[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 48 (Monday, March 13, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12711-12712]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-3505]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Draft Recovery Plan for Hackelia venusta (Showy Stickseed)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability for review and comment.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (``we''), announce the 
availability of the Draft Recovery Plan for Hackelia venusta (Showy 
Stickseed), for public review and comment.

DATES: Comments on the draft recovery plan must be received on or 
before May 12, 2006.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft recovery plan are available for 
inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the 
following location: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Central Washington 
Field Office, 215 Melody Lane, Wenatchee, Washington 98801 (telephone: 
509-665-3508). Requests for copies of the draft recovery plan and 
written comments and materials regarding this plan should be addressed 
to the Field Supervisor, Ecological Services, at the above Wenatchee 
address. An electronic copy of the draft recovery plan is also 
available online at http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/index.html#plans.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim McCracken, Fish and Wildlife 
Biologist, at the above Wenatchee address.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Restoring endangered or threatened animals and plants to the point 
where they are again secure, self-sustaining members of their 
ecosystems is a primary goal of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and 
our endangered species program. The ESA (16 U.S.C. 1533 (f)) requires 
the development of recovery plans for listed species unless such a plan 
would not promote the conservation of a particular species. Recovery 
plans help guide the recovery effort by describing actions considered 
necessary for the conservation of the species, establishing criteria 
for downlisting or delisting listed species, and estimating time and 
cost for implementing the measures needed for recovery (16 U.S.C. 1533 
(f)).
    Section 4(f) of the ESA also requires that public notice, and an 
opportunity for public review and comment, be provided during recovery 
plan development. We will consider all information presented during the 
public comment period in the development of each new or revised 
recovery plan. Comments received may result in changes to the draft 
recovery plan. Comments regarding recovery plan implementation may be 
forwarded to appropriate Federal or other entities so that they can 
take these comments into account during the course of implementing 
recovery actions. Individual responses to comments will not be 
provided.
    Showy stickseed (Hackelia venusta) is a perennial plant with showy 
white or blue-tinged flowers in the forget-me-not plant family 
(Boraginaceae). The species is a narrow endemic, being known from only 
1 population of roughly 600 individuals in Chelan County, Washington. 
It occurs primarily on Federal lands, but a very small portion of the 
population is on private lands. Within its limited range, Hackelia 
venusta is found in open areas of steeply sloping, highly unstable 
granitic sand and granite cliffs. The common feature to its habitat 
appears to be the relatively sparse cover of other vascular plants and 
low canopy cover.
    Hackelia venusta was listed as an endangered species on February 6, 
2002 (67 FR 5515). The major threats to Hackelia venusta include 
collection and physical disturbance to the plants and habitat by 
humans, mass wasting (landslides), nonnative noxious weeds, competition 
and shading from native trees and shrubs due to fire suppression, some 
highway maintenance activities, and low seedling establishment. The 
small population size and limited geographic extent of the species 
exacerbates all of these threats, and renders Hackelia venusta highly 
vulnerable to extirpation or extinction from either human-caused or 
random natural events.
    Objectives of a recovery plan would be to reduce the threats to 
Hackelia venusta and increase population size and geographic 
distribution. The first step in the recovery strategy for the species 
would be to protect and stabilize the existing population. This would 
include management to maintain an open habitat, noxious weed control, 
minimizing the damage of collection and trampling within the 
population, seed collection and long-term seed banking to protect the 
genetic resources of the species, and the development and 
implementation of management plans. In addition, to reduce the 
potential for extinction due to loss of the single population, recovery 
actions will likely require establishing additional populations within 
the estimated historical range of the species.

Public Comments Solicited

    We solicit written comments on the draft recovery plan described in 
this notice. All comments received by the date specified above will be 
considered in the development of this plan.

Authority

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


[[Page 12712]]


    Dated: December 6, 2005.
David J. Wesley,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. E6-3505 Filed 3-10-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P