[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 146 (Tuesday, August 3, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41871-41872]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-16521]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R1-ES-2021-N005; FXES11130100000-212-FF01E00000]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Recovery 
Plan for White Bluffs Bladderpod

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for review and public comment.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the 
availability of the Draft Recovery Plan for White Bluffs Bladderpod 
(Physaria douglasii subsp. tuplashensis), listed as threatened under 
the Endangered Species Act, and endemic to Franklin County, Washington. 
We request review and comment on this draft recovery plan from Federal, 
State, and local agencies; Native American Tribes; and the public.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments on the draft recovery plan 
must be received on or before October 4, 2021. However, we will accept 
information about any species at any time.

ADDRESSES: 
    Document availability: Obtain the recovery plan by the following 
method.
     Internet: http://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/recovery-plans.html or http://www.fws.gov/pacific/ecoservices/endangered/recovery/plans.html.
    Comment submission: You may submit written comments and materials 
by one of the following methods:
     U.S. mail: Jeff Krupka, Central Washington Field Office, 
at the above U.S. mail address.
     Fax: 360-753-9405.
     Email: [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brad Thompson, State Supervisor, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington Fish and Wildlife Office, at the 
above U.S. mail address; telephone 360-753-4652. If you use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf, call the Federal Relay Service 
at 1-800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(Service), announce the availability of the Draft Recovery Plan for 
White Bluffs Bladderpod (Physaria douglasii subsp. tuplashensis). The 
subspecies, listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 
1973, as amended (Act; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), is a plant endemic to 
the White Bluffs of Franklin County, Washington. The draft recovery 
plan includes specific goals, objectives, and criteria that should be 
met prior to our consideration of removing the species from the Federal 
List of Endangered and Threatened Plants. We request review and comment 
on this draft recovery plan from Federal, State, and local agencies; 
Native American Tribes; and the public.

Background

    The White Bluffs bladderpod is a short-lived, herbaceous perennial 
that occurs intermittently in a narrow, linear strip about 15 
kilometers (9.3 miles) long, along sparsely vegetated upper and top 
exposures of the White Bluffs in eastern Washington State. This plant 
is closely associated with highly alkaline, cemented calcium carbonate 
soil along the Columbia River in the State of Washington. In April 
2013, and as reaffirmed in December 2013, the White Bluffs bladderpod 
was listed as a threatened species pursuant to the Act (78 FR 23983; 
April 23, 2013; 78 FR 76995; December 20, 2013).

Recovery Planning Process

    Recovery of endangered and threatened animals and plants is a 
primary goal of our endangered species program. To help guide the 
recovery effort, we prepare recovery plans for most listed species. 
Recovery plans describe actions considered necessary for conservation 
of the species, establish criteria for downlisting or delisting, and 
estimate time and cost for implementing recovery measures.

Recovery Planning and Implementation

    The Service recently revised its approach to recovery planning, and 
is now using a process termed recovery planning and implementation 
(RPI) (see https://www.fws.gov/endangered/esa-library/pdf/RPI.pdf). The 
RPI approach 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 includes the statutorily required elements under section 4(f) of 
the Act (objective and measurable recovery criteria, site-specific 
management actions, and estimates of time and costs), a concise 
introduction, and our strategy for how we plan to achieve species 
recovery. The RPI recovery plan is supported by two supplementary 
documents: A species status assessment or biological report, which 
describes the best available scientific information related to the 
biological needs of the species and assessment of threats; and the 
recovery implementation strategy, which details the particular near-
term activities needed to implement the recovery actions identified in 
the recovery plan. Under this approach, we can more nimbly incorporate 
new information on species biology or details of recovery 
implementation by updating these supplementary documents without 
concurrent revision of the entire recovery plan, unless changes to 
statutorily required elements are necessary.

Recovery Plan Components

    The primary recovery strategy for the White Bluffs bladderpod is to 
increase the capability of populations to withstand stochastic events; 
to establish new populations as possible and appropriate; to provide a 
safety margin against catastrophic events; and to increase the 
ecological and/or genetic diversity of the subspecies. Recovery will 
hinge on two types of strategies, direct and indirect, to improve 
habitat, reduce threats, and preserve or enhance the ability of 
individuals to survive and reproduce in the range of conditions they 
are likely to experience.
    We may initiate an assessment of whether recovery has been achieved 
and delisting is warranted when the recovery criteria have been met, 
including once a second population has been discovered or established 
on conserved lands and is managed in a way that is compatible with 
White Bluffs bladderpod conservation. All populations must be self-
sustaining.

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 (59 FR 34270; July 1, 1994). In an appendix to the approved final 
recovery plan, we will summarize and respond to the issues raised 
during public comment and peer review. 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 and 
other entities so that they can be taken into account during the course 
of implementing recovery actions.
    We will consider all comments we receive by the date specified in 
DATES prior to final approval of the plan.

[[Page 41872]]

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 of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

Robyn Thorson,
Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-16521 Filed 8-2-21; 8:45 am]
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