24324 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 94 / Tuesday, May 14, 1996 / Notices

the southwestern willow flycatcher

(Empidonax traillii extimus) in Los

Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San

Bernardino, and San Diego Counties,

California to conduct presence or

absence surveys and population

management activities for the purpose

of enhancing its survival.

Permit No. 769931

Applicant: James M. Greaves, Santa

Barbara, California.

The applicant requests an amendment

of their permit to include taking (harass

by survey, locate and monitor nests, and

capture, band, and release) the

southwestern willow flycatcher

(Empidonax traillii extimus), California

least tern (Sterna antillarum browni),

and western snowy plover (Charadrius

alexandrinus nivosus) in San Luis

Obispio, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los

Angeles, Riverside, Kern, Orange, San

Diego, Monterey, and San Benito

Counties, California for presence or

absence surveys and population

monitoring activities for the purpose of

enhancing their survival.

Permit No. 793646

Applicant: Clifford M. Anderson,

Bow, Washington.

The applicant requests an amendment

of their permit to take (harass by survey,

capture, band, and release) the peregrine

falcon (Falco peregrinus) to include

King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties,

Washington while conducting

population monitoring activities for the

purpose of enhancing its survival.

Permit No. 799558

Applicant: Idaho Power Company,

Boise, Idaho.

The applicant requests an amendment

of their permit to take (collect, release,

sacrifice voucher specimens) the Snake

River physa snail (Physa natricina),

Idaho springsnail (Fonteliecella

idahoensis), Utah valvata snail (Valvata

utahensis), and Banbury Springs Limpet

(Lanx n. sp.) in the Snake River, Idaho,

and its tributaries to extend the area of

activities to (and including) river mile

525 (Clover Creek) while conducting

presence or absence surveys and various

life history and ecological studies for

the purpose of enhancing their survival.

Permit No. 787644

Applicant: William J. Vanherweg,

Bakersfield, California.

The applicant requests an amendment

of their permit to include taking

(capture and release) the Stephens’

kangaroo rat (Dipodomys stephensi) and

Pacific pocket mouse (Perognathus

longimembris pacificus) throughout the

species’ range in California to conduct

presence or absence surveys for the

purpose of enhancing their survival.

Permit No. 813431

Applicant: Peter Famolaro, Spring

Valley, California.

The applicant requests a permit to

take (locate and monitor nests) the least

Bell’s vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus) and to

take (harass by survey) the southwestern

willow flycatcher (Empidonax traillii

extimus) throughout the species’ range

in California to conduct presence or

absence surveys and population

monitoring for the purpose of enhancing

their survival.

Permit No. 811081

Applicant: Bureau of Land

Management, Las Vegas, Nevada.

The applicant requests a permit to

take (euthanize) desert tortoises

(gopherus agassizii) that test positive for

the Upper Respiratory Tract Disease (for

the purpose of enhancing the survival of

the species. These tortoises were

previously captured, removed from the

wild, and placed at the Desert Tortoise

Conservation Center, Las Vegas, Nevada

pursuant to permit numbers PRT–

747182 and PRT–756360, and biological

opinions 1–5–91–F–112 and 1–5–91–F–

25.

Permit No. 812740

Applicant: Ingri S. Quon, Sand Diego,

California.

The applicant requests a permit to

take (harass by survey, and locate and

monitor nests) the southwestern willow

flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus),

least Bell’s vireo (Vireo bellii pusillus),

and California least tern (Sterna

antillarum browni) in San Diego,

Orange, Riverside, and Imperial

Counties, California to conduct presence

or absence surveys and population

monitoring for the purpose of enhancing

their survival.

DATES: Written comments on the permit

applications must be received by June

13, 1996.

ADDRESS: Written data or comments

should be submitted to the Chief,

Division of Consultation and

Conservation Planning, Ecological

Services, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

911 NE. 11th Avenue, Portland, Oregon

97232–4181. Please refer to the

respective permit number for each

application when submitting comments.

All comments, including names and

addresses, received will become part of

the official administrative record and

may be made available to the public.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Documents and other information

submitted with these applications are

available for review, subject to the

requirements of the Privacy Act and

Freedom of Information Act, by any

party who submits a written request for

a copy of such documents, within 30

days of the date of publication of this

notice, to the following office: U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service, Ecological

Services, Division of Consultation and

Conservation Planning, 911 N.E. 11th

Avenue, Portland, Oregon 97232–4181.

Telephone: 503–231–2063; FAX: 503–

231–6243. Please refer to the respective

permit number for each application

when requesting copies of documents.

Dated: May 7, 1996.

Thomas Dwyer,

Deputy Regional Director, Region 1, Portland,

Oregon.

[FR Doc. 96–11996 Filed 5–13–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–M

Availability of Draft Recovery Plan for

the Maui Plant Cluster 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

Maui Plant Cluster Recovery Plan. This

plan addresses 21 taxa of plants. Twelve

of the taxa are or were endemic to the

Hawaiian island of Maui. The plants

that are not endemic to Maui are or were

also found on the islands of Niihau,

Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai and

Hawaii.

DATES: Comments on the draft recovery

plan must be received on or before July

15, 1996 to receive consideration 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, room 6307,

300 Ala Moana Blvd., P.O. Box 50167,

Honolulu, Hawaii 96850 [telephone

(808) 541–2749); U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, Regional Office, Ecological

Services, 911 N.E. 11th Ave., Eastside

Federal Complex, Portland, Oregon

97232–4181 [telephone (503) 231–6131];

the Wailuku Public Library, 251 High

Street, Wailuku, Maui 96793; the Kauai

Public Library, 4344 Hardy Street,

Lihue, Kauai 96766; and, the KailuaKona Public Library, 75–138 Hualalai

Road, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii 96740.

Requests for copies of the draft recovery

plan and written comments and

materials regarding this plan should be

addressed to Brooks Harper, Field
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 94 / Tuesday, May 14, 1996 / Notices 24325

Supervisor, at the above Honolulu

address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Heather McSharry, Fish and Wildlife

Biologist, at the above Honolulu

address, telephone (808) 541–2749.

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

actions considered necessary for the

conservation of the species, establish

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, 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 will

consider all information presented

during the public comment period prior

to approval of each new or revised

Recovery Plan. Substantive technical

comments will result in changes to the

plans. Substantive comments regarding

recovery plan implementation may not

necessarily result in changes to the

recovery plans, but will be forwarded to

appropriate Federal or other entities so

that they can take these comments into

account during the course of

implementing recovery actions.

Individualized responses to comments

will not be provided.

The 21 taxa being considered in this

recovery plan are: Acaena exigua

(liliwai), Alectryon macrococcus

(mahoe), Argyroxiphium sandwicense

ssp. macrocephalum (Haleakala

silversword, ’ahinahina), Bidens

micrantha ssp. kalealaha (ko’oko’olau),

Clermontia oblongifolia ssp. mauiensis

(’oha wai), Cyanea lobata (haha),

Cyanea mceldowneyi (haha), Geranium

arboreum (nohoanu), Geranium

multiflorum (nohoanu), Hedyotis

coriacea (kio’ele), Huperzia mannii

(wawae’iole), Lipochaeta kamolensis

(nehe), Lysimachia lydgatei (no common

name (NCN)), Melicope adscendens

(alani), Melicope balloui (alani),

Melicope mucronulata (alani), Melicope

ovalis (alani), Remya mauiensis (NCN),

Scaevola coriacea (Dwarf naupaka),

Schiedea haleakalensis (NCN) and

Tetramolopium capillare (NCN).

Twelve of the taxa are or were

endemic to the Hawaiian island of

Maui; the exceptions are or were found

on the Hawaiian islands of Niihau,

Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai and

Hawaii as well as Maui. The 21 plant

taxa and their habitats have been

variously affected or are currently

threatened by one or more of the

following: habitat degradation by feral

and domestic animals (e.g., goats, pigs,

axis deer and cattle); competition for

space, light, water, and nutrients by

introduced vegetation; erosion of

substrate produced by human- or

animal-caused disturbance; recreational

and agricultural activities; habitat loss

from fires; disease; loss of pollinators;

and predation by animals (goats, rats

and mice). Due to the small number of

existing individuals and their very

narrow distributions, these taxa are

subject to an increased likelihood of

extinction and/or reduced reproductive

vigor from stochastic events.

The taxa included in this plan were

historically distributed throughout the

island of Maui, and nine of the taxa also

occur on one or more of the islands of

Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, Lanai

and Hawaii. They grow in a variety of

vegetation communities (grassland,

shrubland, and forests), elevational

zones (coastal to montane), and

moisture regimes (dry to wet). Most of

the taxa included in this plan persist on

steep slopes, precipitous cliffs, valley

headwalls, and other regions where

unsuitable topography has prevented

agricultural development or where

inaccessibility has limited

encroachment by alien animal and plant

taxa.

The objective of this plan is to

provide a framework for the recovery of

these 21 taxa so that their protection by

the Act is no longer necessary.

Immediate actions necessary for the

prevention of extinction of these taxa

include fencing for exclusion of

ungulates, alien plant control,

protection from fire, population and

plant community monitoring and

management, ex situ propagation, and

augmentation of populations, as

appropriate. Long-term activities

necessary for the perpetuation of these

taxa in their natural habitats

additionally include public education,

maintenance of fenced areas, long-term

monitoring and management of

populations and communities, and

reestablishment of populations within

the historic ranges of some taxa. Further

research on current range, growth

requirements, reproduction and

reproductive status, pollinators, life

history, limiting factors, habitat

requirements, and minimum viable

population sizes is needed to facilitate

appropriate management decisions

regarding the long-term perpetuation of

each of these taxa.

Public Comments Solicited

The Service solicits written comments

on the recovery plan described. All

comments received by the date specified

above will be considered prior to

approval of these plans.

Authority: The authority for this action is

section 4(f) of the Endangered Species Act,

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

Dated: May 8, 1996.

Thomas Dwyer,

Acting Regional Director, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, Region 1, Portland, Oregon.

[FR Doc. 96–11992 Filed 5–13–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

Geological Survey

Federal Geographic Data Committee

(FGDC): Application Notice

Establishing the Closing Date for

Transmittal of Applications Under the

FGDC National Spatial Data

Infrastructure (NSDI) Framework

Demonstration Projects Program for

Fiscal Year (FY) 1996

AGENCY: Geological Survey, Interior.

ACTION: Notice inviting applications for

competitive cooperative agreement

awards for fiscal year 1996.

SUMMARY: The purpose of the FGDC

National Spatial Data Infrastructure

(NSDI) Framework Demonstration

Projects Program task is to facilitate and

provide resources for the development

and implementation of the NSDI

framework concept. Under this FY 1996

program announcement, applications

are to be directed towards projects that

test the framework concept. These

projects will demonstrate the sustained

ability, over a geographic area, to supply

data to the greater geospatial data

community from locally available data

sources through the implementation of

the framework process. These projects

will provide practical examples in

implementation, suggest innovative

alternative approaches to accomplish

the goals outlined in the framework

report, and indicate topics for future

research and development. Applicants

are being sought who are establishing

long-term organizational structures, and

cooperative arrangements with other

organizations in sustained efforts to