[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 4 (Thursday, January 6, 1994)]
[Notices]
[Pages 777-778]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-187]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: January 6, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Availability of Draft Recovery Plans for the Key Largo Woodrat,
Key Largo Cotton Mouse, Gulf Sturgeon, Two Hernando County Plants, and
Four Apalachicola Plants for Review and Comment
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the
availability for public review of four draft recovery plans for the
following species: The Key Largo woodrat (Neotoma floridana smalli) and
cotton mouse (Peromyscus gossypinus allapaticola), Gulf sturgeon
(Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi) two Hernando County plants (Campanula
robinsiae, Justicia cooleyi), and four Apalachicola plants (Euphorbia
telephioides, Macbridea alba, Pinguicula ionantha, Scutellaria
floridana). The Key Largo woodrat and Key Largo cotton mouse are
restricted to the north half of Key Largo, Monroe County, Florida. The
Gulf sturgeon occurs in most major rivers from the Mississippi River to
the Suwannee River, and marine waters of the central and eastern Gulf
of Mexico and Florida Bay. The two Hernando County plants occur in the
hilly countryside north of Tampa. The four Apalachicola plants occur in
the pinelands and wetlands in Liberty, Franklin, Gulf, and Bay Counties
in the Florida panhandle. The Service solicits review and comment from
the public on these draft plans.
DATES: Comments on the draft recovery plans must be received on or
before March 7, 1994, to receive consideration by the Service.
ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review the draft recovery plans for the
Key Largo woodrat and cotton mouse, two Hernando County plants, or the
four Apalachicola plants may obtain a copy by contacting David J.
Wesley, Field Supervisor, Jacksonville Field Office, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, 6620 Southpoint Drive, South, suite 310,
Jacksonville, Florida 32216 (Telephone: 904-232-2580, FAX 904-232-
2404). Persons wishing to review the draft recovery plan for the Gulf
sturgeon may obtain a copy by contacting Ms. Gail A. Carmody, Field
Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1612 June Avenue, Panama
City, Florida 32244 (Telephone: 904-768-0552, FAX 904-763-2177).
Written comments and materials regarding these plans should be
addressed to the appropriate above individual. Comments and material
received are available upon request for public inspection, by
appointment, and during normal business hours at the above addresses.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
For information on the Key Largo woodrat and cotton mouse recovery
plan, contact Linda Finger at the Jacksonville, Florida, address. For
information on the two Hernando County Plants and the four Apalachicola
plants recovery plan, contact David L. Martin at the Jacksonville,
Florida address. For information on the Gulf sturgeon recovery plan,
contact Lorna Patrick at the Panama City, Florida address.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Restoring 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 the Service's endangered species program. To help
guide the recovery effort the Service is working to prepare recovery
plans for most of the listed species native to the United States.
Recovery plans describe actions necessary for the conservation of the
species, establish criteria for the recovery levels for downlisting or
delisting them, and estimate time and cost for implementing the
recovery measures needed.
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended (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, as amended in 1988,
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 Key Largo woodrat and cotton mouse were listed as endangered
species on August 31, 1984. Both species require tropical hardwood
hammock forests for food and cover. An estimated 6,500 woodrats and
18,000 cotton mice occur on 2,100 acres of forested uplands. Both
species originally occurred throughout all of the hardwood hammocks of
Key Largo, but are now restricted to only north Key Largo, representing
about one-half their original distribution. Primary threats to these
species include habitat destruction and fragmentation, road mortality,
and vulnerability to catastrophic events such as storms or fires.
Current habitat acquisition by both the State and Federal governments
will provide nearly complete public ownership for the remaining
hardwood hammocks on north Key Largo. Specific recovery actions include
additional habitat purchase and protection and the future
reestablishment of both species to the southern portion of Key Largo.
The Gulf sturgeon, a subspecies of the Atlantic sturgeon Acipenser
oxyrinchus, was listed as a threatened species on September 30, 1991.
The Gulf sturgeon is an anadromous fish which migrates from salt water
into large coastal rivers to spawn and spend the warmer months. The
majority of its life is spent in fresh water. The current population
levels of Gulf sturgeon in rivers other than the Suwannee and
Apalachicola rivers are unknown, but are thought to be reduced from
historic levels. Historically, the subspecies occurred in most major
rivers from the Mississippi River to the Suwannee River, and marine
waters of the central and eastern Gulf of Mexico to Florida Bay. Major
factors in the decline of the Gulf sturgeon include barriers (dams) to
historical spawning habitats, habitat loss, water quality degradation,
and overfishing.
The recovery plan for the Gulf sturgeon was prepared by a Recovery
Team containing members from the States of Louisiana, Mississippi,
Alabama, and Florida, the Gulf States Marine Fisheries Commission, the
National Marine Fisheries Service, the National Biological Survey,
university researchers, commercial fishing interests, conservation
organizations, and the Service. The draft plan currently available for
public comment resulted from a technical review during the summer of
1992. Major recovery actions include identifying and restoring
essential habitats of the Gulf sturgeon. Initial restoration efforts
will focus on riverine habitats. Another recovery action includes
reducing incidental catch of the fish by commercial fishermen. The
ultimate recovery goal for the Gulf sturgeon is to establish population
levels that would allow delisting of the fish in selected river
systems. After delisting, the goal is to establish populations that
could support commercial fishing in those selected river systems.
The two Hernando County plants Campanula robinsiae (Brooksville
bellflower) and Justicia cooleyi (Cooley's water-willow) were listed as
endangered species on August 28, 1989. Brooksville bellflower inhabits
wet ``prairies'' and lake margins in the hill country of Hernando
County. Cooley's water-willow primarily inhabits hardwood forests, but
appears to persist or thrive in clearings, pastures, and roadsides. Its
distribution appears to be primarily in the hills of Hernando County,
but it is also known from Sumter County, near Mascotte. The draft
recovery plan emphasizes better information on the life history of the
bellflower, an annual that grows in late winter and is often under
water. For Cooley's water-willow, immediate efforts are needed to
control the spread of alien pest vines, especially air-potato (a
tropical yam that produces tubers on its vines) and skunkvine (an Asian
vine that can cover the ground in a forest, and whose leaves have a
fecal odor when brused). Recovery efforts for these plants will begin
on land owned by Federal and State agencies.
Three Apalachicola plants were listed as threatened species on May
8, 1992: Euphorbia telephioides (Telephus spurge), Macbridea alba
(white birds-in-a-nest), and Scutellaria floridana (Florida skullcap).
The fourth species, Pinguicula ionantha (Godfrey's butterwort) was
listed as a threatened species on July 12, 1993. These four plants
overlap in their distributions and habitats in the low-lying outer
Coastal Plain near the Apalachicola River, roughly from the
southwestern portion of Apalachicola National Forest west to Panama
City. Telephus spurge occupies low sand ridges. White birds-in-a-nest
and Florida skullcap occur in grassy pinelands and savannahs; Godfrey's
butterwort occurs in savannahs, bogs, and seasonal ponds. Three of the
four species occur in Apalachicola National Forest, where ongoing
management, especially prescribed burning, is needed to ensure that
they are secure. Telephus spurge, which does not occur on public land,
and the other species outside of Apalachicola National Forest are
threatened by habitat degradation due to lack of prescribed fire and by
forestry practices, including planting practices. The recovery plan
calls for ensuring that habitat for the three plants is appropriately
managed in the National Forest and, to the extent feasible, privately-
owned habitat be protected through conservation easements or purchase
by public conservation agencies.
Public Comments Solicited
The Service solicits written comments on the four recovery plans
described. All comments received by the date specified will be
considered prior to the approval of the plans.
Authority: The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the
Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Dated: December 22, 1993.
David J. Wesley,
Field Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 94-187 Filed 1-5-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-M
