[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 215 (Thursday, November 6, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62828-62829]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-27919]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Notice of Availability of the Final Recovery Plan for the Star 
Cactus (Astrophytum asterias)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the 
availability of the Final Recovery Plan for the star cactus 
(Astrophytum asterias). Star cactus has been documented on one private 
land site in Starr County, Texas. Additional populations may be found 
in the United States in Texas, and in Tamaulipas and Nuevo Leon, 
Mexico.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to receive the Final Recovery Plan can 
obtain a copy from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Corpus Christi 
Ecological Services Field Office, c/o TAMUCC, Box 338, 6300 Ocean 
Drive, Corpus Christi, Texas, 78412. The Final Recovery Plan will also 
be available through the Fish and Wildlife Region 2 Web site at: http://southwest.fws.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Field Office Supervisor, Corpus 
Christi Ecological Services Field Office, at the above address; 
telephone (361) 994-9005, facsimile (361) 994-8262.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    The star cactus (Astrophytum asterias) was listed as endangered on 
November 17, 1993, under authority of the Endangered Species Act of 
1973, as amended. The threats facing the survival and recovery of this 
species include habitat destruction through conversion of native 
habitat to agricultural land and increasing urbanization, competition 
with exotic invasive species, genetic vulnerability due to low 
population numbers, and collecting pressures for the cactus trade. The 
Final Recovery Plan includes information about the species and provides 
objectives and actions needed to downlist the species. Recovery 
activities designed to achieve downlisting objectives include: 
Protecting known populations; searching for additional populations; 
performing outreach activities to educate the general public on the 
need for protection; building partnerships with private landowners who 
are interested in voluntary conservation of the species on their land; 
establishing additional populations through reintroduction in the known 
range of the plant; formalizing a conservation strategy with Mexico; 
and filling information gaps to guide management decisions and provide 
a basis for delisting criteria. The Recovery Plan will be reviewed in 
five years to evaluate management direction and reconsider delisting 
criteria.
    Restoring an endangered or threatened animal or plant to the point 
where it is again a secure, self-sustaining member of its ecosystem is 
a primary goal of the Service's endangered species program. To help 
guide the recovery effort, the Service is working to prepare Recovery 
Plans for most of the listed species native to the United States. 
Recovery Plans describe actions considered necessary for conservation 
of species, establish criteria for downlisting or delisting them, and 
estimate time and cost for

[[Page 62829]]

implementing the recovery measures needed.
    The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended (16 U.S.C. 
1531 et seq.) requires the development of Recovery Plans for listed 
species unless such a Plan would not promote the conservation of a 
particular species. Section 4(f) of the Act, as amended in 1988, 
requires that public notice and an opportunity for public review and 
comment be provided during Recovery Plan development. The Service will 
consider all information presented during a public comment period prior 
to approval of each new or revised Recovery Plan. The Service and other 
Federal agencies will also take these comments into account in the 
course of implementing Recovery Plans.
    The Final Star Cactus Recovery Plan is cosigned by the Director of 
the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Authority

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

    Dated: September 9, 2003.
Bryan Arroyo,
Acting Regional Director, Region 2.
[FR Doc. 03-27919 Filed 11-5-03; 8:45 am]
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