[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 143 (Wednesday, July 26, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42410-42411]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-11922]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Post-Delisting Monitoring Plan for the Douglas County Distinct 
Population Segment of the Columbian White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus 
virginianus leucurus)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 
availability of the Post-Delisting Monitoring Plan for the Douglas 
County Distinct Population Segment of the Columbian White-tailed Deer 
(Odocoileus virginianus leucurus). The monitoring plan describes the 
methods that are being used to monitor the status of the Douglas County 
distinct population segment of the Columbian white-tailed deer and its 
habitat for a 5-year period, from 2003 (at the time of delisting) to 
2008. The plan also provides a strategy for identifying and responding 
to unexpected population declines and habitat alteration, as well as 
disease outbreaks.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the post-delisting monitoring plan are available 
by request from the State Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office, 2600 SE. 98th Avenue, Suite 100, 
Portland, Oregon 97266 (telephone: 503-231-6179; fax: 503-231-6195). It 
is also available on the World Wide Web at: http://www.fws.gov/oregonfwo/Species/ESA-Actions/CWTDPage.asp.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cat Brown, Fish and Wildlife 
Biologist, at the above address.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    The Columbian white-tailed deer is the westernmost representative 
of 30 subspecies of white-tailed deer in North and Central America 
(Halls 1978, p. 44; Baker 1984, p. 11). The subspecies was formerly 
distributed throughout the bottomlands and prairie woodlands of the 
lower Columbia, Willamette, and Umpqua River basins in Oregon and 
southern Washington (Bailey 1936, p. 90; Verts and Carraway 1998, p. 
479). It currently exists in two distinct population segments (DPS), 
one in Douglas County, Oregon (Douglas County DPS), and the other along 
the lower Columbia River in Oregon and Washington (Columbia River DPS).
    The Douglas County DPS was removed from the Federal List of 
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants on July 24, 2003 (68 FR

[[Page 42411]]

43647). The DPS was determined to be recovered and no longer in need of 
the protections of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
seq.) due to robust population growth and amelioration of threats to 
its survival (see July 24, 2003, 68 FR 43647). The Columbia River DPS 
remains listed as endangered.
    Section 4(g)(1) of the ESA requires the Service to implement a 
system, in cooperation with the States, to monitor effectively for not 
less than 5 years the status of all species which have been removed 
from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants 
due to recovery. The purpose of post-delisting monitoring is to verify 
that a species delisted due to recovery remains secure from risk of 
extinction after it has been removed from the protections of the ESA.
    To fulfill the requirement of section 4(g)(1) of the ESA, we 
developed a post-delisting monitoring plan for the Douglas County DPS 
of the Columbian white-tailed deer in cooperation with the Oregon 
Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Bureau of Land Management. The 
monitoring plan describes the methods that are being used to monitor 
the status of the Douglas County DPS of the Columbian white-tailed deer 
and its habitat for a 5-year period, from 2003 (at the time of 
delisting) to 2008. The monitoring plan also provides a strategy for 
identifying and responding to unexpected population declines and 
habitat alteration, as well as disease outbreaks.
    A draft of this post-delisting monitoring plan was peer reviewed by 
two scientific experts familiar with the biology of the Columbian 
white-tailed deer and was made available for public comment from 
November 23, 2005, through December 23, 2005 (70 FR 70876). Information 
submitted during the comment period has been considered in the 
preparation of the final post-delisting monitoring plan and is 
summarized in Appendix 2 of the plan.
    A combined annual report for the first 3 years of post-delisting 
monitoring (2003, 2004, and 2005) is currently available on the World 
Wide Web at: http://www.fws.gov/ oregonfwo/Species/ESA-Actions/
CWTDPage.asp. Annual reports will continue to be compiled by the 
Service, in cooperation with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife 
and the Bureau of Land Management, until the end of the 5-year 
monitoring period in 2008, and will be made available at the above 
Internet address.

References Cited

    A complete list of all references cited herein is available, upon 
request, from the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office (see ADDRESSES).

Author

    The primary author of this document is Cat Brown, Oregon Fish and 
Wildlife Office (see ADDRESSES).

Authority

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

    Dated: July 3, 2006.
David J. Wesley,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
 [FR Doc. E6-11922 Filed 7-25-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P