```

[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 117 (Friday, June 16, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37796-37797]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-15117]

=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of the Draft Sonora Tiger Salamander 
Recovery Plan for Review and Comment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Document Availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announces the availability 
for public review of a draft Recovery Plan for the Sonora tiger 
salamander

[[Page 37797]]

(Ambystoma tigrinum stebbinsi). The species occurs on lands managed by 
the U.S. Forest Service, Coronado National Forest; U.S. Department of 
the Army, Fort Huachuca; and private lands in the San Rafael Valley and 
adjacent portions of the Huachuca and Patagonia mountains in 
southeastern Santa Cruz and southwestern Cochise counties, Arizona. The 
Service solicits review and comment from the public on this draft Plan.

DATES: Comments on the draft Recovery Plan must be received on or 
before August 15, 2000 to receive consideration by the Service.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review the draft Recovery Plan may obtain 
a copy by contacting Jim Rorabaugh, Arizona Ecological Services Field 
Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2321 West Royal Palm Road, 
Suite 103, Phoenix, Arizona 85021-4951 (602/640-2720 x238). Written 
comments and materials regarding the plan should be addressed to the 
Field Supervisor at this same 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: Jim Rorabaugh (see ADDRESSES).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

    Restoring an endangered or threatened animal or plant species to 
the point where it is again a secure, self-sustaining member of its 
ecosystem 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 
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 of 1973 (Act), as amended (16 U.S.C. 
1531 et seq.), 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 a public comment period prior 
to 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 Draft Sonora Tiger Salamander Recovery Plan describes the 
status, current management, recovery objectives and criteria, and 
specific actions needed to reclassify the Sonora tiger salamander from 
endangered to threatened, and to ultimately delist it. The draft Plan 
was developed by Dr. James Collins and Jonathan Snyder, Arizona State 
University, Tempe, Arizona, in coordination with the Service and a team 
of stakeholders (the Participation Team), which included ranchers, 
landowners and managers, agency representatives, and herpetologists. 
The salamander currently only breeds in livestock watering tanks in the 
San Rafael Valley of southeastern Arizona. Its natural breeding 
habitats are no longer present or are now unsuitable. The salamander is 
threatened by loss of natural habitats; predation by nonnative fish, 
bullfrogs, and crayfish; genetic swamping by non-native barred tiger 
salamanders; disease; low genetic diversity; and collection for bait or 
translocation by anglers. Actions needed to recover the salamander 
include maintenance and enhancement of habitats, control of non-native 
organisms, control of collection and transport of tiger salamanders, 
actions to reduce spread of disease, monitoring, research, public 
education and information, and adaptive management. The draft Recovery 
Plan includes a draft Participation Plan, prepared by the Participation 
Team, which details how the plan should be implemented to minimize 
social and economic impacts while still providing for the prompt 
recovery of the salamander. The Service will work with the 
Participation Team to address comments received during the comment 
period. The draft Plan will be revised and finalized based on those 
comments.

Public Comments Solicited

    The Service solicits written comments on the Draft Sonora Tiger 
Salamander Recovery Plan. 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: May 29, 2000.
Nancy M. Kaufman,
Regional Director.
[FR Doc. 00-15117 Filed 6-15-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
```