[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 193 (Wednesday, October 7, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51553-51555]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-24224]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XR39


Endangered and Threatened Species; Recovery Plans

AGENCY:  National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, Commerce.

ACTION:  Notice of availability; request for comments and notice of 
public meetings.

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SUMMARY:  The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) announces 
availability for public review and comment of the Draft Central Valley 
Salmon and Steelhead Recovery Plan (Draft Plan). The Draft Plan 
addresses the Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus 
tshawytscha) Evolutionarily Significant Unit (ESU), the Central Valley 
spring-run Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) ESU, and the Distinct 
Population Segment (DPS) of Central Valley Steelhead (Oncorhynchus 
mykiss). NMFS is soliciting review and comment from the public and all 
interested parties on the Draft Plan. In addition, four public meetings 
will be held in October 2009 as opportunities for providing comments on 
the Draft Plan (dates to be determined).

DATES:  NMFS will consider and address all substantive comments 
received during the comment period. Comments must be received no later 
than 5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on December 7, 2009. Public meetings 
will also be held (see Public Meetings below).

ADDRESSES:  Please send written comments and materials to Brian 
Ellrott, National Marine Fisheries Service, 650 Capitol Mall, Suite 8-
300, Sacramento, CA 95816. Comments may also be submitted by e-mail to: 
[email protected]. Include in the subject line of the e-
mail comment the following identifier: ``Comments on Central Valley 
Salmon and Steelhead Draft Plan.'' Comments may be submitted via 
facsimile (fax) to (916) 930-3629.
    Persons wishing to review the Draft Plan can obtain an electronic 
copy (i.e., CD-ROM) from Aimee Diefenbach by calling (916) 930-3600 or 
by e-mailing a request to [email protected] with the subject 
line ``CD-ROM Request for Central Valley Salmon and Steelhead Recovery 
Draft Plan.'' Electronic copies of the Draft Plan are also available 
on-line on the NMFS website http://swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/recovery/centralvalleyplan.htm.
    The specific dates, times, and locations of public meetings will be 
posted on this website as they become available.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brian Ellrott at (916) 930-3612 or 
Howard Brown, NMFS Sacramento River Basin Branch Chief at (916) 930-
3608.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Recovery plans describe actions beneficial to the conservation and 
recovery of species listed under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 
(ESA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The ESA requires that 
recovery plans incorporate: (1) objective, measurable criteria which, 
when met, would result in a determination that the species is no longer 
threatened or endangered; (2) site-specific management actions 
necessary to achieve the plan's goals; and (3) estimates of the time 
required and costs to implement recovery actions. The ESA requires the 
development of recovery plans for each listed species unless such a 
plan would not promote its recovery.
    NMFS is responsible for developing and implementing ESA recovery 
plans for listed salmon and steelhead. In so doing, NMFS' goal is to 
restore endangered and threatened Pacific salmonids to the point that 
they are again self-sustaining members of their ecosystems and no 
longer need the protections of the ESA.
    Recovery Plans developed under the ESA are guidance documents, not 
regulatory documents. However, the ESA envisions Recovery Plans as the 
central organizing tool for guiding the recovery of listed species. 
Recovery Plans also guide Federal agencies in fulfilling their 
obligations under section 7(a)(1) of the ESA, which calls on all 
Federal agencies to ``utilize their authorities in furtherance of the 
purposes of this Act by carrying out programs for the conservation of 
endangered species and threatened species.'' In addition to outlining 
proactive measures to achieve species recovery, Recovery Plans provide 
a context and framework for implementing other provisions of the ESA 
with respect to a particular species, including consultations on 
Federal agency activities under section 7(a)(2) and the development of 
Habitat Conservation Plans in accordance with section 10(a)(1)(B).
    This Draft Plan serves as a guideline for achieving recovery 
criteria and goals by describing the criteria by which NMFS would 
measure species recovery, the strategy to achieve recovery, and the 
recovery actions necessary to achieve viable ESU's of Sacramento River 
winter-run Chinook salmon and Central Valley spring-run Chinook salmon, 
and a viable DPS of Central Valley steelhead.

Recovery Criteria

    Recovery criteria are built upon criteria recommended by the NMFS 
Technical Recovery Team (TRT) for the identification of viable 
anadromous salmonid populations and ESUs/DPSs. A viable population is 
defined as a population having a negligible risk (<5%) of extinction 
due to threats from demographic variation, non-catastrophic 
environmental variation, and genetic diversity changes over a 100-year 
time frame. A viable ESU/DPS is comprised of a sufficient number of 
viable populations sufficiently dispersed spatially, but well connected 
enough to maintain long-term (1,000-year) persistence and evolutionary 
potential (McElhany et al. 2000). The viability criteria are intended 
to describe characteristics of the species and its natural environments 
necessary for both individual populations and the ESU/DPS as a whole to 
be viable, i.e., persist over a specific period of time.
    Recovery of winter-run Chinook salmon, spring-run Chinook salmon, 
and steelhead in the Central Valley will

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require recovery of a sufficient number of viable populations of each 
species within each of the species' historic diversity groups defined 
by the TRT. Recovery of individual populations is necessary to conserve 
the natural diversity (genetic, phenotypic, and behavioral), spatial 
distribution, and abundance of each species, and thus the long-term 
viability of each ESU/DPS as a whole. Additionally, the ESU/DPS as a 
whole must contain a minimal number of viable populations, or 
interacting trans-basin populations, within each diversity group in 
order to withstand environmental variation of the sort known to have 
occurred in the Central Valley over the last 500-1,000 years. Such 
variation has included natural catastrophes such as prolonged drought, 
volcanic eruptions, large wildfires, and anthropogenic impacts such as 
the 1991 Cantara metam sodium spill. Therefore, for ESUs/DPSs to be 
considered viable, they should be able to persist if challenged by 
these types of catastrophes as well as anthropogenic climate change.

Recovery Strategy

    Achieving recovery of winter-run Chinook salmon, spring-run Chinook 
salmon, and steelhead will require a number of coordinated activities, 
such as: (1) implementing the strategic and threat-specific recovery 
actions identified in this Draft Plan, including actions directed at 
increasing the quantity and quality of habitat available to anadromous 
salmonids, minimizing hatchery effects, and improving harvest 
management; (2) monitoring the abundance and distribution of existing 
populations for all three species and their response to recovery 
actions; and (3) researching the diverse life-history patterns and 
adaptations of Central Valley steelhead to a highly dynamic environment 
(e.g., the ecological relationship between anadromous and non-
anadromous life-history forms).
    There remain uncertainties regarding the level of recovery 
necessary to achieve population viability, therefore, additional 
research and monitoring of winter-run Chinook salmon, spring-run 
Chinook salmon, and steelhead in the Central Valley is an essential 
component of this Draft Plan. As this Draft Plan is implemented over 
time, additional information will become available to: (1) refine the 
viability criteria; (2) update and refine the species-specific threats 
assessments and related recovery actions; (3) determine whether 
individual threats have been abated; and (4) evaluate the overall 
viability of winter-run Chinook salmon, spring-run Chinook salmon, and 
steelhead in the Central Valley. There will be a review of the recovery 
actions implemented and population and habitat responses to these 
actions at the 5-year and 10-year status reviews for each ESU/DPS.
    Effective implementation of recovery actions will also entail: (1) 
extensive public education (including the general public, non-
governmental agencies, and local, regional, State, and Federal 
governmental agencies,) regarding the role and value of these species 
within the larger watershed environment; (2) development of cooperative 
relationships with private land owners, special districts, federally-
recognized tribes, and local governments with direct control and 
responsibilities over non-federal land-use practices; (3) participation 
in the land use and water planning and regulatory processes of local, 
regional, State, and Federal agencies; (4) close cooperation with other 
state resource agencies such as the California Department of Fish and 
Game, California Department of Water Resources, CalTrans, and the 
California Department of Parks and Recreation, and (5) partnering with 
Federal resource agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, U.S. Bureau of 
Reclamation, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, U.S. Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of 
Defense, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Recovery Actions

    Many complex and inter-related biological, economic, social, and 
technological issues must be addressed in order to recover anadromous 
salmonids in the Central Valley. Policy changes at the Federal, state, 
and local levels will likely be necessary to implement many of the 
recovery actions identified in this Draft Plan. For example, without 
substantial strides in water conservation throughout California, flow 
conditions for anadromous salmonids will limit recovery. Similarly, 
recovery is unlikely without programs to restore properly functioning 
historic habitat such as estuaries, and access to upstream spawning and 
rearing habitat.

Implementation and Cost Estimates

    Implementation of this Draft Plan by NMFS will take many forms. To 
achieve recovery, NMFS will need to promote the Draft Plan and provide 
needed technical information and assistance to other entities 
responsible for actions that may impact the species' recovery. NMFS 
should work with key partners on planning and implementation of all 
high priority recovery actions. Additionally it will be important to 
work with local governments to ensure that protective measures 
consistent with recovery objectives are included in their general and 
local plans. NMFS should also work with state and Federal regional 
entities on Regional Water Control Board Basin Plans and U.S. Forest 
Service Plans.
    An implementation schedule describing time frames and costs 
associated with individual recovery actions is included in the Draft 
Plan and is continuing to be developed as information becomes 
available. Estimating total cost to recovery is much more challenging, 
if not impossible to estimate for a variety of reasons. These include 
the large geographic extent of the Central Valley; the long-term 
duration (e.g., likely decades) expected to achieve full recovery; and 
the uncertainty associated with population responses to changing 
environmental conditions. In some instances, however, NMFS is able to 
estimate the costs associated with certain common restoration 
activities such as those undertaken as part of the Calfed Ecosystem 
Restoration Program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Anadromous Fish 
Restoration Program, or the California Department of Water Resource's 
Fish Passage Improvement Program. An appendix to the Draft Plan 
contains estimates for these categories of typical watershed 
restoration actions.
    The criteria and recovery actions identified in the Draft Plan 
provide a comprehensive road-map for recovery and are consistent with 
many ongoing activities intended to protect and or restore ecosystem 
functions in Central Valley watersheds. As a result, many of these 
recovery actions will be undertaken by local, state and Federal 
agencies, as well as non-governmental organizations and other private 
entities as a part of their local ecosystem protection efforts. Also, 
the wide variety of threats to Central Valley salmon and steelhead 
provide for a variety of potential funding sources available to develop 
and implement these recovery actions, often as part of other ongoing 
natural resource restoration, management, and mitigation programs.

Public Comments Solicited

    NMFS solicits written comments on the Draft Plan. All comments 
received by the date specified above will be considered prior to NMFS' 
decision whether to approve the Draft Plan. NMFS seeks comments 
particularly in the following areas: (1) the analysis of limiting 
factors and threats; (2) the

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recovery objectives, strategies, and actions, especially in regard to 
the selection of core populations, priority areas for reintroduction, 
and critical recovery actions; (3) the criteria for removing ESUs/DPSs 
from the Federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants; 
and (4) estimates of time and cost to implement recovery actions. NMFS 
will also hold public meetings to provide an opportunity for the public 
to learn more about the Draft Plan, ask questions of NMFS staff, and 
submit oral or written comments on the Draft Plan.

Public Meetings

    Four public meetings will be held, two in Chico, CA and two in 
Sacramento, CA . The two Chico meetings will occur on the same date 
with one three-hour meeting during the day followed by one two-hour 
meeting in the evening. The Sacramento meetings will follow this same 
day/evening approach. The meetings will be targeted toward receiving 
comments from key stakeholders and salmon recovery ``practitioners'' 
such as local jurisdiction officials, state and local agency personnel, 
industry representatives, public and non-profit interest 
representatives, and others who have a professional involvement and 
knowledge of salmon recovery issues, as well as general public and 
other constituencies.

Literature Cited

    McElhany, P., Ruckelshaus, M.H., Ford, M.J., Wainwright, T.C., and 
Bjorkstedt, E.P. 2000. Viable Salmonid Populations and the Conservation 
of Evolutionarily Significant Units. U.S. Department of Commerce. NOAA 
Technical Memorandum. NMFS NWFSC 42. Seattle, WA.Authority: 16 U.S.C. 
1531 et seq.

    Dated:September 30, 2009.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. E9-24224 Filed 10-6-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-S