[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 98 (Wednesday, May 21, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29200-29201]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-11730]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R4-ES-2014-N05; FXES111300400000C2-145-FF04E00000]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of 
Availability of the Final Recovery Plan for Golden Sedge (Carex Lutea)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability 
of the final recovery plan for golden sedge (Carex lutea), a species 
endemic to the coastal plain in North Carolina. The final recovery plan 
includes specific recovery objectives and criteria to be met in order 
to downlist this species to threatened status or delist it under the 
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act).

ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of the recovery plan by contacting 
Dale Suiter at the Raleigh Field Office, by U.S. mail at U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, Raleigh Field Office, 551-F Pylon Drive, Raleigh, 
North Carolina 27606; or by telephone at (919) 856-4520, extension 18; 
or by visiting our recovery plan Web site at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/recovery-plans.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dale Suiter, at the above address or 
by telephone at (919) 856-4520, ext. 18.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Introduction

    We listed golden sedge as an endangered species under the Act (16 
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), on January 23, 2002 (67 FR 3120), and designated 
critical habitat for the species on March 1, 2011 (76 FR 11086). This 
species is a rare perennial member of the sedge family (Cyperaceae) 
endemic to the coastal plain of North Carolina. It is currently known 
from only 21 occurrences (specific locations or sites) located within a 
16 by 5 mile area in Pender and Onslow Counties. All eight populations 
of this plant occur in the Northeast Cape Fear River watershed in North 
Carolina.
    Factors contributing to its endangered status are an extremely 
limited range and loss of habitat. The primary threat is the loss or 
alteration of habitat, from fire suppression; residential, commercial, 
or industrial development; mining; livestock grazing; and woody or 
invasive species encroachment.

Background

    Restoring an endangered or threatened animal or plant to the point 
where it is again a secure, self-sustaining member of its ecosystem is 
a primary goal of the endangered species program. To help guide the 
recovery effort, we are preparing recovery plans for most listed 
species. Recovery plans describe actions considered necessary for 
conservation of the species, establish criteria for downlisting or 
delisting, and estimate time and cost for implementing recovery 
measures.
    The Act requires the development of recovery plans for listed 
species, unless such a plan would not promote the conservation of a 
particular species. Section 4(f) of the Act requires us to provide a 
public notice and an opportunity for public review and comment during 
recovery plan development.

Recovery Plan Specifics

    The objective of this plan is to provide a framework for the 
recovery of golden sedge so that protection under the Act is no longer 
necessary. The draft of this recovery plan was available for public 
comment from June 18, 2013, through August 19, 2013 (78 FR 36566). We 
considered the information received via public comments as well as from 
peer reviewers in our preparation and approval of this final recovery 
plan. We also edited some sections of the draft recovery plan to 
reflect these comments; however, no substantial changes were made to 
the draft recovery plan.

Criteria for Reclassification From Endangered to Threatened

    Golden sedge will be considered for reclassification from 
endangered to threatened status when all of the following criteria are 
met:
    1. There are 10 protected Carex lutea sites in the wild that are 
distributed across the range of the species. [Note: Recovery sites will 
be considered permanently protected when they are placed under a 
conservation easement or other binding land agreement and a management 
agreement, and are ranked as an A or B population by the North Carolina 
Natural Heritage Program (NCNHP).]
    2. On each of the 10 Carex lutea sites, for at least 5 years, any 
non-native plant species that have the potential to displace Carex 
lutea are maintained at or below 10 percent of total number of species 
and at or below 10 percent cover (volume).
    3. All 10 Carex lutea sites demonstrate stable or increasing 
population trends for 5 consecutive years.
    4. Habitat management plans are actively being implemented for at 
least seven of the protected sites.
    5. A prescribed fire regime has been developed and is being 
conducted at all sites to mimic historical frequency and timing (the 
frequency will be determined through recovery actions in this plan).
    We define ``protected'' to mean the site has been fee-simple 
acquired and put into long-term conservation by a local or State 
agency, or that a conservation easement or other binding land agreement 
has been placed on the site by a landowner that shows a commitment to 
its conservation in perpetuity and Carex lutea from the site is 
represented in a Center for Plant Conservation (CPC)-approved seed 
bank. In addition, each site should have a management agreement/plan 
developed. Prescribed fire should be

[[Page 29201]]

part of the agreement/plan and implemented regularly. These plans 
should include monitoring, according to protocols developed 
collaboratively by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), North 
Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDACS), 
North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation (NCDPR), and The Nature 
Conservancy (TNC) and other interested parties; the monitoring should 
occur annually at each protected site. Each site should contain an A or 
B ranked occurrence. For downlisting to be considered, we would like to 
have at least 7 of the 10 protected sites to be A-ranked occurrences. 
The remaining three sites can be either A or B ranked occurrences.

Criteria for Delisting

    Carex lutea will be considered for removal from the List of 
Endangered and Threatened Species (delisting) when all of the following 
criteria are met:
    1. There are 15 protected sites in the wild that are distributed 
across the range of the species. [Note: Recovery sites will be 
considered permanently protected when they are placed under a 
conservation easement or other binding land agreement and a management 
agreement, and are ranked as an A or B population by the NCNHP.]
    2. On each of the 15 Carex lutea sites, for at least 5 years, any 
non-native plant species that have the potential to displace Carex 
lutea are maintained at or below 10 percent of total number of species 
and at or below 10 percent cover (volume).
    3. All 15 Carex lutea sites demonstrate stable or increasing 
population trends for 10 consecutive years.
    4. Habitat management plans are actively being implemented for all 
protected sites and are showing evidence that actions are proving 
effective for this plant.
    5. A prescribed fire regime is being conducted at all sites to 
mimic historical frequency and timing (which will be determined through 
recovery actions in this plan). The definition of ``protected'' is the 
same as in the criteria for downlisting. For delisting to be 
considered, at least 10 of the 15 protected sites should be A ranked 
occurrences. The remaining five sites can be either A or B ranked 
occurrences.

Next Steps

    As reclassification and recovery criteria are met, the status of 
the species will be reviewed, and it will be considered for 
reclassification or removal from the Federal List of Endangered and 
Threatened Plants.

Authority

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

    Dated: April 23, 2014.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
 Regional Director, Southeast Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-11730 Filed 5-20-14; 8:45 am]
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