[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 36 (Thursday, February 22, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11178-11179]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-4365]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Availability of a Final Recovery Plan for Thirteen Plant Taxa 
From the Northern Channel Islands

AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the 
availability of a final recovery plan for 13 plant taxa from the 
northern Channel Islands, California. These taxa include 11 plants 
listed as endangered, Hoffmann's rock-cress (Arabis hoffmannii), Santa 
Rosa Island manzanita (Arctostaphylos confertiflora), island barberry 
(Berberis pinnata ssp. insularis), soft-leaved paintbrush (Castilleja 
mollis), island bedstraw (Galium buxifolium), Hoffmann's slender-
flowered gilia (Gilia tenuiflora ssp. hoffmannii), Santa Cruz Island 
bushmallow (Malacothamnus fasciculatus var. nesioticus), Santa Cruz 
Island malacothrix (Malacothrix indecora), island malacothrix 
(Malacothrix squalida), island phacelia (Phacelia insularis var. 
insularis), and Santa Cruz Island fringepod (Thysanocarpus 
conchuliferus) and two plants listed as threatened, Santa Cruz Island 
dudleya (Dudleya nesiotica) and island rush-rose (Helianthemum 
greenei). These threatened and endangered plants are native to Anacapa, 
San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and Santa Catalina Islands. To 
assure their recovery, they require control of introduced herbivores 
and weeds, habitat restoration, and reintroduction measures.

ADDRESSES: Recovery plans that have been approved by the U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service are available on the World Wide Web at http://www.r1.fws.gov. Recovery Plans may also be obtained from: Fish and 
Wildlife Reference Service, 5430 Grosvenor Lane, Suite 110, Bethesda, 
Maryland 20814, 301/429-6403 or 1-800-582-3421. The fee for the plan 
varies depending on the number of pages of the plan.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tim Thomas, Fish and Wildlife 
Biologist, Barstow Field Sub-Office of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, 222 East Main Street, Suite 202, Barstow CA 92311, (phone 760/
255-8890).

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 U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service's 
endangered species program. To help guide the recovery effort, we are 
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 
downlisting or delisting listed 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

[[Page 11179]]

1988 requires that public notice and an opportunity for public review 
and comment be provided during recovery plan development. Information 
presented during the public comment period has been considered in the 
preparation of the final recovery plan, and is summarized in the 
appendix to the recovery plan. We will forward substantive comments 
regarding recovery plan implementation to appropriate Federal or other 
entities so that they can take these comments into account during the 
course of implementing recovery actions.
    All 13 plant taxa covered in this recovery plan are endemic to the 
northern Channel Islands (Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San 
Miguel), with the exception of a few populations of island rush-rose 
that occur on the more southerly island of Santa Catalina. These plants 
occur in a variety of habitats: coastal terrace, coastal bluff scrub, 
coastal sage scrub, and chaparral. All 13 plant taxa and their habitats 
have been variously affected or are currently threatened by one or more 
of the following: soil loss; historic and continuing habitat alteration 
by mammals alien to the Channel Islands (pigs, goats, sheep, donkeys, 
cattle, deer, elk, horses, bison); direct predation by these same alien 
mammals; habitat alteration by native seabirds; competition with alien 
plant taxa; and increased vulnerability to extinction due to reduced 
genetic viability, depressed reproductive vigor, and the chance of 
extinction from random naturally occurring events because of small 
numbers of individuals and isolated populations.
    The objective of this plan is to conserve the plants so that 
protection by the Act is no longer necessary. Actions necessary to 
accomplish this objective include active control programs for 
introduced animals, implementation of an interagency Conservation 
Strategy, habitat restoration and weed control, surveys, conservation 
research, seed storage in cooperating facilities, and development of 
techniques for germination, propagation, and outplanting.

Authority

    The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered 
Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).

    Dated: February 15, 2001.
Michael J. Spear,
Manager, California/Nevada Operations Office, Region 1, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 01-4365 Filed 2-21-01; 8:45 am]
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