[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 184 (Monday, September 22, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54603-54604]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-22173]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R1-ES-2008-N0200; 10120-1113-0000-C2]


Draft Recovery Plan for the Prairie Species of Western Oregon and 
Southwestern Washington

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 announces the availability 
of the draft Recovery Plan for the Prairie Species of Western Oregon 
and Southwestern Washington for public review and comment. The listed 
species addressed in the recovery plan are: Fender's blue butterfly 
(Icaricia icarioides fenderi), Erigeron decumbens var. decumbens 
(Willamette daisy), Lomatium bradshawii (Bradshaw's lomatium), Lupinus 
sulphureus ssp. kincaidii (Kincaid's lupine), Sidalcea nelsoniana 
(Nelson's checker-mallow) and Castilleja levisecta (golden paintbrush).

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft recovery plan are available by request 
from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon Fish and Wildlife 
Office, 2600 SE 98th Avenue, Suite 100, Portland, Oregon 97266 (phone: 
503-231-6179). An electronic copy of the draft recovery plan is also 
available at http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/index.html#plans. 
Printed copies of the draft recovery plan will be available for 
distribution within 4 to 6 weeks.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Recovery of endangered or threatened animals and plants is a 
primary goal of the Endangered Species Act (Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
seq.) and our endangered species program. Recovery means

[[Page 54604]]

improvement of the status of listed species to the point at which 
listing is no longer required under the criteria set out in section 
4(a)(1) of the Act. Recovery plans describe actions necessary for the 
conservation and survival of the species, establish criteria for 
downlisting or delisting listed species, and estimate time and cost for 
implementing the measures needed for recovery.
    The Act requires the development of recovery plans for endangered 
or threatened species unless such a plan would not promote the 
conservation of the species. Section 4(f) of the Act requires that 
public notice, and an opportunity for public review and comment, be 
provided during recovery plan development. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service (``we'') will consider all information presented during the 
public comment period on each new or revised recovery plan.
    The native prairies of western Oregon and southwest Washington are 
among the most imperiled ecosystems in the United States. Six native 
prairie species in the region--one butterfly and five plants--have been 
added to the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and 
Plants since 1988. In this draft recovery plan, we develop recovery 
strategies and objectives for Fender's blue butterfly (Icaricia 
icarioides fenderi), Erigeron decumbens var. decumbens (Willamette 
daisy), Lomatium bradshawii (Bradshaw's lomatium), Lupinus sulphureus 
ssp. kincaidii (Kincaid's lupine), Sidalcea nelsoniana (Nelson's 
checker-mallow) and Castilleja levisecta (golden paintbrush). When 
completed, this plan will replace and supersede previously approved 
recovery plans for Lomatium bradshawii and Sidalcea nelsoniana. It will 
augment, but not replace, the existing recovery plan for Castilleja 
levisecta; this new Prairie Species Recovery Plan will provide 
recommendations for the reintroduction of Castilleja levisecta into its 
historical range in the Willamette Valley, consistent with the species' 
published recovery plan. In addition to recovery strategies for these 
six listed species, the plan will recommend conservation strategies for 
one candidate species, the Taylor's checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas 
editha taylori), and another six plant species of concern: Delphinium 
leucophaeum (pale larkspur), Delphinium oreganum (Willamette Valley 
larkspur), Delphinium pavonaceum (peacock larkspur), Horkelia congesta 
ssp. congesta (shaggy horkelia), Sericocarpus rigidus (white-topped 
aster), and Sisyrinchium hitchcockii (Hitchcock's blue-eyed grass). All 
of the species addressed in this recovery plan are threatened by the 
continued degradation, loss and fragmentation of their native prairie 
ecosystems.
    We developed the draft recovery plan in coordination with the 
Western Oregon and Southwestern Washington Prairie Species Recovery 
Team, which includes representatives from two Federal agencies (U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service and Bureau of Land Management), two state 
agencies (Washington Department of Natural Resources and Oregon 
Department of Transportation), the Confederated Tribes of the Grande 
Ronde Community of Oregon, Washington State University, and several 
other experts from the academic and private sectors.
    Our recovery strategy for the species addressed in this recovery 
plan is to protect remaining fragments of upland and wet prairie 
habitats and to restore them to fully functioning prairie ecosystems. 
The draft recovery plan calls for viable populations of the listed 
prairie species to be protected in a series of recovery zones 
distributed across their historical ranges. Recovery actions will 
include habitat management, restoration of historical disturbance 
regimes, control of noxious nonnative plants, carefully planned 
reintroductions, population monitoring, active research, and public 
involvement and outreach. The recovery actions are designed to 
ameliorate threats and increase population sizes of Fender's blue 
butterfly, Lupinus sulphureus ssp. kincaidii, Erigeron decumbens var. 
decumbens, Lomatium bradshawii, Sidalcea nelsoniana, and Castilleja 
levisecta to achieve recovery goals, which, if successful, may allow 
their eventual delisting (removal from the List of Endangered and 
Threatened Wildlife and Plants).
    The widespread loss and degradation of prairie habitats in western 
Oregon and southwestern Washington have been responsible for the 
decline of many other plant and animal species associated with these 
communities. We believe that a holistic, ecosystem management approach 
to the restoration of prairie habitats will not only contribute to the 
recovery of the listed prairie species, but will also contribute to the 
protection of populations of the associated prairie species of concern 
discussed in this plan, as well as other native prairie species.

Public Comments Solicited

    We solicit written comments on the draft recovery plan. All 
comments received by the date specified above will be considered prior 
to approval of this plan. If you wish to comment, you may submit your 
comments and materials concerning this recovery plan by any of these 
methods:
    1. You may submit written comments and information by mail, 
facsimile or in person to the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office at the 
above address (see ADDRESSES).
    2. You may send comments by electronic mail (e-mail) to: 
[email protected]. If you submit comments by e-mail, 
please submit them as an ASCII file and avoid the use of special 
characters and any form of encryption. Please also include your name 
and return address in your e-mail message.
    Comments and materials received, as well as supporting 
documentation used in preparation of the recovery plan, will be 
available for inspection, during normal business hours at the above 
Portland address (see ADDRESSES).

Public Availability of Comments

    Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment, including your personal identifying 
information, may be made publicly available at any time. While we will 
try to honor your written request to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

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

    Dated: September 3, 2008.
David J. Wesley,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. E8-22173 Filed 9-19-08; 8:45 am]
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