[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 82 (Friday, April 27, 2012)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 25112-25116]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-10212]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

[FWS-R8-ES-2012-N073; FF0800000-FXES11130800000C4-123]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 5-Year Reviews of 
Species in California and Nevada

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of 5-year reviews.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are initiating 5-year 
reviews for 25 species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 
amended (Act). We conduct these reviews to ensure that our 
classification of species on the Lists of Endangered and Threatened 
Wildlife and Plants as threatened or endangered is accurate. A 5-year 
review assesses the best scientific and commercial data available at 
the time of the review. We are requesting any information that has 
become available since our last 5-year review of each of these species. 
Based on review results, we will determine whether we should change the 
listing status of any of these species. In this notice, we also 
announce 5-year reviews that were completed for 28 species in 
California and Nevada between March 17, 2011, and February 29, 2012.

DATES: To ensure consideration, please send your written information by 
June 26, 2012.

ADDRESSES: For how and where to send comments or information, see 
``VIII., Contacts.''

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For species-specific information, 
contact the appropriate person listed under ``VIII., Contacts.'' For 
contact information about completed 5-year reviews, see ``IX., 
Completed 5-Year Reviews.''

[[Page 25113]]

Individuals who are hearing-impaired or speech-impaired may call the 
Federal Relay Service at (800) 877-8337 for TTY assistance.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Why do we conduct 5-year reviews?

    Under the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), we maintain Lists of 
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants (which we collectively 
refer to as the List) in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 
CFR 17.11 (for animals) and 17.12 (for plants). Section 4(c)(2)(A) of 
the Act requires us to review each listed species' status at least once 
every 5 years. Then, under section 4(c)(2)(B), we determine whether to 
remove any species from the List (delist), to reclassify it from 
endangered to threatened, or to reclassify it from threatened to 
endangered. Any change in Federal classification requires a separate 
rulemaking process.
    In classifying, we use the following definitions, from 50 CFR 
424.02:
    (A) Species includes any species or subspecies of fish, wildlife, 
or plant, and any distinct population segment of any species of 
vertebrate, that interbreeds when mature;
    (B) Endangered species means any species that is in danger of 
extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range; and
    (C) Threatened species means any species that is likely to become 
an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a 
significant portion of its range.
    We must support delisting by the best scientific and commercial 
data available, and only consider delisting if data substantiate that 
the species is neither endangered nor threatened for one or more of the 
following reasons (50 CFR 424.11(d)):
    (A) The species is considered extinct;
    (B) The species is considered to be recovered; or
    (C) The original data available when the species was listed, or the 
interpretation of data, were in error.
    Our regulations at 50 CFR 424.21 require that we publish a notice 
in the Federal Register announcing the species we are reviewing.

II. What species are under review?

    This notice announces our active 5-year status reviews of the 
species in Table 1.

 Table 1--Current Listing Status of Species Under 5-Year Status Review, Including 5 Animal Species and 20 Plant
                                        Species in California and Nevada
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                                                                                                  Final listing
          Common name            Scientific name          Status              Where listed            rule
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     ANIMALS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Independence Valley speckled    Rhinichthys       Endangered...........  U.S.A. (NV)..........  October 10, 1989
 dace.                           osculus                                                         (54 FR 41448).
                                 lethoporus.
Paiute cutthroat trout........  Oncorhynchus      Threatened...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  July 16, 1975
                                 clarki                                                          (40 FR 29863).
                                 seleniris.
Riverside fairy shrimp........  Streptocephalus   Endangered...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  August 3, 1993
                                 woottoni.                                                       (58 FR 41384).
San Diego fairy shrimp........  Branchinecta      Endangered...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  February, 3 1997
                                 sandiegonensis.                                                 (62 FR 4925).
Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep...  Ovis canadensis   Threatened...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  January 3, 2000
                                 sierrae.                                                        (65 FR 20).
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                                                     PLANTS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ben Lomond wallflower.........  Erysimum          Endangered...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  February 4, 1994
                                 teretifolium.                                                   (59 FR 5499).
Burke's goldfields............  Lasthenia burkei  Endangered...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  December 2, 1991
                                                                                                 (56 FR 61173).
Butte County meadowfoam.......  Limnanthes        Endangered...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  June 8, 1992 (57
                                 floccosa subsp.                                                 FR 24192).
                                 californica.
Colusa grass..................  Neostapfia        Threatened...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  March 26, 1997
                                 colusana.                                                       (62 FR 14338).
Contra Costa goldfields.......  Lasthenia         Endangered...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  June 18, 1997
                                 conjugens.                                                      (62 FR 33029).
Few-flowered navarretia.......  Navarretia        Endangered...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  June 18, 1997
                                 leucocephala                                                    (62 FR 33029).
                                 subsp.
                                 pauciflora.
Greene's tuctoria.............  Tuctoria greenei  Endangered...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  March 26, 1997
                                                                                                 (62 FR 14338).
Island barberry...............  Berberis pinnata  Endangered...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  July 31, 1997
                                 subsp.                                                          (62 FR 40954).
                                 insularis.
Island phacelia...............  Phacelia          Endangered...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  July 31, 1997
                                 insulars var.                                                   (62 FR 40954).
                                 insularis.
Lyon's pentachaeta............  Pentachaeta       Endangered...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  January 29, 1997
                                 lyonii.                                                         (62 FR 4172).
Marsh sandwort................  Arenaria          Endangered...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  August 3, 1993
                                 paludicola.                                                     (58 FR 41378).
Menzies' wallflower...........  Erysimum          Endangered...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  June 22, 1992
                                 menziesii.                                                      (50 FR 27848).
Peirson's milk-vetch..........  Astragalus        Threatened...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  October 6, 1998
                                 magdalenae var.                                                 (63 FR 53596).
                                 peirsonii.
Purple amole..................  Chlorogalum       Threatened...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  March 20, 2000
                                 purpureum.                                                      (65 FR 14878).
Sacramento Orcutt grass.......  Orcuttia viscida  Endangered...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  March 28, 1997
                                                                                                 (62 FR 14338).
San Bernardino bluegrass......  Poa atropurpurea  Endangered...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  September 14,
                                                                                                 1998 (63 FR
                                                                                                 49006).
Sebastopol meadowfoam.........  Limnanthes        Endangered...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  December 2, 1991
                                 vinculans.                                                      (56 FR 61173).
Sonoma sunshine...............  Blennosperma      Endangered...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  December 2, 1991
                                 bakeri.                                                         (56 FR 61173).
Vail Lake ceanothus...........  Ceanothus         Threatened...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  October 13, 1998
                                 ophiochilus.                                                    (63 FR 54956).
Willowy monardella............  Monardella        Endangered...........  U.S.A. (CA)..........  October 13, 1998
                                 viminea.                                                        (63 FR 54938).
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III. What information do we consider in our review?

    We consider all new information available at the time we conduct a 
5-year status review. We consider the best scientific and commercial 
data that has become available since our current listing determination 
or most recent status review, such as:
    (A) Species biology, including but not limited to population 
trends, distribution, abundance, demographics, and genetics;

[[Page 25114]]

    (B) Habitat conditions, including but not limited to amount, 
distribution, and suitability;
    (C) Conservation measures that have been implemented that benefit 
the species;
    (D) Threat status and trends (see five factors under heading ``IV., 
How Do We Determine Whether a Species Is Endangered or Threatened?''); 
and
    (E) Other new information, data, or corrections, including but not 
limited to taxonomic or nomenclatural changes, identification of 
erroneous information contained in the List, and improved analytical 
methods.
    We specifically request information regarding data from any 
systematic surveys, as well as any studies or analysis of data that may 
show population size or trends; information pertaining to the biology 
or ecology of these species; information regarding the effects of 
current land management on population distribution and abundance; 
information on the current condition of habitat; and recent information 
regarding conservation measures that have been implemented to benefit 
the species. Additionally, we specifically request information 
regarding the current distribution of populations and evaluation of 
threats faced by the species in relation to the five listing factors 
(as defined below and in section 4(a)(1) of the Act) and the species' 
listed status as judged against the definition of threatened or 
endangered. Finally, we request recommendations pertaining to the 
development of, or potential updates to, recovery plans and additional 
actions or studies that would benefit these species in the future.

IV. How do we determine whether a species is endangered or threatened?

    Section 4(a)(1) of the Act requires that we determine whether a 
species is endangered or threatened based on one or more of the five 
following factors:
    (A) The present or threatened destruction, modification, or 
curtailment of its habitat or range;
    (B) Overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or 
educational purposes;
    (C) Disease or predation;
    (D) The inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; or
    (E) Other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued 
existence.
    Under section 4(b)(1) of the Act, we must base our assessment of 
these factors solely on the best scientific and commercial data 
available.

V. What could happen as a result of our review?

    For each species under review, if we find new information that 
indicates a change in classification may be warranted, we may propose a 
new rule that could do one of the following:
    (A) Reclassify the species from threatened to endangered (uplist);
    (B) Reclassify the species from endangered to threatened 
(downlist); or
    (C) Remove the species from the List (delist).

If we determine that a change in classification is not warranted, then 
the species remains on the List under its current status.

VI. Request for New Information

    To ensure that a 5-year review is complete and based on the best 
available scientific and commercial information, we request new 
information from all sources. See ``III., What Information Do We 
Consider in Our Review?'' for specific criteria. If you submit 
information, support it with documentation such as maps, bibliographic 
references, methods used to gather and analyze the data, and/or copies 
of any pertinent publications, reports, or letters by knowledgeable 
sources.
    Submit your comments and materials to the appropriate Fish and 
Wildlife Office listed under ``VIII., Contacts.''

VII. Public Availability of Comments

    Before including your address, phone number, email 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 you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so. Comments and materials received will be available for 
public inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the 
offices where the comments are submitted.

VIII. Contacts

    Send your comments and information on the following species, as 
well as requests for information, to the corresponding contacts/
addresses. You may view information we receive in response to this 
notice, as well as other documentation in our files, at the following 
locations by appointment, during normal business hours.
    For the Menzies' wallflower, send information to Field Supervisor, 
Attention: 5-Year Review, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Arcata Fish 
and Wildlife Office, 1655 Heindon Road, Arcata, CA 95521. Information 
may also be submitted electronically at [email protected]. To obtain 
further information, contact Kathleen Brubaker at (707) 822-7201.
    For the Peirson's milk-vetch, Riverside fairy shrimp, San 
Bernardino bluegrass, San Diego fairy shrimp, Vail Lake ceanothus, and 
Willowy monardella, send information to Field Supervisor, Attention: 5-
Year Review, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife 
Office, 6010 Hidden Valley Road, Suite 101, Carlsbad, CA 92011. 
Information may also be submitted electronically at 
[email protected]. To obtain further information, contact Bradd 
Baskerville-Bridges at the Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office at (760) 
431-9440.
    For the Independence Valley speckled dace and Paiute cutthroat 
trout, send information to State Supervisor, Attention: 5-Year Review, 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office, 1340 
Financial Blvd., Suite 234, Reno, Nevada 89502-7147. Information may 
also be submitted electronically at [email protected]. To obtain 
further information, contact Jill Ralston at the Nevada Fish and 
Wildlife Office at (775) 861-6300.
    For the Burke's goldfields, Butte County meadowfoam, Colusa grass, 
Contra Costa goldfields, few-flowered navarretia, Greene's tuctoria, 
Sacramento Orcutt grass, Sebastopol meadowfoam, and Sonoma sunshine, 
send information to Field Supervisor, Attention: 5-Year Review, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 2800 
Cottage Way, Room W-2605, Sacramento, CA 95825. Information may also be 
submitted electronically at [email protected]. To obtain further 
information, contact Josh Hull at the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife 
Office at (916) 414-6600.
    For the Ben Lomond wallflower, island barberry, island phacelia, 
Lyon's pentachaeta, marsh sandwort, purple amole, and Sierra Nevada 
bighorn sheep, send information to Field Supervisor, Attention: 5-Year 
Review, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ventura Fish and Wildlife 
Office, 2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura, CA 93003. Information may 
also be submitted electronically at [email protected]. To obtain 
further information on the animal species, contact Mike McCrary at the 
Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office at (805) 644-1766. To obtain further 
information on the plant species, contact Connie Rutherford at the 
Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office at (805) 644-1766.

[[Page 25115]]

    All electronic information must be submitted in Text format or Rich 
Text format. Include the following identifier in the subject line of 
the email: Information on 5-year review for [NAME OF SPECIES], and 
include your name and return address in the body of your message.

IX. Completed 5-Year Reviews

    We also take this opportunity to inform the public of 5-year 
reviews that we completed between March 17, 2011, and February 29, 
2012, for 28 species in California and Nevada (Table 2). Reviews for 
these 28 species can be found at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/index.html. Any recommended change in listing status resulting from 
these completed reviews will require a separate rulemaking process.

  Table 2--Summary of 28 Species in California and Nevada for Which 5-Year Reviews Were Completed Between March
                                         17, 2011 and February 29, 2012
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                                                                       Lead fish and wildlife
          Common name             Scientific name     Recommendation           office               Contact
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                                                     ANIMALS
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alameda whipsnake (=striped      Masticophis        No status change.  Sacramento............  Josh Hull, (916)
 racer).                          lateralis                                                     414-6600.
                                  euryxanthus.
Buena Vista Lake shrew.........  Sorex ornatus      No status change.  Sacramento............  Josh Hull, (916)
                                  relictus.                                                     414-6600.
California freshwater shrimp...  Syncaris pacifica  No status change.  Sacramento............  Josh Hull, (916)
                                                                                                414-6600.
Little Kern golden trout.......  Oncorhynchus       No status change.  Sacramento............  Josh Hull, (916)
                                  aguabonita                                                    414-6600.
                                  whitei.
Lotis blue butterfly...........  Lycaeides          No status change.  Arcata................  Kathleen
                                  argyrognomon                                                  Brubaker, (707)
                                  lotis.                                                        822-7201.
Morro Bay kangaroo rat.........  Dipodomys          No status change.  Ventura...............  Mike McCrary,
                                  heermanni                                                     (805) 644-1766.
                                  morroensis.
Peninsular bighorn sheep.......  Ovis Canadensis..  No status change.  Carlsbad..............  Bradd Baskerville-
                                                                                                Bridges, (760)
                                                                                                431-9440.
Stephens' kangaroo rat.........  Dipodomys          Downlist.........  Carlsbad..............  Bradd Baskerville-
                                  stephensi.                                                    Bridges, (760)
                                                                                                431-9440.
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                                                     PLANTS
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Ash Meadows sunray.............  Enceliopsis        No status change.  Nevada................  Jill Ralston,
                                  nudicaulis var.                                               (775) 861-6300.
                                  corrugata.
Bakersfield cactus.............  Opuntia treleasei  No status change.  Sacramento............  Josh Hull, (916)
                                                                                                414-6600.
Beach layia....................  Layia carnosa....  Downlist.........  Arcata................  Kathleen
                                                                                                Brubaker, (707)
                                                                                                822-7201.
Ben Lomond spineflower.........  Chorizanthe        No status change.  Ventura...............  Connie
                                  pungens var.                                                  Rutherford,
                                  hartwegiana.                                                  (805) 644-1766.
Coyote ceanothus...............  Ceanothus          No status change.  Sacramento............  Josh Hull, (916)
                                  ferrisae.                                                     414-6600.
Encinitas baccharis............  Baccharis          No status change.  Carlsbad..............  Bradd Baskerville-
                                  vanessae.                                                     Bridges, (760)
                                                                                                431-9440.
Fleshy owl's-clover............  Castilleja         No status change.  Sacramento............  Josh Hull, (916)
                                  campestris                                                    414-6600.
                                  subsp.
                                  succulenta.
Gambel's watercress............  Nasturtium         No status change.  Ventura...............  Connie
                                  gambelii.                                                     Rutherford,
                                                                                                (805) 644-1766.
Gaviota tarplant...............  Deinandra          No status change.  Ventura...............  Connie
                                  increscens                                                    Rutherford,
                                  subsp. villosa.                                               (805) 644-1766.
Hoffmann's rock-cress..........  Arabis hoffmannii  No status change.  Ventura...............  Connie
                                                                                                Rutherford,
                                                                                                (805) 644-1766.
Howell's spineflower...........  Chorizanthe        No status change.  Arcata................  Kathleen
                                  howellii.                                                     Brubaker, (707)
                                                                                                822-7201.
Kneeland prairie pennycress....  Thlaspi            No status change.  Arcata................  Kathleen
                                  californicum.                                                 Brubaker, (707)
                                                                                                822-7201.
Marin dwarf-flax...............  Hesperolinon       No status change.  Sacramento............  Josh Hull, (916)
                                  congestum.                                                    414-6600.
Pedate checkermallow...........  Sidalcea pedata..  No status change.  Carlsbad..............  Bradd Baskerville-
                                                                                                Bridges, (760)
                                                                                                431-9440.
Pennell's bird's-beak..........  Cordylanthus       No status change.  Sacramento............  Josh Hull, (916)
                                  tenuis subsp.                                                 414-6600.
                                  capillaris.
San Mateo woolly sunflower.....  Eriophyllum        No status change.  Sacramento............  Josh Hull, (916)
                                  latilobum.                                                    414-6600.
Sonoma alopecurus..............  Alopecurus         No status change.  Sacramento............  Josh Hull, (916)
                                  aequalis                                                      414-6600.
                                  var.sonomensis.
Tiburon mariposa lily..........  Calochortus        No status change.  Sacramento............  Josh Hull, (916)
                                  tiburonensis.                                                 414-6600.
Vine Hill clarkia..............  Clarkia imbricata  No status change.  Sacramento............  Josh Hull, (916)
                                                                                                414-6600.
Yellow larkspur................  Delphinium luteum  No status change.  Sacramento............  Josh Hull, (916)
                                                                                                414-6600.
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X. Authority

    We publish this notice under the authority of the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

    Dated: March 30, 2012.
Margaret T. Kolar,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-10212 Filed 4-26-12; 8:45 am]
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