[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 121 (Monday, June 26, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28875-28877]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-13309]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R2-ES-2016-N203; FXES11130200000-167-FF02ENEH00]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Pima Pineapple 
Cactus (Coryphantha scheeri var. robustispina) Draft Recovery Plan

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce that of 
our Pima pineapple cactus (Coryphantha scheeri var. robustispina) draft 
recovery plan is available. The cactus is listed as endangered under 
the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). This plant 
species is currently found in southern Arizona and in northern Sonora, 
Mexico. The draft recovery plan includes specific recovery objectives 
and criteria to be met in order to enable us to remove this species 
from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife

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and plants. We request that local, State, and Federal agencies; Tribes; 
and the public review and comment. We will also accept any new species 
status information throughout its range to assist with recovery plan 
finalization.

DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive written comments on or 
before August 25, 2017. However, we will accept information about any 
species at any time.

ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: If you wish to review the draft 
recovery plan, you may obtain a copy by any one of the following 
methods:
    Internet: Download the file at www.fws.gov/southwest/es/Documents/R2ES/CoryphanthaScheeriRobustispina_DraftRecoveryPlan_Final_February2015.pdf;

    U.S. mail: Request a copy by writing to the Arizona Ecological 
Services Field Office, Fish and Wildlife Service, 9828 N 31st Ave. #C3, 
Phoenix, AZ 85051-2517; or
    Telephone: Request a copy by calling (602) 242-0210.
    Submitting Comments: If you wish to comment on the draft recovery 
plan, you may submit your comments in writing by any one of the 
following methods:
    U.S. mail: Field Supervisor, at the above address;
    Hand-delivery: Arizona Ecological Services Field Office, at the 
above address;
    Fax: (602) 242-2513; or
    Email: [email protected].
    For additional information about submitting comments, see Request 
for Public Comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Spangle, Field Supervisor, 
Arizona Ecological Services Field Office, at the above address and 
phone number, or by email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    A primary goal of our endangered species program and the Act (16 
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) is endangered or threatened animals and plants 
recovery to the point that they are again secure, self-sustaining 
ecosystem members. Recovery means improving the listed species' status 
to the point that listing is no longer appropriate under the Act's 
section 4(a)(1) criteria. The Act requires recovery plans for listed 
species, unless such a plan would not promote conserving a particular 
species.

Species History

    Coryphantha scheeri var. robustispina (Pima pineapple cactus) is 
found in lower Sonoran desert-scrubland, desert-grassland, or the 
ecotone between desert-scrubland and desert-grassland in southeastern 
Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico. It was federally listed as 
endangered on September 23, 1993; critical habitat was not designated. 
The taxon has been found historically in Pima and Santa Cruz Counties, 
Arizona, and northern Sonora, Mexico, where it occupies a small area 
proximal to the U.S. border. Coryphantha scheeri var. robustispina is 
not listed under Mexican protected species regulations by the 
Secretar[iacute]a de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales. The recovery 
priority number for Coryphantha scheeri var. robustispina is 3C, 
meaning that the listed entity is a subspecies, the level of threat is 
high, the potential for recovery is high, and there is a conflict with 
some form of economic activity (urbanization). The first 5-year status 
review for Coryphantha scheeri var. robustispina was signed on February 
8, 2007. Based on the static or declining status of the species across 
its range and continued threats, it was recommended in the 5-year 
review that the taxon remain listed as endangered.
    Coryphantha scheeri var. robustispina is a small, hemispheric-to-
cylindrical stem succulent perennial of the Cactaceae (cactus family). 
Its stems reach 5 to 46 centimeters (cm) (1.9 to 18.1 inches (in)) in 
height and 5 to 21 cm (1.9 to 8.3 in) in diameter, are comprised 
primarily of tough, fleshy pulp, and are protected by a leathery outer 
skin. Stems may be singular or form clumps. The surface of the stems 
are covered in 2 to 3 cm (0.8 to 1.2 in) long rounded projections 
called tubercles, each of which is grooved along the upper surface and 
contains one to several extra floral nectaries (places that secrete 
nectar to attract pollinators) along each groove. The flowers of C. 
scheeri var. robustispina average 6.5 cm (2.6 in) long with pale yellow 
tepals (petals and sepals) that are variously tinged with red pigments. 
Flowers generally open early to mid-July following summer rains.
    Coryphantha scheeri var. robustispina occurs within two subbasins 
of the Santa Cruz Watershed: Brawley Wash and the Upper Santa Cruz. 
These subbasins face largely differing threats and stressors and are 
managed in differing ways. The major threats within Brawley Wash, which 
is managed primarily for livestock grazing, include the spread of 
invasive, non-native grasses and the resultant altered fire regimes and 
increased competition. A major threat within Upper Santa Cruz, which 
includes Tucson, Nogales, and the urban areas between, is urbanization. 
Throughout the entire range, C. scheeri var. robustispina is stressed 
by drought and climate change impacts, as well as predation by mammals 
and insects.
    Plants are found on lands owned or managed by the Federal 
government (approximately 12 percent), State government (approximately 
46 percent), Tribal government (approximately 2 percent), and private 
entities (approximately 40 percent). Coryphantha scheeri var. 
robustispina is typically found widely spaced in the landscape. A total 
of 6,712 individuals have been documented in our files from surveys of 
43,072 hectares (106,433 acres) of suitable habitat. Similarly, as of 
the summer of 2015, the Arizona Natural Heritage Program database of 
locations for this taxon consisted of 7,558 records, of which 1,837 
were known to no longer exist, primarily due to development and not 
natural causes.
    The principal C. scheeri var. robustispina recovery strategy is to 
preserve and restore quality habitat to protect individuals and their 
seedbanks within two recovery units representing the range of the 
taxon. Providing conservation and restoration of the taxon and its 
habitat will allow a stable, self-sustaining population to persist with 
some level of connectivity and opportunities for expansion and 
dispersal.

Recovery Plan Goals

    The objective of a recovery plan is to provide a framework for the 
recovery of a species so that protection under the Act is no longer 
necessary. A recovery plan includes scientific information about the 
species and provides criteria and actions necessary for us to be able 
to reclassify the species to threatened status or remove it from the 
List of Endangered and Threatened Plants (List) at 50 CFR 17.12(h). 
Recovery plans help guide our recovery efforts by describing actions we 
consider necessary for the species' conservation, and by estimating 
time and costs for implementing needed recovery measures. To achieve 
its goals, this draft recovery plan identifies the following 
objectives:
    1. Threat-based objective: Reduce or mitigate habitat loss and 
degradation, non-native species spread and the resultant altered fire 
regimes and increased competition, and other stressors, to enhance the 
continued survival of C. scheeri var. robustispina and its pollinators.
    2. Habitat-based objective: Conserve, restore, and properly manage 
the quantity and quality of habitat needed

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for the continued survival of C. scheeri var. robustispina and its 
pollinators.
    3. Population-based objective: Conserve, protect, and restore 
existing and newly discovered C. scheeri var. robustispina individuals 
and their associated seedbanks needed for the continued survival of the 
taxon. The population must be self-sustaining, of sufficient number to 
endure climatic variation, stochastic events, and catastrophic losses, 
and must represent the full range of the species' geographic and 
genetic variability.
    The draft recovery plan focuses on conserving and enhancing habitat 
quality, protecting the population, managing threats, monitoring 
progress, and building partnerships to facilitate recovery. When the 
recovery of C. scheeri var. robustispina approaches these criteria, we 
will review the species' status and consider downlisting, and, 
ultimately, removal from the List.

Request for Public Comments

    Section 4(f) of the Act requires us to provide public notice and an 
opportunity for public review and comment during recovery plan 
development. It is also our policy to request peer review of recovery 
plans (July 1, 1994; 59 FR 34270). In an appendix to the approved 
recovery plan, we will summarize and respond to the issues raised by 
the public and peer reviewers. Substantive comments may or may not 
result in changes to the recovery plan; comments regarding recovery 
plan implementation will be forwarded as appropriate to Federal or 
other entities so that they can be taken into account during the course 
of implementing recovery actions. Responses to individual commenters 
will not be provided, but we will provide a summary of how we addressed 
substantive comments in an appendix to the approved recovery plan.
    We invite written comments on the draft recovery plan. In 
particular, we are interested in additional information regarding the 
current threats to the species and the costs associated with 
implementing the recommended recovery actions.
    Before we approve our final recovery plan, we will consider all 
comments we receive by the date specified in DATES. Methods of 
submitting comments are in ADDRESSES.

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 we receive will be available, by 
appointment, for public inspection during normal business hours at our 
office (see ADDRESSES).

References Cited

    A complete list of all references cited herein is available upon 
request from the Arizona Ecological Services Office (see FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT).

Authority

    We developed our draft recovery plan under the authority of section 
4(f) of the 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: December 15, 2016.
Benjamin N. Tuggle,
Regional Director, Southwest Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

    Editorial Note: The Office of the Federal Register received this 
document on June 21, 2017.

[FR Doc. 2017-13309 Filed 6-23-17; 8:45 am]
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