[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 219 (Friday, November 13, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63487-63488]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30337]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Notice of Availability of a Draft Revised Recovery Plan for
Todsen's Pennyroyal (Hedeoma todsenii) for Review and Comment
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability and public comment period.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces the availability
for public review of the draft revised recovery plan for Todsen's
pennyroyal (Hedeoma todsenii), a plant from the San Andres and
Sacramento mountains in south-central New Mexico. This species is know
from 18 sites in pinyon-juniper woodland in Otero and Sierra counties,
New Mexico. The Service solicits review and comment from the public on
this draft revised recovery plan.
DATES: Comments on the draft revised recovery plan must be received on
or before January 12, 1999 to ensure they receive consideration by the
Service.
ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to receive the draft revised recovery plan
may obtain a copy by contacting the Field Supervisor, New Mexico
Ecological Services Field Office, 2105 Osuna, NE, Albuquerque, New
Mexico 87113 (Telephone 505/346-2525). Written comments and materials
regarding the plan should be addressed to the Field Supervisor at the
above address. Comments and materials received are available for public
inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the above
address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charles B. McDonald, Botanist, at the
address and telephone number (Ext. 112) given above.
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 U.S. Fish and Wildlife 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
considered necessary for conservation of the species, criteria for
recognizing the recovery levels for downlisting or delisting them, and
initial estimates of times and costs to implement the needed recovery
measures.
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
[[Page 63488]]
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 also take
these comments into account in the course of implementing approved
recovery plans.
Todsen's pennyroyal was listed under the Act as an endangered
species on January 18, 1981 (46 FR 5729). When listed, it was known
from only two sites in the San Andres Mountains on the White Sands
Missile Range in Sierra County, New Mexico. A recovery plan for
Todsen's pennyroyal was approved in 1985. Subsequent to development of
the original recovery plan, 15 new sites for the plant were found on
the western slope of the Sacramento Mountains in Otero County, New
Mexico. The new sites are on the Lincoln National Forest and on public
lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management. The discovery of
the new sites plus additional new information about the biology and
ecology of the species have necessitated revision of the original
recovery plan.
Recovery will focus on the continuing protection efforts of the
three Federal agencies responsible for land management of existing
sites. Additional recovery efforts will focus on research to determine
the biological and ecological requirements of the species with the goal
of developing management practices that will ensure the maintenance of
self-sustaining populations in natural habitat.
The availability of a draft Todsen's Pennyroyal Revised Recovery
Plan for review and comment was announced in the Federal Register on
October 14, 1994 (59 FR 52189). The revised plan, however, was never
completed and further changes to the plan have been made since then.
This notice gives the public another opportunity for review and comment
before the draft revised plan is approved.
Public Comments Solicited
The Service solicits written comments on the draft Todsen's
Pennyroyal Revised Recovery Plan. All comments received by the date
specified above will be considered prior to approval of the plan.
Authority
The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered
Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Dated: November 2, 1998.
Renne Lohoefener,
Acting Regional Director, Southwest Region, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 98-30337 Filed 11-12-98; 8:45 am]
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