Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 186 / Thursday, September 25, 1997 / Notices 50397

This plan provides a framework for

the recovery of Applegate’s milk-vetch

so it can at least be reclassified from

endangered to threatened status, and

might eventually no longer need the

protection by the Endangered Species

Act. This plan summarizes available

information about the species, reviews

the threats to its continued existence,

and lists management actions needed to

remove these threats. Immediate actions

needed to prevent extinction of

Applegate’s milk-vetch includes

conservation of natural populations and

establishment of new populations.

Inventories will be conducted to attempt

to find undiscovered populations and to

find suitable sites to establish new

populations. Habitat management will

be instituted for populations of this

plant, as will monitoring to determine

whether populations are likely to

persist. Long-term activities necessary to

perpetuate this species in its natural

habitats include long-term seed storage

and propagation to mitigate future

population losses and make it possible

to maintain genetic variability in small

populations that are vulnerable to

inbreeding depression and/or allele

fixation. Research to define population

self-sustainability, improve population

establishment and augmentation

techniques, assess the efficacy of habitat

management strategies, and evaluate the

plant’s soil and water requirements are

all needed to help make appropriate

management decisions.

Public Comments Solicited

The Service solicits written comments

on the recovery plan. 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 18, 1997.

Don Weathers,

Acting Regional Director, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, Pacific Region.

[FR Doc. 97–25420 Filed 9–24–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of Draft Recovery

Plan for Nelson’s Checker-Mallow

(Oregon and Washington) for Review

and Comment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability

and public comment period.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service (Service) announces the

availability for public review of a draft

recovery plan for the Nelson’s checkermallow (Sidalcea nelsoniana), listed as

a threatened species on February 12,

1993 (58 FR 8242). The species occurs

primarily as scattered populations in

two distinct ecological regions—the

northern Coast Range and the

Willamette Valley of Oregon. Two

outlying populations are located in the

Puget Trough of Washington.

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 U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, Oregon State Office,

2600 S.E. 98th Ave., Suite 100, Portland,

Oregon 97266–1398. Written comments

and material regarding the plan should

be addressed to the Field Supervisor at

the above address. Comments and

materials received are available for

public inspection, by appointment,

during normal business hours at the

above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Andrew F. Robinson Jr., Fish and

Wildlife Biologist, at the above address

or by phone at 503/231–6179.

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

the site specific management actions

considered necessary for conservation

and survival of the species, establish

objectives and measurable 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,

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, and

other affected Federal agencies, will

take these comments into account in the

course of implementing approved

recovery plans.

Nelson’s checker-mallow (Sidalcea

nelsoniana) is a herbaceous perennial

plant species in the mallow family

(Malvaceae). Like many of the members

of its genus, Nelson’s checker-mallow

produces mature plants that have either

exclusively female flowers or perfect

flowers. Nelson’s checker-mallow is

listed as threatened, with 59 known

extant occurrences containing an

estimated 27,000 individuals. The

species typically occurs in or along the

margins of seasonally moist, early

successional valley bottom habitats of

the Willamette Valley or in mountain

meadows in the Oregon Coast Range.

Populations in the Willamette Valley

are threatened by agriculture and urban

development that has resulted in severe

habitat depletion and modification, and

the fragmentation of its populations into

mostly small, widely-scattered patches.

Successional species, primarily

resulting from suppression or

elimination of natural disturbances such

as periodic flooding and fires, are

eliminating Nelson’s checker-mallow

from much of its remaining habitat. In

addition to land use threats, Willamette

Valley populations are subject to

competitive exclusion by exotic species,

seed predation by weevils prior to seed

dispersal, and increased vulnerability to

extirpation due to small population size

and genetic isolation, and lack of

genetic variation within and among

populations.

Land use threats are serious in the

Oregon Coast Range, where the

meadows occupied by Nelson’s checkermallow are isolated from agricultural

and Urban development. The major land

use threat in the Oregon Coast Range is

inundation by a reservoir planned for

Walker Creek, the site of the largest

known population of the species. The

habitat of several Oregon Coast Range

populations is disturbed by recreational

use of habitat by motorcyclists.

The objective of this plan is to

provide a framework for the recovery of

Nelson’s checker-mallow so that its

protection by the Act is no longer

necessary. The plan will be made final

and approved following incorporation

of comments and material received

during this comment period.

Public Comments Solicited

The Service solicits written comments

on the recovery plan described above.

All comments received by the date

specified above will be considered prior

to approval of this plan.
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