[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 123 (Wednesday, June 27, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35253-35254]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-12409]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Running Buffalo Clover (Trifolium stoloniferum) Recovery Plan 
Revision

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce 
availability of the approved revised recovery plan for running buffalo 
clover (Trifolium stoloniferum). This species is federally listed as 
endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act).

ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of the recovery plan by any of the 
following means:
    1. World Wide Web: http://midwest.fws.gov/endangered; or
    2. U.S. mail or in-person pickup: Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, 6950 Americana Parkway, Suite H, Reynoldsburg, OH 
43068-4127; telephone, (614) 469-6923.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Sarena M. Selbo at the above 
address and telephone (ext. 17). TTY users may contact Ms. Selbo 
through the Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Restoring an endangered or threatened animal or plant species to 
the point where it is again a secure, self-sustaining member of its 
ecosystem is a primary goal of the Service's endangered species 
program. Recovery plans describe actions considered necessary for 
conservation of the species, establish criteria for reclassification 
and delisting, and provide estimates of the time and cost for 
implementing recovery measures.
    The Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) requires the development of 
recovery plans for listed species, unless such a plan would not promote 
the conservation of a particular species. Section 4(f) of the Act, as 
amended in 1988, requires that we provide public notice and opportunity 
for public review and comment during recovery plan development. We 
announced availability of our draft revised recovery plan in the 
Federal Register on August 12, 2005 (70 FR 47222), and requested public 
comments. The comment period closed on October 11, 2005. In our 
preparation of the approved revised recovery plan, we considered 
information provided to us during the comment period, and we have 
summarized this information in an appendix to the revised recovery 
plan.
    Running buffalo clover was listed as endangered on July 6, 1987. 
The original recovery plan was approved on July 8, 1989. This is the 
first recovery plan revision. Running buffalo clover formerly occurred 
from West Virginia to Kansas. It is currently extant in limited 
portions of Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri, and West Virginia. 
Running buffalo clover occurs in mesic habitats of partial to filtered 
sunlight, where there is a prolonged pattern of moderate periodic 
disturbance, such as mowing, trampling, or grazing. It is most often 
found in regions underlain with limestone or other calcareous bedrock.
    The primary threat to running buffalo clover is habitat alteration. 
Factors that contribute to this threat include natural forest 
succession and subsequent canopy closure, competition by invasive plant 
species, and catastrophic disturbance such as development or road 
construction. The elimination of bison and other large herbivores may 
also be a threat to this species. In addition to these threats, 
inherent biological vulnerabilities of running buffalo clover include 
its reliance on pollinators, seed scarification, and dispersal 
mechanisms, as well as a dependence on disturbance.
    Given the known threats and constraints, the recovery effort for 
running buffalo clover focuses primarily on increasing the number of 
conserved and managed populations, determining the viability of 
existing populations, and research on the species ecological 
requirements. Key to this strategy is the conservation and management 
of various-sized populations of running buffalo clover throughout the 
species' geographic range. The recovery criteria and actions rely 
heavily on retaining and managing suitable habitat. A greater 
understanding of the biotic and abiotic needs of running buffalo clover 
is also key to the species recovery.

Downlisting Criteria

    Running buffalo clover will be considered for downlisting to 
threatened status when the likelihood of the species becoming extinct 
in the foreseeable future has been eliminated by achievement of the 
following criteria:
    (1) Seventeen populations, in total, are distributed as follows: 1 
A-ranked, 3 B-ranked, 3 C-ranked, and 10 D-ranked populations across at 
least 2 of the 3 regions in which running buffalo clover currently 
occurs (Appalachian, Bluegrass, and Ozark). The number of populations 
required in each rank is based on what would be necessary to achieve a 
95 percent probability of persistence within the next 20 years based on 
population viability analysis.
    (2) For each A-ranked and B-ranked population described in 
downlisting criterion 1, population viability analysis indicates a 95 
percent persistence within the next 20 years, or, for any population 
that does not meet the 95 percent persistence standard, the population 
meets the definition of viable. For downlisting purposes, viability is 
defined as follows: (A) Seed production is occurring; (B) the 
population is stable or increasing, based on at least 5 years of 
censusing; and (C) appropriate management techniques are in place.
    (3) The land on which each of the populations described in 
downlisting criterion 1 occurs is owned by a government agency or 
private conservation organization that identifies maintenance of the 
species as one of the primary conservation objectives for the site, or, 
the population is protected by a conservation agreement that commits 
the landowner to habitat management for the species. Natural resource 
management plans on Federal lands may be suitable for meeting this 
criterion.

Delisting Criteria

    Running buffalo clover will be considered for delisting when the 
likelihood of the species becoming threatened in the foreseeable future 
has been eliminated by the achievement of the following criteria:
    (1) Thirty-four populations, in total, are distributed as follows: 
2 A-ranked, 6 B-ranked, 6 C-ranked, and 20 D-ranked populations across 
at least 2 of the 3 regions in which running buffalo clover occurs 
(Appalachian, Bluegrass, and Ozark). The number of populations in each 
rank is based on what would be required to achieve a 95 percent

[[Page 35254]]

probability of persistence within the next 20 years; this number was 
doubled to ensure biological redundancy across the range of the 
species.
    (2) For each A-ranked and B-ranked population described in 
delisting criterion 1, population viability analysis indicates a 95 
percent probability of persistence within the next 20 years, or, for 
any population that does not meet the 95 percent persistence standard, 
the population meets the definition of viable. For delisting purposes, 
viability is defined as follows: (A) Seed production is occurring; (B) 
the population is stable or increasing, based on at least 10 years of 
censusing; and (C) appropriate management techniques are in place.
    (3) The land on which each of the populations described in 
delisting criterion 1 occurs is owned by a government agency or private 
conservation organization that identifies maintenance of the species as 
one of the primary conservation objectives for the site, or, the 
population is protected by a conservation agreement that commits the 
landowner to habitat management for the species. Natural resource 
management plans on Federal lands may be suitable for meeting this 
criterion.

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

    Dated: June 5, 2007.
Lynn Lewis,
Deputy Assistant Regional Director, Ecological Services, Region 3.
[FR Doc. E7-12409 Filed 6-26-07; 8:45 am]
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