[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 151 (Tuesday, August 6, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38288-38291]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-16748]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-HQ-ES-2019-N047; FXES11130100000C4-190-FF02ENEH00]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 21 Draft Recovery 
Plan Revisions for 25 Species in 15 States Across the United States

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; opening of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 
availability for public review and comment of 21 draft recovery plan 
revisions, which update recovery criteria for 25 endangered or 
threatened species located in 15 States (Arizona, California, Colorado, 
Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, 
Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia). We are 
updating recovery criteria to better assist in determining when an 
endangered species has recovered to the point that it may be 
reclassified as threatened, or that the protections afforded by the 
Endangered Species Act (ESA) are no longer necessary and the species 
may be removed from the ESA's protections. We request review of these 
draft recovery plan revisions and invite comments from local, State, 
Tribal, and Federal agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and the 
public.

DATES: We must receive comments on the draft recovery plan revisions on 
or before September 5, 2019.

ADDRESSES:
    Reviewing documents: If you wish to review the draft recovery plan 
revisions, you may obtain copies from the website addresses in the 
table in SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. You may also request copies of the 
draft recovery plan revisions by contacting the individuals listed in 
the table.
    Submitting comments: If you wish to comment, see the table in 
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION and submit your comments by one of the 
following methods:
    1. U.S. Mail or hand-delivery: You may submit written comments and 
materials to the appropriate field office

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mailing address for the species in which you are interested;
    2. Email: You may send comments by email to the identified contact 
person's email address in the table, for each species. Please include 
``Draft Recovery Plan Revision Comments'' in the subject line.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For information on a particular 
species, contact the appropriate person listed in the table for that 
species in SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. Individuals who are hearing 
impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339 for TTY 
assistance.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    In this notice, we announce for public review and comment the 
availability of 21 draft recovery plan revisions, which update recovery 
criteria for 25 endangered or threatened species located in 15 States 
(Arizona, California, Colorado, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New 
Mexico, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, 
Virginia, and West Virginia). This group of 21 draft recovery plan 
revisions is part of a larger effort underway to revise up to 182 
recovery plans covering up to 305 species in order to achieve the 
following Department of the Interior Agency Priority Performance Goal 
outlined in the Department's Strategic Plan for Fiscal Years 2018-2022: 
``By September 30, 2019, 100 percent of all Fish and Wildlife Service 
recovery plans will have quantitative criteria for what constitutes a 
recovered species.''
    The purpose of a recovery plan is to provide a feasible and 
effective roadmap for a species' recovery, with the goal of improving 
its status and managing its threats to the point at which protections 
under the Endangered Species Act (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) are no 
longer needed. Recovery plans must be designed so that all stakeholders 
and the public understand the rationale behind the recovery program, 
whether they were involved in writing the plan or not, and recognize 
their role in its implementation. We are requesting submission of any 
information that enhances the necessary understanding of the (1) 
species' biology and threats and (2) recovery needs and related 
implementation issues or concerns, to ensure that we have assembled, 
considered, and incorporated the best available scientific and 
commercial information into the draft recovery plan revisions for these 
25 species.
    Recovery plans provide important guidance to the Service, States, 
other partners, and the general public on methods of minimizing threats 
to listed species and objectives against which to measure the progress 
towards recovery; they are guidance and not regulatory documents. A 
recovery plan identifies, organizes, and prioritizes recovery actions 
and is an important guide that ensures sound scientific decision-making 
throughout the recovery process, which can take decades. Keeping 
recovery plans current ensures that threatened species and endangered 
species benefit through timely partner-coordinated implementation, 
based on the best available information.
    A review of a recovery plan and its implementation may show that 
the plan is out of date or its usefulness is limited and that the plan 
warrants modification. The need for, and extent of, recovery plan 
modifications will vary considerably among recovery plans, depending on 
the scope and complexity of the initial plan, the structure of the 
document, and the involvement of stakeholders. Recovery plan 
modifications can range from relatively minor updates to a substantial 
rewrite that revises the existing plan in part (i.e., an amendment to 
one of the sections that modifies the existing plan), or in full (i.e., 
a full revision that completely replaces the existing plan). The need 
for a recovery plan revision may be triggered when, among other 
possibilities, (1) new information has been identified, such as 
population-level threats to the species or previously unknown life-
history traits, which necessitates new or revised recovery strategy, 
actions, or criteria, or revision of all three in order to maintain the 
adequacy of the plan; and (2) the current plan is not achieving its 
objectives. Revisions benefit endangered and threatened species, our 
partners, and the public by incorporating the best available 
information on what is needed for species' recovery.
    Revision of recovery plans requires public notice and comment under 
section 4(f)(4) of the ESA, including (1) a Federal Register notice of 
availability to give opportunity for public review and comment, (2) 
consideration of all information presented during the public comment 
period, and (3) approval by the Regional Director. When finalized, 
these recovery plan revisions will be made publicly available on the 
internet through our Environmental Conservation Online System (ECOS, 
https://ecos.fws.gov).

What plans are being made available for public review and comment?

    This notice announces our draft recovery plan revisions for the 
species listed in the table below.

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                                                                                                       Internet
                                                    Listing                       Recovery plan    availability  of    Contact person,  Contact person's
         Common  Name           Scientific  name  status \1\   Current  range         name         proposed recovery    phone, email        U.S. mail
                                                                                                     plan revision                           address
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                                               Southwest Region (Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas)
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Sonoran tiger salamander................................................................................................................................
Navajo sedge............................................................................................................................................
Nichol's Turk's head cactus.............................................................................................................................
Little Colorado spinedace...............................................................................................................................
Spikedace...............................................................................................................................................

[[Page 38290]]

 
Loach minnow............................................................................................................................................
Masked bobwhite.........................................................................................................................................
Texas poppy-mallow......................................................................................................................................
Fountain darter.........................................................................................................................................
Texas blind salamander..................................................................................................................................
Texas wild-rice.........................................................................................................................................
Black lace cactus.......................................................................................................................................
Walker's manioc.........................................................................................................................................
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  Northeast Region (Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania,
                                                   Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia)
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Jesup's milk-vetch......................................................................................................................................
Virginia big-eared bat..................................................................................................................................
Furbish lousewort.......................................................................................................................................
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                        Mountain-Prairie Region (Colorado, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, Wyoming)
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Pawnee montane skipper..................................................................................................................................
Dudley Bluffs bladderpod................................................................................................................................
Dudley Bluffs twinpod...................................................................................................................................
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                                   Pacific Southwest Region (California, Nevada, and the Klamath Basin area of Oregon)
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Applegate's milk-vetch..................................................................................................................................
El Segundo blue butterfly...............................................................................................................................
Quino checkerspot butterfly.............................................................................................................................
Palos Verdes blue butterfly.............................................................................................................................

[[Page 38291]]

 
San Clemente loggerhead shrike..........................................................................................................................
San Clemente Island woodland-star.......................................................................................................................
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\1\ E = endangered; T = threatened.
\2\ Denotes a partial revision (i.e., amendment) to the recovery plan.
\3\ Denotes a full revision of the recovery plan.

How do I ask questions or provide information?

    For any species listed above, please submit your questions, 
comments, and materials to the appropriate contact in the table above. 
Individuals who are hearing impaired or speech impaired may call the 
Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339 for TTY assistance.

Request for Public Comments

    We request written comments on the draft recovery plan 
modifications. We will consider all comments we receive by the date 
specified in DATES prior to final approval of the plans.

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.

Authority

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

    Dated: July 25, 2019.
Margaret E. Everson,
Principal Deputy Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Exercising 
the Authority of the Director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-16748 Filed 8-5-19; 8:45 am]
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