[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 127 (Wednesday, July 7, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35824-35825]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-14304]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R4-ES-2021-N022; FXES11130400000C2-201-FF04E00000]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Recovery 
Plan for Agave eggersiana

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability and request for public comment.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the 
availability of the draft recovery plan for the Agave eggersiana, a 
plant listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. We request 
review and comment on this draft recovery plan from local, State, and 
Federal agencies; nongovernmental organizations; and the public.

DATES: We must receive comments by September 7, 2021.

ADDRESSES:
    Obtaining documents: You may obtain a copy of the plan by 
contacting Maritza Vargas, by mail at U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 
Caribbean Ecological Services Field Office, P.O. Box 491, 
Boquer[oacute]n, PR 00622; by telephone at 787-851-7297; by the Federal 
Relay Service (TTY) at 1-800-877-8339. Alternatively, you may obtain a 
copy at http://www.fws.gov/southeast/caribbean.
    Submitting comments: If you wish to comment, you may submit your 
comments by mail to the Caribbean Ecological Services Field Office, at 
the above address, or you may email comments to [email protected]. 
Please include ``Agave eggersiana Draft Recovery Plan Comments'' in the 
email subject line.
    For additional information about submitting comments, see Public 
Comments below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Maritza Vargas at 787-851-7297.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(Service), announce the availability for public review and comment of 
the draft recovery plan for Agave eggersiana, a plant listed as 
endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
seq.). The draft recovery plan includes specific recovery objectives 
and criteria we have identified to better assist us in determining when 
the species has recovered to the point that it may be reclassified as 
threatened, or that the protections of the ESA are no longer necessary. 
We request review and comment on this draft recovery plan from local, 
State, and Federal agencies; nongovernmental organizations; and the 
public.

Background

    Agave eggersiana (no common name) is a flowering plant of the 
Agavaceae family (century plant family). The species is restricted to 
six natural populations, and seven additional populations established 
in different areas known to be part of its historical range. These 
populations occur in small, disjunct areas on the northern and southern 
coasts of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Agave eggersiana 
commonly occurs on coastal cliffs with rocky formations covered with 
sparse vegetation and dry coastal scrubland vegetation communities that 
occur within the subtropical dry forest life zone.
    The ESA states that a species may be listed as endangered or 
threatened based on one or more of the five factors outlined in section 
4(a)(1) of the ESA. The greatest threats to Agave eggersiana are loss 
or degradation of habitat in unstable coastal cliffs (Listing Factor A) 
and competition with non-native vegetation for light and space via 
succession (Listing Factor E). The species' severely restricted range 
and small population increase the likelihood of stochastic events 
causing extirpation of stands or populations. As a result of these 
threats, Agave eggersiana was listed as endangered under the ESA on 
September 9, 2014 (79 FR 53303). Approximately 20.5 hectares (ha) (50.6 
acres (ac)), distributed among 6 units on the northern and southern 
coasts of St. Croix, were designated as critical habitat on September 
9, 2014 (79 FR 53315).

Recovery Plan

    Section 4(f)(1) of the ESA requires the development of recovery 
plans for listed species, unless such a plan would not promote the 
conservation of a particular species. The purpose of a recovery plan is 
to provide an effective and feasible roadmap for a species' recovery, 
with the goal of improving its status and managing its threats to the 
point where the protections of the ESA are no longer needed. The ESA 
requires that, to the maximum extent practicable, recovery plans 
incorporate the following:
    1. Objective, measurable criteria which, when met, would result in 
a determination that the species is no longer threatened or endangered;

[[Page 35825]]

    2. Site-specific management actions necessary to achieve the plan's 
goal for conservation and survival of the species; and
    3. Estimates of the time required and costs to implement recovery 
plans.
    Recovery plans provide important guidance to the Service, States, 
other partners, and the general public on methods for minimizing 
threats to listed species, as well as objectives against which to 
measure the progress towards recovery. 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.
    Section 4(f)(4) of the ESA requires us to provide public notice and 
an opportunity for public review and comment during recovery plan 
development. We will consider all information presented during a public 
comment period prior to approval of each new or revised recovery plan. 
We and other Federal agencies will take these comments into account in 
the course of implementing approved recovery plans.
    The draft recovery plan describes actions necessary for the 
recovery of Agave eggersiana, establishes criteria for its delisting, 
and estimates the time and cost for implementing specific measures 
needed to recover the species. The ultimate goal of this draft recovery 
plan is to ensure the long-term viability of the Agave eggersiana in 
the wild to the point that it can be removed from the Federal List of 
Endangered and Threatened Plants in title 50 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (50 CFR 17.12).

Recovery Criteria

    The draft recovery plan proposes that the Agave eggersiana will be 
considered for delisting when:
    1. The six existing natural populations on St. Croix (South Shore, 
Cane Garden Bay, Manchenil Bay, Protestant Cay, Great Pond, and West 
Vagthus Point) are protected through long-term conservation mechanisms 
(addresses Factors A, B, and E).
    2. The six existing natural populations on St. Croix (South Shore, 
Cane Garden Bay, Manchenil Bay, Protestant Cay, Great Pond, and West 
Vagthus Point) show a stable or increasing trend, evidenced by natural 
recruitment and multiple age classes (addresses Factors A and E).
    3. Ten new populations have been established on protected areas 
within the historical range of the species, showing a stable or 
increasing population trend, evidenced by natural recruitment and 
multiple age classes (addresses Factors A, C, and E).
    4. Threats have been addressed and/or managed to the extent that 
the species will remain viable into the foreseeable future (addresses 
Factors A, B, C, D, and E).

Public Comments

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

Leopoldo Miranda-Castro,
Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 2021-14304 Filed 7-6-21; 8:45 am]
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