; 698400, 4179500; 698400, 4180200; 
699800, 4180200; 699800, 4180000; 699600, 4179800; returning to 699400, 
4179400; and excluding land bound by 709800, 4176600; 709800, 4177000; 
709900, 4177000; 709900, 4177600; 709800, 4177700; 709700, 4178000; 
709700, 4178200; 710600, 4178800; 710700, 4178900; 711800, 4178900; 
711900, 4178100; 711700, 4177600; 711700, 4177200; 711600, 4176900; 
711400, 4176700; 711200, 4176700; 711000, 4176700; 710800, 4176600; 
710800, 4176500; 710700, 4176400; 710600, 4176400; 710400, 4176300; 
710300, 4176200; 710300, 4176100; 710000, 4176100; 709900, 4176200; 
709900, 4176400; returning to 709800, 4176600; and excluding land bound 
by 706200, 4178400; 706600, 4178700; 707300, 4178700; 707300, 4178500; 
707500, 4178400; 707500, 4177900; 708200, 4177900; 708200, 4176900; 
708000, 4176500; 708000, 4176500; 707900, 4176000; 707900, 4175900; 
707800, 4175700; 707700, 4175700; 707600, 4175500; 707400, 4175600; 
707100, 4175600; 706800, 4175700; 706700, 4175900; 706700, 4177100; 
706200, 4177100; 706200, 4177600; 706300, 4178000; returning to 706200, 
4178400; and excluding land bound by 700700, 4176200; 699400, 4176200; 
699300, 4176200; 699300, 4177800; 701000, 4177800; 701000, 4177000; 
700500, 4177000; 700500, 4176600; 700700, 4176400; returning to 700700, 
4176200; and excluding land bound by 717800, 4170900; 718000, 4171000; 
718000, 4171300; 718800, 4171500; 718800, 4171400; 718900, 4171000; 
719000, 4171000; 719100, 4170900; 718900, 4170400; 718800, 4170200; 
718600, 4170200; 718600, 4170100; 718100, 4170200; 717700, 4170200; 
717300, 4170300; 717300, 4170500; 717800, 4170500; returning to 717800, 
4170900.
    (ii) Start at 702000, 4169700; 701000, 4169700; 700700, 4169700; 
700700, 4170500; 700500, 4170500; 700500, 4170900; 700300, 4170900; 
700300, 4171100; 700300, 4171800; 701200, 4171800; 702000, 4171800; 
702000, 4169800; returning to 702000, 4169700.
    (9) Unit 5: Merced and Stanislaus Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Cooperstown, La Grange, Merced Falls, 
Montpelier, Paulsell, Snelling, and Turlock Lake, California, land 
bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N):
    (i) Start at 724100, 4158200; 723800, 4158200; 723700, 4159000; 
722500, 4159000; 722500, 4159200; 722400, 4159200; 722300, 4159300; 
722200, 4159300; 721600, 4159300; 721600, 4159500; 721500, 4159600; 
721500, 4159800; 721600, 4159800; 721600, 4159900; 721700, 4159900; 
721700, 4160500; 721100, 4160500; 721100, 4160100; 720800, 4160100; 
720800, 4160500; 719500, 4160500; 719500, 4160300; 720000, 4159600; 
719600, 4159600; 719600, 4159500; 719500, 4159500; 719400, 4159500; 
719300, 4159400; 719100, 4159400; 719000, 4159400; 718900, 4159300; 
718700, 4159100; 718600, 4159000; 718600, 4158900; 718400, 4158900; 
718200, 4158800; 718200, 4158700; 718300, 4158600; 718400, 4158500; 
718500, 4158500; 718600, 4158400; 718700, 4158400; 718900, 4158300; 
719000, 4158100; 719000, 4157900; 718700, 4157600; 718000, 4157700; 
717800, 4157400; 717900, 4157200; 718000, 4157000; 718400, 4157300; 
718700, 4156700; 718700, 4156300; 717500, 4156300; 717500, 4156700; 
717100, 4156700; 717100, 4156300; 716600, 4156300; 716600, 4155800; 
716300, 4155700; 716200, 4155000; 715900, 4154900; 715900, 4155100; 
715800, 4155200; 715800, 4155300; 715700, 4155400; 715600, 4155700; 
715500, 4155800; 715400, 4155800; 715300, 4156600; 715400, 4156600; 
715400, 4157200; 715400, 4157400; 715500, 4157400; 715500, 4157600; 
717600, 4157600; 717600, 4159700; 718100, 4160200; 718200, 4160500; 
718400, 4160800; 718700, 4161100; 716800, 4161100; 716800, 4160400; 
714900, 4160400; 714900, 4160900; 715000, 4160900; 715000, 4161000; 
715200, 4161000; 715200, 4161100; 714400, 4161100; 714400, 4161200; 
713700, 4161200; 713700, 4161100; 713300, 4161100; 713200, 4161200; 
713100, 4161100; 713100, 4161000; 713400, 4160700; 713400, 4160600; 
713600, 4160500; 713800, 4160800; 713900, 4160800; 714000, 4160700; 
714000, 4160400; 711100, 4160300; 711100, 4161900; 709500, 4161900; 
709500, 4163500; 707900, 4163500; 707900, 4163100; 707000, 4163100; 
707000, 4165600; 707400, 4165600; 707400, 4165800; 706700, 4166100; 
706500, 4165800; 706200, 4166000; 706300, 4166300; 706200, 4166400; 
706200, 4166500; 706300, 4166500; 706300, 4166700; 706200, 4166700; 
706200, 4167100; 706500, 4167100; 706700, 4166700; 706800, 4166700; 
706800, 4166300; 707000, 4166300; 707000, 4166100; 707200, 4166100; 
707200, 4166700; 707400, 4166700; 707800, 4166000; 707800, 4165600; 
708000, 4165800; 708200, 4165800; 708400, 4165700; 708400, 4165500; 
708200, 4165400; 708200, 4165300; 708300, 4165200; 708400, 4165200; 
708500, 4165300; 708600, 4165400; 708800, 4165400; 709100, 4165100; 
710200, 4165100; 710200, 4166400; 710100, 4166400; 710100, 4166500; 
710000, 4166500; 709900, 4166500; 709900, 4166700; 709800, 4166700; 
709800, 4167100; 710200, 4166800; 711000, 4167600; 711600, 4167800; 
712400, 4167800; 712400, 4167300; 712900, 4167300; 712900, 4167200; 
712600, 4166900; 711800, 4167000; 711600, 4166800; 711600, 4166600; 
711800, 4166500; 711800, 4166600; 711900, 4166600; 712000, 4166300; 
712100, 4166500; 712200, 4166500; 712300, 4166400; 712500, 4166400; 
712500, 4166200; 712700, 4166200; 712700, 4166300; 712800, 4166300; 
713000, 4166100; 712800, 4166000; 712700, 4165800; 712500, 4165800; 
712500, 4165600; 712700, 4165600; 712600, 4165400; 712400, 4165500; 
712300, 4165400; 712500, 4165300; 712500, 4165200; 712400, 4165100; 
712600, 4165100; 712600, 4165000; 712600, 4164900; 712700, 4164800; 
712600, 4164700; 712500, 4164800; 712400, 4164800; 712400, 4164300; 
712800, 4164500; 713100, 4164300; 713200, 4164100; 712900, 4163800; 
712900, 4163700; 713100, 4163800; 713500, 4164000; 713600, 4164000; 
713600, 4164100; 713700, 4164300; 714200, 4164300; 714400, 4164500; 
714500, 4164800; 714600, 4164800; 714800, 4164700; 714800, 4164200; 
714400, 4164000; 714400, 4163600; 714500, 4163500; 715200, 4164000; 
715300, 4164200; 715400, 4164200; 715300, 4163900; 715100, 4163700; 
715000, 4163500; 714800, 4163300; 714900, 4163200; 715000, 4163200; 
715700, 4163200; 715900, 4163100; 716000, 4162900; 716100, 4162800; 
716200, 4162800; 716300, 4162900; 716400, 4163000; 716500, 4163100; 
716600, 4163200; 716600, 4163500; 716500, 4163600; 716500, 4163800; 
716600, 4164100; 716800, 4164500; 716700, 4164900; 716800, 4165300; 
717200, 4165800; 717200, 4166100; 717000, 4166400; 716600, 4166400; 
716400, 4166300; 716400, 4166900; 716600, 4166900; 716800, 4167100; 
716800, 4167350; 717000, 4167400; 717500, 4167400; 718100, 4167300; 
718500, 4167100; 718600, 4166600; 718700, 4166400; 719100, 4166700; 
719300, 4166800; 719500, 4166800; 719500, 4166500; 719600, 4166400; 
719600, 4166100; 719800, 4166100; 719900, 4166300; 719900, 4166200; 
720700, 4166200; 720700, 4163700; 721700, 4163700; 722400, 4164100; 
722400, 4165300; 722200, 4165300; 722200, 4165400; 721500, 4165400; 
721500, 4166100; 721000, 4166300; 720700, 4166500; 720900, 4166600; 
721000, 4166700; 721100, 4166900; 721000,

[[Page 46829]]

4167000; 720300, 4167000; 720100, 4166900; 720200, 4166700; 720200, 
4166600; 720100, 4166500; 720000, 4166500; 719800, 4166800; 719500, 
4167400; 719500, 4167600; 719700, 4167800; 720500, 4167800; 720700, 
4167700; 720900, 4167500; 721100, 4167400; 721300, 4167700; 721700, 
4167700; 722000, 4167600; 722500,

4167600; 723200, 4167100; 723500, 4166300; 723000, 4166100; 723200, 
4165600; 723400, 4165700; 723600, 4165600; 723600, 4165100; 723700, 
4164900; 724300, 4164900; 725000, 4163700; 725300, 4163800; 724900, 
4162800; 725100, 4162700; 725400, 4162700; 726000, 4164100; 726300, 
4163500; 726200, 4163100; 726000, 4163000; 726100, 4162700; 726200, 
4160600; 730600, 4160700; 730600, 4161100; 731000, 4160800; 731700, 
4160700; 732000, 4160000; 733500, 4159000; 733700, 4158700; 733300, 
4158600; 733300, 4158300; 733800, 4157700; 733400, 4157100; 731700, 
4156900; 730900, 4156500; 728900, 4156600; 728700, 4156700; 728700, 
4156800; 728600, 4156900; 728300, 4156900; 728100, 4156800; 727900, 
4156800; 727100, 4156800; 726900, 4156600; 726700, 4156500; 726300, 
4156500; 726100, 4156600; 725800, 4156500; 725600, 4156400; 725500, 
4156300; 725400, 4156200; 725100, 4156100; 725000, 4156000; 724900, 
4156000; 724800, 4156100; 724300, 4156100; 724300, 4155700; 723800, 
4155700; 723900, 4155300; 723300, 4155400; 722700, 4155100; 722700, 
4155400; 722300, 4155400; 722300, 4156800; 722900, 4156800; 722900, 
4157400; 723500, 4157400; 723500, 4157000; 723700, 4157000; 723700, 
4156900; 724300, 4156900; 724300, 4157400; 724200, 4157400; returning 
to 724100, 4158200; 704200, 4166200; 704000, 4166200; 703800, 4166400; 
703400, 4166600; 703400, 4166800; 703500, 4166800; 703600, 4166900; 
703700, 4167000; 703700, 4167200; 704600, 4167600; 704700, 4167600; 
704800, 4167500; 705000, 4167400; 705300, 4167400; 705300, 4166400; 
705000, 4166300; 704400, 4166300; returning to 704200, 4166200.
    (ii) Start at 712600, 4155200; 712600, 4156800; 712900, 4156800; 
712900, 4157100; 714800, 4157200; 714800, 4156800; 714300, 4156300; 
714200, 4156200; 714000, 4155500; 714000, 4155400; 713800, 4155400; 
returning to 712600, 4155200.
    (10) Unit 6: Mariposa and Merced Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Haystack Mtn., Indian Gulch, Merced, Merced 
Falls, Owens Reservoir, Planada, Snelling, Winton, and Yosemite Lake, 
California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, 
N): 736600, 4134200; 733900, 4134200; 733900, 4134800; 733800, 4134900; 
733800, 4135000; 733000, 4135000; 733000, 4135800; 732500, 4135800; 
730300, 4135700; 730200, 4135600; 730100, 4135600; 729900, 4135700; 
729900, 4136500; 729900, 4136700; 730000, 4136700; 730100, 4136600; 
730200, 4136600; 730300, 4136600; 730400, 4136700; 730500, 4136800; 
730600, 4136900; 730600, 4137000; 730600, 4137200; 730600, 4137300; 
730500, 4137400; 730400, 4137500; 730300, 4137500; 729900, 4137700; 
729800, 4137700; 729700, 4137600; 729400, 4137600; 729300, 4137800; 
729300, 4138400; 729200, 4138500; 729000, 4138400; 728800, 4138700; 
728400, 4138800; 728200, 4138800; 727900, 4138600; 727700, 4138500; 
727600, 4138400; 727400, 4138300; 727400, 4137800; 727300, 4137800; 
727300, 4137600; 727400, 4137600; 727400, 4137500; 727300, 4137500; 
727300, 4137400; 727400, 4137400; 727400, 4137200; 726500, 4137200; 
726500, 4136500; 726400, 4136400; 725800, 4136400; 725800, 4137200; 
725000, 4137200; 724900, 4138800; 725500, 4138800; 725500, 4138700; 
725800, 4138700; 725800, 4138800; 725900, 4138800; 725900, 4139500; 
726500, 4139500; 726500, 4139600; 725900, 4139600; 725800, 4139600; 
725800, 4140200; 725900, 4140200; 725900, 4140900; 725400, 4140900; 
725400, 4140800; 725100, 4140800; 725100, 4141000; 724900, 4141000; 
724900, 4141200; 724100, 4141200; 724100, 4141600; 723400, 4141600; 
723400, 4141100; 723200, 4141100; 723200, 4140600; 723400, 4140500; 
723400, 4139500; 724000, 4139500; 724000, 4139400; 723900, 4138900; 
723900, 4138700; 723500, 4138200; 723400, 4138200; 723400, 4138300; 
723000, 4138300; 723000, 4138700; 723000, 4138900; 723100, 4139100; 
723200, 4139400; 723300, 4139500; 722100, 4139500; 722000, 4140500; 
721900, 4141100; 721900, 4141900; 721900, 4143400; 720800, 4143400; 
720900, 4141800; 721000, 4141500; 721000, 4141200; 721100, 4141100; 
721000, 4141000; 717800, 4140900; 717700, 4142500; 714500, 4142400; 
714500, 4144900; 715500, 4144900; 715500, 4145000; 715800, 4145000; 
715900, 4145000; 716000, 4145000; 716100, 4145100; 716100, 4145200; 
716000, 4145200; 715900, 4145300; 715900, 4145400; 716000, 4145500; 
716000, 4145600; 716100, 4145700; 717000, 4145700; 717700, 4145300; 
717800, 4145300; 717800, 4145200; 717800, 4145100; 717600, 4144900; 
717600, 4144800; 717600, 4144700; 717800, 4144500; 717900, 4144600; 
718200, 4144600; 718400, 4144500; 718700, 4144500; 718700, 4144800; 
718600, 4145000; 718700, 4145100; 718700, 4145600; 718600, 4145600; 
718600, 4145700; 718700, 4145800; 718600, 4145900; 718500, 4146000; 
718500, 4146100; 718600, 4146200; 718600, 4146500; 718300, 4146500; 
718200, 4146600; 718200, 4146800; 718300, 4146800; 718500, 4146900; 
718600, 4147000; 718600, 4147100; 718400, 4147200; 718500, 4147300; 
718500, 4147600; 718700, 4147600; 718700, 4147400; 719000, 4147500; 
719100, 4147700; 719300, 4147600; 719600, 4147900; 719700, 4148000; 
719700, 4148100; 719800, 4148200; 720000, 4148200; 720600, 4148200; 
720600, 4148300; 720700, 4148400; 720800, 4148400; 720900,

4148500; 722700, 4148500; 722700, 4148600; 722900, 4148600; 723200, 
4148700; 723400, 4148700; 723200, 4148600; 723100, 4148500; 723000, 
4148400; 723200, 4148200; 723400, 4148200; 723500, 4148300; 723600, 
4148400; 723600, 4148500; 723800, 4148500; 723800, 4148400; 723900, 
4148400; 723900, 4148500; 724000, 4148700; 724200, 4148500; 724200, 
4148900; 724300, 4149000; 724300, 4149100; 724500, 4149000; 724500, 
4149300; 724700, 4149400; 724900, 4149600; 725000, 4149700; 725000, 
4150000; 724900, 4150100; 725000, 4150200; 725200, 4150200; 725300, 
4150400; 725400, 4150500; 725400, 4150600; 725100, 4150900; 724700, 
4150900; 724700, 4153400; 725000, 4153500; 725400, 4153900; 725600, 
4154100; 725800, 4154200; 726000, 4154300; 726200, 4154000; 726300, 
4153800; 726300, 4153700; 727800, 4153700; 727800, 4153400; 727900, 
4153400; 727900, 4153500; 728400, 4153600; 728700, 4153700; 729000, 
4153700; 729000, 4153600; 729100, 4153500; 729300, 4153400; 729400, 
4153400; 729400, 4153300; 729300, 4153200; 729500, 4153100; 729800, 
4153100; 729900, 4153200; 729900, 4154200; 730000, 4154200; 730100, 
4154300; 730600, 4154300; 730700, 4154400; 731000, 4154600; 731200, 
4154700; 731500, 4154700; 731800, 4154900; 732200, 4154900; 732600, 
4154800; 733200, 4154500; 733400, 4154500; 733700, 4154300; 734700, 
4154300; 734900, 4154600; 735100, 4154800; 735100, 4154900; 735500, 
4155300; 735600, 4155300; 735800, 4155500; 736100, 4155900; 737100, 
4155400; 737800, 4155000; 738200, 4154200; 738300, 4153300; 739000, 
4152800; 739100, 4152200; 740200, 4151800; 740800, 4151500; 740800,

[[Page 46830]]

4150300; 741100, 4149900; 741700, 4149400; 742100, 4148500; 742100, 
4147100; 743400, 4146100; 744000, 4145600; 744400, 4144600; 744300, 
4143900; 743900, 4142700; 744000, 4142000; 744200, 4141700; 745500, 
4140300; 745500, 4139600; 745500, 4139500; 745400, 4139400; 745300, 
4139300; 745200, 4139200; 744900, 4139000; 744800, 4138800; 744900, 
4138500; 744700, 4137700; 744400, 4137500; 744200, 4137600; 744000, 
4137500; 743800, 4137500; 743400, 4137400; 743100, 4137300; 743100, 
4137200; 742900, 4137000; 742700, 4137000; 742600, 4136900; 742600, 
4136600; 742400, 4136500; 742000, 4136400; 741800, 4136500; 741400, 
4136400; 741100, 4136400; 741100, 4136700; 740200, 4136700; 739900, 
4136400; 739400, 4136400; 739400, 4136700; 737600, 4136700; 737600, 
4135900; 737300, 4135900; 737300, 4135300; 737400, 4135200; 737200, 
4135000; 736800, 4134800; 736800, 4134600; 736800, 4134400; returning 
to 736600, 4134200; excluding land bound by 727200, 4138700; 726600, 
4139500; 726600, 4139600; 726800, 4139600; 727000, 4139700; 727200, 
4140000; 727300, 4140500; 727200, 4140700; 727400, 4140700; 727500, 
4140800; 727400, 4141100; 727800, 4141100; 727800, 4140700; 728300, 
4140700; 728300, 4139600; 727900, 4139300; 727900, 4139000; 727800, 
4138800; 727400, 4138800; returning to 727200, 4138700; and excluding 
land bound by 726700, 4139700; 726400, 4140000; 726600, 4140000; 
726800, 4140200; 726900, 4140100; 726900, 4140000; 726800, 4139800; 
returning to 726700, 4139700 and excluding land bound by 726200, 
4138000; 725800, 4138000; 725800, 4138200; 725700, 4138200; 725700, 
4138500; 725800, 4138500; 725800, 4138400; 726200, 4138400; returning 
to 726200, 4138000; and excluding land bound by 727000, 4137600; 
726800, 4137600; 726800, 4137800; 726500, 4137800; 726500, 4138000; 
727300, 4138100; 727300, 4138000; 727200, 4137900; 727000, 4137800; 
returning to 727000, 4137600.
    (11) Subunit 7A: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (12) Subunit 7B: Merced County, California. [Reserved]
    (13) Maps follow of critical habitat units 1 and 2, and 3 through 7 
(respectively) for Colusa grass.
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P

[[Page 46831]]

[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR06AU03.039


[[Page 46832]]


[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR06AU03.040

BILLING CODE 4310-55-C

Family Poaceae: Orcuttia inaequalis (San Joaquin Valley Orcutt Grass).
    (1) Critical habitat units are depicted for Mariposa, Fresno and 
Tulare Counties, California, on the map below.
    (2) The primary constituent elements of critical habitat for 
Orcuttia inaequalis are the habitat components that provide:

[[Page 46833]]

    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Orcuttia inaequalis 
germination, growth and reproduction, including but not limited to 
vernal pools on alluvial fans, high and low stream terraces, and 
tabletop lava flows. These habitats typically become inundated during 
winter rains, but are dry during the summer and do not necessarily fill 
with water every year; and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Orcuttia inaequalis germination, growth and 
reproduction, and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.
    (3) Critical habitat does not include existing manmade features and 
structures, such as buildings, roads, aqueducts, railroads, airport 
runways and buildings, other paved areas, lawns, and other urban 
landscaped areas not containing one or more of the primary constituent 
elements.
    (4) Critical habitat does not include the following lands although 
they may fall within the legal descriptions below:
    (i) Lands within the following California counties: Butte, Madera, 
Merced, Sacramento, and Solano;
    (ii) Federally-owned lands within the boundaries of the Kern, 
Sacramento, San Francisco Bay, and San Luis National Wildlife Refuges 
and National Wildlife Refuge Complexes, and the Coleman National Fish 
Hatchery;
    (iii) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Allensworth, 
Boggs Lake, Butte Creek Canyon, Calhoun Cut, Carrizo Plains, Dales 
Lake, Fagan Marsh, Phoenix Field, San Joaquin River, Stone Corral, and 
Thomes Creek Ecological Reserves;
    (iv) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Battle Creek, 
Big Sandy, Grizzly Island, Hill Slough, North Grasslands, and Oroville 
Wildlife Areas.
    (5) Unit 1: Mariposa and Merced Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Haystack Mtn., Indian Gulch, Merced, Merced 
Falls, Owens Reservoir, Planada, Snelling, Winton, and Yosemite Lake, 
California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, 
N): 736600, 4134200; 733900, 4134200; 733900, 4134800; 733800, 4134900; 
733800, 4135000; 733000, 4135000; 733000, 4135800; 732500, 4135800; 
730300, 4135700; 730200, 4135600; 730100, 4135600; 729900, 4135700; 
729900, 4136500; 729900, 4136700; 730000, 4136700; 730100, 4136600; 
730200, 4136600; 730300, 4136600; 730400, 4136700; 730500, 4136800; 
730600, 4136900; 730600, 4137000; 730600, 4137200; 730600, 4137300; 
730500, 4137400; 730400, 4137500; 730300, 4137500; 729900, 4137700; 
729800, 4137700; 729700, 4137600; 729400, 4137600; 729300, 4137800; 
729300, 4138400; 729200, 4138500; 729000, 4138400; 728800, 4138700; 
728400, 4138800; 728200, 4138800; 727900, 4138600; 727700, 4138500; 
727600, 4138400; 727400, 4138300; 727400, 4137800; 727300, 4137800; 
727300, 4137600; 727400, 4137600; 727400, 4137500; 727300, 4137500; 
727300, 4137400; 727400, 4137400; 727400, 4137200; 726500, 4137200; 
726500, 4136500; 726400, 4136400; 725800, 4136400; 725800, 4137200; 
725000, 4137200; 724900, 4138800; 725500, 4138800; 725500, 4138700; 
725800, 4138700; 725800, 4138800; 725900, 4138800; 725900, 4139500; 
726500, 4139500; 726500, 4139600; 725900, 4139600; 725800, 4139600; 
725800, 4140200; 725900, 4140200; 725900, 4140900; 725400, 4140900; 
725400, 4140800; 725100, 4140800; 725100, 4141000; 724900, 4141000; 
724900, 4141200; 724100, 4141200; 724100, 4141600; 723400, 4141600; 
723400, 4141100; 723200, 4141100; 723200, 4140600; 723400, 4140500; 
723400, 4139500; 724000, 4139500; 724000, 4139400; 723900, 4138900; 
723900, 4138700; 723500, 4138200; 723400, 4138200; 723400, 4138300; 
723000, 4138300; 723000, 4138700; 723000, 4138900; 723100, 4139100; 
723200, 4139400; 723300, 4139500; 722100, 4139500; 722000, 4140500; 
721900, 4141100; 721900, 4141900; 721900, 4143400; 720800, 4143400; 
720900, 4141800; 721000, 4141500; 721000, 4141200; 721100, 4141100; 
721000, 4141000; 717800, 4140900; 717700, 4142500; 714500, 4142400; 
714500, 4144900; 715500, 4144900; 715500, 4145000; 715800, 4145000; 
715900, 4145000; 716000, 4145000; 716100, 4145100; 716100, 4145200; 
716000, 4145200; 715900, 4145300; 715900, 4145400; 716000, 4145500; 
716000, 4145600; 716100, 4145700; 717000, 4145700; 717700, 4145300; 
717800, 4145300; 717800, 4145200; 717800, 4145100; 717600, 4144900; 
717600, 4144800; 717600, 4144700; 717800, 4144500; 717900, 4144600; 
718200, 4144600; 718400, 4144500; 718700, 4144500; 718700, 4144800; 
718600, 4145000; 718700, 4145100; 718700, 4145600; 718600, 4145600; 
718600, 4145700; 718700, 4145800; 718600, 4145900; 718500, 4146000; 
718500, 4146100; 718600, 4146200; 718600, 4146500; 718300, 4146500; 
718200, 4146600; 718200, 4146800; 718300, 4146800; 718500, 4146900; 
718600, 4147000; 718600, 4147100; 718400, 4147200; 718500, 4147300; 
718500, 4147600; 718700, 4147600; 718700, 4147400; 719000, 4147500; 
719100, 4147700; 719300, 4147600; 719600, 4147900; 719700, 4148000; 
719700, 4148100; 719800, 4148200; 720000, 4148200; 720600, 4148200; 
720600, 4148300; 720700, 4148400; 720800, 4148400; 720900, 4148500; 
722700, 4148500; 722700, 4148600; 722900, 4148600; 723200, 4148700; 
723400, 4148700; 723200, 4148600; 723100, 4148500; 723000, 4148400; 
723200, 4148200; 723400, 4148200; 723500, 4148300; 723600, 4148400; 
723600, 4148500; 723800, 4148500; 723800, 4148400; 723900, 4148400; 
723900, 4148500; 724000, 4148700; 724200, 4148500; 724200, 4148900; 
724300, 4149000; 724300, 4149100; 724500, 4149000; 724500, 4149300; 
724700, 4149400; 724900, 4149600; 725000, 4149700; 725000, 4150000; 
724900, 4150100; 725000, 4150200; 725200, 4150200; 725300, 4150400; 
725400, 4150500; 725400, 4150600; 725100, 4150900; 724700, 4150900; 
724700, 4153400; 725000, 4153500; 725400, 4153900; 725600, 4154100; 
725800, 4154200; 726000, 4154300; 726200, 4154000; 726300, 4153800; 
726300, 4153700; 727800, 4153700; 727800, 4153400; 727900, 4153400; 
727900, 4153500; 728400, 4153600; 728700, 4153700; 729000, 4153700; 
729000, 4153600; 729100, 4153500; 729300, 4153400; 729400, 4153400; 
729400, 4153300; 729300, 4153200; 729500, 4153100; 729800, 4153100; 
729900, 4153200; 729900, 4154200; 730000, 4154200; 730100, 4154300; 
730600, 4154300; 730700, 4154400; 731000, 4154600; 731200, 4154700; 
731500, 4154700; 731800, 4154900; 732200, 4154900; 732600, 4154800; 
733200, 4154500; 733400, 4154500; 733700, 4154300; 734700, 4154300; 
734900, 4154600; 735100, 4154800; 735100, 4154900; 735500, 4155300; 
735600, 4155300; 735800, 4155500; 736100, 4155900; 737100, 4155400; 
737800, 4155000; 738200, 4154200; 738300, 4153300; 739000, 4152800; 
739100, 4152200; 740200, 4151800; 740800, 4151500; 740800, 4150300; 
741100, 4149900; 741700, 4149400; 742100, 4148500; 742100,

[[Page 46834]]

4147100; 743400, 4146100; 744000, 4145600; 744400, 4144600; 744300, 
4143900; 743900, 4142700; 744000, 4142000; 744200, 4141700; 745500, 
4140300; 745500, 4139600; 745500, 4139500; 745400, 4139400; 745300, 
4139300; 745200, 4139200; 744900, 4139000; 744800, 4138800; 744900, 
4138500; 744700, 4137700; 744400, 4137500; 744200, 4137600; 744000, 
4137500; 743800, 4137500; 743400, 4137400; 743100, 4137300; 743100, 
4137200; 742900, 4137000; 742700, 4137000; 742600, 4136900; 742600, 
4136600; 742400, 4136500; 742000, 4136400; 741800, 4136500; 741400, 
4136400; 741100, 4136400; 741100, 4136700; 740200, 4136700; 739900, 
4136400; 739400, 4136400; 739400, 4136700; 737600, 4136700; 737600, 
4135900; 737300, 4135900; 737300, 4135300; 737400, 4135200; 737200, 
4135000; 736800, 4134800; 736800, 4134600; 736800, 4134400; returning 
to 736600, 4134200; excluding land bound by 727200, 4138700; 726600, 
4139500; 726600, 4139600; 726800, 4139600; 727000, 4139700; 727200, 
4140000; 727300, 4140500; 727200, 4140700; 727400, 4140700; 727500, 
4140800; 727400, 4141100; 727800, 4141100; 727800, 4140700; 728300, 
4140700; 728300, 4139600; 727900, 4139300; 727900, 4139000; 727800, 
4138800; 727400, 4138800; returning to 727200, 4138700; and excluding 
land bound by 726700, 4139700; 726400, 4140000; 726600, 4140000; 
726800, 4140200; 726900, 4140100; 726900, 4140000; 726800, 4139800; 
returning to 726700, 4139700; and excluding land bound by 726200, 
4138000; 725800, 4138000; 725800, 4138200; 725700, 4138200; 725700, 
4138500; 725800, 4138500; 725800, 4138400; 726200, 4138400; returning 
to 726200, 4138000; and excluding land bound by 727000, 4137600; 
726800, 4137600; 726800, 4137800; 726500, 4137800; 726500, 4138000; 
727300, 4138100; 727300, 4138000; 727200, 4137900; 727000, 4137800; 
returning to 727000, 4137600.
    (6) Unit 2: Madera, Mariposa, and Merced Counties, California. From 
USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle maps Illinois Hill, Indian Gulch, Le Grand, 
Owens Reservoir, Plainsburg, and Raynor Creek, California, land bounded 
by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 4124000; 757000, 
4123700; 757600, 4123900; 757900, 4123200; 758400, 4122900; 759200, 
4122900; 760300, 4121300; 761000, 4121000; 761300, 4120300; 762100, 
4119400; 762100, 4119300; 762000, 4119200; 761900, 4119200; 761800, 
4119100; 761700, 4119200; 761600, 4119100; 761500, 4119100; 761400, 
4119000; 761200, 4118800; 761000, 4118800; 760900, 4118700; 760800, 
4118700; 760500, 4118500; 760200, 4118500; 759900, 4118400; 759700, 
4118500; 759600, 4118400; 759400, 4118300; 759300, 4118200; 759200, 
4118200; 759000, 4118100; 758800, 4118000; 758600, 4117900; 758200, 
4117900; 758000, 4118000; 757800, 4117900; 757600, 4117800; 757500, 
4117800; 757400, 4117600; 757300, 4117600; 757200, 4117500; 757100, 
4117400; 757000, 4117400; 756900, 4117300; 756800, 4117300; 756600, 
4117100; 756500, 4117200; 756200, 4117300; 755800, 4117200; 755700, 
4117200; 755700, 4116700; 755700, 4116600; 755500, 4116500; 755400, 
4116500; 754900, 4116300; 754800, 4116300; 754800, 4116600; 753700, 
4116600; 753700, 4116400; 753300, 4116400; 753300, 4115600; 753100, 
4115500; 752700, 4115400; 752400, 4115300; 752200, 4115200; 752200, 
4115600; 751800, 4115600; 752000, 4115800; 751900, 4116000; 751400, 
4116100; 751100, 4116300; 751300, 4116300; 751300, 4116900; 751100, 
4116900; 750800, 4116900; 750700, 4117000; 750000, 4116800; 749300, 
4116800; 749300, 4116500; 746000, 4116500; 746000, 4116600; 745200, 
4116600; 745200, 4117800; 744600, 4117800; 744600, 4118600; 743600, 
4118600; 743600, 4119000; 745400, 4119000; 745400, 4119700; 744700, 
4119700; 744700, 4120500; 745300, 4120500; 745500, 4120600; 745600, 
4120700; 746000, 4120700; 746000, 4121400; 746200, 4121500; 746200, 
4121600; 746400, 4121700; 746400, 4121800; 747600, 4120700; 746500, 
4120700; 746500, 4119700; 747000, 4119700; 747000, 4120300; 747800, 
4120300; 747800, 4120000; 748400, 4120000; 747800, 4120500; 747800, 
4121400; 748600, 4121400; 748600, 4121900; 747800, 4121900; 747800, 
4123300; 748300, 4123300; 748300, 4123500; 748500, 4123500; 748600, 
4123500; 748600, 4123900; 747800, 4123900; 747800, 4124600; 747400, 
4125100; 747400, 4125500; 746900, 4125500; 746900, 4125800; 747000, 
4125900; 746900, 4125900; 746600, 4125800; 746300, 4125700; 746200, 
4125600; 746200, 4125500; 745700, 4125500; 745700, 4125100; 744500, 
4125100; 744500, 4125300; 744400, 4125300; 744400, 4125200; 743700, 
4125200; 743700, 4125800; 744500, 4125800; 744500, 4126200; 743700, 
4126200; 743700, 4127000; 742400, 4127000; 742000, 4127200; 742000, 
4128600; 742800, 4128600; 742800, 4129100; 742900, 4129100; 743000, 
4129100; 743000, 4129200; 743400, 4129300; 743600, 4129500; 743600, 
4130700; 743500, 4130700; 743500, 4130900; 743500, 4132200; 744000, 
4133400; 742700, 4133400; 742600, 4133500; 741500, 4132900; 740900, 
4132200; 740800, 4132600; 740300, 4132600; 740300, 4132800; 740300, 
4133500; 741000, 4133500; 741000, 4133900; 741900, 4133900; 741800, 
4135800; 741000, 4135800; 741000, 4136400; 741100, 4136400; 741400, 
4136400; 741800, 4136500; 742000, 4136400; 742400, 4136500; 742700, 
4136600; 742600, 4136900; 742700, 4137000; 742900, 4137000; 743100, 
4137200; 743100, 4137300; 743400, 4137400; 743800, 4137500; 744000, 
4137500; 744200, 4137600; 744400, 4137500; 744700, 4137700; 744900, 
4138500; 744800, 4138800; 744900, 4139000; 745200, 4139200; returning 
to 745300, 4139300.
    (7) Unit 3: Madera County, California. [Reserved]
    (8) Unit 4: Fresno County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Friant, California, land bounded by the following UTM 11 
NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 259800, 4086700; 259300, 4086700; 259300, 
4087600; 259600, 4087500; 260000, 4087500; 260100, 4087900; 260000, 
4088100; 259700, 4088300; 258500, 4088300; 258000, 4088300; 258000, 
4089100; 258200, 4089200; 258200, 4089100; 258500, 4089100; 258700, 
4089200; 258700, 4089600; 258800, 4089600; 258900, 4089700; 258900, 
4089800; 258600, 4089800; 258600, 4089900; 258200, 4089900; 258200, 
4089700; 258100, 4089600; 257700, 4089600; 257700, 4089200; 257400, 
4089200; 257400, 4089900; 257200, 4089900; 257200, 4089200; 256600, 
4089200; 256600, 4089700; 256800, 4089700; 256800, 4090000; 256600, 
4090000; 256600, 4090200; 256800, 4090800; 257000, 4091500; 257100, 
4092700; 257100, 4092900; 257200, 4093100; 257300, 4094300; 257300, 
4095400; 257400, 4095500; 258200, 4096300; 258900, 4096300; 258900, 
4096700; 259600, 4096700; 259600, 4094700; 260300, 4094700; 260300, 
4093300; 259400, 4091700; 260800, 4091700; 262200, 4091100; 262900, 
4091100; 262900, 4090400; 263000, 4090100; 262700, 4089600; 262400, 
4089500; 261800, 4089100; 261700, 4089200; 261700, 4089400; 261600, 
4089400; 261500, 4089400; 261300, 4089400; 261300, 4088200; 261100, 
4088200; 261100, 4087400; 260400, 4087400; 260400, 4087500; 260100, 
4087500; 260100, 4086900; 259800, 4086900; returning to 259800, 
4086700.
    (9) Subunit 5A: Madera County, California. [Reserved]
    (10) Subunit 5B: Fresno County, California. From USGS 1:24,000

[[Page 46835]]

quadrangle maps Academy, and Millerton Lake East, California, land 
bounded by the following UTM 11 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 267300, 
4097300; 266900, 4097300; 267000, 4097600; 267800, 4098300; 268100, 
4098700; 268100, 4098900; 268000, 4099100; 267400, 4099800; 267400, 
4100300; 267700, 4100800; 268100, 4101400; 268600, 4101400; 269100, 
4101100; 269600, 4101100; 269800, 4101300; 269900, 4101500; 269600, 
4102200; 269200, 4102400; 268600, 4102800; 268700, 4103800; 269100, 
4103800; 269600, 4103100; 270200, 4103500; 270300, 4103500; 270700, 
4102500; 270500, 4102400; 270300, 4102200; 270300, 4101900; 270500, 
4101500; 270600, 4101100; 270500, 4101000; 270200, 4100700; 269400, 
4100500; 268300, 4100500; 268100, 4100300; 268100, 4100100; 268400, 
4099800; 268600, 4099500; 268700, 4099200; 268700, 4098900; 268600, 
4098300; 268500, 4098100; 268400, 4097800; 268100, 4097600; 267800, 
4097400; returning to 267300, 4097300.
    (11) Subunit 6A: Tulare County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Monson, and Traver, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 11 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 294300, 4035600; 293500, 
4035600; 293400, 4034000; 292600, 4034000; 292600, 4035400; 291900, 
4035400; 291700, 4035400; 291700, 4035600; 290500, 4035700; 290500, 
4036100; 289800, 4036100; 289800, 4035700; 289400, 4035700; 289400, 
4034500; 288500, 4034500; 288500, 4034200; 287700, 4034200; 287700, 
4034500; 287000, 4034600; 287000, 4035100; 288500, 4035100; 288500, 
4035600; 287700, 4035700; 287700, 4036700; 289300, 4036700; 289400, 
4037400; 291100, 4037400; 291100, 4037200; 291800, 4037200; 291900, 
4036800; 292700, 4036800; 292700, 4037600; 291900, 4037700; 292000, 
4039500; 292300, 4039200; 292800, 4039200; 292800, 4038500; 293200, 
4038500; 293200, 4038400; 294400, 4038400; returning to 294300, 
4035600.
    (12) Subunit 6B: Tulare County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Auckland, Ivanhoe, Stokes Mtn., and Woodlake, 
California, land bounded by the following UTM 11 NAD 83 coordinates (E, 
N):
    (i) Start at 308500, 4033700; 308200, 4033800; 308000, 4033900; 
308100, 4034300; 308000, 4034500; 308000, 4034900; 307700, 4035100; 
307500, 4035400; 307400, 4035600; 307400, 4035800; 307200, 4036300; 
306900, 4036900; 307100, 4037300; 306700, 4038300; 306700, 4038400; 
306800, 4038500; 307000, 4038500; 307200, 4038600; 307100, 4038700; 
307100, 4039900; 308100, 4040200; 308500, 4040700; 308200, 4041500; 
307600, 4041500; 307100, 4042000; 307100, 4042600; 307700, 4043700; 
307800, 4044500; 308200, 4044700; 309000, 4043900; 309600, 4043400; 
311700, 4043400; 312100, 4043000; 312700, 4043000; 313000, 4042700; 
313000, 4042300; 312500, 4042000; 311000, 4041000; 311000, 4040400; 
310600, 4040200; 310600, 4039900; 310400, 4039900; 310400, 4039800; 
310000, 4039800; 310000, 4039500; 309900, 4039400; 309900, 4039200; 
309700, 4039200; 309300, 4039200; 309300, 4038800; 308900, 4038800; 
308900, 4038400; 308100, 4038400; 308000, 4038200; 307900, 4038200; 
307900, 4037600; 308100, 4037600; 308100, 4037400; 308300, 4037400; 
308300, 4038000; 308700, 4038000; 308700, 4037900; 308800, 4037800; 
308700, 4037600; 308900, 4037600; 308900, 4037400; 308700, 4037400; 
308700, 4037200; 309100, 4037200; 309100, 4036800; 308700, 4036800; 
308700, 4037000; 308100, 4037000; 308100, 4036900; 308200, 4036900; 
308200, 4036800; 308100, 4036800; 308100, 4036600; 308300, 4036600; 
308300, 4036500; 308500, 4036500; 308400, 4035800; 308300, 4035800; 
308300, 4035400; 308900, 4035000; 309000, 4034800; 308700, 4034800; 
308700, 4034100; 308600, 4034100; 308600, 4034000; 308700, 4033900; 
returning to 308500, 4033700.
    (ii) Start at 315900, 4034500; 314100, 4034600; 313400, 4034900; 
312800, 4035000; 312800, 4035100; 313000, 4035100; 313000, 4035900; 
312500, 4035900; 312500, 4035700; 312300, 4035700; 312100, 4035500; 
312000, 4035500; 312000, 4035100; 311300, 4035100; 311300, 4035300; 
311500, 4035300; 311500, 4035500; 311100, 4035600; 311100, 4035300; 
311000, 4035200; 311000, 4035100; 310500, 4035100; 310400, 4035000; 
310300, 4035100; 310300, 4035900; 310600, 4035900; 310600, 4036700; 
310800, 4036700; 310800, 4037000; 310500, 4037000; 310500, 4037100; 
310600, 4037400; 310400, 4037600; 309800, 4037600; 309900, 4038400; 
310100, 4038400; 310100, 4038200; 310500, 4038200; 310500, 4037900; 
310800, 4037900; 310800, 4038300; 311200, 4038300; 311200, 4038700; 
311500, 4038700; 311500, 4038800; 311600, 4038800; 311600, 4039000; 
311700, 4039100; 312000, 4039100; 312000, 4039500; 311800, 4039500; 
311600, 4039600; 311700, 4040000; 312100, 4040700; 312700, 4041000; 
313000, 4041000; 313600, 4040500; 313700, 4040300; 313100, 4039600; 
312700, 4039600; 312700, 4039400; 313300, 4039400; 313500, 4039000; 
313100, 4038600; 313700, 4038600; 313900, 4038500; 314100, 4038000; 
314600, 4038000; 314800, 4037500; 314800, 4037200; 314000, 4036600; 
314100, 4036400; 314900, 4036400; 315100, 4036600; 315500, 4036600; 
316100, 4036400; 316400, 4035400; 316400, 4035200; returning to 315900, 
4034500.
    (13) Maps follow of critical habitat units 1 and 2, 3 through 5 and 
6 (respectively) for San Joaquin Valley Orcutt grass.
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P

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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR06AU03.043

BILLING CODE 4310-55-C
    Family Poaceae: Orcuttia pilosa (Hairy Orcutt Grass).
    (1) Critical habitat units are depicted for Tehama, Glenn, Colusa, 
Stanislaus, Mariposa and Fresno Counties, California, on the map below.
    (2) The primary constituent elements of critical habitat for 
Orcuttia pilosa are the habitat components that provide:

[[Page 46839]]

    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Orcuttia pilosa germination, 
growth and reproduction, including but not limited to features 
occurring on both acidic and saline-alkaline soils, with an iron-silica 
cemented hardpan or claypan, and that typically become inundated during 
winter rains, but are dry during the summer and do not necessarily fill 
with water every year; and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Orcuttia pilosa germination, growth and reproduction, 
and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.
    (3) Critical habitat does not include existing manmade features and 
structures, such as buildings, roads, aqueducts, railroads, airport 
runways and buildings, other paved areas, lawns, and other urban 
landscaped areas not containing one or more of the primary constituent 
elements.
    (4) Critical habitat does not include the following lands although 
they may fall within the legal descriptions below:
    (i) Lands within the following California counties: Butte, Madera, 
Merced, Sacramento, and Solano;
    (ii) Federally-owned lands within the boundaries of the Kern, 
Sacramento, San Francisco Bay, and San Luis National Wildlife Refuges 
and National Wildlife Refuge Complexes, and the Coleman National Fish 
Hatchery;
    (iii) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Allensworth, 
Boggs Lake, Butte Creek Canyon, Calhoun Cut, Carrizo Plains, Dales 
Lake, Fagan Marsh, Phoenix Field, San Joaquin River, Stone Corral, and 
Thomes Creek Ecological Reserves;
    (iv) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Battle Creek, 
Big Sandy, Grizzly Island, Hill Slough, North Grasslands, and Oroville 
Wildlife Areas.
    (5) Unit 1: Butte and Tehama Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Acorn Hollow, Foster Island, Nord, Richardson 
Springs NW, and Vina, California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 
NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 583200, 4413400; 583000, 4414200; 583700, 
4414600; 583500, 4415000; 583000, 4415900; 583000, 4416400; 582900, 
4416700; 582800, 4416900; 582700, 4417000; 582700, 4417200; 582900, 
4417300; 582800, 4417400; 582700, 4417500; 582700, 4417600; 582600, 
4417700; 582600, 4418000; 582600, 4418100; 582600, 4418200; 582700, 
4418300; 582500, 4418400; 582400, 4418300; 582200, 4418300; 582100, 
4418400; 582100, 4418500; 582000, 4418600; 582100, 4418700; 582100, 
4418900; 582200, 4419100; 582100, 4419300; 582200, 4419500; 582100, 
4419600; 582000, 4419700; 582100, 4419800; 582100, 4419900; 582200, 
4420000; 582200, 4420300; 582100, 4420500; 582200, 4420600; 582200, 
4420800; 582300, 4421100; 582900, 4421500; 582900, 4421600; 583300, 
4422000; 583400, 4422100; 583900, 4422100; 584100, 4422300; 584200, 
4422300; 584300, 4422400; 584400, 4422500; 584600, 4422900; 585100, 
4423400; 585600, 4423700; 585800, 4423900; 585800, 4424200; 586100, 
4424200; 586600, 4424800; 586800, 4424900; 587300, 4425500; 587400, 
4425600; 587500, 4425800; 587500, 4425900; 587600, 4426000; 587700, 
4426100; 587800, 4426100; 587900, 4426200; 587900, 4426300; 588200, 
4426500; 588700, 4429900; 588900, 4429500; 589500, 4429500; 589500, 
4428600; 589500, 4428000; 589800, 4427100; 590500, 4426400; 590500, 
4425300; 591200, 4424400; 591500, 4423300; 591600, 4422100; 590900, 
4420900; 590700, 4419800; 588000, 4417000; 587500, 4416400; 587200, 
4415500; 587200, 4415100; 587300, 4415000; 587300, 4414500; 587200, 
4414400; 587100, 4414300; 586900, 4414000; 586400, 4413900; 586200, 
4413700; 586000, 4413600; 585800, 4413600; 585800, 4414700; 585300, 
4414700; 585300, 4413800; 585200, 4413700; 584800, 4413700; 584600, 
4413600; 584400, 4413600; 584200, 4413500; 584000, 4413700; returning 
to 583200, 4413400.
    (6) Unit 2: Butte County, California. [Reserved]
    (7) Unit 3: Colusa and Glenn Counties, California. [Reserved]
    (8) Unit 4: Mariposa, Merced, and Stanislaus Counties, California. 
From USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle maps Cooperstown, La Grange, Merced 
Falls, Montpelier, Paulsell, Snelling, and Turlock Lake, California, 
land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N):
    (i) Start at 732200, 4162500; 732700, 4162700; 733000, 4162600; 
733600, 4162100; 733700, 4161500; 733600, 4161000; 734600, 4160400; 
734800, 4160200; 734800, 4159500; 734400, 4158700; 734300, 4158100; 
734500, 4157900; 734700, 4158000; 734900, 4158300; 735000, 4158800; 
735500, 4158800; 735700, 4158600; 735600, 4158100; 736200, 4157500; 
736800, 4157300; 736900, 4157100; 736900, 4156500; 736300, 4156500; 
736000, 4156300; 735500, 4156300; 734100, 4156900; 733400, 4157100; 
731700, 4156900; 730900, 4156500; 728900, 4156600; 728700, 4156700; 
728700, 4156800; 728600, 4156900; 728300, 4156900; 728100, 4156800; 
727900, 4156800; 727100, 4156800; 726900, 4156600; 726700, 4156500; 
726300, 4156500; 726100, 4156600; 725800, 4156500; 725600, 4156400; 
725500, 4156300; 725400, 4156200; 725100, 4156100; 725000, 4156000; 
724900, 4156000; 724800, 4156100; 724300, 4156100; 724300, 4155700; 
723800, 4155700; 723900, 4155300; 723300, 4155400; 722700, 4155100; 
722700, 4155400; 722300, 4155400; 722300, 4156800; 722900, 4156800; 
722900, 4157400; 723500, 4157400; 723500, 4157000; 723700, 4157000; 
723700, 4156900; 724300, 4156900; 724300, 4157400; 724200, 4157400; 
724100, 4158200; 723800, 4158200; 723700, 4159000; 722500, 4159000; 
722500, 4159200; 722400, 4159200; 722300, 4159300; 722200, 4159300; 
721600, 4159300; 721600, 4159500; 721500, 4159600; 721500, 4159800; 
721600, 4159800; 721600, 4159900; 721700, 4159900; 721700, 4160500; 
721100, 4160500; 721100, 4160100; 720800, 4160100; 720800, 4160500; 
719500, 4160500; 719500, 4160300; 720000, 4159600; 719600, 4159600; 
719600, 4159500; 719500, 4159500; 719400, 4159500; 719300, 4159400; 
719100, 4159400; 719000, 4159400; 718900, 4159300; 718700, 4159100; 
718600, 4159000; 718600, 4158900; 718400, 4158900; 718200, 4158800; 
718200, 4158700; 718300, 4158600; 718400, 4158500; 718500, 4158500; 
718600, 4158400; 718700, 4158400; 718900, 4158300; 719000, 4158100; 
719000, 4157900; 718700, 4157600; 718000, 4157700; 717800, 4157400; 
717900, 4157200; 718000, 4157000; 718400, 4157300; 718700, 4156700; 
718700, 4156300; 717500, 4156300; 717500, 4156700; 717100, 4156700; 
717100, 4156300; 716600, 4156300; 716600, 4155800; 716300, 4155700; 
716200, 4155000; 715900, 4154900; 715900, 4155100; 715800, 4155200; 
715800, 4155300; 715700, 4155400; 715600, 4155700; 715500, 4155800; 
715400, 4155800; 715300, 4156600; 715400, 4156600; 715400, 4157200; 
715400, 4157400; 715500, 4157400; 715500, 4157600; 717600, 4157600; 
717600, 4159700; 718100, 4160200; 718200, 4160500; 718400, 4160800; 
718700,

[[Page 46840]]

4161100; 716800, 4161100; 716800, 4160400; 714900, 4160400; 714900, 
4160900; 715000, 4160900; 715000, 4161000; 715200, 4161000; 715200, 
4161100; 714400, 4161100; 714400, 4161200; 713700, 4161200; 713700, 
4161100; 713300, 4161100; 713200, 4161200; 713100, 4161100; 713100, 
4161000; 713400, 4160700; 713400, 4160600; 713600, 4160500; 713800, 
4160800; 713900, 4160800; 714000, 4160700; 714000, 4160400; 711100, 
4160300; 711100, 4161900; 709500, 4161900; 709500, 4163500; 707900, 
4163500; 707900, 4163100; 707000, 4163100; 707000, 4165600; 707400, 
4165600; 707400, 4165800; 706700, 4166100; 706500, 4165800; 706200, 
4166000; 706300, 4166300; 706200, 4166400; 706200, 4166500; 706300, 
4166500; 706300, 4166700; 706200, 4166700; 706200, 4167100; 706500, 
4167100; 706700, 4166700; 706800, 4166700; 706800, 4166300; 707000, 
4166300; 707000, 4166100; 707200, 4166100; 707200, 4166700; 707400, 
4166700; 707800, 4166000; 707800, 4165600; 708000, 4165800; 708200, 
4165800; 708400, 4165700; 708400, 4165500; 708200, 4165400; 708200, 
4165300; 708300, 4165200; 708400, 4165200; 708500, 4165300; 708600, 
4165400; 708800, 4165400; 709100, 4165100; 710200, 4165100; 710200, 
4166400; 710100, 4166400; 710100, 4166500; 710000, 4166500; 709900, 
4166500; 709900, 4166700; 709800, 4166700; 709800, 4167100; 710200, 
4166800; 711000, 4167600; 711600, 4167800; 712400, 4167800; 712400, 
4167300; 712900, 4167300; 712900, 4167200; 712600, 4166900; 711800, 
4167000; 711600, 4166800; 711600, 4166600; 711800, 4166500; 711800, 
4166600; 711900, 4166600; 712000, 4166300; 712100, 4166500; 712200, 
4166500; 712300, 4166400; 712500, 4166400; 712500, 4166200; 712700, 
4166200; 712700, 4166300; 712800, 4166300; 713000, 4166100; 712800, 
4166000; 712700, 4165800; 712500, 4165800; 712500, 4165600; 712700, 
4165600; 712600, 4165400; 712400, 4165500; 712300, 4165400; 712500, 
4165300; 712500, 4165200; 712400, 4165100; 712600, 4165100; 712600, 
4165000; 712600, 4164900; 712700, 4164800; 712600, 4164700; 712500, 
4164800; 712400, 4164800; 712400, 4164300; 712800, 4164500; 713100, 
4164300; 713200, 4164100; 712900, 4163800; 712900, 4163700; 713100, 
4163800; 713500, 4164000; 713600, 4164000; 713600, 4164100; 713700, 
4164300; 714200, 4164300; 714400, 4164500; 714500, 4164800; 714600, 
4164800; 714800, 4164700; 714800, 4164200; 714400, 4164000; 714400, 
4163600; 714500, 4163500; 715200, 4164000; 715300, 4164200; 715400, 
4164200; 715300, 4163900; 715100, 4163700; 715000, 4163500; 714800, 
4163300; 714900, 4163200; 715000, 4163200; 715700, 4163200; 715900, 
4163100; 716000, 4162900; 716100, 4162800; 716200, 4162800; 716300, 
4162900; 716400, 4163000; 716500, 4163100; 716600, 4163200; 716600, 
4163500; 716500, 4163600; 716500, 4163800; 716600, 4164100; 716800, 
4164500; 716700, 4164900; 716800, 4165300; 717200, 4165800; 717200, 
4166100; 717000, 4166400; 716600, 4166400; 716400, 4166300; 716400, 
4166900; 716600, 4166900; 716800, 4167100; 716800, 4167350; 717000, 
4167400; 717500, 4167400; 718100, 4167300; 718500, 4167100; 718600, 
4166600; 718700, 4166400; 719100, 4166700; 719300, 4166800; 719500, 
4166800; 719500, 4166500; 719600, 4166400; 719600, 4166100; 719800, 
4166100; 719900, 4166300; 719900, 4166200; 720700, 4166200; 720700, 
4163700; 721700, 4163700; 722400, 4164100; 722400, 4165300; 722200, 
4165300; 722200, 4165400; 721500, 4165400; 721500, 4166100; 721000, 
4166300; 720700, 4166500; 720900, 4166600; 721000, 4166700; 721100, 
4166900; 721000, 4167000; 720300, 4167000; 720100, 4166900; 720200, 
4166700; 720200, 4166600; 720100, 4166500; 720000, 4166500; 719800, 
4166800; 719500, 4167400; 719500, 4167600; 719700, 4167800; 720500, 
4167800; 720700, 4167700; 720900, 4167500; 721100, 4167400; 721300, 
4167700; 721700, 4167700; 722000, 4167600; 722500, 4167600; 722900, 
4167500; 723300, 4167400; 723000, 4168400; 723000, 4169200; 723300, 
4169700; 723800, 4169800; 724100, 4169800; 724600, 4169200; 724700, 
4168300; 725100, 4167900; 725300, 4167200; 726200, 4167100; 726500, 
4166800; 726500, 4166600; 727300, 4166000; 727700, 4165800; 729000, 
4165800; 730100, 4165400; 730400, 4165100; 730500, 4164900; 730700, 
4164100; 731300, 4164100; 731700, 4163800; 731800, 4163400; 732200, 
4162800; returning to 732200, 4162500.
    (ii) Start at 704200, 4166200; 704000, 4166200; 703800, 4166400; 
703400, 4166600; 703400, 4166800; 703500, 4166800; 703600, 4166900; 
703700, 4167000; 703700, 4167200; 704600, 4167600; 704700, 4167600; 
704800, 4167500; 705000, 4167400; 705300, 4167400; 705300, 4166400; 
705000, 4166300; 704400, 4166300; returning to 704200, 4166200.
    (iii) Start at 712600, 4155200; 712600, 4156800; 712900, 4156800; 
712900, 4157100; 714800, 4157200; 714800, 4156800; 714300, 4156300; 
714200, 4156200; 714000, 4155500; 714000, 4155400; 713800, 4155400; 
returning to 712600, 4155200.
    (9) Unit 5: Madera County, California. [Reserved]
    (10) Unit 6: Fresno and Madera Counties, California. [Reserved]
    (11) Maps follow of critical habitat units 1 and 2, and 4 
(respectively) for hairy Orcutt grass.
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P

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[GRAPHIC] [TIFF OMITTED] TR06AU03.045

BILLING CODE 4310-55-C
    Family Poaceae: Orcuttia tenuis (Slender Orcutt Grass).
    (1) Critical habitat units are depicted for Siskiyou, Modoc, 
Shasta, Lassen, Tehama, Plumas, and Lake Counties, California, on the 
map below.
    (2) The primary constituent elements of critical habitat for 
Orcuttia tenuis are the habitat components that provide:

[[Page 46843]]

    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Orcuttia tenuis germination, 
growth and reproduction, including but not limited to, Northern 
Volcanic Ashflow and Northern Volcanic Mudflow vernal pools (Sawyer and 
Keeler-Wolf 1995) with iron-silica and bedrock hardpan impervious 
layers, and that typically become inundated during winter rains, but 
are dry during the summer and do not necessarily fill with water every 
year; and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Orcuttia tenuis germination, growth and reproduction, 
and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.
    (3) Critical habitat does not include existing manmade features and 
structures, such as buildings, roads, aquaducts, railroads, airport 
runways and buildings, other paved areas, lawns, and other urban 
landscaped areas not containing one or more of the primary constituent 
elements.
    (4) Critical habitat does not include the following lands although 
they may fall within the legal descriptions below:
    (i) Lands within the following California counties: Butte, Madera, 
Merced, Sacramento, and Solano;
    (ii) Federally-owned lands within the boundaries of the Kern, 
Sacramento, San Francisco Bay, and San Luis National Wildlife Refuges 
and National Wildlife Refuge Complexes, and the Coleman National Fish 
Hatchery;
    (iii) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Allensworth, 
Boggs Lake, Butte Creek Canyon, Calhoun Cut, Carrizo Plains, Dales 
Lake, Fagan Marsh, Phoenix Field, San Joaquin River, Stone Corral, and 
Thomes Creek Ecological Reserves;
    (iv) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Battle Creek, 
Big Sandy, Grizzly Island, Hill Slough, North Grasslands, and Oroville 
Wildlife Areas.
    (5) Subunit 1A: Modoc, Shasta, and Siskiyou Counties, California. 
From USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle maps Day and Timbered Crater, California, 
land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N):
    (i) Start at 627500, 4561300; 626000, 4561600; 626000, 4562200; 
626200, 4562900; 625800, 4563900; 626000, 4564100; 626100, 4564300; 
626200, 4564400; 626300, 4564600; 626400, 4564700; 626400, 4564900; 
626500, 4565100; 626700, 4565100; 626700, 4565400; 626800, 4565600; 
627000, 4565700; 627000, 4566000; 627100, 4566100; 627300, 4566200; 
627500, 4566200; 627700, 4566200; 627800, 4566100; 627900, 4566000; 
628000, 4565900; 628200, 4565800; 628200, 4565600; 628300, 4565200; 
628000, 4565000; 627900, 4564700; 628000, 4564400; 627900, 4564200; 
627900, 4564000; 627900, 4563805; 628100, 4563700; 628200, 4563600; 
628100, 4563300; 628200, 4563200; 628200, 4563000; 628300, 4562900; 
628600, 4562800; 628600, 4562600; 628700, 4562500; 628900, 4562300; 
628900, 4562000; 628700, 4561900; 628500, 4561800; 628400, 4561800; 
628100, 4561700; 628000, 4561600; 627900, 4561500; 627800, 4561400; 
627600, 4561400; returning to 627500, 4561300.
    (ii) Start at 634900, 4557900; 634100, 4558300; 633900, 4559000; 
633700, 4560000; 634000, 4560800; 634500, 4561300; 634600, 4560900; 
635000, 4560700; 635100, 4561000; 635700, 4561000; 636000, 4561100; 
637300, 4560000; 637400, 4559300; 637300, 4558900; 636900, 4558700; 
636700, 4558300; 636100, 4558000; returning to 634900, 4557900.
    (6) Subunit 1B. Shasta County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Burney Falls, and Dana, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 616900, 4549000; 616800, 
4549000; 615900, 4549500; 615700, 4549800; 615600, 4549900; 615600, 
4550000; 615500, 4550100; 615400, 4550200; 615300, 4550400; 615300, 
4550600; 615600, 4550700; 615900, 4550700; 616200, 4550500; 616400, 
4550300; 616700, 4550100; 616800, 4549800; 617000, 4549400; 617100, 
4549100; returning to 616900, 4549000.
    (7) Subunit 1C. Shasta County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Burney, California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 
NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 612800, 4536000; 612700, 4536000; 612600, 
4536100; 612600, 4536200; 612500, 4536300; 612500, 4536500; 612300, 
4536500; 612300, 4536700; 612300, 4537100; 612500, 4537400; 612500, 
4537600; 612600, 4537700; 612700, 4537700; 612900, 4537800; 613000, 
4537900; 613000, 4538100; 612900, 4538300; 612900, 4538500; 613000, 
4538600; 613100, 4538800; 613400, 4538900; 613600, 4539000; 613700, 
4539100; 613800, 4539100; 613900, 4539100; 614000, 4539000; 614100, 
4538900; 614200, 4538800; 614400, 4538700; 614400, 4538600; 614300, 
4538500; 614100, 4538400; 614000, 4538400; 613800, 4538300; 613600, 
4538100; 613400, 4537900; 613400, 4537700; 613400, 4537500; 613200, 
4537400; 613200, 4537100; 613100, 4536800; 613000, 4536500; 613000, 
4536200; returning to 612800, 4536000.
    (8) Subunit 1D: Shasta County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Burney, California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 
NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 611900, 4529900; 611700, 4529900; 611500, 
4529900; 611000, 4529900; 610500, 4530200; 610400, 4530300; 610200, 
4530400; 610200, 4530600; 610300, 4530900; 610600, 4531100; 610500, 
4531400; 610200, 4531600; 610200, 4531800; 610100, 4532200; 610100, 
4532600; 610000, 4532800; 610000, 4533000; 609900, 4533200; 609900, 
4533500; 609700, 4533900; 609600, 4534100; 609600, 4534300; 609600, 
4534600; 609600, 4534800; 609600, 4535200; 609500, 4535300; 609300, 
4535400; 609100, 4535500; 608800, 4535600; 608600, 4535600; 608300, 
4535700; 608200, 4535800; 608000, 4535800; 608100, 4536000; 609700, 
4536000; 610300, 4535500; 610500, 4535000; 610600, 4534600; 610500, 
4533700; 610800, 4532700; 611000, 4532500; 611000, 4532400; 611100, 
4532100; 611300, 4531900; 611500, 4531600; 611500, 4531400; 611600, 
4531200; 611800, 4531100; 612000, 4531000; 612200, 4530800; 612200, 
4530500; 612100, 4530100; returning to 611900, 4529900.
    (9) Subunit 1E: Shasta County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Murken Bench and Old Station, California, land bounded 
by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 634800, 4510800; 
634600, 4511200; 634400, 4511400; 634600, 4512400; 634200, 4512800; 
634300, 4513000; 634400, 4512900; 634800, 4512900; 635100, 4513200; 
635800, 4513200; 636000, 4513100; 636000, 4512800; 636000, 4512400; 
635600, 4512100; 635500, 4511700; 635500, 4511400; 635400, 4511200; 
635100, 4510900; returning to 634800, 4510800.
    (10) Subunit 1F. Lassen, and Shasta Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Poison Lake, and Swains Hole, California, land 
bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N):
    (i) Start at 644800, 4500100; 644300, 4500300; 643500, 4500400; 
642400, 4500800; 641500, 4501500; 641200, 4502700; 641300, 4502900; 
641600, 4502900; 641700, 4503100; 642100,

[[Page 46844]]

4503100; 642100, 4503200; 642500, 4503300; 642700, 4503300; 643000, 
4503400; 643200, 4503500; 643400, 4503600; 644000, 4503500; 644100, 
4503500; 644200, 4503400; 644400, 4503300; 645000, 4503400; 645200, 
4503200; 645200, 4502900; 645500, 4502200; 645500, 4501700; 645300, 
4501300; 645300, 4500600; 645200, 4500200; returning to 644800, 
4500100.
    (ii) Start at 648700, 4503600; 648100, 4504000; 647400, 4505400; 
647800, 4505900; 647500, 4506600; 647700, 4507200; 648800, 4507600; 
649500, 4507400; 650300, 4507600; 651200, 4507700; 651500, 4507600; 
651800, 4506500; 652200, 4505700; 651700, 4504900; 651500, 4505100; 
650800, 4504400; 650300, 4504700; 649500, 4504900; 648800, 4504600; 
648900, 4503800; returning to 648700, 4503600.
    (11) Subunit 1G. Lassen County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Bogard Buttes, Harvey Mountain, Pine Creek Valley, and 
Poison Lake, California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 
coordinates (E, N): 661100, 4497700; 659900, 4497900; 659300, 4497700; 
657500, 4499000; 655500, 4500700; 655000, 4501200; 654900, 4501700; 
655100, 4501600; 655600, 4501800; 656600, 4502600; 656700, 4502800; 
657700, 4503200; 658700, 4503200; 660000, 4503600; 661300, 4504400; 
662200, 4505000; 662900, 4505100; 663600, 4504700; 664200, 4504500; 
664400, 4504300; 664400, 4503100; 664100, 4503000; 662800, 4502300; 
661600, 4501100; 661300, 4499600; 660800, 4498800; 660700, 4498600; 
660700, 4498200; 660800, 4498000; 661000, 4498000; returning to 661100, 
4497700.
    (12) Subunit 1H. Shasta County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Old Station, and West Prospect, California, land 
bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 630400, 
4492700; 629900, 4493100; 629300, 4493500; 629100, 4493700; 629300, 
4494200; 629500, 4494700; 629400, 4494800; 629400, 4495200; 629700, 
4495500; 630500, 4495700; 630500, 4496500; 631700, 4497100; 631700, 
4497600; 631800, 4498000; 631900, 4498200; 632000, 4498400; 632100, 
4498400; 632400, 4498400; 633900, 4497900; 634200, 4496800; 634200, 
4496700; 634100, 4496600; 634100, 4496300; 634400, 4496100; 634400, 
4495800; 634600, 4495600; 634600, 4495400; 634800, 4495400; 635000, 
4495200; 635000, 4494900; 635200, 4494800; 635200, 4494500; 635100, 
4494400; 634800, 4494000; 635100, 4493500; 635000, 4493400; 635200, 
4493100; 634900, 4492900; 634300, 4492900; 634300, 4493700; 634100, 
4493900; 634100, 4494100; 633600, 4494400; 632500, 4495100; 631900, 
4495300; 631300, 4495200; 631000, 4495000; 630700, 4494500; 630500, 
4494000; 630500, 4493400; 630400, 4493300; returning to 630400, 
4492700.
    (13) Subunit 1I: Plumas County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Almanor, California, land bounded by the following UTM 
10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 655400, 4452100; 655000, 4452100; 
654900,4452500; 654400, 4452700; 654100, 4453000; 653900, 4453200; 
653700, 4453200; 653400, 4453000; 652600, 4453000; 652300, 4453500; 
651900, 4453700; 651600, 4454400; 651600, 4454700; 652000, 4455400; 
652400, 4455500; 652700, 4455700; 653200, 4455300; 653000, 4455100; 
653000, 4454800; 653300, 4454400; 653500, 4454100; 653900, 4453900; 
654500, 4453700; 654900, 4453400; 655300, 4452900; 655400, 4452600; 
returning to 655400, 4452100.
    (14) Subunit 2A: Shasta County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Enterprise, California, land bounded by the following 
UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 558800, 4488900; 558500, 4488900; 
558000, 4489000; 558000, 4489800; 558100, 4489800; 558300, 4489900; 
558200, 4490100; 558000, 4490100; 558000, 4491700; 558500, 4491700; 
558900, 4491600; 559100, 4491300; 559100, 4490700; 559000, 4490600; 
559000, 4490400; 559200, 4490200; 559200, 4490000; 559400, 4489800; 
559400, 4489300; 559200, 4489000; returning to 558800, 4488900.
    (15) Subunit 2B: Shasta County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Balls Ferry, Cottonwood, Enterprise, and Palo Cedro, 
California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, 
N):
    (i) Start at 564200, 4480900; 563600, 4480900; 563300, 4481000; 
563100, 4480900; 562900, 4480900; 562500, 4481200; 562400, 4481500; 
562400, 4481700; 562300, 4482400; 562000, 4482500; 561900, 4482800; 
561800, 4483300; 561500, 4483700; 561000, 4484000; 560700, 4485400; 
560700, 4486500; 560800, 4486700; 561000, 4486900; 561200, 4487000; 
561300, 4487600; 561600, 4487900; 562000, 4487900; 562500, 4487400; 
562700, 4487100; 562900, 4487200; 563200, 4487200; 563300, 4487000; 
563300, 4486700; 563800, 4486400; 564300, 4484700; 564300, 4484400; 
564500, 4484100; 564500, 4483800; 564600, 4483700; 564600, 4483400; 
564400, 4483100; 564100, 4482800; 564100, 4482600; 564300, 4482600; 
564300, 4482400; 564300, 4482300; 564200, 4482200; 564100, 4482100; 
564000, 4482100; 564200, 4481800; returning to 564200, 4480900; 
excluding land bounded by 562900, 4485000; 562100, 4485000; 562100, 
4485372; 562100, 4485400; 561700, 4485400; 561700, 4485400; 561700, 
4485779; 561700, 4485800; 561300, 4485800; 561300, 4484100; 562100, 
4484100; 562300, 4484010; 562300, 4484000; 562300, 4483803; 562300, 
4483800; 562304, 4483794; 562500, 4483500; 562500, 4483500; 562400, 
4483500; 562400, 4483500; 562400, 4482600; returning to 562900, 
4482600.
    (ii) Start at 559900, 4482000; 559400, 4482000; 558900, 4482400; 
558900, 4482900; 558900, 4483600; 558300, 4483600; 558200, 4483900; 
558200, 4484500; 558000, 4484800; 558000, 4485100; 558000, 4485300; 
557800, 4485600; 557600, 4485900; 557300, 4486100; 557300, 4487400; 
559000, 4487400; 559000, 4486800; 559000, 4484000; 559300, 4484000; 
559300, 4483900; 559500, 4483900; 559800, 4483600; 560700, 4483600; 
560900, 4483500; 560500, 4483500; 560500, 4482600; 560100, 4482500; 
559900, 4482500; returning to 559900, 4482000.
    (16) Subunit 2C: Shasta County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Balls Ferry, and Palo Cedro, California, land bounded 
by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 566900, 4477300; 
566700, 4477300; 566100, 4478200; 565900, 4478900; 565500, 4479200; 
565500, 4479300; 565600, 4479600; 565300, 4479700; 565300, 4479900; 
565400, 4480200; 566100, 4480400; 566100, 4480700; 565700, 4480800; 
565700, 4481000; 565700, 4481300; 565700, 4481700; 565500, 4482500; 
565100, 4482600; 564900, 4482900; 564900, 4483100; 565000, 4483300; 
565400, 4483800; 565700, 4484900; 566400, 4485400; 567400, 4485000; 
568100, 4483800; 568100, 4483300; 568400, 4483000; 568400, 4482100; 
568200, 4481600; 567500, 4481300; 567500, 4480200; 567700, 4479400; 
567700, 4478400; 567500, 4477800; returning to 566900, 4477300.
    (17) Unit 3: Shasta and Tehama Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Balls Ferry, Bend, Dales, Red Bluff East, 
Shingletown, and Tuscan Buttes NE, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 570200, 4454800; 570200, 
4455000; 570600, 4455900; 570000, 4456100; 569500, 4456300; 569300, 
4456500; 568900, 4456500; 568600, 4456500; 568000, 4456800; 567900, 
4457100; 567900, 4458000; 568400, 4458800; 569100, 4459800; 569600,

[[Page 46845]]

4460500; 569500, 4460800; 569000, 4460600; 568300, 4460700; 567500, 
4460700; 566800, 4460000; 566400, 4460000; 565900, 4461100; 565800, 
4461400; 565800, 4461700; 566000, 4462000; 565800, 4462300; 565900, 
4462400; 565800, 4462500; 565900, 4462600; 565800, 4462800; 565900, 
4462900; 565900, 4463000; 566000, 4463100; 566300, 4463100; 566500, 
4463300; 566500, 4463600; 566700, 4463700; 566800, 4463700; 566900, 
4463600; 567100, 4463500; 567200, 4463600; 567600, 4463400; 568300, 
4463200; 569800, 4463200; 570600, 4463900; 570800, 4464300; 572000, 
4465200; 572000, 4466300; 572100, 4466600; 572800, 4467300; 573500, 
4468600; 573400, 4469000; 573100, 4469400; 572900, 4469600; 572600, 
4469600; 571800, 4468800; 571400, 4468100; 571000, 4467900; 571000, 
4468700; 571200, 4468700; 571100, 4469200; 571200, 4469500; 571200, 
4470500; 570500, 4470900; 570300, 4471000; 570100, 4471000; 569800, 
4470900; 569600, 4471000; 569400, 4471400; 569400, 4471800; 569700, 
4471900; 569600, 4472000; 569900, 4472200; 570200, 4472100; 570500, 
4472000; 570800, 4472200; 570900, 4472100; 571000, 4472100; 571300, 
4472200; 571700, 4472200; 571900, 4472200; 572200, 4472300; 572500, 
4472100; 573900, 4472100; 574300, 4473200; 575100, 4473200; 575600, 
4473500; 576000, 4473900; 576600, 4473900; 577300, 4473900; 577700, 
4474200; 578600, 4474200; 579300, 4474400; 580000, 4474400; 580600, 
4474700; 581900, 4474700; 582400, 4475300; 583000, 4475400; 583200, 
4475400; 583700, 4475000; 584200, 4475200; 584600, 4475200; 585400, 
4474500; 586000, 4473600; 586100, 4473400; 585800, 4472600; 585500, 
4472100; 584800, 4471900; 584500, 4471600; 584500, 4471400; 584700, 
4471100; 584700, 4470800; 584500, 4470500; 583400, 4469700; 583100, 
4469400; 582600, 4468500; 582600, 4467600; 582700, 4466900; 582700, 
4466700; 581900, 4465800; 581000, 4465500; 580600, 4465200; 580400, 
4464000; 580200, 4463300; 578900, 4462700; 578500, 4462300; 578100, 
4462000; 577800, 4460900; 577700, 4460000; 576700, 4459300; 576600, 
4458800; 576800, 4458300; 576800, 4457100; 576400, 4456700; 575500, 
4456800; 574900, 4456800; 574100, 4455900; 573500, 4455600; 572300, 
4455300; 572000, 4455300; 571600, 4455600; 571400, 4455400; 571100, 
4454900; 570600, 4454900; returning to 570200, 4454800.
    (18) Unit 4: Butte, and Tehama Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Acorn Hollow, Foster Island, Los Molinos, 
Nord, Richardson Springs NW, and Vina, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N):
    (i) Start at 588700, 4429900; 588200, 4426500; 587900, 4426300; 
587900, 4426800; 587800, 4426900; 587900, 4427000; 588000, 4427300; 
587900, 4427300; 587800, 4427200; 587600, 4426800; 587500, 4426600; 
587400, 4426400; 587200, 4426200; 586700, 4425700; 586500, 4425700; 
586200, 4425400; 585900, 4425400; 585800, 4425400; 585500, 4425600; 
584900, 4425600; 584900, 4425400; 584900, 4425200; 585000, 4425000; 
584800, 4425000; 584600, 4424900; 584500, 4424900; 584300, 4425000; 
584100, 4425000; 583900, 4425200; 583700, 4425400; 583400, 4425500; 
583300, 4425500; 583300, 4425300; 583100, 4425300; 583000, 4425400; 
582900, 4425200; 582800, 4425000; 582700, 4424800; 582700, 4424600; 
582600, 4424500; 582600, 4424200; 582400, 4424100; 582300, 4423800; 
582100, 4423600; 582100, 4423500; 581300, 4422800; 581000, 4422600; 
580600, 4422800; 580200, 4423800; 579900, 4424500; 579700, 4424800; 
579500, 4425400; 579700, 4425600; 580100, 4425600; 580800, 4426400; 
581700, 4427000; 582300, 4427000; 582300, 4426900; 582400, 4426800; 
582500, 4426800; 582700, 4426700; 582800, 4426700; 583500, 4426800; 
583900, 4426900; 584000, 4427000; 584200, 4427100; 584600, 4427600; 
584800, 4427900; 585100, 4428200; 585900, 4428500; 586300, 4428500; 
586900, 4428900; 587300, 4429100; 588300, 4429600; 588500, 4430000; 
returning to 588700, 4429900.
    (ii) Start at 588700, 4429900; 588900, 4429500; 589500, 4429500; 
589500, 4428600; 589500, 4428000; 589800, 4427100; 590500, 4426400; 
590500, 4425300; 591200, 4424400; 591500, 4423300; 591600, 4422100; 
590900, 4420900; 590700, 4419800; 588000, 4417000; 587500, 4416400; 
587200, 4415500; 587200, 4415100; 587300, 4415000; 587300, 4414500; 
587200, 4414400; 587100, 4414300; 586900, 4414000; 586400, 4413900; 
586200, 4413700; 586000, 4413600; 585800, 4413600; 585800, 4414700; 
585300, 4414700; 585300, 4413800; 585200, 4413700; 584800, 4413700; 
584600, 4413600; 584400, 4413600; 584200, 4413500; 584000, 4413700; 
583200, 4413400; 583000, 4414200; 583700, 4414600; 583500, 4415000; 
583000, 4415900; 583000, 4416400; 582900, 4416700; 582800, 4416900; 
582700, 4417000; 582700, 4417200; 582900, 4417300; 582800, 4417400; 
582700, 4417500; 582700, 4417600; 582600, 4417700; 582600, 4418000; 
582600, 4418100; 582600, 4418200; 582700, 4418300; 582500, 4418400; 
582400, 4418300; 582200, 4418300; 582100, 4418400; 582100, 4418500; 
582000, 4418600; 582100, 4418700; 582100, 4418900; 582200, 4419100; 
582100, 4419300; 582200, 4419500; 582100, 4419600; 582000, 4419700; 
582100, 4419800; 582100, 4419900; 582200, 4420000; 582200, 4420300; 
582100, 4420500; 582200, 4420600; 582200, 4420800; 582300, 4421100; 
582900, 4421500; 582900, 4421600; 583300, 4422000; 583400, 4422100; 
583900, 4422100; 584100, 4422300; 584200, 4422300; 584300, 4422400; 
584400, 4422500; 584600, 4422900; 585100, 4423400; 585600, 4423700; 
585800, 4423900; 585800, 4424200; 586100, 4424200; 586600, 4424800; 
586800, 4424900; 587300, 4425500; 587400, 4425600; 587500, 4425800; 
587500, 4425900; 587600, 4426000; 587700, 4426100; 587800, 4426100; 
587900, 4426200; 587900, 4426300; 588200, 4426500; returning to 588700, 
4429900.
    (19) Subunit 5A: Lake County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Kelseyville, and The Geysers, California, land bounded 
by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 520000, 4302900; 
519600, 4302900; 519200, 4303200; 518600, 4303600; 518400, 4304000; 
517700, 4304500; 517700, 4305500; 518000, 4305800; 518900, 4305800; 
519400, 4305600; 519400, 4305200; 520600, 4304700; 520700, 4304400; 
521200, 4303900; 521200, 4303500; 520900, 4303400; returning to 520000, 
4302900.
    (20) Subunit 5B: Lake County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Middletown, California, land bounded by the following 
UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 540700, 4298300; 540200, 4298400; 
539100, 4299100; 538800, 4299200; 538400, 4299200; 538100, 4299500; 
538300, 4300200; 537900, 4300700; 537400, 4300600; 536900, 4299900; 
536300, 4299700; 536000, 4299700; 535100, 4300400; 535000, 4300800; 
535000, 4301200; 535100, 4301800; 535300, 4302200; 535700, 4302400; 
536100, 4302400; 536900, 4302300; 538700, 4301200; 539100, 4300600; 
540000, 4300000; 540700, 4299700; 541000, 4299300; 541100, 4298700; 
returning to 540700, 4298300.
    (21) Unit 6: Sacramento County, California. [Reserved]
    (22) Maps follow of critical habitat unit 1, 2 through 4, and 5 
(respectively) for slender Orcutt grass.
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BILLING CODE 4310-55-C
    Family Poaceae: Orcuttia viscida (Sacramento Orcutt Grass).
    (1) Critical habitat units are depicted for Amador County, 
California, on the map below.
    (2) The primary constituent elements of critical habitat for 
Orcuttia viscida are the habitat components that provide:

[[Page 46849]]

    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Orcuttia viscida germination, 
growth and reproduction, including but not limited to vernal pools on 
high terrace landforms on acidic soils such as Red Bluff, Redding, and 
Corning soil series. These habitats typically become inundated during 
winter rains, but are dry during the summer and do not necessarily fill 
with water every year; and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Orcuttia viscida germination, growth and 
reproduction, and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.
    (3) Critical habitat does not include existing manmade features and 
structures, such as buildings, roads, aquaducts, railroads, airport 
runways and buildings, other paved areas, lawns, and other urban 
landscaped areas not containing one or more of the primary constituent 
elements.
    (4) Critical habitat does not include the following lands although 
they may fall within the legal descriptions below:
    (i) Lands within the following California counties: Butte, Madera, 
Merced, Sacramento, and Solano;
    (ii) Federally-owned lands within the boundaries of the Kern, 
Sacramento, San Francisco Bay, and San Luis National Wildlife Refuges 
and National Wildlife Refuge Complexes, and the Coleman National Fish 
Hatchery;
    (iii) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Allensworth, 
Boggs Lake, Butte Creek Canyon, Calhoun Cut, Carrizo Plains, Dales 
Lake, Fagan Marsh, Phoenix Field, San Joaquin River, Stone Corral, and 
Thomes Creek Ecological Reserves;
    (iv) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Battle Creek, 
Big Sandy, Grizzly Island, Hill Slough, North Grasslands, and Oroville 
Wildlife Areas.
    (5) Unit 1: Sacramento County, California. [Reserved]
    (6) Unit 2: Sacramento County, California. [Reserved]
    (7) Unit 3: Amador and Sacramento Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Carbondale, Clay, Goose Creek, and 
Sloughhouse, California land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 
coordinates (E N): 661400, 4239000; 661400, 4239900; 661500, 4239900; 
661500, 4241600; 662900, 4241600; 662900, 4243100; 663400, 4243100; 
663400, 4243800; 663000, 4243800; 663000, 4243900; 662500, 4243900; 
662700, 4244700; 662850, 4244800; 663700, 4244800; 664400, 4244300; 
664600, 4244700; 664900, 4244800; 664900, 4245275; 665000, 4245300; 
664900, 4245700; 664900, 4246500; 664400, 4246500; 663900, 4246700; 
662500, 4246300; 662200, 4246300; 662100, 4246400; 661700, 4246400; 
662000, 4247300; 661800, 4247500; 660900, 4247500; 660850, 4247100; 
659700, 4247100; 659500, 4247300; 659500, 4248300; 660000, 4248300; 
659900, 4249600; 660000, 4249900; 659900, 4250200; 659400, 4249700; 
659400, 4249500; 659300, 4249200; 659100, 4249000; 659100, 4248900; 
659200, 4248800; 659100, 4248700; 658900, 4248700; 658800, 4248600; 
658600, 4248600; 658500, 4248800; 658400, 4248900; 658200, 4249000; 
658200, 4248900; 658300, 4248700; 658500, 4248500; 658500, 4248400; 
658400, 4248300; 658400, 4247900; 658100, 4247900; 658000; 4248500; 
656700, 4248500; 656300, 4248900; 655900, 4248200; 656100, 4248100; 
656100, 4248000; 656000, 4247800; 655200, 4247800; 655200, 4247200; 
654700, 4247200; 654700, 4248750; 654700, 4249000; 655100, 4249000; 
655800, 4249000; 656300, 4249700; 656600, 4249500; 657200, 4250200; 
656700, 4251100; 657700, 4251100; 658700, 4252500; 659500, 4252500; 
659600, 4252100; 659900, 4252200; 660500, 4251500; 660600, 4250500; 
661700, 4251200; 662400, 4252100; 662800, 4252300; 663200, 4252300; 
663400, 4252700; 663800, 4253700; 664900, 4253700; 665800, 4254500; 
666200, 4254600; 667600, 4254500; 668000, 4255000; 668900, 4255600; 
669300, 4255400; 670600, 4255800; 671500, 4256400; 671700, 4256000; 
671900, 4256000; 672200, 4255600; 672400, 4255600; 672700, 4256400; 
673200, 4256400; 672800, 4255100; 672800, 4254800; 673100, 4254900; 
673800, 4254900; 674000, 4254600; 674000, 4254400; 674500, 4254000; 
674500, 4253700; 674100, 4253500; 674100, 4252900; 674300, 4252300; 
674500, 4251900; 674500, 4251600; 673400, 4251500; 673300, 4251400; 
673300, 4251200; 673900, 4251000; 674000, 4250500; 674300, 4250000; 
674300, 4249800; 674200, 4249700; 673900, 4249700; 673600, 4249900; 
672500, 4249900; 671900, 4250200; 671300, 4250200; 671100, 4250500; 
671000, 4250500; 671000, 4249800; 670700, 4249800; 670700, 4249500; 
670800, 4249300; 670800, 4249000; 670900, 4248900, 670900, 4248500; 
670500, 4248300; 670500, 4248125; 670400, 4248100; 670400, 4248000; 
670100, 4248000; 670100, 4247800; 670500, 4247500; 671100, 4247500; 
671600, 4247700; 671800, 4247600; 671900, 4247300; 671900, 4247100; 
671500, 4246800; 671600, 4246600; 671800, 4246000; 671300, 4245400; 
670800, 4245000; 670000, 4244200; 669900, 4244100; 669800, 4243700; 
669500, 4243500; 669200, 4243400; 669100, 4242900; 668500, 4242100; 
667900, 4242000; 667400, 4241600; 667400, 4241800; 666400, 4241700; 
665400, 4241700; 665400, 4242700; 665000, 4242700; 665000, 4242300; 
664800, 4242300; 664800, 4242200; 664700, 4242200; 664600, 4242100; 
664500, 4242100; 664500, 4241300; 664000, 4241300; 664000, 4241000; 
663500, 4241000; 663500, 4240900; 663400, 4240800; 663300, 4240800; 
663300, 4240600; 663100, 4240600; 663100, 4240900; 662800, 4240900; 
662800, 4240500; 662700, 4240400; 662700, 4240000; 662500, 4240000; 
662500, 4239600; 662100, 4239600; 662100, 4239400; 662000, 4239300; 
661700, 4239300; 661700, 4239200; returning to 661400, 4239000.
    (8) Maps follow of critical habitat for units 1 through 3 for 
Sacramento Orcutt grass.
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[[Page 46851]]

    Family Poaceae: Tuctoria greenei (Greene's Tuctoria).
    (1) Critical habitat units are depicted for Shasta, Tehama, Glenn, 
Colusa, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, and Mariposa Counties, California, on the 
map below.
    (2) The primary constituent elements of critical habitat for 
Tuctoria greenei are the habitat components that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Tuctoria greenei germination, 
growth and reproduction, including but not limited to, Northern 
Claypan, Northern Hardpan and Northern Basalt flow vernal pools, that 
typically become inundated during winter rains, but are dry during the 
summer and do not necessarily fill with water every year; and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Tuctoria greenei germination, growth and 
reproduction, and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.
    (3) Critical habitat does not include existing manmade features and 
structures, such as buildings, roads, aqueducts, railroads, airport 
runways and buildings, other paved areas, lawns, and other urban 
landscaped areas not containing one or more of the primary constituent 
elements.
    (4) Critical habitat does not include the following lands although 
they may fall within the legal descriptions below:
    (i) Lands within the following California counties: Butte, Madera, 
Merced, Sacramento, and Solano;
    (ii) Federally-owned lands within the boundaries of the Kern, 
Sacramento, San Francisco Bay, and San Luis National Wildlife Refuges 
and National Wildlife Refuge Complexes, and the Coleman National Fish 
Hatchery;
    (iii) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Allensworth, 
Boggs Lake, Butte Creek Canyon, Calhoun Cut, Carrizo Plains, Dales 
Lake, Fagan Marsh, Phoenix Field, San Joaquin River, Stone Corral, and 
Thomes Creek Ecological Reserves;
    (iv) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Battle Creek, 
Big Sandy, Grizzly Island, Hill Slough, North Grasslands, and Oroville 
Wildlife Areas.
    (5) Unit 1: Shasta County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle map Merken Bench, California, land bounded by the following 
UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 00, 4521200; 630000, 4521200; 628900, 
4522800; 629200, 4523500; 629600, 4523900; 630900, 4524100; 631800, 
4523500; 632400, 4522900; 632000, 4521600; 631200, 4521600; 631100, 
4521700; 630900, 4521600; 630500, 4521600; 630300, 4521300; returning 
to 630200, 4521200.
    (6) Unit 2: Butte and Tehama Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Acorn Hollow, Foster Island, Los Molinos, 
Nord, Richardson Springs NW, and Vina, California, land bounded by the 
following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 588700, 4429900; 588900, 
4429500; 589500, 4429500; 589500, 4428600; 589500, 4428000; 589800, 
4427100; 590500, 4426400; 590500, 4425300; 591200, 4424400; 591500, 
4423300; 591600, 4422100; 590900, 4420900; 590700, 4419800; 588000, 
4417000; 587500, 4416400; 587200, 4415500; 587200, 4415100; 587300, 
4415000; 587300, 4414500; 587200, 4414400; 587100, 4414300; 586900, 
4414000; 586400, 4413900; 586200, 4413700; 586000, 4413600; 585800, 
4413600; 585800, 4414700; 585300, 4414700; 585300, 4413800; 585200, 
4413700; 584800, 4413700; 584600, 4413600; 584400, 4413600; 584200, 
4413500; 584000, 4413700; 583200, 4413400; 583000, 4414200; 583700, 
4414600; 583500, 4415000; 583000, 4415900; 583000, 4416400; 582900, 
4416700; 582800, 4416900; 582700, 4417000; 582700, 4417200; 582900, 
4417300; 582800, 4417400; 582700, 4417500; 582700, 4417600; 582600, 
4417700; 582600, 4418000; 582600, 4418100; 582600, 4418200; 582700, 
4418300; 582500, 4418400; 582400, 4418300; 582200, 4418300; 582100, 
4418400; 582100, 4418500; 582000, 4418600; 582100, 4418700; 582100, 
4418900; 582200, 4419100; 582100, 4419300; 582200, 4419500; 582100, 
4419600; 582000, 4419700; 582100, 4419800; 582100, 4419900; 582200, 
4420000; 582200, 4420300; 582100, 4420500; 582200, 4420600; 582200, 
4420800; 582300, 4421100; 582900, 4421500; 582900, 4421600; 583300, 
4422000; 583400, 4422100; 583900, 4422100; 584100, 4422300; 584200, 
4422300; 584300, 4422400; 584400, 4422500; 584600, 4422900; 585100, 
4423400; 585600, 4423700; 585800, 4423900; 585800, 4424200; 586100, 
4424200; 586600, 4424800; 586800, 4424900; 587300, 4425500; 587400, 
4425600; 587500, 4425800; 587500, 4425900; 587600, 4426000; 587700, 
4426100; 587800, 4426100; 587900, 4426200; 587900, 4426300; 587900, 
4426800; 587800, 4426900; 587900, 4427000; 588000, 4427300; 587900, 
4427300; 587800, 4427200; 587600, 4426800; 587500, 4426600; 587400, 
4426400; 587200, 4426200; 586700, 4425700; 586500, 4425700; 586200, 
4425400; 585900, 4425400; 585800, 4425400; 585500, 4425600; 584900, 
4425600; 584900, 4425400; 584900, 4425200; 585000, 4425000; 584800, 
4425000; 584600, 4424900; 584500, 4424900; 584300, 4425000; 584100, 
4425000; 583900, 4425200; 583700, 4425400; 583400, 4425500; 583300, 
4425500; 583300, 4425300; 583100, 4425300; 583000, 4425400; 582900, 
4425200; 582800, 4425000; 582700, 4424800; 582700, 4424600; 582600, 
4424500; 582600, 4424200; 582400, 4424100; 582300, 4423800; 582100, 
4423600; 582100, 4423500; 581300, 4422800; 581000, 4422600; 580600, 
4422800; 580200, 4423800; 579900, 4424500; 579700, 4424800; 579500, 
4425400; 579700, 4425600; 580100, 4425600; 580800, 4426400; 581700, 
4427000; 582300, 4427000; 582300, 4426900; 582400, 4426800; 582500, 
4426800; 582700, 4426700; 582800, 4426700; 583500, 4426800; 583900, 
4426900; 584000, 4427000; 584200, 4427100; 584600, 4427600; 584800, 
4427900; 585100, 4428200; 585900, 4428500; 586300, 4428500; 586900, 
4428900; 587300, 4429100; 588300, 4429600; 588500, 4430000; returning 
to 588700, 4429900.
    (7) Unit 3: Butte County, California. [Reserved]
    (8) Unit 4: Butte County, California. [Reserved]
    (9) Unit 5: Colusa and Glenn Counties, California. [Reserved]
    (10) Unit 6: Stanislaus and Tuolumne Counties, California. From 
USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle maps Cooperstown, Keystone, Knights Ferry, La 
Grange, Oakdale, Paulsell, and Waterford, California, land bounded by 
the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N):
    (i) Start at 708700, 4190000; 709200, 4189300; 709200, 4188600; 
710100, 4188200; 709900, 4186700; 708900, 4185800; 708800, 4185000; 
709600, 4184200; 710300, 4183900; 710300, 4182900; 711400, 4182100; 
712400, 4182100; 713200, 4182000; 714100, 4182600; 715100, 4182600; 
715500, 4183400; 715800, 4183400; 716000, 4182700; 716900, 4182700; 
717100, 4182500; 717100, 4182000; 716900, 4181300; 717200, 4180900; 
717200, 4180600; 716900, 4179900; 717700, 4180100; 718500, 4180000; 
718700, 4179200; 719300, 4178700; 719700,

[[Page 46852]]

4177600; 720300, 4177700; 720700, 4177700; 720800, 4176400; 721400, 
4175900; 722200, 4175300; 722700, 4175200; 722800, 4173600; 723000, 
4173500; 723200, 4173600; 723700, 4173600; 724000, 4173300; 724100, 
4172300; 722800, 4172200; 721700, 4171200; 721600, 4170700; 721500, 
4170500; 721400, 4170400; 721200, 4170300; 721000, 4170100; 721000, 
4169600; 720900, 4169600; 720000, 4168500; 718900, 4168000; 718700, 
4168100; 718100, 4168500; 718000, 4168500; 717900, 4168600; 716200, 
4168600; 715900, 4168500; 715600, 4168300; 715500, 4168200; 715400, 
4168300; 715400, 4169400; 714900, 4169900; 714900, 4170000; 715100, 
4170000; 715200, 4170200; 715300, 4170200; 715300, 4170400; 715300, 
4171200; 715200, 4171200; 715200, 4171000; 715100, 4171000; 715100, 
4170700; 714900, 4170700; 714900, 4170300; 713900, 4169800; 713800, 
4169900; 713000, 4169500; 712500, 4169400; 712200, 4169400; 712000, 
4169600; 711500, 4169900; 711300, 4169900; 710500, 4169100; 709300, 
4169100; 709100, 4169500; 709100, 4169700; 708900, 4169700; 708800, 
4169900; 708700, 4169900; 708600, 4169800; 708500, 4169900; 708400, 
4170000; 708700, 4170200; 708800, 4170300; 708900, 4170400; 709100, 
4170500; 709200, 4170600; 709400, 4170600; 709400, 4170800; 709300, 
4170800; 709200, 4170900; 709100, 4170800; 708800, 4170700; 708800, 
4170600; 708500, 4170500; 708400, 4170300; 708100, 4170200; 707900, 
4170200; 707900, 4170300; 708100, 4170500; 708200, 4170500; 708200, 
4170600; 708000, 4170600; 708200, 4170800; 708200, 4170900; 708100, 
4170900; 707900, 4170700; 707700, 4170700; 707700, 4170800; 707600, 
4170900; 707400, 4170900; 707100, 4171100; 707100, 4171200; 707200, 
4171300; 707300, 4171200; 707500, 4171300; 707800, 4171600; 707900, 
4171600; 708100, 4171600; 708200, 4171700; 708100, 4171800; 708100, 
4171900; 708300, 4171900; 708300, 4172100; 708400, 4172100; 708500, 
4172200; 708500, 4172300; 708700, 4172400; 708800, 4172500; 708800, 
4172600; 708700, 4172700; 708500, 4172700; 708400, 4172800; 708300, 
4172700; 708200, 4172700; 708100, 4172600; 708000, 4172500; 707900, 
4172500; 707800, 4172700; 707600, 4172600; 707400, 4172500; 707400, 
4172600; 707200, 4172700; 707100, 4172300; 707000, 4172200; 706700, 
4172200; 706700, 4172300; 706500, 4172300; 706400, 4172300; 706400, 
4172400; 706200, 4172600; 706300, 4172700; 706400, 4172800; 706300, 
4172800; 706200, 4172800; 706100, 4172900; 705900, 4173100; 705800, 
4173300; 705800, 4173500; 706000, 4173800; 705900, 4173900; 705800, 
4174100; 705700, 4174200; 705500, 4174200; 705400, 4174100; 705400, 
4173700; 705300, 4173500; 705200, 4173200; 705100, 4173200; 705100, 
4172600; 704900, 4172400; 704800, 4172100; 704600, 4172100; 704500, 
4171900; 704400, 4171800; 704500, 4171600; 704600, 4171400; 704700, 
4171500; 704900, 4171200; 704700, 4171100; 704900, 4171000; 704800, 
4170900; 704600, 4170900; 704600, 4170700; 704800, 4170200; 705100, 
4170200; 705000, 4170100; 705000, 4169600; 705000, 4169500; 704900, 
4169400; 704800,

4169300; 704100, 4169300; 703500, 4169500; 703400, 4169600; 703400, 
4170100; 703600, 4170200; 703600, 4170300; 703500, 4170300; 703500, 
4170600; 703500, 4170700; 703500, 4170800; 703400, 4170900; 703400, 
4171300; 703300, 4171400; 703200, 4171500; 703400, 4171500; 703400, 
4171800; 703600, 4171800; 703600, 4174000; 704300, 4174000; 704300, 
4173700; 705200, 4173700; 705100, 4174700; 705400, 4175400; 705000, 
4175900; 705300, 4176300; 705700, 4176700; 705700, 4177000; 705700, 
4177500; 705100, 4177500; 705000, 4177300; 704800, 4177300; 704800, 
4177100; 704600, 4177100; 704500, 4177200; 704500, 4177400; 704300, 
4177500; 704200, 4177300; 704000, 4177300; 703800, 4177100; 703500, 
4177300; 703500, 4177800; 703800, 4178200; 704000, 4178200; 704100, 
4178100; 704200, 4178100; 704200, 4178400; 703900, 4178400; 703900, 
4178800; 703800, 4178900; 703900, 4179100; 703900, 4179200; 703500, 
4179200; 703200, 4179500; 703000, 4178800; 702900, 4178800; 702600, 
4178900; 702400, 4178900; 702400, 4178500; 702800, 4178300; 702900, 
4178300; 703100, 4177800; 703100, 4177500; 703000, 4177300; 702700, 
4177500; 702600, 4177500; 702500, 4177400; 702700, 4177200; 702700, 
4177000; 702600, 4177100; 702400, 4177100; 702400, 4177000; 702400, 
4176800; 702300, 4176800; 702300, 4177100; 702200, 4177200; 702000, 
4177100; 702100, 4176900; 702000, 4176800; 701800, 4176800; 701600, 
4176700; 701600, 4176500; 701600, 4176200; 701700, 4175900; 701800, 
4175800; 702000, 4175800; 702000, 4175100; 701600, 4175100; 701600, 
4174200; 701900, 4173700; 701800, 4173600; 701700, 4173500; 701700, 
4173300; 701700, 4173200; 701600, 4173200; 701500, 4173100; 701500, 
4173000; 701600, 4173000; 701600, 4172800; 701500, 4172600; 701300, 
4172500; 701100, 4172600; 700700, 4172600; 700600, 4172600; 700500, 
4172700; 700500, 4172900; 700400, 4172900; 700400, 4172800; 700100, 
4172700; 699600, 4172700; 699500, 4172800; 699300, 4172800; 699100, 
4172500; 698800, 4172500; 698700, 4172600; 698400, 4172400; 698100, 
4172800; 698200, 4173000; 697400, 4174300; 697300, 4174300; 697300, 
4174500; 697800, 4174500; 697800, 4176300; 697700, 4176300; 697700, 
4179300; 696800, 4179300; 696600, 4180000; 696600, 4180200; 697100, 
4179900; 697700, 4180200; 697700, 4180400; 697600, 4180400; 697600, 
4182200; 698700, 4182200; 699000, 4182600; 700300, 4182600; 700300, 
4183400; 699400, 4183400; 699400, 4184100; 700800, 4185100; 704100, 
4186300; 705300, 4187700; 705700, 4187700; 706300, 4188200; 706300, 
4188800; 706700, 4190100; 707300, 4190700; 707800, 4190700; 708400, 
4190000; returning to 708700, 4190000; excluding land bound by 699400, 
4179400; 698100, 4179400; 698400, 4179500; 698400, 4180200; 699800, 
4180200; 699800, 4180000; 699600, 4179800; returning to 699400, 
4179400; and excluding land bound by 709800, 4176600; 709800, 4177000; 
709900, 4177000; 709900, 4177600; 709800, 4177700; 709700, 4178000; 
709700, 4178200; 710600, 4178800; 710700, 4178900; 711800, 4178900; 
711900, 4178100; 711700, 4177600; 711700, 4177200; 711600, 4176900; 
711400, 4176700; 711200, 4176700; 711000, 4176700; 710800, 4176600; 
710800, 4176500; 710700, 4176400; 710600, 4176400; 710400, 4176300; 
710300, 4176200; 710300, 4176100; 710000, 4176100; 709900, 4176200; 
709900, 4176400; returning to 709800, 4176600; and excluding land bound 
by 706200, 4178400; 706600, 4178700; 707300, 4178700; 707300, 4178500; 
707500, 4178400; 707500, 4177900; 708200, 4177900; 708200, 4176900; 
708000, 4176500; 708000, 4176500; 707900, 4176000; 707900, 4175900; 
707800, 4175700; 707700, 4175700; 707600, 4175500; 707400, 4175600; 
707100, 4175600; 706800, 4175700; 706700, 4175900; 706700, 4177100; 
706200, 4177100; 706200, 4177600; 706300, 4178000; returning to 706200, 
4178400; and excluding land bound by 700700, 4176200; 699400, 4176200; 
699300, 4176200; 699300, 4177800; 701000, 4177800; 701000, 4177000; 
700500, 4177000; 700500, 4176600; 700700, 4176400; returning to 700700, 
4176200; and excluding land bound by 717800, 4170900; 718000, 4171000; 
718000, 4171300; 718800, 4171500; 718800,

[[Page 46853]]

4171400; 718900, 4171000; 719000, 4171000; 719100, 4170900; 718900, 
4170400; 718800, 4170200; 718600, 4170200; 718600, 4170100; 718100, 
4170200; 717700, 4170200; 717300, 4170300; 717300, 4170500; 717800, 
4170500; returning to 717800, 4170900.
    (ii) Start at 702000, 4169800; 702200, 4169800; 702200, 4169700; 
702200, 4169200; 701700, 4169000; 701300, 4168800; 701200, 4168600; 
701000, 4168600; 701000, 4169700; 700700, 4169700; 700700, 4170500; 
700500, 4170500; 700500, 4170900; 700300, 4170900; 700300, 4171100; 
700300, 4171800; 701200, 4171800; 702000, 4171800; returning to 702000, 
4169800.
    (11) Unit 7: Mariposa and Merced Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Haystack Mtn., Illinois Hill, Indian Gulch, La 
Grand, Merced, Merced Falls, Owens Reservoir, Plainsburg, Planada, 
Raynor Creek, Snelling, Winton, and Yosemite Lake, California, land 
bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 756700, 
4123994; 756500, 4123700; 753500, 4122400; 750200, 4122400; 750200, 
4121400; 748600, 4121400; 748600, 4121900; 747800, 4121900; 747800, 
4123300; 748300, 4123300; 748300, 4123500; 748500, 4123500; 748600, 
4123500; 748600, 4123900; 747800, 4123900; 747800, 4124600; 747400, 
4125100; 747400, 4125500; 746900, 4125500; 746900, 4125800; 747000, 
4125900; 746900, 4125900; 746600, 4125800; 746300, 4125700; 746200, 
4125600; 746200, 4125500; 745700, 4125500; 745700, 4125100; 744500, 
4125100; 744500, 4125300; 744400, 4125300; 744400, 4125200; 743700, 
4125200; 743700, 4125800; 744500, 4125800; 744500, 4126200; 743700, 
4126200; 743700, 4127000; 742400, 4127000; 742000, 4127200; 742000, 
4128600; 742800, 4128600; 742800, 4129100; 742900, 4129100; 743000, 
4129100; 743000, 4129200; 743400, 4129300; 743600, 4129500; 743600, 
4130700; 743500, 4130700; 743500, 4130900; 743100, 4130900; 743000, 
4130800; 743000, 4130600; 742400, 4130600; 742400, 4130800; 742000, 
4130800; 742000, 4131100; 741200, 4131100; 741300, 4131000; 741500, 
4131000; 741600, 4130900; 741600, 4130700; 741400, 4130400; 741300, 
4130200; 740400, 4130200; 740400, 4130300; 740300, 4130300; 740300, 
4131100; 740500, 4131100; 740500, 4131200; 740700, 4131200; 740700, 
4131300; 740800, 4131400; 741000, 4131400; 741000, 4131500; 741100, 
4131500; 741100, 4131600; 741000, 4131900; 741000, 4132100; 740800, 
4132200; 740700, 4132200; 740500, 4132100; 740400, 4132100; 740400, 
4132200; 740300, 4132200; 740200, 4132200; 740200, 4132300; 739900, 
4132600; 740000, 4132600; 740300, 4132800; 740300, 4133500; 738800, 
4133500; 738300, 4133600; 738100, 4133600; 737100, 4133400; 737100, 
4134200; 736600, 4134200; 733900, 4134200; 733900, 4134800; 733800, 
4134900; 733800, 4135000; 733000, 4135000; 733000, 4135800; 732500, 
4135800; 730300, 4135700; 730200, 4135600; 730100, 4135600; 729900, 
4135700; 729900, 4136500; 729900, 4136700; 730000, 4136700; 730100, 
4136600; 730200, 4136600; 730300, 4136600; 730400, 4136700; 730500, 
4136800; 730600, 4136900; 730600, 4137000; 730600, 4137200; 730600, 
4137300; 730500, 4137400; 730400, 4137500; 730300, 4137500; 729900, 
4137700; 729800, 4137700; 729700, 4137600; 729400, 4137600; 729300, 
4137800; 729300, 4138400; 729200, 4138500; 729000, 4138400; 728800, 
4138700; 728400, 4138800; 728200, 4138800; 727900, 4138600; 727700, 
4138500; 727600, 4138400; 727400, 4138300; 727400, 4137800; 727300, 
4137800; 727300, 4137600; 727400, 4137600; 727400, 4137500; 727300, 
4137500; 727300, 4137400; 727400, 4137400; 727400, 4137200; 726500, 
4137200; 726500, 4136500; 726400, 4136400; 725800, 4136400; 725800, 
4137200; 725000, 4137200; 724900, 4138800; 725500, 4138800; 725500, 
4138700; 725800, 4138700; 725800, 4138800; 725900, 4138800; 725900, 
4139500; 726500, 4139500; 726500, 4139600; 725900, 4139600; 725800, 
4139600; 725800, 4140200; 725900, 4140200; 725900, 4140900; 725400, 
4140900; 725400, 4140800; 725100, 4140800; 725100, 4141000; 724900, 
4141000; 724900, 4141200; 724100, 4141200; 724100, 4141600; 723400, 
4141600; 723400, 4141100; 723200, 4141100; 723200, 4140600; 723400, 
4140500; 723400, 4139500; 724000, 4139500; 724000, 4139400; 723900, 
4138900; 723900, 4138700; 723500, 4138200; 723400, 4138200; 723400, 
4138300; 723000, 4138300; 723000, 4138700; 723000, 4138900; 723100, 
4139100; 723200, 4139400; 723300, 4139500; 722100, 4139500; 722000, 
4140500; 721900, 4141100; 721900, 4141900; 721900, 4143400; 720800, 
4143400; 720900,

4141800; 721000, 4141500; 721000, 4141200; 721100, 4141100; 721000, 
4141000; 717800, 4140900; 717700, 4142500; 714500, 4142400; 714500, 
4144900; 715500, 4144900; 715500, 4145000; 715800, 4145000; 715900, 
4145000; 716000, 4145000; 716100, 4145100; 716100, 4145200; 716000, 
4145200; 715900, 4145300; 715900, 4145400; 716000, 4145500; 716000, 
4145600; 716100, 4145700; 717000, 4145700; 717700, 4145300; 717800, 
4145300; 717800, 4145200; 717800, 4145100; 717600, 4144900; 717600, 
4144800; 717600, 4144700; 717800, 4144500; 717900, 4144600; 718200, 
4144600; 718400, 4144500; 718700, 4144500; 718700, 4144800; 718600, 
4145000; 718700, 4145100; 718700, 4145600; 718600, 4145600; 718600, 
4145700; 718700, 4145800; 718600, 4145900; 718500, 4146000; 718500, 
4146100; 718600, 4146200; 718600, 4146500; 718300, 4146500; 718200, 
4146600; 718200, 4146800; 718300, 4146800; 718500, 4146900; 718600, 
4147000; 718600, 4147100; 718400, 4147200; 718500, 4147300; 718500, 
4147600; 718700, 4147600; 718700, 4147400; 719000, 4147500; 719100, 
4147700; 719300, 4147600; 719600, 4147900; 719700, 4148000; 719700, 
4148100; 719800, 4148200; 720000, 4148200; 720600, 4148200; 720600, 
4148300; 720700, 4148400; 720800, 4148400; 720900, 4148500; 722700, 
4148500; 722700, 4148600; 722900, 4148600; 723200, 4148700; 723400, 
4148700; 723200, 4148600; 723100, 4148500; 723000, 4148400; 723200, 
4148200; 723400, 4148200; 723500, 4148300; 723600, 4148400; 723600, 
4148500; 723800, 4148500; 723800, 4148400; 723900, 4148400; 723900, 
4148500; 724000, 4148700; 724200, 4148500; 724200, 4148900; 724300, 
4149000; 724300, 4149100; 724500, 4149000; 724500, 4149300; 724700, 
4149400; 724900, 4149600; 725000, 4149700; 725000, 4150000; 724900, 
4150100; 725000, 4150200; 725200, 4150200; 725300, 4150400; 725400, 
4150500; 725400, 4150600; 725100, 4150900; 724700, 4150900; 724700, 
4153400; 725000, 4153500; 725400, 4153900; 725600, 4154100; 725800, 
4154200; 726000, 4154300; 726200, 4154000; 726300, 4153800; 726300, 
4153700; 727800, 4153700; 727800, 4153400; 727900, 4153400; 727900, 
4153500; 728400, 4153600; 728700, 4153700; 729000, 4153700; 729000, 
4153600; 729100, 4153500; 729300, 4153400; 729400, 4153400; 729400, 
4153300; 729300, 4153200; 729500, 4153100; 729800, 4153100; 729900, 
4153200; 729900, 4154200; 730000, 4154200; 730100, 4154300; 730600, 
4154300; 730700, 4154400; 731000, 4154600; 731200, 4154700; 731500, 
4154700; 731800, 4154900; 732200, 4154900; 732600, 4154800; 733200, 
4154500; 733400, 4154500; 733700, 4154300; 734700, 4154300; 734900, 
4154600; 735100, 4154800; 735100, 4154900; 735500, 4155300; 735600, 
4155300; 735800, 4155500; 736100, 4155900; 737100, 4155400; 737800,

[[Page 46854]]

4155000; 738200, 4154200; 738300, 4153300; 739000, 4152800; 739100, 
4152200; 740200, 4151800; 740800, 4151500; 740800, 4150300; 741100, 
4149900; 741700, 4149400; 742100, 4148500; 742100, 4147100; 743400, 
4146100; 744000, 4145600; 744400, 4144600; 744300, 4143900; 743900, 
4142700; 744000, 4142000; 744200, 4141700; 745500, 4140300; 746100, 
4139500; 746800, 4138500; 747700, 4137700; 748500, 4135800; 748700, 
4135100; 749500, 4134000; 750700, 4131700; 751600, 4130500; 752000, 
4130200; 752100, 4130200; 752200, 4130200; 752800, 4130100; 753300, 
4130400; 753500, 4130400; 753900, 4130200; 754000, 4129300; 753400, 
4128400; 753900, 4127700; 754400, 4127700; 754600, 4127400; 755300, 
4128400; 755400, 4128400; 755600, 4127700; 756900, 4126400; 757800, 
4125800; 758400, 4126300; 758500, 4126300; 758600, 4126000; 757900, 
4125100; 757400, 4125100; 757800, 4124400; 757800, 4124000; 758200, 
4124000; 758500, 4123600; 758800, 4123600; 759000, 4123900; 759300, 
4123900; 759700, 4123500; 759700, 4123400; 759200, 4122900; 758400, 
4122900; 757900, 4123200; 757600, 4123900; 757000, 4123700; returning 
to 756700, 4123994; excluding land bound by 727200, 4138700; 726600, 
4139500; 726600, 4139600; 726800, 4139600; 727000, 4139700; 727200, 
4140000; 727300, 4140500; 727200, 4140700; 727400, 4140700; 727500, 
4140800; 727400, 4141100; 727800, 4141100; 727800, 4140700; 728300, 
4140700; 728300, 4139600; 727900, 4139300; 727900, 4139000; 727800, 
4138800; 727400, 4138800; returning to 727200, 4138700; and excluding 
land bound by 726700, 4139700; 726400, 4140000; 726600, 4140000; 
726800, 4140200; 726900, 4140100; 726900, 4140000; 726800, 4139800; 
returning to 726700, 4139700; and excluding land bound by 726200, 
4138000; 725800, 4138000; 725800, 4138200; 725700, 4138200; 725700, 
4138500; 725800, 4138500; 725800, 4138400; 726200, 4138400; returning 
to 726200, 4138000; and excluding land bound by 727000, 4137600; 
726800, 4137600; 726800, 4137800; 726500, 4137800; 726500, 4138000; 
727300, 4138100; 727300, 4138000; 727200, 4137900; 727000, 4137800; 
returning to 727000, 4137600; and excluding land bound by 741100, 
4136400; 741000, 4136400; 740900, 4136400; 740700, 4136400; 740500, 
4136400; 740300, 4136300; 740000, 4136300; 739800, 4136100; 739700, 
4135900; 739500, 4135800; 739200, 4135900; 738900, 4135900; 738700, 
4135700; 738500, 4135800; 738300, 4135800; 738200, 4135600; 738000, 
4135500; 737900, 4135400; 737700, 4135300; 737400, 4135200; 737300, 
4135300; 737300, 4135900; 737600, 4135900; 737600, 4136700; 739400, 
4136700; 739400, 4136400; 739900, 4136400; 740200, 4136700; 741100, 
4136700; returning to 741100, 4136400.
    (12) Unit 8: Madera County, California. [Reserved]
    (13) Maps follow of critical habitat unit 1, 2 through 4, 6, and 7 
and 8 (respectively) on Greene's tuctoria.
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[[Page 46856]]


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[[Page 46857]]


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[[Page 46858]]


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BILLING CODE 4310-55-C

[[Page 46859]]

    Family Poaceae: Tuctoria mucronata (Solano Grass).
    (1) Critical habitat units are depicted for Yolo County, 
California, on the map below.
    (2) The primary constituent elements of critical habitat for 
Tuctoria mucronata are the habitat components that provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Tuctoria mucronata 
germination, growth and reproduction, including but not limited to, 
Northern Claypan vernal pools (Sawyer and Keeler-Wolf 1995) on saline-
alkaline clay or silty clay in the Pescadero soil series that typically 
become inundated during winter rains, but are dry during the summer and 
do not necessarily fill with water every year; and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Tuctoria mucronata germination, growth and 
reproduction, and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.
    (3) Critical habitat does not include existing manmade features and 
structures, such as buildings, roads, aqueducts, railroads, airport 
runways and buildings, other paved areas, lawns, and other urban 
landscaped areas not containing one or more of the primary constituent 
elements.
    (4) Critical habitat does not include the following lands although 
they may fall within the legal descriptions below:
    (i) Lands within the following California counties: Butte, Madera, 
Merced, Sacramento, and Solano;
    (ii) Federally-owned lands within the boundaries of the Kern, 
Sacramento, San Francisco Bay, and San Luis National Wildlife Refuges 
and National Wildlife Refuge Complexes, and the Coleman National Fish 
Hatchery;
    (iii) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Allensworth, 
Boggs Lake, Butte Creek Canyon, Calhoun Cut, Carrizo Plains, Dales 
Lake, Fagan Marsh, Phoenix Field, San Joaquin River, Stone Corral, and 
Thomes Creek Ecological Reserves;
    (iv) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Battle Creek, 
Big Sandy, Grizzly Island, Hill Slough, North Grasslands, and Oroville 
Wildlife Areas.
    (5) Unit 1: Yolo County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle 
maps Davis, and Saxon, California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 
NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 615400, 4260700; 614500, 4260700; 614500, 
4261500; 614200, 4261500; 614200, 4261800; 614000, 4261800; 614000, 
4262300; 615400, 4262300; returning to 615400, 4260700.
    (6) Unit 2: Solano County, California. [Reserved]
    (7) Map follows of critical habitat units 1 and 2 for Solano grass.
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P

[[Page 46860]]

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BILLING CODE 4310-55-C

Family Scrophulariaceae: Castilleja campestris ssp. succulenta (Fleshy 
Owl's Clover).
    (1) Critical habitat units are depicted for San Joaquin, 
Stanislaus, Tuolumne,

[[Page 46861]]

Mariposa, and Fresno Counties, California, on the map below.
    (2) The primary constituent elements of critical habitat for 
Castilleja campestris ssp. succulenta are the habitat components that 
provide:
    (i) Vernal pools, swales, and other ephemeral wetlands and 
depressions of appropriate sizes and depths and the adjacent upland 
margins of these depressions that sustain Castilleja campestris ssp. 
succulenta germination, growth and reproduction, including but not 
limited to, hardpan vernal pools on alluvial terraces and San Joaquin, 
Redding, Corning, Keyes, and Pentz soils series, among others, and 
northern basalt flow vernal pools on Hideaway soils series, that 
typically become inundated during winter rains, but are dry during the 
summer and do not necessarily fill with water every year; and
    (ii) The associated watershed(s) and hydrologic features, including 
the pool basin, swales, and surrounding uplands (which may vary in 
extent depending on pool size and depth, soil type and depth, hardpan 
or claypan type and extent, topography, and climate) that contribute to 
the filling and drying of the vernal pool or ephemeral wetland, and 
that maintain suitable periods of pool inundation, water quality, and 
soil moisture for Castilleja campestris ssp. succulenta germination, 
growth and reproduction, and dispersal, but not necessarily every year.
    (3) Critical habitat does not include existing manmade features and 
structures, such as buildings, roads, aqueducts, railroads, airport 
runways and buildings, other paved areas, lawns, and other urban 
landscaped areas not containing one or more of the primary constituent 
elements.
    (4) Critical habitat does not include the following lands although 
they may fall within the legal descriptions below:
    (i) Lands within the following California counties: Butte, Madera, 
Merced, Sacramento, and Solano;
    (ii) Federally-owned lands within the boundaries of the Kern, 
Sacramento, San Francisco Bay, and San Luis National Wildlife Refuges 
and National Wildlife Refuge Complexes, and the Coleman National Fish 
Hatchery;
    (iii) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Allensworth, 
Boggs Lake, Butte Creek Canyon, Calhoun Cut, Carrizo Plains, Dales 
Lake, Fagan Marsh, Phoenix Field, San Joaquin River, Stone Corral, and 
Thomes Creek Ecological Reserves;
    (iv) State-owned lands within the boundaries of the Battle Creek, 
Big Sandy, Grizzly Island, Hill Slough, North Grasslands, and Oroville 
Wildlife Areas.
    (5) Unit 1: Sacramento and San Joaquin Counties, California. From 
USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle maps Clay and Lockeford, California, land 
bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): ; 654000, 
4232700; 653600, 4232700; 653600, 4234100; 654100, 4234800; 655100, 
4234800; 655500, 4234500; 655900, 4234700; 656000, 4234700; 656000, 
4234500; 656800, 4234500; 656800, 4234700; 657600, 4234700; 657900, 
4235000; 658800, 4235200; 658700, 4235100; 658700, 4234600; 659200, 
4234600; 659200, 4234700; 659000, 4234900; 660500, 4235300; 661000, 
4235300; 661100, 4235100; 660700, 4234700; 660300, 4234400; 660000, 
4234300; 659600, 4233400; 656900, 4233400; 654100, 4233200; 654000, 
4233200; returning to 654000, 4232700.
    (6) Unit 2: Stanislaus and Tuolumne Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Cooperstown, Keytone, La Grange, Knights 
Ferry, and Paulsell, California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 
NAD 83 coordinates (E, N):
    (i) Start at: 714100, 4182600; 715100, 4182600; 715500, 4183400; 
715800, 4183400; 716000, 4182700; 716900, 4182700; 717100, 4182500; 
717100, 4182000; 716900, 4181300; 717200, 4180900; 717200, 4180600; 
716900, 4179900; 716600, 4180400; 715400, 4180400; 715600, 4180900; 
715200, 4181600; 714700, 4182000; returning to 714100, 4182600.
    (ii) Start at: 716900, 4179900; 717700, 4180100; 718500, 4180000; 
718700, 4179200; 719300, 4178700; 719700, 4177600; 720300, 4177700; 
720700, 4177700; 720800, 4176400; 720500, 4175200; 719500, 4174100; 
720700, 4173500; 720700, 4172500; 719800, 4171900; 718800, 4171400; 
718800, 4171500; 718000, 4171300; 718000, 4171000; 717800, 4170900; 
717700, 4170900; 717300, 4170700; 716800, 4171000; 716700, 4171800; 
716500, 4171800; 716200, 4170900; 715500, 4170500; 715300, 
4170406,715300, 4171200; 715200, 4171200; 715200, 4171000; 715100, 
4171000; 715100, 4170700; 714900, 4170700; 714900, 4170300; 713900, 
4169800; 713800, 4169900; 713000, 4169500; 712500, 4169400; 712200, 
4169400; 712000, 4169600; 711500, 4169900; 711300, 4169900; 710500, 
4169100; 709300, 4169100; 709100, 4169500; 709100, 4169700; 708900, 
4169700; 708800, 4169900; 708700, 4169900; 708600, 4169800; 708500, 
4169900; 708400, 4170000; 708700, 4170200; 708800, 4170300; 708900, 
4170400; 709100, 4170500; 709200, 4170600; 709400, 4170600; 709400, 
4170800; 709300, 4170800; 709200, 4170900; 709100, 4170800; 708800, 
4170700; 708800, 4170600; 708500, 4170500; 708400, 4170300; 708100, 
4170200; 707900, 4170200; 707900, 4170300; 708100, 4170500; 708200, 
4170500; 708200, 4170600; 708000, 4170600; 708200, 4170800; 708200, 
4170900; 708100, 4170900; 707900, 4170700; 707700, 4170700; 707700, 
4170800; 707600, 4170900; 707400, 4170900; 707100, 4171100; 707100, 
4171200; 707200, 4171300; 707300, 4171200; 707500, 4171300; 707800, 
4171600; 707900, 4171600; 708100, 4171600; 708200, 4171700; 708100, 
4171800; 708100, 4171900; 708300, 4171900; 708300, 4172100; 708400, 
4172100; 708500, 4172200; 708500, 4172300; 708700, 4172400; 708800, 
4172500; 708800, 4172600; 708700, 4172700; 708500, 4172700; 708400, 
4172800; 708300, 4172700; 708200, 4172700; 708100, 4172600; 708000, 
4172500; 707900, 4172500; 707800, 4172700; 707600, 4172600; 707400, 
4172500; 707400, 4172600; 707200, 4172700; 707100, 4172300; 707000, 
4172200; 706700, 4172200; 706700, 4172300; 706500, 4172300; 706400, 
4172300; 706400, 4172400; 706200, 4172600; 706300, 4172700; 706400, 
4172800; 706300, 4172800; 706200, 4172800; 706100, 4172900; 705900, 
4173100; 705800, 4173300; 705800, 4173500; 706000, 4173800; 705900, 
4173900; 705800, 4174100; 705700, 4174200; 705500, 4174200; 705400, 
4174100; 705400, 4173700; 705300, 4173500; 705200, 4173200; 705100, 
4174700; 705400, 4175400; 705000, 4175900; 705300, 4176300; 705700, 
4176700; 705700, 4177000; 705700, 4177500; 705700, 4177700; 705200, 
4177900; 705000, 4178100; 705400, 4178900; 706200, 4178400; 706300, 
4178000; 706200, 4177600; 706200, 4177100; 706700, 4177100; 706700, 
4175900; 706800, 4175700; 707100, 4175600; 707400, 4175600; 707600, 
4175500; 707700, 4175700; 707800, 4175700; 707900, 4175900; 707900, 
4176000; 708000, 4176500; 708500, 4176400; 709800, 4176600; 709900, 
4176400; 709900, 4176200; 710000, 4176100; 710300, 4176100; 710300, 
4176200; 710400, 4176300; 710600, 4176400; 710700, 4176400; 710800, 
4176500; 710800, 4176600; 711000, 4176700; 711200, 4176700; 711400, 
4176700; 711600, 4176900; 711700, 4177200; 711700, 4177600; 711900, 
4178100; 711800, 4178900; 710700, 4178900; 710600, 4178800; 710300, 
4179200; 709900, 4179500; 709500, 4179600; 709100, 4180800; 709200, 
4182200; 709700, 4182700; 710300, 4182900; 711400,

[[Page 46862]]

4182100; 712400, 4182100; 713200, 4182000; 714100, 4182600; 714700, 
4182000; 715200, 4181600; 715600, 4180900; 715400, 4180400; 716600, 
4180400; returning to 716900, 4179900.
    (7) Subunit 3A: Mariposa and Merced Counties, California. 
[Reserved]
    (8) Unit 3B: Mariposa and Merced Counties, California. From USGS 
1:24,000 quadrangle maps Haystack Mountain, Indian Gulch, Le Grand, 
Merced, Merced Falls, Owens Reservoir, Planada, Plainsburg, Snelling, 
Winton, and Yosemite Lake, California, land bounded by the following 
UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N):
    (i) Start at: 745300, 4139300; 745200, 4139200; 744900, 4139000; 
744800, 4138800; 744900, 4138500; 744700, 4137700; 744400, 4137500; 
744200, 4137600; 744000, 4137500; 743800, 4137500; 743400, 4137400; 
743100, 4137300; 743100, 4137200; 742900, 4137000; 742700, 4137000; 
742600, 4136900; 742600, 4136600; 742400, 4136500; 742000, 4136400; 
741800, 4136500; 741400, 4136400; 741100, 4136400; 741100, 4136700; 
740200, 4136700; 739900, 4136400; 739400, 4136400; 739400, 4136700; 
737600, 4136700; 737600, 4135900; 737300, 4135900; 737300, 4135300; 
737400, 4135200; 737200, 4135000; 736800, 4134800; 736800, 4134600; 
736800, 4134400; 736600, 4134200; 733900, 4134200; 733900, 4134800; 
733800, 4134900; 733800, 4135000; 733000, 4135000; 733000, 4135800; 
732500, 4135800; 730300, 4135700; 730200, 4135600; 730100, 4135600; 
729900, 4135700; 729900, 4136500; 729900, 4136700; 730000, 4136700; 
730100, 4136600; 730200, 4136600; 730300, 4136600; 730400, 4136700; 
730500, 4136800; 730600, 4136900; 730600, 4137000; 730600, 4137200; 
730600, 4137300; 730500, 4137400; 730400, 4137500; 730300, 4137500; 
729900, 4137700; 729800, 4137700; 729700, 4137600; 729400, 4137600; 
729300, 4137800; 729300, 4138400; 729200, 4138500; 729000, 4138400; 
728800, 4138700; 728400, 4138800; 728200, 4138800; 727900, 4138600; 
727700, 4138500; 727600, 4138400; 727400, 4138300; 727400, 4137800; 
727300, 4137800; 727300, 4137600; 727400, 4137600; 727400, 4137500; 
727300, 4137500; 727300, 4137400; 727400, 4137400; 727400, 4137200; 
726500, 4137200; 726500, 4136500; 726400, 4136400; 725800, 4136400; 
725800, 4137200; 725000, 4137200; 724900, 4138800; 725500, 4138800; 
725500, 4138700; 725800, 4138700; 725800, 4138800; 725900, 4138800; 
725900, 4139500; 726500, 4139500; 726500, 4139600; 725900, 4139600; 
725800, 4139600; 725800, 4140200; 725900, 4140200; 725900, 4140900; 
725400, 4140900; 725400, 4140800; 725100, 4140800; 725100, 4141000; 
724900, 4141000; 724900, 4141200; 724100, 4141200; 724100, 4141600; 
723400, 4141600; 723400, 4141100; 723200, 4141100; 723200, 4140600; 
723400, 4140500; 723400, 4139500; 724000, 4139500; 724000, 4139400; 
723900, 4138900; 723900, 4138700; 723500, 4138200; 723400, 4138200; 
723400, 4138300; 723000, 4138300; 723000, 4138700; 723000, 4138900; 
723100, 4139100; 723200, 4139400; 723300, 4139500; 722100, 4139500; 
722000, 4140500; 721900, 4141100; 721900, 4141900; 721900, 4143400; 
720800, 4143400; 720900, 4141800; 721000, 4141500; 721000, 4141200; 
721100, 4141100; 721000, 4141000; 717800, 4140900; 717700, 4142500; 
714500, 4142400; 714500, 4144900; 715500, 4144900; 715500, 4145000; 
715800, 4145000; 715900, 4145000; 716000, 4145000; 716100, 4145100; 
716100, 4145200; 716000, 4145200; 715900, 4145300; 715900, 4145400; 
716000, 4145500; 716000, 4145600; 716100, 4145700; 717000, 4145700; 
717700, 4145300; 717800, 4145300; 717800, 4145200; 717800, 4145100; 
717600, 4144900; 717600, 4144800; 717600, 4144700; 717800, 4144500; 
717900, 4144600; 718200, 4144600; 718400, 4144500; 718700, 4144500; 
718700, 4144800; 718600, 4145000; 718700, 4145100; 718700, 4145600; 
718600, 4145600; 718600, 4145700; 718700, 4145800; 718600, 4145900; 
718500, 4146000; 718500, 4146100; 718600, 4146200; 718600, 4146500; 
718300, 4146500; 718200, 4146600; 718200, 4146800; 718300, 4146800; 
718500, 4146900; 718600, 4147000; 718600, 4147100; 718400, 4147200; 
718500, 4147300; 718500, 4147600; 718700, 4147600; 718700, 4147400; 
719000, 4147500; 719100, 4147700; 719300,

4147600; 719600, 4147900; 719700, 4148000; 719700, 4148100; 719800, 
4148200; 720000, 4148200; 720600, 4148200; 720600, 4148300; 720700, 
4148400; 720800, 4148400; 720900, 4148500; 722700, 4148500; 722700, 
4148600; 722900, 4148600; 723200, 4148700; 723400, 4148700; 723200, 
4148600; 723100, 4148500; 723000, 4148400; 723200, 4148200; 723400, 
4148200; 723500, 4148300; 723600, 4148400; 723600, 4148500; 723800, 
4148500; 723800, 4148400; 723900, 4148400; 723900, 4148500; 724000, 
4148700; 724200, 4148500; 724200, 4148900; 724300, 4149000; 724300, 
4149100; 724500, 4149000; 724500, 4149300; 724700, 4149400; 724900, 
4149600; 725000, 4149700; 725000, 4150000; 724900, 4150100; 725000, 
4150200; 725200, 4150200; 725300, 4150400; 725400, 4150500; 725400, 
4150600; 725100, 4150900; 724700, 4150900; 724700, 4153400; 725000, 
4153500; 725400, 4153900; 725600, 4154100; 725800, 4154200; 726000, 
4154300; 726200, 4154000; 726300, 4153800; 726300, 4153700; 727800, 
4153700; 727800, 4153400; 727900, 4153400; 727900, 4153500; 728400, 
4153600; 728700, 4153700; 729000, 4153700; 729000, 4153600; 729100, 
4153500; 729300, 4153400; 729400, 4153400; 729400, 4153300; 729300, 
4153200; 729500, 4153100; 729800, 4153100; 729900, 4153200; 729900, 
4154200; 730000, 4154200; 730100, 4154300; 730600, 4154300; 730700, 
4154400; 731000, 4154600; 731200, 4154700; 731500, 4154700; 731800, 
4154900; 732200, 4154900; 732600, 4154800; 733200, 4154500; 733400, 
4154500; 733700, 4154300; 734700, 4154300; 734900, 4154600; 735100, 
4154800; 735100, 4154900; 735500, 4155300; 735600, 4155300; 735800, 
4155500; 736100, 4155900; 737100, 4155400; 737800, 4155000; 738200, 
4154200; 738300, 4153300; 739000, 4152800; 739100, 4152200; 740200, 
4151800; 740800, 4151500; 740800, 4150300; 741100, 4149900; 741700, 
4149400; 742100, 4148500; 742100, 4147100; 743400, 4146100; 744000, 
4145600; 744400, 4144600; 744300, 4143900; 743900, 4142700; 744000, 
4142000; 744200, 4141700; 745500, 4140300; 745500, 4139600; 745500, 
4139500; 745400, 4139400; returning to 745300, 4139300,excluding land 
bounded by 726800, 4139800; 726900, 4140000; 726900, 4140100; 726800, 
4140200; 726600, 4140000; 726400, 4140000; 726700, 4139700; excluding 
land bounded by 727400, 4138800; 727800, 4138800; 727900, 4139000; 
727900, 4139300; 728300, 4139600; 728300, 4140700; 727800, 4140700; 
727800, 4141100; 727400, 4141100; 727500, 4140800; 727400, 4140700; 
727200, 4140700; 727300, 4140500; 727200, 4140000; 727000, 4139700; 
726800, 4139600; 726600, 4139600; 726600, 4139500; 727200, 4138700; 
excluding land bounded by 726200, 4138400; 725800, 4138400; 725800, 
4138500; 725700, 4138500; 725700, 4138200; 725800, 4138200; 725800, 
4138000; returning to 726200, 4138000; excluding land bounded by 
727000, 4137800; 727200, 4137900; 727300, 4138000; 727300, 4138100; 
726500, 4138000; 726500, 4137800; 726800, 4137800; 726800, 4137600; 
returning to 727000, 4137600; excluding land bounded by 741000, 
4136400; 740900, 4136400; 740700, 4136400; 740500, 4136400; 740300, 
4136300; 740000,

[[Page 46863]]

4136300; 739800, 4136100; 739700, 4135900; 739500, 4135800; 739200, 
4135900; 738900, 4135900; 738700, 4135700; 738500, 4135800; 738300, 
4135800; 738200, 4135600; 738000, 4135500; 737900, 4135400; 737700, 
4135300; 737400, 4135200; 737300, 4135300; 737300, 4135900; 737600, 
4135900; 737600, 4136700; 739400, 4136700; 739400, 4136400; 739900, 
4136400; 740200, 4136700; 741100, 4136700; 741100, 4136400; returning 
to 741000, 4136400.
    (ii) Start at: 745300, 4139300; 745400, 4139400; 745500, 4139500; 
745500, 4139600; 745500, 4140300; 746100, 4139500; 746800, 4138500; 
747700, 4137700; 748500, 4135800; 748700, 4135100; 749500, 4134000; 
749500, 4134000; 750700, 4131701; 750700, 4131700; 751600, 4130500; 
752000, 4130200; 752200, 4130200; 752100, 4130200; 752000, 4130000; 
751900, 4129900; 751900, 4129900; 751800, 4129800; 751700, 4129800; 
751700, 4129800; 750100, 4129800; 750400, 4131600; 749600, 4132100; 
749500, 4133400; 748600, 4133900; 748400, 4133300; 747800, 4133700; 
748100, 4134400; 747600, 4134800; 747600, 4135300; 747200, 4135800; 
747300, 4137300; 746600, 4137100; 745500, 4137700; 745500, 4139100; 
745500, 4139300; returning to 745300, 4139300.
    (iii) Start at: 741000, 4136400; 741100, 4136400; 741400, 4136400; 
741800, 4136500; 742000, 4136400; 742400, 4136500; 742600, 4136600; 
742600, 4136900; 742700, 4137000; 742900, 4137000; 743100, 4137200; 
743100, 4137300; 743400, 4137400; 743800, 4137500; 744000, 4137500; 
744200, 4137600; 744400, 4137500; 744700, 4137700; 744900, 4138500; 
744800, 4138800; 744900, 4139000; 745200, 4139200; 745300, 4139300; 
745500, 4139300; 745500, 4139100; 745500, 4137700; 746600, 4137100; 
747300, 4137300; 747200, 4135800; 747600, 4135300; 747600, 4134800; 
748100, 4134400; 747800, 4133700; 748400, 4133300; 748600, 4133900; 
749500, 4133400; 749600, 4132100; 750400, 4131600; 750100, 4129800; 
751700, 4129800; 751400, 4129700; 751300, 4129700; 751100, 4129500; 
751000, 4129500; 751000, 4129400; 751000, 4129400; 750900, 4129200; 
750800, 4129000; 750600, 4128900; 750500, 4128800; 750500, 4128800; 
750400, 4128760; 750300, 4128700; 750000, 4128700; 750000, 4128700; 
749900, 4128700; 749600, 4128800; 749400, 4128600; 749100, 4128500; 
748900, 4128400; 748900, 4128100; 748800, 4128000; 748700, 4127800; 
748500, 4127600; 748300, 4127500; 748300, 4127300; 748300, 4127100; 
748200, 4127000; 748100, 4126800; 748000, 4126700; 747900, 4126700; 
747800, 4126700; 747700, 4126400; 747500, 4126200; 747400, 4126000; 
747200, 4126000; 747000, 4125900; 746900, 4125900; 746600, 4125800; 
746300, 4125700; 746200, 4125600; 746200, 4125500; 745700, 4125500; 
745700, 4125100; 744500, 4125100; 744500, 4125300; 744400, 4125300; 
744400, 4125200; 743700, 4125200; 743700, 4125800; 744500, 4125800; 
744500, 4126200; 743700, 4126200; 743700, 4127000; 742400, 4127000; 
742000, 4127200; 742000, 4128600; 742800, 4128600; 742800, 4129100; 
742900, 4129100; 743000, 4129100; 743000, 4129200; 743400, 4129300; 
743600, 4129500; 743600, 4130700; 743500, 4130700; 743500, 4130900; 
743500, 4132200; 744000, 4133400; 742700, 4133400; 742600, 4133500; 
741500, 4132900; 740900, 4132200; 740800, 4132600; 740300, 4132600; 
740300, 4132800; 740300, 4133500; 741000, 4133500; 741000, 4133900; 
741900, 4133900; 741800, 4135800; 741028, 4135800; 741000, 4135800; 
returning to 741000, 4136400.
    (iv) Start at: 737400, 4135200; 737700, 4135300; 737900, 4135400; 
738000, 4135500; 738200, 4135600; 738300, 4135800; 738500, 4135800; 
738700, 4135700; 738900, 4135900; 739200, 4135900; 739500, 4135800; 
739700, 4135900; 739800, 4136100; 740000, 4136300; 740300, 4136300; 
740500, 4136400; 740700, 4136400; 740900, 4136400; 741000, 4136400; 
741000, 4135800; 741028, 4135800; 741800, 4135800; 741900, 4133900; 
741000, 4133900; 741000, 4133500; 740300, 4133500; 738800, 4133500; 
738300, 4133600; 738100, 4133600; 737100, 4133400; 737100, 4134200; 
736600, 4134200; 736800, 4134400; 736800, 4134600; 736800, 4134800; 
737200, 4135000; returning to 737400, 4135200.
    (v) Start at: 743500, 4130900; 743100, 4130900; 743000, 4130800; 
743000, 4130600; 742400, 4130600; 742400, 4130800; 742000, 4130800; 
742000, 4131100; 741200, 4131100; 741300, 4131000; 741500, 4131000; 
741600, 4130900; 741600, 4130700; 741400, 4130400; 741300, 4130200; 
740400, 4130200; 740400, 4130300; 740300, 4130300; 740300, 4131100; 
740500, 4131100; 740500, 4131200; 740700, 4131200; 740700, 4131300; 
740800, 4131400; 741000, 4131400; 741000, 4131500; 741100, 4131500; 
741100, 4131600; 741000, 4131900; 741000, 4132100; 740800, 4132200; 
740700, 4132200; 740500, 4132100; 740400, 4132100; 740400, 4132200; 
740300, 4132200; 740200, 4132200; 740200, 4132300; 739900, 4132600; 
740000, 4132600; 740300, 4132800; 740300, 4132600; 740800, 4132600; 
740900, 4132200; 741500, 4132900; 742600, 4133500; 742700, 4133400; 
744000, 4133400; 743500, 4132200; returning to 743500, 4130900.
    (9) Unit 4: Fresno, Madera, and Merced Counties, California. 
[Reserved]
    (10) Unit 5: Fresno County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Academy, Clovis, Friant, and Round Mountain, 
California, land bounded by the following UTM 10 NAD 83 coordinates (E, 
N): 263100, 4089400; 264700, 4088700; 265000, 4087900; 265300, 4087600; 
265900, 4087600; 265900, 4086800; 267000, 4086800; 267600, 4087000; 
267800, 4086500; 267200, 4085500; 267400, 4085100; 268100, 4085300; 
268300, 4085800; 269100, 4085800; 269800, 4085400; 270300, 4084900; 
271100, 4084800; 271900, 4085100; 272200, 4085600; 272800, 4086200; 
273000, 4087300; 273300, 4087700; 273200, 4088500; 273200, 4089600; 
274700, 4089600; 275400, 4090000; 275600, 4090500; 275900, 4090800; 
276500, 4090900; 277100, 4090900; 277100, 4090200; 276100, 4088900; 
276100, 4087900; 276000, 4087500; 275400, 4087200; 275100, 4086600; 
274900, 4086000; 274400, 4085500; 274000, 4084900; 273400, 4084400; 
273400, 4083800; 273600, 4083400; 273600, 4083000; 272900, 4082900; 
272800, 4082200; 272800, 4081400; 273000, 4080800; 273200, 4080500; 
273500, 4080100; 273700, 4079700; 273800, 4079100; 274200, 4078600; 
274300, 4078100; 273300, 4078100; 273300, 4077100; 273000, 4076600; 
271300, 4076700; 271400, 4076900; 271700, 4077100; 271800, 4077300; 
271800, 4077500; 271500, 4077700; 271100, 4077700; 271100, 4078200; 
271300, 4078400; 271600, 4078900; 271800, 4079100; 272100, 4079100; 
272100, 4079900; 271100, 4079900; 268000, 4080000; 268000, 4080600; 
268300, 4080600; 268300, 4080800; 268000, 4080800; 268000, 4081300; 
267500, 4081300; 267500, 4080900; 266500, 4080900; 266500, 4081100; 
266300, 4081100; 266300, 4081300; 266600, 4081300; 266600, 4081700; 
267000, 4082300; 267000, 4082400; 268300, 4082400; 268300, 4081700; 
268400, 4081600; 268400, 4081200; 268800, 4081200; 268800, 4082800; 
269600, 4082800; 269600, 4083200; 270000, 4083200; 270100, 4083800; 
268800, 4083500; 268800, 4083200; 266400, 4083300; 263900, 4083300; 
263300, 4083800; 261900, 4083800; 261900, 4083400; 261800, 4083400; 
261800, 4083500; 261700, 4083500; 261700, 4083400; 261600, 4083400; 
261600, 4084300; 261200, 4084300; 261200, 4084400; 260900, 4084600; 
260900, 4084700; 260800, 4084700; 260800, 4085000;

[[Page 46864]]

261000, 4085000; 261000, 4084900; 261100, 4084900; 261100, 4085000; 
261500, 4085000; 261500, 4085100; 261600, 4085100; 261600, 4085200; 
260900, 4085300; 262300, 4085800; 262300, 4086200; 262800, 4086200; 
262800, 4086600; 262600, 4086600; 262600, 4086800; 262400, 4086800; 
262100, 4087000; 262100, 4087300; 262500, 4087500; 262500, 4088200; 
261600, 4088200; 261600, 4088500; 261700, 4088500; 261700, 4088800; 
261700, 4089200; 261700, 4089400; 261600, 4089400; 261500, 4089400; 
261300, 4089400; 261300, 4088200; 261100, 4088200; 261100, 4087400; 
260400, 4087400; 260400, 4087500; 260100, 4087500; 260100, 4086900; 
259800, 4086900; 259800, 4086700; 259300, 4086700; 259300, 4087600; 
259600, 4087500; 260000, 4087500; 260100, 4087900; 260000, 4088100; 
259700, 4088300; 258500, 4088300; 258000, 4088300; 258000, 4089100; 
258200, 4089200; 258200, 4089100; 258500, 4089100; 258700, 4089200; 
258700, 4089600; 258800, 4089600; 258900, 4089700; 258900, 4089800; 
258600, 4089800; 258600, 4089900; 258200, 4089900; 258200, 4089700; 
258100, 4089600; 257700, 4089600; 257700, 4089200; 257400, 4089200; 
257400, 4089900; 257200, 4089900; 257200, 4089200; 256600, 4089200; 
256600, 4089700; 256800, 4089700; 256800, 4090000; 256600, 4090000; 
256600, 4090200; 256800, 4090800; 257000, 4091500; 257100, 4092700; 
257100, 4092900; 257200, 4093100; 257300, 4094300; 257300, 4095400; 
257400, 4095500; 258200, 4096300; 258900, 4096300; 258900, 4096700; 
259600, 4096700; 259600, 4094700; 260300, 4094700; 260300, 4093300; 
259400, 4091700; 260800, 4091700; 262200, 4091100; 262900, 4091100; 
262900, 4090400; 263200, 4089800; returning to 263100, 4089400. 265500, 
4081800; 264200, 4081800; 265700, 4082800; 265700, 4082500; 265600, 
4082500; 265600, 4081900; 265500, 4081900; returning to 265500, 
4081800.
    (11) Subunit 6A: Fresno County, California. From USGS 1:24,000 
quadrangle maps Academy and Millerton Lake East, California, land 
bounded by the following UTM 11 NAD 83 coordinates (E, N): 267300, 
4097300; 266900, 4097300; 267000, 4097600; 267800, 4098300; 268100, 
4098700; 268100, 4098900; 268000, 4099100; 267400, 4099800; 267400, 
4100300; 267700, 4100800; 268100, 4101400; 268600, 4101400; 269100, 
4101100; 269600, 4101100; 269800, 4101300; 269900, 4101500; 269600, 
4102200; 269200, 4102400; 268600, 4102800; 268700, 4103800; 269100, 
4103800; 269600, 4103100; 270200, 4103500; 270300, 4103500; 270700, 
4102500; 270500, 4102400; 270300, 4102200; 270300, 4101900; 270500, 
4101500; 270600, 4101100; 270500, 4101000; 270200, 4100700; 269400, 
4100500; 268300, 4100500; 268100, 4100300; 268100, 4100100; 268400, 
4099800; 268600, 4099500; 268700, 4099200; 268700, 4098900; 268600, 
4098300; 268500, 4098100; 268400, 4097800; 268100, 4097600; 267800, 
4097400; returning to 267300, 4097300.
    (12) Subunit 6B: Madera County, California. [Reserved]
    (13) Maps follow of critical habitat unit 1, 2 and 3, and 4 through 
6 (respectively) for fleshy owl's clover.
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P

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    Dated: July 15, 2003.
Craig Manson,
Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
[FR Doc. 03-18437 Filed 8-5-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-C