[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 194 (Thursday, October 7, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60178-60179]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-22554]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of 
Availability of Draft Conservation Plan for the Sacramento Mountains 
Checkerspot Butterfly (Euphydryas anicia cloudcrofti)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

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[[Page 60179]]

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) provides notice 
that a draft Conservation Plan for the Sacramento Mountains checkerspot 
butterfly (Euphydryas anicia cloudcrofti) (butterfly) is available for 
review and comment. This Conservation Plan will provide guidance for 
the conservation and management of the species and its habitat.

DATES: Comments on the draft Conservation Plan must be submitted 
directly to the Service (see ADDRESSES section) on or before November 
8, 2004 or at the public meeting to be held in October of 2004.

ADDRESSES: The Service will host a public informational session in the 
Village Council Chambers Room at 201 Burro Street Cloudcroft, New 
Mexico, on October 13, 2004, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
    If you wish to comment via mail, comments and materials should be 
addressed to the Threatened and Endangered Species Division, Fish and 
Wildlife Service Southwest Regional Office, Ecological Services, P.O. 
Box 1306, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87103-1306. Comments and materials 
received will be made available for public inspection during normal 
business hours, by appointment, at the above address. A copy of this 
document has been posted on the Fish and Wildlife Service Web site at 
http://www.fws.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah E. Rinkevich, Fish and Wildlife 
Biologist, or Tracy Scheffler, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Fish and 
Wildlife Service, Southwest Regional Office, at the above address (505) 
248-6920.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly is found only in 
high elevation mountain-meadows within the Sacramento Mountains of 
central New Mexico. In January 1999, the Southwest Center for 
Biological Diversity petitioned the Service to emergency list the 
Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly as endangered. The Service 
published a notice on December 27, 1999, finding that the petition 
presented substantial information to indicate that listing may be 
warranted, but that emergency listing was not warranted. The Service 
then commenced a status review of the species. On September 6, 2001, 
the Fish and Wildlife Service published a 12-month finding and proposed 
rule to list the Sacramento Mountains checkerspot butterfly as 
endangered with critical habitat (66 FR 46575). Habitat loss from 
proposed development, drought and wildfire, and threats from collection 
were stated as the reasons for the proposed listing.
    In response to growing interest by the local community to conserve 
the butterfly, the Service began coordination in 2004 with local and 
Federal partners to assess current threats to the species and develop a 
draft Conservation Plan. The goal of the draft Conservation Plan is to 
provide conservation and management recommendations for public and 
private lands within the range of the butterfly as necessary to 
alleviate threats to the species and its habitat. Specific 
conservations actions in the draft Conservation Plan include time and 
cost estimates and responsible partners.
    The Village of Cloudcroft, Otero County, Forest Service, and the 
Service have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to demonstrate the 
commitments of the parties to the implementation of the Conservation 
Plan.

Public Comments Solicited

    The Service solicits written comments on the draft Conservation 
Plan. All comments received by the date specified above will be 
considered prior to approval of the Conservation Plan. Our practice is 
to make comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, 
available for public review during regular business hours. Individual 
respondents may request that we withhold their home address, which we 
will honor to the extent allowable by law. If you wish us to withhold 
your name or address, you must state this request prominently at the 
beginning of your comments. However, we will not consider anonymous 
comments. To the extent consistent with applicable law, we will make 
all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
or businesses, available for public inspection in their entirety.

    Authority: The authority for this action is the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

    Dated: September 3, 2004.
Esther M. Pringle,
Acting Regional Director, Region 2, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 04-22554 Filed 10-6-04; 8:45 am]
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