[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 132 (Wednesday, July 10, 2002)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 45696-45697]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-17344]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
50 CFR Part 17
RIN 1018-AH00
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designating
Critical Habitat for Deinandra conjugens (Otay tarplant)
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Proposed rule; reopening of public comment period and notice of
availability of draft economic analysis.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of a draft economic analysis for the proposed designation
of critical habitat for Deinandra conjugens (Otay tarplant). We are
also providing notice of the reopening of the comment period to allow
for all interested parties to submit written comments on the draft
economic analysis, and the proposed designation. Comments previously
received need not be resubmitted as they will be incorporated into the
public record and will be fully considered in the final rule.
DATES: The original public comment period on the critical habitat
proposal closed on August 13, 2001. The comment period is reopened and
we will accept comments until August 9, 2002. Comments must be received
by 5 p.m. on the closing date. Any comments that are received after the
closing date may not be considered in the final decision on this
proposal.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and information should be submitted to
Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Carlsbad Fish and
Wildlife Office, 2730 Loker Avenue West, Carlsbad, CA 92008.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Field Supervisor, Carlsbad Fish and
Wildlife Office, at the above address (telephone 760-431-9440;
facsimile 760-431-5902).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Deinandra conjugens (Otay tarplant) was known as Hemizonia
conjugens when it was listed on October 13, 1998 (63 FR 54938). Since
then, studies analyzing plant and flower morphology and genetic
information prompted Baldwin (1999) to revise the Madiinae (tarplants),
a tribe in the Asteraceae (sunflower family), and to reclassify several
species into new or different genera. As a result, Deinandra conjugens
is now the accepted scientific name for Hemizonia conjugens. This
taxonomic change does not alter the limits or definition of D.
conjugens. Because this taxonomic change was published and is generally
accepted by the scientific community, we have proposed to change the
name of H. conjugens to D. conjugens in 50 CFR 17.12(h) in our proposed
critical habitat designation, and will use D. conjugens in this notice.
Deinandra conjugens was first described by David D. Keck (1958) as
Hemizonia conjugens based on a specimen collected by L.R. Abrams in
1903 from river bottom land in the Otay Valley area of San Diego
County, California. Deinandra conjugens is a glandular, aromatic annual
of the Sunflower Family (Asteraceae). It has a branching stem that
generally ranges from 5 to 25 centimeters (2 to 10 inches) in height
with deep green or gray-green leaves covered with soft, shaggy hairs.
The yellow flower heads are composed of 8 to 10 ray flowers and 13 to
21 disk flowers with hairless or sparingly downy corollas (fused
petals). The phyllaries (small bracts associated with the flower heads)
are ridged and have short-stalked glands and large, stalkless, flat
glands near the margins. Deinandra conjugens occurs within the range of
D. fasciculata [=Hemizonia fasciculata] (fasciculated tarplant) and D.
paniculata [=H. paniculata] (San Diego tarplant). Deinandra conjugens
can be distinguished from other members of the genus by its ridged
phyllaries, black anthers (part of flower that produces pollen), and by
the number of disk and ray flowers.
Based on information from herbarium records at the San Diego
Natural History Museum (SDNHM) and CNDDB (2000) records, Deinandra
conjugens has a narrow geographic distribution. The Service published a
final rule on October 13, 1998, listing the species as threatened
pursuant to the Endangered Species Act, as amended (Act). Additional
information received after the listing indicates that the historical
range for D. conjugens in San Diego County, California, is from the
Mexican border north to Spring Valley and Paradise Valley, a distance
of about 24 kilometers (km) (15 miles (mi)), and from Interstate
Highway 805 east to Otay Lakes Reservoir, a distance of about 13 km (8
mi). Further, based on these museum and database records, the
elevational range for D. conjugens appears to be between 25 and 300
meters (m) (80 and 1,000 feet (ft)).
At the time the species was listed as threatened pursuant to the
Act, we
[[Page 45697]]
estimated that 70 percent of the suitable habitat for this species
within its known range had been lost to development or agriculture (63
FR 54938). Since 1998, additional habitat has been lost to development
(e.g., urban, commercial, industrial, and residential) and agriculture
(e.g., grazing, farming). On June 13, 2001, we published a rule in the
Federal Register (66 FR 32052) proposing to designate approximately
2,685 hectares (6,630 acres) of land in San Diego County, California,
as critical habitat for Deinandra conjugens pursuant to the Act.
Section 4(b)(2) of the Act requires that the Secretary shall
designate or revise critical habitat based upon the best scientific and
commercial data available and after taking into consideration the
economic impact of specifying any particular area as critical habitat.
Based upon the previously published proposal to designate critical
habitat for Deinandra conjugens and comments received during the
previous comment period, we have prepared a draft economic analysis of
the proposed critical habitat designation. The draft economic analysis
is available at the above mailing and internet address (see ADDRESSES
section). We will accept written comments during this reopened comment
period. The current comment period on this proposal and draft economic
analysis closes on August 9, 2002.
Public Comments Solicited
We will accept written comments and information during this comment
period. If you wish to comment, you may submit written comments and
materials concerning this proposal by any of several methods:
(1) You may submit written comments and information to the Field
Supervisor, Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office (see ADDRESSES section).
(2) You may send comments by electronic mail (e-mail) to:
[email protected]. If you submit comments by e-mail, please submit them
as an ASCII file and avoid the use of special characters and any form
of encryption. Please include ``Attn: Otay tarplant'' and your name and
return address in your e-mail message. If you do not receive a
confirmation from the system that we have received your e-mail message,
contact us directly by calling our Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office at
telephone number 760-431-9440.
(3) You may hand-deliver comments to our Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife
Office (see ADDRESSES section).
Comments and materials received, as well as supporting
documentation used in preparation of the proposal to designate critical
habitat, will be available for inspection, by appointment, during
normal business hours at the Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office (see
ADDRESSES section). Copies of the draft economic analysis are available
on the Internet at ``http://carlsbad.fws.gov'' or by writing to the
Field Supervisor, Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office (see ADDRESSES
section).
References Cited
A complete list of all references cited in this notice is available
upon request from the Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office (see ADDRESSES
section).
Author
The primary author of this notice is Daniel R. Brown (see ADDRESSES
section).
Authority
The authority for this action is the Endangered Species Act of 1973
(16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: June 16, 2002.
Craig Manson,
Assistant Secretary for Fish Wildlife and Parks.
[FR Doc. 02-17344 Filed 7-9-02; 8:45 am]
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