03-2488. Notice of Availability of the Final Recovery Plan for the Plant Holy Ghost Ipomopsis

AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of document availability.

SUMMARY:

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the availability of the Final Recovery Plan for the Holy Ghost Ipomopsis (Ipomopsis sancti-spiritus). This plant is known from only one site in the southern Sangre de Cristo Mountains on the Santa Fe National Forest in San Miguel County, New Mexico.

ADDRESSES:

Recovery plans that have been approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are available on the World Wide Web at http://southwest.fws.gov. Recovery Plans may also be obtained from the Field Supervisor, New Mexico Ecological Services Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2105 Osuna NE., Albuquerque, New Mexico 87113 (Telephone [phone])

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Anna Marie Munoz, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, New Mexico Ecological Services Field Office, 2105 Osuna NE., Albuquerque, New Mexico 87113, (phone [phone]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

A primary goal of the endangered species program is to restore endangered or threatened animals and plants to the point where they are again secure, self-sustaining members of their ecosystems. To help guide recovery, we prepare recovery plans for most endangered or threatened species native to the United States. Recovery plans describe needed conservation actions for the species, time and cost estimates for the actions, and recovery goals for downlisting or delisting.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended, (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) requires that each endangered or threatened species be included in a recovery plan unless a plan would not promote a species' conservation. 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. Information presented during the public comment period has been considered in the preparation of the final recovery plan, and is summarized in the appendix to the recovery plan. We will forward substantive comments regarding recovery plan implementation to appropriate Federal or other entities so that they can take these comments into account during the course of implementing recovery actions.

Holy Ghost ipomopsis was given endangered status under the Act on March 23, 1994 (59 FR 13840). It is known from a single canyon in the Santa Fe National Forest in northwestern San Miguel County, New Mexico. An estimated 2,500 plants occupy about 80 hectares (200 acres) along a U.S. Forest Service road. Impacts from road maintenance, recreation, and catastrophic forest fire are immediate management concerns. In the long term, present land uses influence management away from frequent disturbances that produce the preferred habitat for this species.

Recovery will focus on protecting and enhancing the existing population. Additional recovery work will include research to determine the biological and ecological requirements of the species, establishment of a botanical garden population and a seed bank, establishment of a management plan, and reintroduction into suitable habitat in the upper Pecos River Basin.

Authority

The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).

Dated: October 11, 2002.

Geoffrey L. Haskett,

Acting Regional Director, Southwest Region, Fish and Wildlife Service.