11046 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 47 / Monday, March 12, 2007 / Notices 

supervisors, and designated approving 

officials, as well as records supplied by 

the National Business Center’s identity 

management system, other Federal 

agencies issuing HSPD–12 compliant 

cards, and HSPD–12 compliant cards 

carried by individuals seeking access to 

Departmental and other Federal 

facilities occupied by agency 

employees. 

EXEMPTIONS CLAIMED FOR THE SYSTEM: 

None. 

[FR Doc. E7–4414 Filed 3–9–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–RK–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

Post-delisting Monitoring Plan for 

Eggert’s Sunflower (Helianthus 

eggertii) 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of document availability. 

SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife 

Service, announce the availability of the 

Post-delisting Monitoring Plan for 

Eggert’s sunflower (Helianthus eggertii) 

(Monitoring Plan). The status of Eggert’s 

sunflower will be monitored over a 

5-year period from 2006 through 2010, 

through annual evaluation of 

information routinely being collected by 

seven agencies that have entered into 

long-term management agreements with 

us covering 27 populations of Eggert’s 

sunflowers, combined with a total 

census of these populations during the 

second and fifth year of the monitoring 

period. 

ADDRESSES: Copies of the Monitoring 

Plan are available by request from the 

Field Supervisor, Fish and Wildlife 

Service, 446 Neal Street, Cookeville, 

Tennessee 38501 (telephone 931–528–

6481; fax: 931–528–7074). This 

Monitoring Plan is also available on the 

World Wide Web at http://www.fws.gov/ 

cookeville. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Geoff Call, Recovery Coordinator, at the 

above Cookeville address, at 

geoff_call@fws.gov, or at 931/528–6481, 

extension 213. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

Eggert’s sunflower is a perennial 

member of the aster family (Asteraceae) 

known only from Alabama, Kentucky, 

and Tennessee. The species is 

commonly associated with the barrens/ 

woodland ecosystem. It occurs on 

rolling-to-flat uplands and in full sun or 

partial shade. It is often found in open 

fields or in thickets along woodland 

borders and with other tall herbs and 

small trees. It persists in, and may even 

invade, roadsides, power line rights-ofway, or fields that have suitable open 

habitat. 

Eggert’s sunflower was listed as 

threatened under the Endangered 

Species Act (Act) on May 22, 1997 (62 

FR 27973). At the time of listing, there 

were 34 known Eggert’s sunflower sites 

occurring in 1 site in 1 county in 

Alabama, 13 sites in 5 counties in 

Kentucky, and 20 sites in 8 counties in 

Tennessee. When the Recovery Plan for 

this species was finalized in 1999, there 

was 1 known site in Alabama, 27 sites 

in 6 counties in Kentucky, and 203 sites 

in 12 counties in Tennessee. Presently, 

there are 287 known Eggert’s sunflower 

sites distributed across 3 counties in 

Alabama, 9 counties in Kentucky, and 

15 counties in Tennessee. 

On August 18, 2005, we published a 

final rule removing Eggert’s sunflower 

from the Federal List of Endangered and 

Threatened Wildlife and Plants (70 FR 

48482). Our decision to delist this 

species was based on a review of all 

available data, which indicated that the 

species was more widespread and 

abundant than was documented at the 

time of listing, was more resilient and 

less vulnerable to certain activities than 

previously thought, and is now 

protected on Federal, State, and county 

lands. 

Section 4(g)(1) of the Act requires that 

we implement a system, in cooperation 

with the States, to monitor all species 

that have been delisted, or removed 

from the Federal List of Endangered and 

Threatened Wildlife and Plants, due to 

recovery for at least 5 years following 

delisting. The purpose of this postdelisting monitoring is to verify that a 

species delisted due to recovery remains 

secure from risk of extinction after it no 

longer has the protections of the Act. In 

keeping with that mandate, we 

developed this Monitoring Plan in 

cooperation with the States of Alabama, 

Kentucky, and Tennessee. We are 

responsible for compliance with section 

4(g) and must remain actively engaged 

in all phases of the post-delisting 

monitoring. 

The Draft Post-delisting Monitoring 

Plan for Eggert’s sunflower was 

available for public comment from 

August 18, 2005 through September 19, 

2005 (70 FR 48577). The only response 

we received was from the State of 

Tennessee, which supported the plan. 

Since we had no additional information 

provided to us during the comment 

period, we have finalized the Postdelisting Monitoring Plan with no 

changes from the draft. 

The Monitoring Plan is designed to 

track the population status of Eggert’s 

sunflower by using information 

routinely collected by our partners on a 

yearly basis as well as a total population 

census during the second and fifth years 

of the monitoring period for the 27 

populations that occur on public lands. 

We will also annually evaluate the 

effectiveness of the Cooperative 

Management Agreements in protecting 

Eggert’s sunflower populations on these 

public lands. 

If we determine at the end of the 5- 

year post-delisting monitoring period 

that ‘‘recovered’’ status is still 

appropriate and factors that led to the 

listing of Eggert’s sunflower, or any new 

factors, remain sufficiently reduced or 

eliminated, monitoring may be reduced 

or terminated. If data show that the 

species is declining or if one or more 

factors that have the potential to cause 

a decline are identified, we will 

continue monitoring beyond the 5-year 

period and may modify the Monitoring 

Plan based on an evaluation of the 

results of the initial Monitoring Plan, or 

reinitiate listing if necessary. 

Author 

The primary author of this proposed 

rule is Geoff Call (see ADDRESSES

section). 

Authority 

The authority for this action is the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973 (16 

U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). 

Dated: December 19, 2006. 

Cynthia K. Dohner, 

Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region. 

[FR Doc. E7–4367 Filed 3–9–07; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

Buck Island, Green Cay, and Sandy 

Point National Wildlife Refuges in the 

U.S. Virgin Islands 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare a 

comprehensive conservation plan and 

environmental assessment; request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife 

Service, intend to gather information 

necessary to prepare a comprehensive 

conservation plan and associated 

environmental documents for Buck 

Island, Green Cay, and Sandy Point 


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