[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 124 (Tuesday, June 29, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37460-37461]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-15766]


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

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R1-ES-2010-N072; 10120-1113-0000-C2]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Recovery Plan for 
the Prairie Species of Western Oregon and Southwestern Washington

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

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

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the 
availability of the approved Recovery Plan for the Prairie Species of 
Western Oregon and Southwestern Washington. The recovery plan addresses 
three endangered and three threatened species. This plan includes 
recovery objectives and criteria, and specific recovery actions 
necessary to achieve downlisting and delisting of the species, and 
their removal from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened 
Wildlife and Plants. The plan also supplements the existing recovery 
plan for one threatened species, providing recommendations for 
reintroducing it to its historical range.

ADDRESSES: An electronic copy of the recovery plan is available at 
http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/index.html#plans. Copies of the 
recovery plan are also available by request from the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, Oregon Fish and Wildlife Office, 2600 SE 98th Avenue, 
Suite 100, Portland, OR 97266 (phone: 503-231-6179). Printed copies of 
the 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: We announce the availability of the approved 
Recovery Plan (plan) for the Prairie Species of Western Oregon and 
Southwestern Washington. The plan addresses three endangered and three 
threatened species, and includes recovery objectives and criteria, and 
specific recovery actions necessary to achieve downlisting and 
delisting of the species and their removal from the Federal List of 
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. The plan also 
supplements the existing recovery plan for one of the included 
threatened species, Castilleja levisecta, providing recommendations for 
reintroducing it to its historical range in the Willamette Valley.
    The recovery plan addresses the following three species listed as 
endangered: Fender's blue butterfly (Icaricia icairoides fenderi), 
Erigeron decumbens var. decumbens (Willamette daisy), and Lomatium 
bradshawii (Bradshaw's lomatium). The plan addresses the following 
three threatened species: Lupinus sulphureus ssp. kincaidii (Kincaid's 
lupine), Sidalcea nelsoniana (Nelson's checker-mallow), and Castilleja 
levisecta (golden paintbrush).

Background

    Recovery of endangered or threatened animals and plants is the 
primary goal of the Endangered Species Act (Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
seq.) and our endangered species program. Recovery means 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 and 
its implementing regulations at 50 CFR 424. Recovery plans describe 
actions considered necessary for the conservation of listed species, 
establish criteria for downlisting or delisting 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 public 
notice, and an opportunity for public review and comment, during 
recovery plan

[[Page 37461]]

development. From September 22, 2008, through December 22, 2008, we 
provided the draft Recovery Plan for the Prairie Species of Western 
Oregon and Southwestern Washington to the public and solicited comments 
(see Federal Register notices 73 FR 54603 of September 22, 2008, and 73 
FR 58975 of October 8, 2008). We considered information we received 
during the public comment period and comments from peer reviewers in 
our preparation of the recovery plan, and have summarized that 
information in Appendix F of the approved recovery plan. We welcome 
continuing public comment on this recovery plan, and we will consider 
all substantive comments on an ongoing basis to inform the 
implementation of recovery activities and future updates to the 
recovery plan.
    The native prairies of western Oregon and southwestern 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 recovery plan, we elucidate our 
recovery strategies and objectives for Fender's blue butterfly 
(Icaricia icairoides 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). This plan replaces and supersedes previously approved 
recovery plans for Lomatium bradshawii and Sidalcea nelsoniana. It also 
augments, but does not replace, the existing recovery plan for 
Castilleja levisecta: this new Prairie Species Recovery Plan provides 
recommendations for the reintroduction of Castilleja levisecta into its 
historical range in the Willamette Valley, consistent with this 
species' published recovery plan. In addition to recovery strategies 
for the six listed species, the plan recommends conservation strategies 
for one candidate species, Taylor's checkerspot butterfly (Euphydryas 
editha taylori), and 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 Department of the 
Interior bureaus (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 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 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, will 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 that such management 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.

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

    Dated: June 7, 2010.
Carolyn A. Bohan,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2010-15766 Filed 6-28-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P