[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 166 (Friday, August 26, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53482-53483]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21879]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R8-ES-2010-N198; 80221-1113-0000-C2]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of 
Availability of a Revised Recovery Plan for the Mojave Population of 
the Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 
availability of a revised recovery plan for the Mojave population of 
the desert tortoise under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 
amended (Act). This species is found in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts 
in southern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, and the southwestern 
tip of Utah in the United States, as well as in Sonora and northern 
Sinaloa in Mexico. The listed Mojave population of the desert tortoise 
includes those animals living north and west of the Colorado River in 
the Mojave Desert of California, Nevada, Arizona, and southwestern 
Utah, and in the Sonoran (Colorado) Desert in California.

ADDRESSES: An electronic copy of the revised recovery plan is available 
at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/recovery-plans.html. 
Alternatively, the revised recovery plan and reference materials are 
available by appointment, during normal business hours, at the 
following location: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Nevada Fish and 
Wildlife Office, 1340 Financial Boulevard, Suite 234, Reno, NV 89502 
(telephone: 775-861-6300). Requests for copies of the revised recovery 
plan should be addressed to the State Supervisor at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roy Averill-Murray, Desert Tortoise 
Recovery Coordinator, at the above address or telephone number.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 
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 considered 
necessary for the conservation of the species, establish criteria for 
downlisting or delisting listed species, and estimate time and cost for 
implementing the measures needed for recovery. The Recovery Plan for 
the Mojave Population of the Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) was 
first published in 1994, and presented the status of the species, along 
with threats, recovery actions, and recovery criteria. Since that time 
a great deal of effort has been dedicated to recovery and conservation 
activities, and additional information has been obtained through 
research and observation that allows us to better focus our recovery 
strategy. The revised recovery plan for the Mojave Population of the 
desert tortoise is the focus of this notice.
    Section 4(f) of the Act directs the Secretaries of Interior and 
Commerce to develop and implement recovery plans for species listed as 
endangered or threatened, unless such plans will not promote the 
conservation of the species. We and the National Marine Fisheries 
Service, as appropriate, have been delegated responsibility for 
administering the Act. As per Section 4(f) of the Act, we published a 
notice of availability for public review and comment on the draft 
revised recovery plan on August 4, 2008. We considered all information 
we received during the public comment period and revised the recovery 
plan accordingly.
    The desert tortoise is a large, herbivorous reptile that can reach 
20 to 38 centimeters (cm) (8 to 15 inches (in)) in carapace (upper 
shell) length and 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) in shell height. Hatchlings 
emerge from eggs at about 5 cm (2 in) in length. Adults have a domed 
carapace and relatively flat, unhinged plastrons (lower shells). Their 
shells are high-domed and greenish-tan to dark brown in color, with tan 
scute (horny plate on the shell) centers. Adult desert tortoises weigh 
3.6 to 6.8 kilograms (8 to 15 pounds). The forelimbs have heavy, claw-
like scales and are flattened for digging. Hind limbs are more 
elephantine.
    Throughout most of the Mojave Desert, the desert tortoise occupies 
a variety of habitats: From flats and slopes dominated by creosote bush 
(Larrea tridentata) scrub at lower elevations, to rocky slopes in the 
blackbrush (Coleogyne ramosissima) scrub, and juniper (Juniperus spp.) 
woodland interface at higher elevations. Records of desert tortoises 
range from below sea level to an elevation of 2,225 meters (7,300 
feet), with typical habitat characterized as creosote bush scrub below 
1,677 meters (5,500 feet). Desert tortoises most commonly occur on 
gently sloping terrain with sandy gravel soils that are friable for 
burrowing and where there is sparse cover of low-

[[Page 53483]]

growing shrubs and a high diversity of both perennial and annual 
plants.
    The desert tortoise occurs in the Mojave and Sonoran deserts in 
southern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, and the southwestern tip 
of Utah in the United States, as well as in Sonora and northern Sinaloa 
in Mexico. The listed Mojave population of the desert tortoise includes 
those animals living north and west of the Colorado River in the Mojave 
Desert of California, Nevada, Arizona, and southwestern Utah, and in 
the Sonoran (Colorado) Desert in California. The first recovery plan 
was published in 1994, and critical habitat was also designated in all 
four States supporting the species.
    Three tortoise species in the genus Gopherus occur in the United 
States, and another occurs in Mexico; however, all are geographically 
separated from the Mojave population. With the exception of a 
geographically undefined Mojave-genotype population (that also shares 
Mojave phenotype and habitat-use characteristics with the Mojave 
population) in the vicinity of the Black Mountains in Mohave County, 
Arizona, the Sonoran population of the desert tortoise is significantly 
different both genetically and ecologically, but it could be confused 
visually with tortoises of the Mojave population; therefore, the 
Service determined the Sonoran population also warranted protection as 
a threatened species under section 4(e) of the Endangered Species Act 
(similarity of appearance) when located outside of its natural range. 
On December 14, 2010, in response to a petition to list the Sonoran 
population of the desert tortoise under the Endangered Species Act, the 
Service found that listing the Sonoran population is warranted but 
precluded by higher priority actions to amend the Lists of Endangered 
and Threatened Wildlife and Plants.
    The vast majority of threats to the desert tortoise or its habitat 
are associated with human land uses. The threats identified in the 1994 
Recovery Plan, and that formed the basis for listing the tortoise as a 
threatened species, continue to affect the species. Habitat loss, 
degradation, and fragmentation from urbanization, off-highway vehicle 
use in the desert, linear features such as roads and utility corridors, 
poor grazing management and mining, and military activities were cited 
as some of the primary reasons for the decline in desert tortoise 
populations. Disease and increased incidence of fire in the Mojave 
Desert have also been implicated in desert tortoise declines.
    Despite clear demonstration that these threats impact individual 
tortoises, there are few data available to evaluate or quantify the 
effects of threats on desert tortoise populations. While current 
research results can lead to predictions about how local tortoise 
abundance should be affected by the presence of threats, quantitative 
estimates of the magnitude of these threats, or of their relative 
importance, have not yet been developed. Thus, it would be challenging 
to recover the desert tortoise by singling out a particular threat or 
subset of threats to the exclusion of others. In the revised recovery 
plan, we underscore the need to build on our understanding of 
individual threats but also place new emphasis on understanding their 
multiple and synergistic effects, due to the failure of simple threat 
models to inform us about tortoise abundance.
    The revised strategy emphasizes partnerships to direct and maintain 
focus on implementing recovery actions, and a system to track 
implementation and effectiveness of those actions. The strategic 
elements listed in the revised Recovery Plan are part of a multi-
faceted approach designed to improve the 1994 Recovery Plan. The goals 
of the revised recovery plan are recovery and delisting of the desert 
tortoise. The objectives and recovery criteria address demography 
(maintain self-sustaining populations of desert tortoises within each 
recovery unit into the future); distribution (maintain well-distributed 
populations of desert tortoises throughout each recovery unit); and 
habitat (ensure that habitat within each recovery unit is protected and 
managed to support long-term viability of desert tortoise populations).
    The strategic elements include the following: (1) Develop, support, 
and build partnerships to facilitate recovery; (2) protect existing 
populations and habitat, instituting habitat restoration where 
necessary; (3) augment depleted populations in a strategic manner; (4) 
monitor progress toward recovery; (5) conduct applied research and 
modeling in support of recovery efforts within a strategic framework; 
and (6) implement a formal adaptive management program through which 
information gained while implementing the above strategic elements is 
used to revise and improve the recovery plan and recommend management 
actions on a regular basis. The success of this revised recovery 
strategy will rely heavily upon the involvement of our partners and our 
commitment to implementing the strategic elements listed above, coupled 
with a functioning adaptive management program.
    We developed our recovery plan under the authority of section 4(f) 
of the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f). We publish this 
notice under section 4(f) Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended 
(16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

    Dated: August 22, 2011.
Ren Lohoefener,
Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2011-21879 Filed 8-25-11; 8:45 am]
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