28884 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 102 / Friday, May 28, 2021 / Notices 

held to carry out this Plan. Additionally, 

each Sub-Committee Chairperson shall 

provide for publication in the Federal 

Register of a notice of the time, place, 

and nature of each meeting. If a meeting 

is open, a Federal Register notice will 

be published reasonably in advance of 

the meeting. A Sub-Committee 

Chairman may restrict attendance at 

meetings only on the grounds outlined 

by 44 CFR 332.5(c)(1)–(3). If a meeting 

is closed, a Federal Register notice will 

be published within ten (10) days of the 

meeting and will include the reasons 

why the meeting is closed pursuant to 

44 CFR 332.3(c)(2). 

The Sub-Committee Chairperson shall 

establish the agenda for each meeting, 

be responsible for adherence to the 

agenda, and provide for a written 

summary or other record of each 

meeting and provide copies of 

transcripts or other records to FEMA, 

the Attorney General, the Chair of the 

FTC, and all Sub-Committee 

Participants. The Chairperson shall take 

necessary actions to protect from public 

disclosure any data discussed with or 

obtained from Sub-Committee 

Participants which a Sub-Committee 

Participant has identified as a trade 

secret or as privileged and confidential 

in accordance with DPA sections 

708(h)(3) and 705(d), or which qualifies 

for withholding under 44 CFR 332.5. 

XXXI. Application and Agreement 

The Sub-Committee Participant 

identified below hereby agrees to join in 

the Federal Emergency Management 

Agency sponsored Plan of Action to 

Establish a National Strategy for the 

Manufacture, Allocation, and 

Distribution of Medical Gases to 

Respond to COVID–19 under the 

Voluntary Agreement for the 

Manufacture and Distribution of 

Healthcare Resources Necessary to 

Respond to a Pandemic and to become 

a Participant in one or more SubCommittees established by this Plan. 

This Plan will be published in the 

Federal Register. This Plan is 

authorized under section 708 of the 

Defense Production Act of 1950, as 

amended. Regulations governing the 

Voluntary Agreement for the 

Manufacture and Distribution for the 

Manufacture and Distribution of 

Healthcare Resources Necessary to 

Respond to a Pandemic and all 

subsequent Plans of Action at 44 CFR 

part 332. The applicant, as a SubCommittee Participant, agrees to comply 

with the provisions of section 708 of the 

Defense Production Act of 1950, as 

amended, the regulations at 44 CFR part 

332, and the terms of this Plan. 

XXXII. Assignment 

No Sub-Committee Participant may 

assign or transfer this Plan, in whole or 

in part, or any protections, rights or 

obligations hereunder without the prior 

written consent of the Sub-Committee 

Chairperson. When requested, the SubCommittee Chairperson will respond to 

written requests for consent within 10 

(ten) business days of receipt. 

lllllllllllllllllllll

(Company name) 

lllllllllllllllllllll

(Name of authorized representative) 

lllllllllllllllllllll

(Signature of authorized representative) 

lllllllllllllllllllll

(Date) 

lllllllllllllllllllll

Administrator (Sponsor) 

lllllllllllllllllllll

(Date) 

Deanne Criswell, 

Administrator, Federal Emergency 

Management Agency. 

[FR Doc. 2021–11278 Filed 5–27–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9111–19–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[Docket No. FWS–R2–ES–2020–0119; 

FXES11130200000–212–FF02ENEH00] 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 

and Plants; Draft Revised Recovery 

Plan for Houston Toad 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for comment. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, announce the 

availability of our draft revised recovery 

plan for the Houston toad, listed as 

endangered under the Endangered 

Species Act. The Houston toad is a 

semi-aquatic species endemic to pine 

and oak forests within Austin, Bastrop, 

Burleson, Colorado, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, 

Milam, and Robinson Counties, Texas. 

We provide this notice to seek 

comments from the public and Federal, 

Tribal, State, and local governments. 

DATES: We must receive written 

comments on or before July 27, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: 

Reviewing documents: You may 

obtain a copy of the draft revised 

recovery plan in Docket No. FWS–R2– 

ES–2020–0119 at http://

www.regulations.gov. 

Submitting Comments: You may 

submit comments by one of the 

following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments 

on Docket No. FWS–R2–ES–2020–0119. 

• U.S. mail: Public Comments 

Processing; Attn: Docket No. FWS–R2– 

ES–2020–0119; U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service Headquarters, MS: PRB/3W; 

5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 

22041–3803. 

For additional information about 

submitting comments, see Request for 

Public Comments and Public 

Availability of Comments under 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Adam Zerrenner, Field Supervisor, 

Austin Ecological Services Field Office, 

by phone at 512–490–0057, by email at 

adam_zerrenner@fws.gov, or via the 

Federal Relay Service at 800–877–8339 

for TTY service. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), 

announce the availability of our draft 

revised recovery plan for the Houston 

toad (Anaxyrus houstonensis; formerly 

Bufo houstonensis), listed as 

endangered under the Endangered 

Species Act of 1973, as amended (ESA; 

16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Houston toads 

are endemic to aquatic and terrestrial 

habitats within pine and oak forests in 

Austin, Bastrop, Burleson, Colorado, 

Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Milam, and Robinson 

Counties, Texas. The draft revised 

recovery plan includes site-specific 

management actions and objective, 

measurable criteria that, when met, will 

enable us to remove the Houston toad 

from the list of endangered and 

threatened wildlife. We request review 

and comment on this plan from local, 

State, and Federal agencies; Tribes; and 

the public. We will also accept any new 

information on the status of the Houston 

toad throughout its range to assist in 

finalizing the recovery plan. 

Background 

Recovery of 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 our endangered species 

program and the ESA. Recovery means 

improvement of the status of listed 

species to the point at which listing is 

no longer appropriate under the criteria 

set out in section 4(a)(1) of the ESA. The 

ESA requires the development of 

recovery plans for listed species, unless 

such a plan would not promote the 

conservation of a particular species. 

The Service approved the original 

recovery plan for the Houston toad on 

September 17, 1984 (Service 1984). This 

draft recovery plan represents the first 

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 102 / Friday, May 28, 2021 / Notices 28885 

revision of the 1984 plan and considers 

updated information on Houston toad 

biology, population status, and threats. 

The revised recovery plan focuses 

primarily on a strategy for recovery of 

the Houston toad, objective, measurable 

recovery criteria, a list of prioritized 

recovery actions, and the estimated time 

and cost to recovery. 

Summary of Species Information 

Historically, the Houston toad was 

documented to occur in the following 

12 Texas counties: Austin, Bastrop, 

Burleson, Colorado, Fort Bend, Harris, 

Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Liberty, Milam, and 

Robertson. In recent decades, the 

Houston toad has experienced rapid 

habitat loss and population declines due 

to urbanization and drought, and the 

species’ distribution has become widely 

scattered, with small and disconnected 

occurrences documented throughout 

portions of Austin, Bastrop, Burleson, 

Colorado, Lavaca, Lee, Leon, Milam, 

and Robertson Counties. On October 13, 

1970, we listed the Houston toad (then 

under the scientific name Bufo 

houstonensis) as an endangered species 

under the Federal Endangered Species 

Preservation Act of 1966 (35 FR 16047), 

and the Houston toad’s endangered 

status was continued under the ESA of 

1973. On January 31, 1978, the Service 

designated critical habitat for the 

Houston toad in portions of Bastrop and 

Burleson Counties, Texas (43 FR 4022). 

We currently recognize this species as 

Anaxyrus houstonensis based on the 

most recent taxonomic evaluation. 

The Houston toad is a small to 

medium-sized (5 to 8 centimeters [2 to 

3 inches] in length) amphibian covered 

with raised patches of skin that 

resemble warts. The Houston toad is 

generally brown and speckled, with a 

pale underside that has small, dark 

spots. The toad’s legs are banded, and 

two dark bands extend from each eye 

down to the mouth. A white stripe that 

can vary in pigmentation density 

extends down the middle of the back, 

but it can also be absent in some 

individuals. Houston toads are 

ectotherms (dependent on external 

sources of body heat), and their skin is 

highly vulnerable to desiccation. They 

become dormant during harsh weather 

conditions, such as winter cold 

(hibernation) and summer heat and 

drought (estivation). The Houston toad 

is an explosive breeder, aggregating in 

large numbers at breeding ponds over a 

period of a few nights throughout the 

breeding season in late January through 

June. Females produce large numbers 

(hundreds or thousands) of eggs, which 

hatch into tadpoles and then 

metamorphose into juvenile toadlets 

approximately 60 to 65 days after egg 

deposition. 

Habitat for the Houston toad is 

generally defined as rolling uplands 

covered with pine and/or oak forests 

underlain by deep sandy soils. Houston 

toads spend most of their lives in 

terrestrial habitats feeding, sheltering, 

and dispersing. Important components 

of terrestrial Houston toad habitat 

include forested patches with abundant 

canopy cover and herbaceous vegetation 

on the forest floor. Because the toad is 

semi-aquatic, water is also an essential 

component of the Houston toad’s 

habitat, and they are known to breed in 

small pools of water or ephemeral 

ponds. Houston toad populations 

exhibit a metapopulation structure (an 

assemblage of local subpopulations that 

are interconnected through gene flow, 

local extirpations, and recolonizations), 

and networks of ponds and individuals 

dispersing among these ponds are 

essential to maintaining Houston toad 

viability. 

Habitat loss in the form of 

destruction, modification, and 

fragmentation (Factor A) has long been 

considered the most significant and 

immediate threat facing the Houston 

toad. Within the Houston toad’s range, 

such habitat loss has been the result of 

the conversion to housing, agricultural 

pastures, or other unsuitable 

landscapes. Fire suppression, wildfire, 

and livestock grazing have altered and 

degraded Houston toad habitat so that 

its ecosystem function has been 

adversely affected. Habitat 

fragmentation has also diminished 

habitat sizes and connectivity, resulting 

in a reduction in or elimination of the 

genetic exchange of individuals, edge 

effects, barriers to movement, and 

isolation, with subsequent changes in 

demographic parameters such as 

decreased survivorship and loss of 

genetic diversity. To a lesser extent, 

predation (Factor C), small population 

size (Factor E), and the effects of climate 

change (Factor E) are also significant 

threats to Houston toad viability. 

Known predators of the Houston toad 

include water snakes (Nerodia sp.), 

bullfrogs (Rana catesbeiana), raccoons 

(Procyon lotor), and other carnivores; 

however, red imported fire ants 

(Solenopsis invicta) are believed to be 

the most detrimental to Houston toad 

viability, because they are known to 

prey on newly metamorphosed toadlets 

and compete with juvenile and adult 

Houston toads for their invertebrate 

food base. Stochastic events from either 

environmental factors or demographic 

factors are also heightened threats to the 

Houston toad because of its limited 

range and small population sizes. Small 

populations that are largely isolated 

from one another provide little, if any, 

opportunity for natural recolonization 

in the event of a local extirpation event. 

Historically, the species persisted in the 

face of extremely intense drought such 

as occurred in the 1950s; however, 

resilience to drought has likely 

decreased as a consequence of small and 

isolated populations. Within Texas, 

change models project up to 20 percent 

less precipitation, and most regions in 

Texas are predicted to become drier as 

temperatures increase. 

Recovery Plan Goals 

The objective of a recovery plan is to 

provide a framework for the recovery of 

a species so that protection under the 

ESA is no longer necessary. A recovery 

plan includes scientific information 

about the species and provides criteria 

and actions necessary for us to be able 

to reclassify the species to threatened 

status or remove it from the lists of 

endangered and threatened wildlife and 

plants. Recovery plans help guide our 

recovery efforts by describing actions 

we consider necessary for the species’ 

conservation, and by estimating time 

and costs for implementing needed 

recovery measures. 

Our recovery strategy for the Houston 

toad is to address the threats to the 

species and reduce them to a point such 

that the viability of the Houston toad 

can be maintained in the wild over time. 

We use the conservation principles of 

redundancy (i.e., the ability of a species 

to withstand catastrophic events; 

spreading risk among multiple 

populations to minimize the potential 

loss of the species from catastrophic 

events), representation (i.e., the ability 

of a species to adapt to changing 

environmental conditions over time, via 

the range of genetic and ecological 

variation found within the species), and 

resiliency (i.e., the ability of a 

population to withstand environmental 

and demographic stochasticity and 

disturbance) to better inform our view of 

what contributes to the Houston toad’s 

viability and how best to conserve the 

species. The primary objectives of the 

recovery effort for the Houston toad 

involve acquiring, protecting, 

enhancing, restoring, and managing 

habitat within multiple recovery units, 

and implementing population 

restoration efforts such that multiple, 

resilient metapopulations with the 

appropriate genetic and ecological 

diversity are distributed throughout the 

species’ range. We have identified six 

recovery units across the Houston toad’s 

current range that are essential to the 

survival and recovery of the species. 

These recovery units encompass 

28886 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 102 / Friday, May 28, 2021 / Notices 

portions of all six Texas counties where 

the Houston toad is extant, and 

represent the areas most likely to 

encapsulate at least one 

metapopulation. The revised recovery 

plan provides recovery criteria aimed at 

managing or eliminating threats to meet 

the goal of delisting the species. These 

recovery criteria are based on the 

conservation of undisturbed forested 

areas that are protected from future 

development, and the establishment of 

multiple Houston toad metapopulations 

composed of interconnected 

subpopulations. The site-specific 

management actions needed to address 

threats to Houston toad viability and 

achieve the recovery criteria involve: (1) 

Conserving, restoring, and protecting 

habitat; (2) captive propagation and 

supplementation; (3) establishing a 

monitoring program; (4) conducting 

research; (5) expanding monitoring into 

new areas; (6) conducting public 

education and outreach; (7) identifying 

effective habitat management strategies; 

and (8) effectively planning and 

coordinating recovery implementation. 

Request for Public Comments 

Section 4(f) of the ESA requires us to 

provide public notice and an 

opportunity for public review and 

comment during recovery plan 

development. It is also our policy to 

request peer review of recovery plans 

(July 1, 1994; 59 FR 34270). In an 

appendix to the approved recovery plan, 

we will summarize and respond to the 

issues raised by the public and peer 

reviewers. Substantive comments may 

or may not result in changes to the 

recovery plan; comments regarding 

recovery plan implementation will be 

forwarded as appropriate to Federal or 

other entities so that they can be taken 

into account during the course of 

implementing recovery actions. 

Responses to individual commenters 

will not be provided, but we will 

provide a summary of how we 

addressed substantive comments in an 

appendix to the approved recovery plan. 

We invite written comments on the 

draft recovery plan. In particular, we are 

interested in additional information 

regarding the current threats to the 

species and the implementation of the 

recommended recovery actions. 

Public Availability of Comments 

All comments received, including 

names and addresses, will become part 

of the administrative record and will be 

available to the public. Before including 

your address, phone number, email 

address, or other personal identifying 

information in your comment, you 

should be aware that your entire 

comment—including your personal 

identifying information—may be made 

publicly available. If you submit a 

hardcopy comment that includes 

personal identifying information, you 

may request at the top of your document 

that we withhold this information from 

public review. However, we cannot 

guarantee that we will be able to do so. 

Authority 

We developed our draft recovery plan 

and publish this notice under the 

authority of section 4(f) of the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). 

Amy L. Lueders, 

Regional Director, Southwest Region, U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–11382 Filed 5–27–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Land Management 

[LLHQ260000.L10600000.PC0000.

LXSIADVSBD00.21X] 

Virtual Wild Horse and Burro Advisory 

Board Meeting 

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of public meeting. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Federal Land Policy and Management 

Act of 1976 and the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act of 1972, the U.S. 

Department of the Interior, Bureau of 

Land Management (BLM) Wild Horse 

and Burro Advisory Board (Advisory 

Board) will hold a virtual public 

meeting. 

DATES: The Advisory Board will hold a 

virtual public meeting on Wednesday 

and Thursday, June 30 through July 1, 

2021, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

Mountain Time (MT). 

ADDRESSES: The virtual meeting will be 

held via the Zoom Webinar Platform. 

Written comments pertaining to the 

meeting and written statements that will 

be presented to the Advisory Board may 

be filed in advance of the meeting 

through the Advisory Board email 

address at www.whbadvisoryboard@

blm.gov. Please include ‘‘Advisory 

Board Comment’’ in the subject line of 

the email. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Dorothea Boothe, Wild Horse and Burro 

Program Coordinator: telephone: (602) 

906–5543, email: dboothe@blm.gov. 

Individuals that use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Relay 

Service (FRS) at (800) 877–8339 to 

contact Ms. Boothe during normal 

business hours. The FRS is available 24 

hours a day, 7 days a week. All 

responses will be during normal 

business hours. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Advisory Board advises the Secretary of 

the Interior, the BLM Director, the 

Secretary of Agriculture, and the Chief 

of the U.S. Forest Service on matters 

pertaining to the management and 

protection of wild, free-roaming horses 

and burros on the nation’s public lands. 

The Advisory Board operates under the 

authority of 43 CFR 1784. 

Advisory Board Public Meeting Agenda 

Wednesday, June 30, 2021 

Session 1—8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. 

Mountain Time (MT) 

• Welcome Remarks and Housekeeping 

• Approval of September 2020 Meeting 

Minutes 

• BLM and USFS Responses to Board 

Recommendations from September 

2020 Board Meeting 

Break—9:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. MT 

Session 2—9:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. MT 

• U.S. Forest Service Program Overview 

• BLM Wild Horse and Burro Program 

Overview 

• BLM Comprehensive Animal Welfare 

Program Update 

• BLM Outyear Gather Planning Update 

• BLM Research Projects Update 

• BLM Population Surveys Update 

Advisory Board Discussion 

Break—12:00 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. MT 

Session 3—12:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. MT 

• Public Comment Period (1) 

Break—2:45 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. MT 

Session 4—3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. MT 

• Comprehensive Ecosystem Approach 

to Management Work Group 

Discussion 

Adjournment 

Thursday, July 1, 2021 

Session 5—8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. MT 

• Humane Handling Work Group 

Discussion 

Break—10:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. MT 

Session 6—10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. MT 

• Public Comment Period (2) 

Session 7—11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. MT 

• BLM Internal Organizational 

Structure Work Group Discussion 

Advisory Board Discussion and Draft 

Recommendations 

Break—1:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. MT 

Session 8—1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. MT 

• Public Comment Period (3)