50398 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 186 / Thursday, September 25, 1997 / Notices

Authority

The authority for this action is section

4(f) of the Endangered Species Act, 16

U.S.C. 1533(f).

Dated: September 14, 1997.

William F. Shake,

Acting Regional Director, Region 1, Portland,

Oregon.

[FR Doc. 97–25421 Filed 9–24–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of the Draft

Recovery Plan for the Pacific Pocket

Mouse for Review and Comment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service

(Service) announces the availability of

the draft recovery plan for the

endangered Pacific pocket mouse

(Perognathus longimembris pacificus)

for public review and comment. The

Pacific pocket mouse occurs on 3 small

parcels on private or federal lands in

coastal Orange and San Diego Counties,

California. The Service solicits review

and comments from the public on this

draft plan.

DATES: Comments on the draft recovery

plan received by November 24, 1997

will be considered by the Service.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review

the draft recovery plan may obtain a

copy by contacting the Field Supervisor

at the following address: Carlsbad Field

Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

2730 Loker Avenue West, Carlsbad,

California, 92008. Telephone requests

may be made by calling (760) 431–9440.

Comments and material received will be

available for public inspection, by

appointment, during normal business

hours, at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Loren R. Hays at the above address or

telephone (760) 431–9440.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Restoring an endangered or

threatened animal or plant to the point

where it is again, a secure, selfsustaining member of its ecosystem is a

primary goal of the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service’s endangered species

program. To help guide this effort, the

Service is working to prepare recovery

plans for most of the listed species

native to the United States. Recovery

plans describe actions necessary for

conservation of the species. The plans

additionally establish criteria for

downlisting or delisting the species and

provide estimates of the time and cost

of implementing the necessary recovery

measures.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973,

as amended (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 be

given during plan development to

provide an opportunity for public

review and comment. The Service will

consider all significant information

presented during the public comment

period prior to the approval of each new

or revised recovery plan. The Service

and other federal agencies also will

consider these comments in the course

of implementing approved recovery

plans.

The Pacific pocket mouse has an

extremely limited distribution in coastal

southern California. Less than 150

animals were detected in the 3 known

populations from 1993–1995. Pacific

pocket mice occur on fine-grain, sandy

substrates and inhabit (or inhabited)

coastal strand, coastal dunes, river

alluvium, and coastal sage scrub

habitats growing on marine terraces

within approximately 4 kilometers (2.4

miles) of the ocean. The threats to the

species include habitat destruction and

fragmentation and documented

depredation by cats. The conservation,

protection, and management of existing

populations and occupied and potential

habitat are the primary goals of the

recovery effort.

Public Comments Solicited

The Service solicits written comments

on the recovery plan described. All

significant comments received by the

date specified above will be considered

prior to the approval of the plan.

Authority

The authority for this action is section

4(f) of the Endangered Species Act of

1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1533(f)).

Dated: August 19, 1997.

Thomas J. Dwyer,

Acting Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 97–25422 Filed 9–24–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Availability of Draft Recovery Plan for

the Micronesian megapode

(Megapodius laperouse laperouse) for

Review and Comment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service (Service) announces the

availability for public review of a draft

recovery plan for the Micronesian

megapode (Megapodius laperouse

laperouse). This species is known only

from the Mariana islands and is

currently limited to 10 islands in this

archipelago with a total population of

1,000 to 1,500 individuals.

DATES: Comments on the draft recovery

plan received by December 24, 1997

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 6307, P.O. Box 50167,

Honolulu, Hawaii 96850 (phone: 808/

541–2749); the Northern Marianas

College Library, P.O. Box 1250, Asterlaje

Campus, Saipan, MP 96950 (phone:

670/234–5498, extension 1121/2); and

University of Guam, RFK Memorial

Library, UOG Station, Mangilao, Guam

96923 (phone: 671/734–9412). Requests

for copies of the draft recovery plan and

written comments and materials

regarding the plan should be addressed

to Brooks Harper, Field SupervisorEcological Services of the Pacific Islands

Office at the Honolulu address given

above.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael Lusk, Fish and Wildlife

Biologist, Recovery Branch, at the

Honolulu address given above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Restoring endangered or threatened

animals and plants to the point where

they are again secure, self-sustaining

members of their 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, its

Territories and Commonwealths.

Recovery plans describe actions

considered necessary for conservation of

the species, criteria for recognizing the

recovery levels for downlisting or