33944 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 119 / Monday, June 22, 1998 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of a Draft Revised

Recovery Plan for Higgins’ Eye Pearly

Mussel, Lampsilis higginsi, 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 availability

for public review of a technical/agency

draft revised recovery plan for the

endangered Higgins’ eye pearly mussel,

Lampsilis higginsi. This freshwater

mussel is known to presently occur in

the Mississippi River from Minneapolis/

St. Paul, Minnesota, to approximately

the Iowa-Missouri border, near Keokuk,

Iowa, with populations also occurring in

the Wisconsin River, downstream of

Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin; St. Croix

River downstream of Taylors Falls,

Minnesota-St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin;

and Rock River below Steel Dam, at

Milan, Illinois, all tributaries to the

Mississippi River. The Service solicits

review and comments from the public

on this draft plan.

DATES: Comments on the draft recovery

plan must be received on or before

August 21, 1998 to receive

consideration by the Service.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review

the draft recovery plan may obtain a

copy by contacting the Field Supervisor,

Twin Cities Field Office, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, 4101 East 80th Street,

Bloomington, Minnesota 55125–1665

(telephone 612/725–3548). Written

comments and materials regarding the

plan should be addressed to the Field

Supervisor at the above address.

Comments and materials received will

be available, by appointment, for public

inspection during normal business

hours, at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Gerry Bade, Rock Island Field

Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

4469 48th Avenue Court, Rock Island,

Illinois 61201 (telephone 309/793–5800,

ext. 520), or contact Mr. Chuck Kjos,

Twin Cities Field Office, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, 4101 East 80th Street,

Bloomington, Minnesota 55425–1665

(telephone 612/725–3548, ext. 206).

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 Service’s

endangered species program. To help

guide the recovery effort, the Service is

working to prepare recovery plans for

most of the federally threatened and

endangered species native to the United

States. Recovery plans describe actions

considered necessary for conservation of

the species, establish criteria for the

recovery levels for upgrading and

recovering 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 public notice and

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 document under review revises

the original Higgins’ eye pearly mussel

recovery plan, which was approved by

the Service in 1983. Since 1983,

additional information on the

abundance, distribution, biology, and

threats to the species has been

developed—for example, the species is

known today to be somewhat more

widespread than was known in 1983

and zebra mussel (Dreissena

polymorpha), believed today to be a

serious threat to Higgins’ eye pearly

mussel, did not invade U.S. waters until

the late 1980s. Endangered species

recovery planning today incorporates

population concepts and genetic

considerations to a greater and more

developed degree than it did in 1983

and statistical methods for analysis of

mussel populations have advanced

significantly since that date. Much

recovery work recommended in the

1983 recovery plan remains valid and

needs to continue, but the recovery plan

needs revision to reflect current

knowledge and information of the

species’ present abundance,

distribution, and welfare, as well as

actions currently needed for its

recovery. The draft revised recovery

plan updates information on Higgins’

eye pearly mussel abundance,

distribution, threats, recommended

recovery actions, and recommended

criteria for reclassification to threatened

status and delisting.

Higgins’ eye pearly mussel is known

to presently occur in the Mississippi

River from Minneapolis/St. Paul,

Minnesota, to approximately the IowaMissouri border, near Keokuk, Iowa,

with populations also occurring in the

St. Croix River downstream of Taylors

Falls, Minnesota-St. Croix Falls,

Wisconsin; Wisconsin River

downstream of Prairie de Sac,

Wisconsin; and Rock River below Steel

Dam, at Milan, Illinois, all tributaries to

the Mississippi River. Water quality,

navigation, past and present habitat

alteration, zebra mussels, incidental loss

via legal and illegal harvest of

commercial mussel species, natural

predation, and loss of genetic variability

are addressed in the recovery plan.

Recovery efforts will concentrate on

protecting the habitat of areas known to

support viable Higgins’ eye pearly

mussel populations and on addressing

individually the above identified

threats.

Public Comments Solicited

The Service solicits written comments

on the recovery plan described. All

comments received by the date specified

will be considered prior to approval of

the plan. Comments should be sent to

the Field Supervisor, Twin Cities Field

Office, at the above address.

Authority

The authority for this action is

Section 4(f) of the Endangered Species

Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).

Dated: June 15, 1998.

John A. Blankenship,

Assistant Regional Director, IL, IN, MO

(Ecological Services), Region 3, Fort Snelling,

Minnesota.

[FR Doc. 98–16469 Filed 6–19–98; 8:45 am]

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