9592 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 27 / Thursday, February 8, 2001 / Notices

male bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus

dorcas) culled from a captive herd

maintained under the management

program of the Republic of South Africa,

for the purpose of enhancement of the

survival of the species.

Marine Mammals

The public is invited to comment on

the following application(s) for a permit

to conduct certain activities with marine

mammals. The application(s) was

submitted to satisfy requirements of the

Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972,

as amended (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) and

the regulations governing marine

mammals (50 CFR 18).

Written data, comments, or requests

for copies of these complete

applications or requests for a public

hearing on these applications should be

sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, Division of Management

Authority, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room

700, Arlington, Virginia 22203,

telephone 703/358–2104 or fax 703/

358–2281. These requests must be

received within 30 days of the date of

publication of this notice. Anyone

requesting a hearing should give

specific reasons why a hearing would be

appropriate. The holding of such a

hearing is at the discretion of the

Director.

PRT–037832

Applicant: Joseph Mirro, Bath, PA.

The applicant requests a permit to

import a polar bear (Ursus maritimus)

sport hunted from the Western Hudson

Bay polar bear population in Canada for

personal use.

PRT–038236

Applicant: Kelvin Gold, Phoenix, AZ.

The applicant requests a permit to

import a polar bear (Ursus maritimus)

sport hunted prior to May 31, 2000,

from the McClintock Channel polar bear

population in Canada for personal use.

PRT–038284

Applicant: Frank Crooker, Sr.

Harpswell, ME.

The applicant requests a permit to

import a polar bear (Ursus maritimus)

sport hunted from the Lancaster Sound

polar bear population in Canada for

personal use.

PRT–038291

Applicant: Frank Crooker, Jr., West

Bath, ME.

The applicant requests a permit to

import a polar bear (Ursus maritimus)

sport hunted from the Lancaster Sound

polar bear population in Canada for

personal use.

PRT–027135

Applicant: Donald R. Card, Grand

Ledge, MI.

The applicant requests a permit to

import a polar bear (Ursus maritimus)

sport hunted from the Northern Beaufort

Sea polar bear population in Canada for

personal use. On January 23, 2001, the

request was mistakenly published under

the Endangered Species section of the

notice. Written data, comments, or

requests will be accepted until February

22, 2001, as indicated in the January 23,

2001, notice.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife has

information collection approval from

OMB through February 28, 2001. OMB

Control Number 1018–0093. Federal

Agencies may not conduct or sponsor

and a person is not required to respond

to a collection of information unless it

displays a current valid OMB control

number.

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 to the

following office within 30 days of the

date of publication of this notice: U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of

Management Authority, 4401 North

Fairfax Drive, Room 700, Arlington,

Virginia 22203. Phone: (703/358–2104);

Fax: (703/358–2281).

Lisa J. Lierheimer,

Branch of Permits, Division of Management

Authority.

[FR Doc. 01–3250 Filed 2–7–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of a Draft

Recovery Plan for the Quino

Checkerspot Butterfly for Review and

Comment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service (Service) announce the

availability for public review of a draft

recovery plan for the Quino checkerspot

butterfly (Euphydryas editha quino).

The Quino checkerspot butterfly

represents a subspecies that is currently

restricted primarily to clay and granitic

soils at lower elevation slopes typically

below 1400 meters (4600 feet) in open

scrub, chaparral, and woodland

communities. The populations

addressed in this recovery plan are

found in western Riverside County and

southern San Diego County proximal to

the Mexico international border. The

Service solicits review and comment

from local, State, and Federal agencies,

and the public on this draft recovery

plan.

DATES: Comments on the draft recovery

plan must be received on or before

March 26, 2001 to receive consideration

by the Service.

ADDRESSES: The draft recovery plan is

available for public inspection by

appointment during normal business

hours at the Service’s Carlsbad Fish and

Wildlife Office, 2730 Loker Avenue

West, Carlsbad, California, 92008.

Persons wishing to review the draft

recovery plan may obtain a copy by

contacting the Field Supervisor

(attention Jim Bartel) at the above

address or by calling (760) 431–9440.

Comments and materials should be

submitted to the above address and are

available on request for public

inspection by appointment at the

Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Alison Anderson at the Service’s

Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office, 2730

Loker Avenue West, Carlsbad,

California, 92008. 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 Service’s

Endangered Species Program. Recovery

plans describe actions considered

necessary for conservation of the

species, establish criteria for the

recovery levels for downlisting and

delisting species, and estimate time and

cost for implementing the recovery

measures needed.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973,

as amended (Act) (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 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 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.

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 27 / Thursday, February 8, 2001 / Notices 9593

Individual responses to comments will

not be provided

The Quino checkerspot is found in

association with topographically diverse

landscapes that contain low to moderate

levels of non-native vegetation.

Vegetation types that support the Quino

checkerspot are coastal sage scrub, open

chaparral, juniper woodland, forblands,

and native grassland. Soil and climatic

conditions, as well as ecological and

physical factors, affect the suitability of

habitat within the species’ range. Urban

and agricultural development, invasion

of non-native species, habitat

fragmentation and degradation,

increased fire frequency, and other

human-caused disturbances have

resulted in substantial losses of habitat

throughout the species’ historic range.

Conservation needs include protection

and management of suitable and

restorable habitat; habitat restoration

and enhancement; and establishment of

Quino checkerspot captive breeding

program. This plan identifies six

Recovery Units. Recovery Units are

geographically bounded areas

containing extant Quino checkerspot

populations that are the focus of

recovery actions or tasks. Recovery

Units include lands both essential and

not essential to the long-term

conservation of the Quino checkerspot.

The overall objective of this recovery

plan is to reclassify the Quino

checkerspot to threatened and ensure

the species’ long-term conservation.

Interim goals include (1) protect habitat

supporting known current population

distributions (habitat complexes), and

(2) stabilize populations within known

population distributions (described

habitat complexes), and (3) conduct

research necessary to refine recovery

criteria. Reclassification is appropriate

when a taxon is no longer in danger

throughout a significant portion of its

range.

Downlisting of the Quino checkerspot

butterfly in southern California is

contingent upon the following criteria:

(1) Permanently protect habitat patches

supporting known extant population

distributions (habitat complexes) and

possible landscape connectivity areas

among them, (2) Permanently provide

for and implement management of

described habitat complexes to restore

habitat quality, including maintenance

of hostplant populations, maintenance

of diverse nectar sources and

pollinators, control of non-native plant

invasion, and maintenance of internal

landscape connectivity, (3) Establish

and maintain a captive propagation

program for purposes of re-introduction

and augmentation of wild populations,

maintenance of refugia populations, and

research, (4) Initiate and implement a

cooperative educational outreach

program targeting areas where Quino

checkerspot populations are most

threatened, (5) Two additional

populations or metapopulations must be

documented or introduced in the

remaining undeveloped coastal areas of

the Quino checkerspot’s historic range,

(6) The managed, protected population

or metapopulation segments within

currently described habitat complexes

must demonstrate stability (constancy or

resilience) without augmentation, and

(7) conduct research needed to refine

management strategies and to develop

delisting criteria.

The draft plan was developed with

primary contributions from a recovery

team of scientists from the University of

California at Riverside, the University of

California at Los Angeles, RECON Inc.

(San Diego), the University of Nevada at

Reno, and the University of Texas

(Austin) with expertise in different

aspects of Euphydryas editha biology.

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 this plan.

Authority: The authority for this action is

section 4(f) of the Endangered Species Act,

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

Dated: January 11, 2001.

Michael J. Spear,

Manager, California/Nevada Operations

Office, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service.

[FR Doc. 01–3370 Filed 2–6–01; 1:16 pm]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Meeting of the Alaska Migratory Bird

Co-management Council

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of meeting.

SUMMARY: The Alaska Migratory Bird

Co-management Council has scheduled

a public meeting to develop

recommendations for regulations for the

spring/summer migratory bird

subsistence harvest for the period March

10 to September 1, 2002. In addition to

developing recommended regulations,

the Co-management Council will

finalize by-laws which will guide future

deliberations of the Council.

DATES: The Co-management Council

will meet February 26–28, 2001.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be

conducted at the Hawthorn Suites Hotel

at 1110 W. 8th Avenue in Anchorage,

Alaska.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For

additional information call Mimi Hogan

at 907/786–3673 or Bob Stevens at 907/

786–3499. Individuals with a disability

who may need special accommodations

in order to participate in the public

comment portion of the meeting should

call one of the above numbers.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service formed the

Alaska Migratory Bird Co-Management

Council, which includes Native, state,

and federal representatives as equals, by

means of a Notice of Decision published

in the Federal Register, 65 FR 16405–

16409, March 28, 2000. Amended

migratory bird treaties with Canada and

Mexico required the formation of such

a management body. The Comanagement Council will make

recommendations for, among other

things, regulations for spring/summer

harvesting of migratory birds in Alaska.

In addition to creation of the Comanagement Council, the Notice of

Decision identified seven geographic

regions. Each region will submit to the

Co-management Council requests for

specific regulations for its area. The Comanagement Council will then develop

recommendations for statewide

regulations and submit them to the Fish

and Wildlife Service for approval.

The meeting of the Co-management

Council will begin on Monday, February

26 at 1:00 p.m. Sessions on February 27

and 28 will begin at 8:00 a.m. The

public is invited to attend. The Comanagement Council will provide

opportunities for public comment on

agenda items. Agendas will be available

at the door.

Dated: January 19, 2001.

David B. Allen,

Regional Director, Anchorage, Alaska.

[FR Doc. 01–2588 Filed 2–7–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

RIN 1018–AG47

Policy on Maintaining the Biological

Integrity, Diversity, and Environmental

Health of the National Wildlife Refuge

System: Delay of Effective Date

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Final policy; delay of effective

date.