[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 177 (Monday, September 14, 1998)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 49062-49063]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-24504]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 90-Day Finding for
a Petition to List the Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of 90-day petition finding.
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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces a 90-day
finding for a petition to list the Rio Grande cutthroat trout
(Oncorhynchus clarki virginalis) as endangered under the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended. The Service finds that the petition
did not present substantial information indicating that listing this
subspecies may be warranted.
DATES: The finding announced in this document was made on August 22,
1998.
ADDRESSES: You may submit any data, information, comments, or questions
concerning this finding to the Field Supervisor, New Mexico Ecological
Services Field Office, 2105 Osuna NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87113.
Members of the public may review the petition finding, supporting data,
and comments, by appointment during normal business hours at the above
address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Fowler-Propst, Field
Supervisor, New Mexico Ecological Services Field Office, at the above
address (505/761-4525).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 4(b)(3)(A) of the Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973, as
amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), requires that the Service make a
finding on whether a petition to list, delist, or reclassify a species
presents substantial scientific or commercial information to
demonstrate that the petitioned action may be warranted. The Service is
required to base the finding on all information available at the time
the finding is made. To the maximum extent practicable, the Service
must make this finding within 90 days of the date the petition was
received, and promptly publish a notice in the Federal Register. If the
Service finds that substantial information was presented, the Service
also is required to promptly commence a review of the status of the
species involved if one has not already been initiated under the
Service's internal candidate assessment process.
The Service has made a 90-day finding on a petition to list the Rio
Grande cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki virginalis) as endangered.
Kieran Suckling, Director of the Southwest Center for Biological
Diversity, submitted the petition, dated February 17, 1998. The Service
received the petition on February 25, 1998. Additional petitioners
included the Biodiversity Legal Foundation, Carson Forest Watch,
Ancient Forest Rescue, and Southwest Trout.
The petitioners state that habitat destruction and degradation have
reduced the current distribution of the subspecies to approximately 5%
of its historical range; existing populations are small and isolated;
habitat destruction and degradation from livestock grazing, logging,
road construction, and mining continue to threaten the subspecies; and
stocking of nonnative, closely related species such as the rainbow
trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) has replaced many of the historical
populations of the native species with hybrids. The petition further
states that these factors continue to threaten the stability and
existence of the Rio Grande cutthroat trout.
The Service has reviewed the petition and other literature and
information available in the Service's files, and
[[Page 49063]]
consulted with species experts concerning the current status of the Rio
Grande cutthroat trout. Much of the information that the Service
reviewed updated and corrected information which had been provided in
the petition. On the basis of the best scientific and commercial
information available, the Service finds the petition does not present
substantial information that listing this subspecies may be warranted.
Approximately 200 populations of Rio Grande cutthroat trout inhabit
cold headwater streams in the Rio Grande, Pecos River, and Canadian
River drainages in Colorado and New Mexico (Alves 1998, Stumpff 1998).
The petitioners cited only 92 extant populations. The New Mexico
Department of Game and Fish and Colorado Division of Wildlife both
prohibit stocking of nonnatives within the range of the Rio Grande
cutthroat trout. In addition, all three national forests (Rio Grande,
Santa Fe, and Carson) on which the subspecies occurs, have incorporated
the State management plans into their forest plans. The States and
national forests are implementing programs of stream inventory,
protection of the Rio Grande cutthroat trout through removal of
nonnatives, and repatriation of the native subspecies into historical
waters. These actions are effectively addressing the protection of the
subspecies from potential hybridization with rainbow trout.
Although habitat degradation has reduced the range of this once
widely distributed subspecies, an adequate amount of habitat (4,500 to
5,000 miles (mi) of streams still capable of supporting trout) remains
and can be included in management for the Rio Grande cutthroat trout.
Of these stream miles, the subspecies currently occupies 480 mi of
stream and 1,120 acres (ac) of lake habitats in Colorado; and 260 mi of
stream habitat in New Mexico. Not all of the habitats potentially
inhabited by the Rio Grande cutthroat trout have been surveyed; thus,
the total number of existing known populations is considered to be a
minimum.
Activities such as livestock grazing, road construction, and
logging were primary factors in the constriction of the Rio Grande
cutthroat trout's historical range and continue to impact streams and
riparian habitats where measures to limit those impacts are lacking.
However, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish has found that the
watersheds surveyed are in fair to good condition. Many watersheds have
not been analyzed but are scheduled for such work by the State in
cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service. In Colorado, 82 populations
of the Rio Grande cutthroat trout occupy streams in watersheds that
have been classified as either relatively pristine (Class I), or
exhibiting only a minor degree of impact (Class II). These conditions
do not support a contention that the existing populations of the
subspecies are vulnerable to extirpation based on watershed or habitat
quality.
In summary, the management objectives of both States, set forth in
the respective management plans formulated for the Rio Grande
cutthroat, indicate that continued management and conservation emphasis
will be placed on the habitat and population stability of the
subspecies. The Service believes that the current population is secure
and likely to improve with active management. Thus, the Service has
determined that the petition to list the Rio Grande cutthroat trout did
not present substantial information indicating that the petitioned
action may be warranted.
References Cited
Alves, J. 1998. Status of Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout in Colorado.
Colorado Division of Wildlife. Denver, Co. 10 pp.
Stumpff, W. K. 1998. Rio Grande Cutthroat Trout Management. Final
Report. Federal Aid Grant F-60-M. Project No. 11. 14 pp.
Author: The primary author of this document is Jennifer Fowler-
Propst, New Mexico Ecological Services Field Office (see ADDRESSES
section).
Authority
The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act (16
U.S.C. 1532 et seq.).
Dated: August 22, 1998.
Jamie Rappaport Clark,
Director, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 98-24504 Filed 9-11-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
