[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 178 (Thursday, September 14, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47756-47757]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-22852]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Notice of Availability of the Technical/Agency Draft Recovery
Plan for Cumberland Rosemary 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 (Service) announces the
availability for public review of a technical/agency draft recovery
plan for Cumberland rosemary (Conradina verticillata). This threatened
species is presently known from only three populations: two of these
are located in Tennessee and a third occurs in both Tennessee and
Kentucky. Cumberland rosemary grows on sandy or gravelly stream banks,
sandbars, and gravel/boulder bars associated with floodplains or
islands. There are 91 known colonies of the species; however, most
colonies are small and are threatened by stream alternations that would
change normal flooding patterns; activities that degrade water quality;
and habitat destruction by campers, hikers, white-water enthusiasts,
and off-road vehicles. The Service solicits review and comments from
the public on this draft plan.
DATES: Comments on the technical/agency draft recovery plan must be
received on or before December 13, 1995, to receive consideration by
the Service.
ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review the technical/agency draft
recovery plan may obtain a copy by contacting the Asheville Field
Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 160 Zillicoa Street, Asheville,
North Carolina 28801 (Telephone 704/258-3939). Written comments and
materials regarding the plan should be addressed to the Field
Supervisor at the above address. Comments and materials received are
available on requests for public inspection, by appointment, during
normal business hours at the above address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. Robert Currie at the address and telephone number shown above (Ext.
224).
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 considered necessary for
the conservation of the species, to establish criteria for recognizing
the recovery levels for downlisting or delisting them, and to estimate
time and cost for implementing the recovery measures needed.
The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.) (Act), requires the development of
[[Page 47757]]
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 a 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 the 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.
Th primary species considered in this draft recovery plan is
Cumberland rosemary (Conradina verticillata). It is a small shrub in
the mint family (Lamiaceae), known only from the banks of short reaches
of three river systems in north-central Tennessee and adjacent
Kentucky. The species is found within small areas of the following
counties: Cumberland, Fentress, Morgan, Scott, and White Counties,
Tennessee, and McCreary County, Kentucky. It is always found growing in
close association with the floodplain of watercourses. Specific areas
supporting the species include boulder bars, sand bars, gravel bars,
terraces of sand on gradually sloping riverbanks and islands, and
pockets of sand between large boulders on islands and stream banks.
This species' distribution has probably been reduced by such factors as
dam construction and the general deterioration of water quality
resulting from silt and other pollutants contributed by coal mining,
poor land use practices, and waste discharges. Many of these factors
continue to impact the species and its habitat. Because the colonies
inhabit only short river reaches, they are vulnerable to extirpation
from accidental toxic chemical spills. Direct habitat destruction by
recreational visitors to the species' habitat is a significant threat
to its survival. Hikers, campers, white-water enthusiasts, and off-
road-vehicle users all impact the species and its habitat. Habitat
protection, searches for new populations, the implementation of
appropriate management actions, the completion of biological and
genetic studies, and the preservation of genetic material are the major
objectives of this recovery plan.
Public Comments Solicited
The Service solicits written comments on the recovery plan
described. 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: September 8, 1995.
Robert R. Currie,
Acting Field Supervisor.
[FR Doc. 95-22852 Filed 9-13-95; 8:45 am]
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