[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 188 (Tuesday, September 29, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51946-51947]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-25964]
[[Page 51946]]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of
Availability of Draft Recovery Plan for Multi-Island Plants
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the
availability for public review of a draft Recovery Plan for Multi-
Island Plants. This plan covers 26 plant taxa, 25 of which are listed
as endangered and 1 as threatened. All 26 taxa are now found on one or
more of the 8 main Hawaiian Islands; 2 of the taxa are also found on
one or more of three Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
DATES: Comments on the draft recovery plan received by November 30,
1998 will be considered by the Service.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft recovery plan are available for
inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the
following locations: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands
Office, 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 3-122, Box 50088, Honolulu,
Hawaii 96850 (phone 808/541-3441); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Regional Office, Ecological Services, 911 N.E. 11th Ave., Eastside
Federal Complex, Portland, Oregon 97232-4181 (phone 503/231-131); and
Hawaii State Library, 478 S. King Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813.
Requests for copies of the draft recovery plan and written comments and
materials regarding this plan should be addressed to Field Supervisor,
Ecological Services, at the above Honolulu address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christa Russell, Listing and Recovery
Programs Lead, at the above Honolulu address.
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, establish criteria for the recovery
levels for downlisting or delisting them, and estimate time and cost
for implementing the recovery measures needed.
The Endangered Species Act, 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
public notice and an opportunity for public review and comment be
provided during recovery plan development. The Service will consider
all information presented during the public comment period prior to
approval of each new or revised Recovery Plan. Substantive technical
comments will result in changes to the plans. Substantive comments
regarding recovery plan implementation may not necessarily result in
changes to the recovery plans, but will be forwarded to appropriate
Federal or other entities so that they can take these comments into
account during the course of implementing recovery actions.
Individualized responses to comments will not be provided.
This draft Recovery Plan for Multi-Island Plants covers 26 plant
taxa, 25 of which are listed as endangered and 1 as threatened. These
26 Hawaiian plant taxa are, or were, widely distributed across the
island chain. All 26 taxa are now found on one or more of the 8 main
Hawaiian Islands; 2 of the taxa are also found on one or more of three
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The species listed as threatened is
Isodendrion longifolium (aupaka). The plants listed as endangered are:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scientific name Common name
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Achyranthes mutica........................ no common name (NCN)
Adenophorus periens....................... pendant kihi fern
Bonamia menziesii......................... (NCN)
Cenchrus agrimonioides.................... kamanomano
Centaurium sebaeoides..................... awiwi
Cyanea grimesiana ssp. grimesiana......... haha
Cyperus trachysanthos..................... puukaa
Diellia erecta............................ NCN
Euphorbia haeleeleana..................... NCN
Flueggea neowawraea....................... mehamehame
Hibiscus brackenridgei.................... mao hau hele
Isodendrion laurifolium................... aupaka
Mariscus pennatiformis.................... NCN
Neraudia sericea.......................... maaloa
Panicum niihauense........................ lauehu
Phyllostegia parviflora................... (NCN)
Plantago princeps......................... ale
Platanthera holochila..................... (NCN)
Sanicula purpurea......................... (NCN)
Schiedea hookeri.......................... (NCN)
Schiedea nuttallii........................ (NCN)
Sesbania tomentosa........................ ohai
Solanum incompletum....................... thorny popolo
Spermolepis hawaiiensis................... (NCN)
Vigna o-wahuensis......................... Oahu vigna
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The 26 taxa included in this draft plan grow in a variety of
vegetation (grasslands, shrublands, forests, and mixed communities),
elevational zones (coastal to subalpine), and moisture regimes (dry to
wet). Only one species, Solanum incompletum, is found in subalpine
forest. These taxa and their habitats have been variously affected or
are currently threatened by one or more of the following: competition
for space, light, water, and nutrients by introduced
[[Page 51947]]
vegetation; habitat degradation by wild, feral, or domestic animals
(deer, mouflon, goats, pigs, sheep and cattle); agricultural and
recreational activities; habitat loss and damage to plants from fires;
predation by animals (cattle, deer, mouflon, pigs, goats, sheep, rats,
slugs and snails, and insects); and natural disasters such as volcanic
activity. In addition, due to the small number of existing individuals
and their very narrow distributions, these taxa and most of their
populations are subject to an increased likelihood of extinction and/or
reduced reproductive vigor from naturally occurring events such as
hurricanes.
The objective of the draft recovery plan is to provide a framework
for the recovery of these 26 taxa so that their protection by the
Endangered Species Act is no longer necessary. The interim objective is
to stabilize all existing populations of the Multi-island plants. To be
considered stable, each taxon must be managed to control threats (e.g.,
fenced) and be represented in an ex situ (such as a nursery or
arboretum) collection. In addition, a minimum total of three
populations of each taxon should be documented on islands where they
now occur or occurred historically. Each of these populations must be
naturally reproducing and increasing in number, with a minimum of 25
mature individuals per population for long-lived perennials (Flueggea
neowawraea, Schiedea hookeri, and Schiedea nuttallii) and a minimum of
50 mature individuals per population for short-lived perennials
(Achyranthes mutica, Adenophorus periens, Bonamia menziesii, Cenchrus
agrimonioides, Cyanea grimesiana ssp. grimesiana, Cyperus
trachysanthos, Deillia erecta, Euphorbia haeleeleana, Hibiscus
brackenridgei, Isodendrion laurifolium, Isodendrion longifolium,
Mariscus pennatiformis, Neraudia sericea, Panicum niihauense,
Phyllostegia parviflora, Plantago princeps, Platanthera holochila,
Sanicula purpurea, Sesbania tomentosa, Solanum incompletum, and Vigna
o-wahuensis). Centaurium sebaeoides and Spermolepis hawaiiensis are
annuals.
For downlisting, a total of five to seven populations of each taxon
should be documented on islands where they now occur or occurred
historically. In certain cases, however, a particular taxon may be
eligible for downlisting even if all five to seven of the populations
are on only one island, provided all of the other recovery criteria
have been met and the populations in question are widely distributed
and secure enough that one might reasonably conclude that the taxon is
not in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant part of its
range.
Each of these populations must be naturally reproducing, stable or
increasing in number, and secure from threats, with a minimum of 100
mature individuals per population for long-lived perennials, a minimum
of 300 mature individuals per population for short-lived perennials and
a minimum of 500 mature individuals per population for the annual
taxon. Each population should persist at this level for a minimum of 5
consecutive years before downlisting is considered. A total of 8 to 10
populations of each taxon should be documented on islands where they
now occur or occurred historically. As with downlisting, there may be
certain cases in which a particular taxon may be eligible for delisting
even if all 8 to 10 of the populations are on only one island, provided
all of the other recovery criteria have been met and the populations in
question are widely distributed and secure enough that one might
reasonably conclude that the taxon is not in danger of extinction
throughout all or a significant part of its range. Each of these
populations must be naturally reproducing, stable or increasing in
number, and secure from threats, with a minimum of 100 mature
individuals per population for long-lived perennials, a minimum of 300
mature individuals per population for short-lived perennials and a
minimum of 500 mature individuals per population for the annual taxon.
Each population should persist at this level for a minimum of 5
consecutive years.
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 this plan.
Authority
The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered
Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Dated: September 23, 1998.
David J. Wesley,
Regional Director,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 1.
[FR Doc. 98-25964 Filed 9-28-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
