[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 177 (Tuesday, September 14, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Page 55447]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-20686]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Re-opening of the Comment Period for the Draft Recovery Plan for
the Pecos Sunflower
AGENCY: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of re-opening of public comment period.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce a
re-opening of the comment period for public review of the draft
Recovery Plan for the Pecos sunflower (Helianthus paradoxus) for an
additional 30 days. The original comment period was open from July 2,
2004, to August 2, 2004. We are re-opening the comment period in
response to specific requests from the Texas Department of
Transportation, the Bureau of Land Management, and Laguna Pueblo to
allow additional time for public review of this draft Recovery Plan.
This draft Recovery Plan includes recovery criteria and measures for
the conservation of Pecos sunflower.
DATES: Comments on the draft Recovery Plan must be received on or
before October 14, 2004.
ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review the draft Recovery Plan can obtain
a copy from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, New Mexico Ecological
Services Field Office, 2105 Osuna NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87113.
Requests for copies of the draft Recovery Plan and written comments and
materials regarding the draft Recovery Plan should be addressed to the
Field Supervisor at the above address. An electronic copy of this draft
Recovery Plan is also available at: http://www.fws.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rawles Williams, New Mexico Ecological
Services Field Office, at the above address; telephone 505/346-2525,
facsimile 505/346-2542.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Restoring an endangered or threatened animal or plant to the point
where it is again a secure, self-sustaining member of its ecosystem 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 conservation
of species, establish criteria for downlisting or delisting them, and
estimate time and cost for implementing the recovery measures needed.
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended (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 Recovery Plans.
On July 2, 2004, we published a Notice of Availability of the Draft
Recovery Plan for the Pecos sunflower, opening a 30-day public comment
period that ended on August 2, 2004. We received requests from the
Texas Department of Transportation, the Bureau of Land Management, and
the Laguna Pueblo to extend the comment period so that they might more
thoroughly review the plan. Based on these requests, we have re-opened
the comment period for 30 days for public review of this draft Recovery
Plan.
The Pecos sunflower is a wetland annual plant that grows on wet,
alkaline soils at spring seeps, wet meadows and pond margins in New
Mexico and West Texas. The threats facing the survival and recovery of
this species are the loss and alteration of its wetland habitat due to
aquifer depletions, diversions of surface water, and filling wetlands
for conversion to dry land; competition from non-native plant species,
including Russian olive and saltcedar; excessive livestock grazing; and
highway maintenance and mowing. The draft Recovery Plan includes
scientific information about the species and provides objectives and
actions needed to delist the species. Recovery activities designed to
achieve these objectives include identifying and securing core
conservation habitats essential for the long-term survival of this
species, continuing life history, population, and habitat studies,
ensuring compliance with existing regulations, and promoting
opportunities for voluntary conservation of the species.
The draft Recovery Plan is being submitted for technical and agency
review. After consideration of comments received during the review
period, the Recovery Plan will be submitted for final approval.
Public Comments Solicited
The Service solicits written comments on the draft Recovery Plan
described. All comments received by the date specified above will be
considered prior to approval of the final Recovery Plan.
Authority: The authority for this action is Section 4(f) of the
Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Dated: August 18, 2004.
Bryan Arroyo,
Acting Regional Director, Region 2,
[FR Doc. 04-20686 Filed 9-13-04; 8:45 am]
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