[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 43 (Friday, March 4, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Page 11518]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-04793]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

RIN 0648-XE479


Endangered Species Act; Public Meeting

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

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: We, NMFS, announce a public meeting of a review of our 
recovery program under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended 
(ESA). The purpose of the review is to ensure that recovery program 
priorities and implementation are aligned with resources and mission 
mandates; enhance and align strategic management of NMFS regulatory 
programs; and provide transparency in the operation of NMFS recovery 
program.

DATES: The meeting will be held Tuesday April 19, 2016, through 
Thursday April 21, 2016, at 9 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the NOAA Science Center, 1301 
East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910; phone: 301-713-1010.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Therese Conant, NMFS Office of 
Protected Resources, 301-427-8456.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the ESA, section 4(f) requires the 
Secretary to develop and implement recovery plans for the conservation 
and survival of endangered and threatened species. Those recovery plans 
must include objective, measurable criteria which, when met, would lead 
to a determination that the species be removed from the list, site-
specific management actions necessary to achieve the plan's goal for 
the conservation of the species, and estimates of the time and costs to 
carry out the measures identified in the plan.
    We currently have final recovery plans for 47 species and draft 
recovery plans for five species. Recovery plans are not started or are 
under development for 39 species. The objective of the recovery program 
review is to determine if the current recovery planning process results 
in recovery plans that are effective roadmaps for recovering the 
species as evidenced by whether the plans are being implemented by NMFS 
and stakeholders, resulting in progress towards meeting the recovery 
criteria so that the species may be delisted. This review will 
evaluate, within the context of current budget constraints, the 
efficacy of the recovery planning process, including the quality of the 
recovery plans, the implementation of recovery actions, and the 
monitoring of recovery progress. This review will provide 
recommendations to improve recovery plans and the recovery planning and 
implementation process to increase the likelihood of recovering 
species.
    The meeting is open to the public all day, and the public will have 
an opportunity to provide verbal or written comments in one-hour 
sessions each day. Exact times for the public comment sessions are not 
known, but will be scheduled after 2 p.m. each day.

Special Accommodations

    This public meeting is physically accessible to people with 
disabilities. Requests for sign language interpretation or other 
accommodations should be directed to Therese Conant (see ADDRESSES) as 
soon as possible, but no later than 7 business days prior to the 
meeting date.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.

    Dated: February 29, 2016.
Angela Somma,
Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected Resources, 
National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-04793 Filed 3-3-16; 8:45 am]
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