[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 157 (Thursday, August 14, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Page 48618]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-20707]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Recovery Plan for Kneeland Prairie Penny-Cress (Thlaspi 
californicum)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the 
availability of the final Recovery Plan for Kneeland Prairie Penny-
cress (Thlaspi californicum). The plan includes specific criteria and 
measures to be taken in order to effectively recover the species to the 
point where delisting is warranted.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the recovery plan are available by written request 
addressed to the Field Supervisor, Arcata Fish and Wildlife Office, 
1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, California. For a fee, recovery plans may 
also be obtained from: Fish and Wildlife Reference Service, 5430 
Grosvenor Lane Suite 110, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, 301-429-6403 or 1-
800-582-3421. The fee for copies of a plan depends on the number of 
pages of the plan. An electronic copy of this recovery plan is also 
available at http://www.r1.fws.gov/ecoservices/endangered/recovery/default.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Imper, Fish and Wildlife 
Ecologist, at the above Arcata address (telephone: 707-822-7201).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    Recovery of endangered or threatened animals and plants is a 
primary goal of our endangered species program and the Endangered 
Species Act (Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). A species is considered 
recovered when the species' ecosystem is restored and/or threats to the 
species are removed so that self-sustaining and self-regulating 
populations of the species can be supported as persistent members of 
native biotic communities. Recovery plans describe actions considered 
necessary for the conservation of the species, establish criteria for 
downlisting or delisting listed species, and estimate time and cost for 
implementing the measures needed for recovery.
    The Act requires the development of recovery plans for listed 
species unless such a plan would not promote the conservation of a 
particular species. Section 4(f) of the Act requires that public notice 
and an opportunity for public review and comment be provided during 
recovery plan development. The draft recovery plan for Thlaspi 
californicum was available for public comment from October 9, 2002, 
through December 9, 2002, (67 FR 62979). We received and reviewed three 
comment letters on the draft recovery plan.
    Thlaspi californicum is a perennial member of the mustard family 
(Brassicaceae), restricted to outcrops of serpentine substrate located 
in Kneeland Prairie, Humboldt County, California. It was federally 
listed as an endangered species on February 9, 2000 (65 FR 6332). 
Historical loss of the serpentine habitat, combined with the potential 
for future loss of habitat is the primary current threat to the 
species.
    This recovery plan includes conservation measures designed to 
ensure that a self-sustaining population of Thlaspi californicum will 
continue to exist, distributed throughout its extant and historic 
range. Specific recovery actions focus on protection of the serpentine 
outcrops and surrounding oak woodland and grasslands. The recovery plan 
also addresses the need to re-establish multiple sexually reproducing 
colonies of Thlaspi californicum within the native serpentine plant 
community present in Kneeland Prairie. The ultimate objective of this 
recovery plan is to delist Thlaspi californicum through implementation 
of a variety of recovery measures including: (1) Protection of the 
extant population and its habitat, involving acquisition or other legal 
protective mechanism, monitoring, and coordination with the landowners; 
(2) research on the species biology and habitat requirements; (3) 
augmentation of existing colonies and establishment of new colonies; 
and (4) ex-situ conservation measures including artificial rearing and 
seed banking.

Authority

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

    Dated: July 7, 2003.
Steve Thompson,
Manager, California/Nevada Operations Office, Region 1, Fish and 
Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 03-20707 Filed 8-13-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P