[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 138 (Wednesday, July 19, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 41041]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-11466]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Recovery Plan for the Kauai Cave Arthropods: The Kauai Cave Wolf 
Spider (Adelocosa anops) and the Kauai Cave Amphipod (Spelaeorchestia 
koloana)

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 Recovery Plan for the Kauai Cave Arthropods: the 
Kauai Cave Wolf Spider (Adelocosa anops) and the Kauai Cave Amphipod 
(Spelaeorchestia koloana). These cave arthropods are listed as 
endangered and are endemic to the Hawaiian Island of Kauai.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the recovery plan are available by request from 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife 
Office, 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 3-122, Box 50088, Honolulu, 
Hawaii 96850 (telephone: 808/792-9400) and Hawaii State Library 478 S. 
King Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813. An electronic copy of the Recovery 
Plan is available on the World Wide Web at: http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/index.html#plans.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lorena Wada, Invertebrate Program 
Supervisor, at the above Honolulu 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 our endangered species program. The 
Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) (Act) 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.
    Section 4(f) of the Act requires that public notice and an 
opportunity for public review and comment be provided during recovery 
plan development. In fulfillment of this requirement, the Draft 
Recovery Plan for the Kauai Cave Arthropods: The Kauai Cave Wolf Spider 
(Adelocosa anops) and the Kauai Cave Amphipod (Spelaeorchestia koloana) 
was available for public comment from February 9, 2005, through April 
11, 2005 (70 FR 6902). Information presented during the public comment 
period has been considered in the preparation of this final recovery 
plan, and is summarized in the appendix to the recovery plan. We will 
forward substantive comments regarding recovery plan implementation to 
appropriate Federal or other entities so that they can take these 
comments into account during the course of implementing recovery 
actions.
    Two species of cave arthropods, the Kauai cave wolf spider and the 
Kauai cave amphipod, collectively the Kauai cave arthropods, are only 
known from a small number of caves in the Koloa District on the island 
of Kauai. Of the caves surveyed to date, the cave wolf spider has only 
been documented to occur in five caves, and currently is only observed 
regularly in one of these caves. The cave amphipod has been documented 
to occur in eight caves, and is currently observed regularly in three 
of them.
    The primary threats to these species include: the potential for 
significant population impact from a signal event due to small 
populations and restricted range; urban and agricultural development as 
well as quarrying operations; non-native species preying upon or 
competing with them for limited food resources; human visitation and 
uses of caves; urban and commercial pesticide use; bio-control agents; 
and extended drought which alters the high-humidity environment to 
which these arthropods are adapted, which also facilitates invasion by 
non-native species.
    The objective of this recovery plan is to provide a framework for 
the recovery of the Kauai cave arthropods so that protection by the Act 
is no longer necessary. Actions necessary to accomplish this objective 
include: (1) Protecting known populations of the Kauai cave wolf spider 
and cave amphipod and their subterranean systems from human-caused 
destruction or degradation; (2) improving or enhancing the habitat of 
occupied caves or caves previously occupied through protection of 
above-cave habitats and implementation of landscaping actions that are 
likely to increase subterranean food resources; (3) conducting research 
to address essential conservation needs for the species; (4) providing 
information for the public on the Kauai cave arthropods; and (5) using 
initial recovery efforts and research to periodically validate recovery 
objectives.

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

    Dated: April 28, 2006.
David J. Wesley,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
 [FR Doc. E6-11466 Filed 7-18-06; 8:45 am]
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