[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 41 (Thursday, March 2, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10652-10653]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-2991]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

[I.D. 121905A]


Endangered and Threatened Species; Recovery Plans; Reopening of 
Public Comment Period

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; reopening of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: NMFS is reopening the public comment period for the proposed 
Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan (Plan) for the Evolutionarily 
Significant Unit (ESU) of Puget Sound Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus 
tshawytscha) until March 16, 2006. The proposed Recovery Plan consists 
of a ``Draft Puget Sound Recovery Plan'' prepared by the Shared 
Strategy and a NMFS Supplement. NMFS is reopening the public comment 
period at the request of commenters to provide additional opportunity 
for public review and comment.

DATES: Written comments must be received by March 16, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Comments on the proposed Plan may be submitted by any of the 
following methods. Send written comments and materials to Elizabeth 
Babcock, National Marine Fisheries Service, Salmon Recovery Division, 
7600 Sandpoint Way NE Seattle, WA 98115. Comments may be submitted by 
e-mail to [email protected]; include in the subject line of 
the e-mail comment the following identifier: Comments on Puget Sound 
Salmon Plan. Comments may also be submitted via facsimile (fax) to 206 
526 6426.
    Persons wishing to review the Plan can obtain an electronic copy 
(i.e., CDROM) from Carol Joyce by calling 503- 230-5408, or by e-
mailing a request to [email protected], with the subject line ``CD-
ROM Request for Puget Sound Salmon Plan''. Electronic copies of the 
Shared Strategy Plan are also available on-line on the Shared Strategy 
Web site http://www.sharedsalmonstrategy.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Babcock, NMFS Puget Sound 
Salmon Recovery Coordinator (206-526-4505), or Elizabeth Gaar, NMFS 
Salmon Recovery Division (503-230-5434).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Recovery plans describe actions considered necessary for the 
conservation and recovery of species listed under the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The ESA 
requires that recovery plans incorporate (1) objective, measurable 
criteria which, when met, would result in a determination that the 
species is no longer threatened or endangered; (2) site-specific 
management actions necessary to achieve the plan's goals; and (3) 
estimates of the time required and costs to implement recovery actions. 
The ESA requires the development of recovery plans for listed species 
unless such a plan would not promote the recovery of a particular 
species.
    NMFS' goal is to restore endangered and threatened Pacific salmon 
ESUs to the point where they are again secure, self-sustaining members 
of their

[[Page 10653]]

ecosystems and no longer need the protections of the ESA. NMFS believes 
it is critically important to base its recovery plans on the many 
state, regional, tribal, local, and private conservation efforts 
already underway throughout the region. The agency's approach to 
recovery planning has been to support and participate in locally led 
collaborative efforts involving local communities, state, tribal, and 
Federal entities, and other stakeholders to develop recovery plans.
    On June 30, 2005, the Governor of Washington presented NMFS a 
locally developed recovery plan for Puget Sound Chinook salmon prepared 
by the Shared Strategy, a coalition of natural resource agencies, local 
governments, tribes, businesses, environmental groups, and other 
stakeholders. After review of the Shared Strategy's ``Draft Puget Sound 
Salmon Recovery Plan'', NMFS added a Supplement, which describes how 
the local plan satisfies ESA requirements, including additional actions 
that NMFS believes are necessary to support recovery. The Shared 
Strategy plan and the NMFS-prepared Supplement form a proposed Recovery 
Plan that meets the requirements of the ESA. The proposed Recovery Plan 
covers the range of the Puget Sound Chinook Salmon ESU (Oncorhynchus 
tshawytscha), listed as threatened on March 24, 1999 (64 FR 14307). The 
area covered by the proposed Recovery Plan is the 16,000-square-mile 
(41,440 square km) Puget Sound Basin, the second largest estuary in the 
United States. It encompasses twenty major river systems originating in 
the Cascade mountain range to the east and the Olympic mountain range 
to the west. The recovery planning area ends at the Canadian border, 
but includes the San Juan Islands.
    NMFS published notice of the availability of the proposed Recovery 
Plan for public comment in the Federal Register on December 27, 2005 
(70 FR 76445), with a comment period closing on February 27, 2005. At 
the request of several commenters, NMFS is reopening the comment 
period, which will now extend until March 16, 2006 to allow additional 
opportunity for public comment. The documents are available on the NMFS 
Northwest Region Salmon Web site at http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Salmon-Recovery-Planning/index.cfm.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.

    Dated: February 24, 2006.
James H. Lecky,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries 
Service.
[FR Doc. E6-2991 Filed 3-1-06; 8:45 am]
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