[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 115 (Thursday, June 17, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32274-32276]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-12763]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R8-ES-2019-N100; FXES11130000-190-FF08E00000]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Recovery 
Plan for Nipomo Mesa lupine (Lupinus nipomensis)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the 
availability of the Draft Recovery Plan for Nipomo Mesa lupine (Lupinus 
nipomensis) for public review and comment. The draft recovery plan 
includes objective, measurable criteria, and site-specific management 
actions as may be necessary to ameliorate threats such that the species 
can be removed from the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened 
Plants.

DATES: We must receive any comments on the draft recovery plan on or 
before July 19, 2021.

ADDRESSES: 
    Document availability: You may obtain a copy of the recovery plan 
from our website at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/recovery-plans.html. Alternatively, you may contact the Ventura Fish and 
Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2493 Portola Road, 
Suite B, Ventura, California 93003 (telephone 805-644-1766).
    Comment submission: 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; or
     Email: [email protected]. For additional 
information about submitting comments, see the Request for Public 
Comments section below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephen P. Henry, Field Supervisor, at 
the above street address or telephone number (see ADDRESSES).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 32275]]

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 
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (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 necessary under the criteria 
specified 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.
    Pursuant to section 4(f) of the Act, a recovery plan must, to the 
maximum extent practicable, include (1) a description of site-specific 
management actions as may be necessary to achieve the plan's goals for 
the conservation and survival of the species; (2) objective, measurable 
criteria which, when met, would support a determination under section 
4(a)(1) that the species should be removed from the List of Endangered 
and Threatened Species; and (3) estimates of the time and costs 
required to carry out those measures needed to achieve the plan's goal 
and to achieve intermediate steps toward that goal.
    The Service has revised its approach to recovery planning; the 
revised process is called Recovery Planning and Implementation (RPI). 
The RPI process is intended to reduce the time needed to develop and 
implement recovery plans, increase recovery plan relevancy over a 
longer timeframe, and add flexibility to recovery plans so they can be 
adjusted to new information or circumstances. Under RPI, a recovery 
plan will include statutorily required elements (objective, measurable 
criteria; site-specific management actions; and estimates of time and 
costs), along with a concise introduction and our strategy for how we 
plan to achieve species recovery. The RPI recovery plan is supported by 
a separate Species Status Assessment, or in cases such as this one, a 
species biological report that provides the background information and 
threat assessment, which are key to recovery plan development. The 
essential component to flexible implementation under RPI is producing a 
separate working document called the Recovery Implementation Strategy 
(implementation strategy). The implementation strategy steps down from 
the more general description of actions described in the recovery plan 
to detail the specific, near-term activities needed to implement the 
recovery plan. The implementation strategy will be adaptable by being 
able to incorporate new information without having to concurrently 
revise the recovery plan, unless changes to statutory elements are 
required.
    The Service listed Nipomo Mesa lupine (Nipomo lupine, Lupinus 
nipomensis) as endangered in 2000 (65 FR 14888). Nipomo lupine is a 
small, annual species in the Fabaceae (legume; pea and bean) family. 
Germination of Nipomo lupine seed is stimulated by the first adequate 
rainfall event in the autumn or winter and occurs in patches of bare 
soil. The flowers are bilaterally symmetric and composed of five 
purplish to pink petals. The species is likely capable of both selfing 
and outcrossing, although a specific pollinator has yet to be 
identified. Most plants typically start to form fruits (like a 
conventional pea pod) between the months of April and June and do not 
stop fruiting until the plants die. Nipomo lupine likely has a 
persistent seed bank because it has a hard, orthodox seed.
    Nipomo lupine is restricted to stabilized coastal dune scrub 
habitat that is associated with the Nipomo Mesa in southwestern San 
Luis Obispo County, California. Its current geographic range is 
restricted to an area that is approximately 5.2 square kilometers (two 
square miles). The species is known from a single population that is 
currently recognized as three separate occurrences. Two of the three 
occurrences are currently extant, the smaller of which was re-
established through experimental outplanting efforts. The third 
occurrence has been extirpated.
    The primary threats to Nipomo lupine include displacement and 
habitat loss from invasive species (especially perennial veldt grass) 
and development activities (Factor A), seed predation (Factor C), 
stochastic loss and extinction (Factor E), and climate change (Factor 
E). All of these threats are compounded by the species biology 
including: Likely low genetic diversity (due to its apparent lack of an 
insect pollinator, selfing reproductive strategy, small population 
size, and small geographic extent), annual life cycle, dependence on 
adequate and seasonally-timed rainfall events to cue germination, and 
limited distribution of suitable habitat.

Recovery Strategy

    The purpose 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 that enable us to gauge whether 
downlisting or delisting the species is warranted. Furthermore, 
recovery plans help guide our recovery efforts by describing actions we 
consider necessary for each species' conservation and by estimating 
time and costs for implementing needed recovery measures.
    The goal of this draft recovery plan is to control or ameliorate 
impacts from current threats to Nipomo lupine such that the taxon no 
longer requires protections afforded by the Act and, therefore, 
warrants delisting. Continued coordination and outreach with our 
partners is needed to ensure long-term protections are afforded to 
Nipomo lupine and its habitat. The site-specific management actions 
identified in the draft recovery plan are as follows:
    (1) Protect all currently unprotected habitat where the species 
occurs.
    (2) Conduct outplanting activities at suitable sites to establish 
new occurrences throughout the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes region.
    (3) Manage habitat that supports the species to reduce or eliminate 
threats.
    (4) Collect seed and deposit accessions into the permanent 
conservation seedbank.
    (5) Conduct annual census monitoring and experimental research 
projects.
    (6) Determine those factors necessary for seed survival, optimal 
germination, and effective seedling establishment.
    (7) Conduct genetics and demographic research.
    (8) Develop opportunities for education and outreach.

Request for Public Comments

    We request written comments on the draft recovery plan described in 
this notice. All comments received by the date specified in DATES will 
be considered in development of a final recovery plan for Nipomo 
lupine. You may submit written comments and information by mail, email, 
or in person to the Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office at the above 
address (see 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.

Authority

    We developed this recovery plan and publish this notice under the 
authority

[[Page 32276]]

of section 4(f) of the Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).

Paul Souza,
Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 2021-12763 Filed 6-16-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P