[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 63 (Monday, April 2, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14023-14025]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-06614]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R2-ES-2018-N278; FXES11130200000C2-112-FF02ENNM00]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Recovery 
Plan for Four Invertebrate Species of the Pecos River Valley

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 
availability of our draft recovery plan for four invertebrate species--
Noel's Amphipod, Koster's springsnail, Roswell springsnail, and Pecos 
assiminea--all of which are listed as endangered under the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). These invertebrate species are 
currently found in southeastern New Mexico and southwest Texas. The 
draft recovery plan includes specific recovery objectives and criteria 
to be met in order to enable us to remove these species from the list 
of endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. We request review and 
comment on this plan from local, State, and Federal agencies; Tribes; 
and the public. We will also accept any new information on the status 
of these species throughout their range to assist in finalizing the 
recovery plan.

DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive written comments on or 
before June 1, 2018. However, we will accept information about any 
species at any time.

ADDRESSES: If you wish to review the draft recovery plan, you may 
obtain a copy by any one of the following methods:
     internet: www.fws.gov/southwest/es/;
     U.S. mail: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, NM Ecological 
Services Field Office, 2105 Osuna NE, Albuquerque, NM 87113; or
     Telephone: 505-346-2542.
    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: New Mexico Ecological Services Office, at 
the above address;
     Fax: 505-346-2542; or
     Email: [email protected].
    For additional information about submitting comments, see the 
``Request for Public Comments'' section below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Debra Hill, New Mexico Energy 
Streamlining Program Coordinator, at the above address and phone 
number, or by email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background

    Recovery of endangered or threatened animals and plants to the 
point where they are again secure, self-sustaining members of their 
ecosystems is a primary goal of our endangered species program and the 
Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Recovery means improvement of the status 
of listed species to the point at which listing is no longer 
appropriate under the criteria set out in section 4(a)(1) of the Act. 
The Act requires the development of recovery plans for listed species, 
unless such a plan would not promote the conservation of a particular 
species.

Species History

    Noel's amphipod (Gammarus desperatus), Koster's springsnail 
(Juturnia kosteri), Roswell springsnail (Pyrgulopsis roswellensis), and 
Pecos assiminea (Assiminea pecos) (four invertebrates) are associated 
with spring systems in desert-grasslands in southeastern New Mexico and 
southwestern Texas. In 2005, the four invertebrates were federally 
listed as endangered throughout their range, including the Roswell 
Basin aquifer system in southeastern New Mexico and the Toyah and 
Coyanosa Basins in southwest Texas. All four species are found on 
Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge in southern New Mexico. Pecos 
assiminea (Assiminea pecos) is also located at Diamond Y and East 
Sandia Spring in west Texas. Critical habitat was designated for the 
four species in 2011.
    Water quantity decreases and associated spring flow declines are 
the primary threats to the four invertebrate species. Groundwater 
pumping in the

[[Page 14024]]

Roswell Basin, New Mexico, and in Pecos and Reeves Counties, Texas, has 
led to the drying of several springs, many of which are known to have 
harbored one or more of the four invertebrate species. Droughts and 
climate change can also affect springs and groundwater recharge through 
decreased flow, and indirectly through increased groundwater pumping. 
Threats to water quality are considered to be less significant than 
threats to water quantity, yet still important due to the species' 
extremely limited range and specialized tolerances that could be 
impacted by spills of high magnitude (degree to which the threats are 
affecting or can affect the species) or scope (how much of the species' 
range the threats are affecting or can affect). Sources of water 
quality degradation include, but are not limited to (1) contamination 
of ground water, (2) limited oil and gas activities, (3) hazardous 
materials spills from train derailments or other causes, (4) golden 
algae blooms, and (5) urbanization and stormwater runoff, all of which 
are expected to increase in the future. All four invertebrate species 
have a localized range, limited mobility, and fragmented habitat, 
meaning that any perturbation, either natural or anthropogenic, could 
eliminate many or all of the existing populations. Having a high number 
of individuals at a site provides little protection against extinction 
should their habitat become dry or contaminated. Limited mobility 
restricts their dispersal abilities and the fragmented (unconnected) 
habitat restricts gene flow among populations. Additional threats 
include invasive species, inadequate existing regulatory mechanisms, 
and climate change.
    The overall strategy involves preserving, restoring, and managing 
their aquatic habitat, along with the water resources necessary to 
support resilient populations of these species and the ecosystems on 
which they depend. More specifically, the strategy is to: Ensure 
adequate water quantity; protect and improve water quality; protect and 
restore surface habitats; maintain and manage populations throughout 
each species' range, including conducting monitoring and research and 
establishing emergency programs necessary to maintain the species in 
captivity in case of catastrophic events; control invasive and 
predatory species; collaborate with partners to achieve conservation 
goals in balance with community water needs; and engage in community 
outreach to promote the importance of Bitter Lake National Wildlife 
Refuge and its diverse array of wildlife, including sensitive, rare 
aquatic invertebrates, worthy of preserving. Employment of this 
strategy will lead to preservation of the array of habitat types used 
by the invertebrates, and protection of genetic diversity 
(representation) of each of the four species.

Recovery Plan Goals

    The objective of an agency 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. 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. 
This draft recovery plan identifies the following objectives to achieve 
the goal of species' recovery:
    1. Securing the long-term survival of each species with the 
appropriate number, size, and distribution of populations;
    2. Preserving sites that contain the necessary elements for each 
species' persistence, such as adequate water quantity and quality;
    3. Reducing threats within management units so that the four 
invertebrate species' populations are capable of enduring stressors;
    4. Conducting monitoring and research to understand population 
patterns, maintain genetic diversity, and identify new sites for 
species' introductions or repatriation; and
    5. Working with others to develop long-term management plans and 
educational approaches that will protect the four invertebrates and 
inform the community about their habitat needs and ecological 
importance.
    The draft recovery plan contains recovery criteria based on 
maintaining and increasing population numbers and habitat quality and 
quantity and mitigating significant threats to the species. Recovery 
actions to attain the recovery criteria focus on protecting 
populations, managing threats, maintaining habitat, monitoring 
progress, and building partnerships to facilitate recovery. When the 
recovery of the four species approaches these criteria, we will review 
the species' status and consider downlisting, and, ultimately, removal 
from the list of federally threatened and endangered species.

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 implementation of the 
recommended recovery actions.
    Before we approve our final recovery plan, we will consider all 
comments we receive by the date specified in DATES, above. Methods of 
submitting comments are in the ADDRESSES section above.

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 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Branch of Recovery 
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section).

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.).


[[Page 14025]]


    Dated: _February 1, 2018.
Joy E. Nicholopoulos,
Acting Regional Director, Southwest Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2018-06614 Filed 3-30-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P