[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 178 (Thursday, September 14, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47755-47756]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-22935]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Availability of the Technical/Agency Draft Recovery Plan for the
Appalachian Elktoe 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 the Appalachian elktoe (Alasmidonta raveneliana). This rare
freshwater
[[Page 47756]]
mussel inhabits medium-sized creeks and rivers with cool, well-
oxygenated, and moderate- to fast-flowing water. The Appalachian elktoe
currently has a very fragmented, relict distribution but historically
had a fairly wide distribution throughout the Upper Tennessee River
system in western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Only two
populations of the species are known to survive. One population occurs
in the main stem of the Little Tennessee River in Swain and Macon
Counties, North Carolina. The second population occurs in the
Nolichucky River system. This population is restricted to scattered
locations along a very short reach of the Toe River and the main stem
of the Nolichucky River in Yancey and Mitchell Counties, North
Carolina. The population on the Nolichucky extends downriver into
Unicoi County, Tennessee. A single specimen of the Appalachian elktoe
was also found in the Cane River, a major tributary to the Nolichucky
River, in Yancey County, North Carolina. It has been reduced to a few
short reaches of each of these streams, primarily as a result of
impoundments and the general deterioration of water quality resulting
from siltation and other pollutants contributed by poor land use
practices. The Service solicits review and comments from the public on
this draft plan.
DATES: Comments on the draft recovery plan must be received on or
before December 13, 1995, to receive consideration by the Service.
ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review the 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 request for public
inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the above
address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mr. John Fridell at the address and telephone number shown above (Ext.
225).
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 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.
The primary species considered in this draft recovery plan is the
Appalachian elktoe (Alasmidonta raveneliana). The area of emphasis for
recovery actions is the upper Tennessee River system in the mountains
of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee. Habitat protection,
reintroduction, 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. 95-22935 Filed 9-13-95; 8:45 am]
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