[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 8 (Monday, January 13, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1777-1778]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-721]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Notice of Reopening of Comment Period on Draft Recovery Plan for
the Wetland and Aquatic Species of the Owens Basin, Inyo and Mono
Counties, California and Related Public Information Workshops
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of reopening of comment period and related public
information workshops.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the
reopening of the comment period for a draft recovery plan for
endangered, proposed, and species of concern found in the wetland and
aquatic habitats of the Owens Basin in Inyo and Mono Counties,
California, and related public information workshops. The recovery plan
targets recovery of 11 species found throughout the Owens River
drainage on Federal, State and private lands. Also available for review
is the draft Owens Basin Management Guidelines Plan for rare species.
The Service solicits review and comment from the public on these draft
plans. Three public information workshops will be held in conjunction
with the reopening of the comment period.
DATES: Comments on the draft recovery plan and/or Management Guidelines
Plan must be received on or before April 14, 1997 to ensure
consideration by the Service.
Public information workshops will be held:
Tuesday, February 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Mammoth High School,
Multipurpose Room, 365 Sierra Park Road, Town of Mammoth Lakes;
Wednesday, February 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Eastern Sierra Tri-
County Fairgrounds, Home Economics Building, Sierra Street and
Fairgrounds Drive, Bishop; and
Thursday, February 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. in Statham Hall, corner of
Jackson and Bush, Lone Pine, California.
ADDRESSES: The draft recovery plan and/or Management Guidelines Plan
are available for public inspection, by appointment, during regular
business hours (7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday) at the
Service's Ventura Field Office, 2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura,
California, 93003, phone 805-644-1766. Copies of the draft plans may
also be obtained by written or phone request to the Ventura Field
Office. (Note: Copies of the draft Management Guidelines Plan will
automatically be mailed to all parties who received the draft recovery
plan during its previous release.) Comments and materials regarding the
plan should be addressed to the Field Supervisor at the Ventura Field
Office. Comments and materials received will be available for public
inspection upon request, by appointment, at the Ventura Field Office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Carl Benz, Assistant Field
Supervisor, Division of Listing and Recovery, in the Ventura Field
Office (see ADDRESSES section).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
On August 26, 1996, the Service published a notice of availability
for public review of a draft recovery plan for endangered, proposed,
and species of concern found in the wetland and aquatic habitats of the
Owens Basin in Inyo and Mono Counties, California. The original comment
period closed on October 25, 1996. The draft Management Guidelines Plan
was not completed at that time and therefore not available for public
review.
Restoring an endangered or threatened animal or plant to the point
where it is again a secure, self-sustaining member of its ecosystem is
a primary goal of the Service's endangered species program. To help
guide recovery efforts, the Service prepares recovery plans for most of
the listed species native to the United States. Recovery plans describe
actions considered necessary for conservation of listed species,
establish criteria for the recovery levels for reclassification from
endangered to threatened or removal from the list, and estimate the
time and cost for implementing the needed recovery measures.
The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act) (16 U.S.C.
1531 et seq.) requires the development of recovery plans for listed
species unless such a plan would not promote the conservation of a
particular species. Section 4(f) of the Act requires that public notice
and an opportunity for public review and comment be provided during
recovery plan development. The Service will consider all information
presented during a public comment period prior to approval of each new
or revised recovery plan. The Service and other Federal agencies will
take these comments into account in the course of implementing approved
recovery plans.
The draft recovery plan for the Owens Basin wetland and aquatic
species addresses conservation of the following species: Owens tui
chub, Owens pupfish, Fish Slough milk-vetch, Owens speckled dace, Long
Valley Speckled dace, Inyo County mariposa lily, Owens Valley
checkerbloom, Fish Slough springsnail, Owens Valley springsnail,
Aardhal's springsnail, and Owens Valley vole. Owens tui chub and Owens
pupfish are federally listed as endangered, and the Fish Slough milk-
vetch has been proposed for listing as endangered. All of these species
are threatened by loss and degradation of wetland and aquatic habitats.
The draft recovery plan was developed in accordance with the
Service's recent policy emphasizing an ecosystem approach to
conservation of endangered species. The goal of the recovery plan is to
restore the target species to secure status within their natural
habitats. Protecting the ecosystem of endangered species in the Owens
Basin will also protect other locally rare species, and, it is hoped,
avert future declines in plant and wildlife populations that could lead
to future listings.
The draft recovery plan was developed with the participation of
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State and Federal land management agencies, local agencies and property
owners, including the California Department of Fish and Game, U.S.
Bureau of Land Management, Inyo National Forest, and the Los Angeles
Department of Water and Power. The plan calls for restoration of
wetland and aquatic habitats throughout the Owens River drainage. The
plan describes tasks that, when accomplished, should ensure the
survival of target species, and thereby justify their removal from the
endangered and threatened species list.
The draft Management Guidelines Plan for rare species was completed
to provide management guidance to the Department of Fish and Game. The
Management Guidance Plan is supplemental to, but independent from, the
draft recovery plan. In essence, they are separate documents.
Public Comments Solicited
The Service solicits written comments on the draft recovery plan
and Management Guidelines Plan described herein. All comments received
by the date specified above will be considered prior to approval of the
plan or completion of a final Management Guidelines Plan.
Authority
The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered
Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Dated: January 3, 1997.
Thomas J. Dwyer,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 97-721 Filed 1-10-97; 8:45 am]
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