[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 138 (Wednesday, July 19, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Page 41041]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-11466]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Recovery Plan for the Kauai Cave Arthropods: The Kauai Cave Wolf
Spider (Adelocosa anops) and the Kauai Cave Amphipod (Spelaeorchestia
koloana)
AGENCY: 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 the Recovery Plan for the Kauai Cave Arthropods: the
Kauai Cave Wolf Spider (Adelocosa anops) and the Kauai Cave Amphipod
(Spelaeorchestia koloana). These cave arthropods are listed as
endangered and are endemic to the Hawaiian Island of Kauai.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the recovery plan are available by request from
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife
Office, 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 3-122, Box 50088, Honolulu,
Hawaii 96850 (telephone: 808/792-9400) and Hawaii State Library 478 S.
King Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813. An electronic copy of the Recovery
Plan is available on the World Wide Web at: http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/index.html#plans.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lorena Wada, Invertebrate Program
Supervisor, at the above Honolulu address.
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 our endangered species program. The
Endangered Species Act (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. Recovery
plans help guide the recovery effort by describing actions considered
necessary for the conservation of the species, establishing criteria
for downlisting or delisting listed species, and estimating time and
cost for implementing the measures needed for recovery.
Section 4(f) of the Act requires that public notice and an
opportunity for public review and comment be provided during recovery
plan development. In fulfillment of this requirement, the Draft
Recovery Plan for the Kauai Cave Arthropods: The Kauai Cave Wolf Spider
(Adelocosa anops) and the Kauai Cave Amphipod (Spelaeorchestia koloana)
was available for public comment from February 9, 2005, through April
11, 2005 (70 FR 6902). Information presented during the public comment
period has been considered in the preparation of this 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.
Two species of cave arthropods, the Kauai cave wolf spider and the
Kauai cave amphipod, collectively the Kauai cave arthropods, are only
known from a small number of caves in the Koloa District on the island
of Kauai. Of the caves surveyed to date, the cave wolf spider has only
been documented to occur in five caves, and currently is only observed
regularly in one of these caves. The cave amphipod has been documented
to occur in eight caves, and is currently observed regularly in three
of them.
The primary threats to these species include: the potential for
significant population impact from a signal event due to small
populations and restricted range; urban and agricultural development as
well as quarrying operations; non-native species preying upon or
competing with them for limited food resources; human visitation and
uses of caves; urban and commercial pesticide use; bio-control agents;
and extended drought which alters the high-humidity environment to
which these arthropods are adapted, which also facilitates invasion by
non-native species.
The objective of this recovery plan is to provide a framework for
the recovery of the Kauai cave arthropods so that protection by the Act
is no longer necessary. Actions necessary to accomplish this objective
include: (1) Protecting known populations of the Kauai cave wolf spider
and cave amphipod and their subterranean systems from human-caused
destruction or degradation; (2) improving or enhancing the habitat of
occupied caves or caves previously occupied through protection of
above-cave habitats and implementation of landscaping actions that are
likely to increase subterranean food resources; (3) conducting research
to address essential conservation needs for the species; (4) providing
information for the public on the Kauai cave arthropods; and (5) using
initial recovery efforts and research to periodically validate recovery
objectives.
Authority: The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the
Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Dated: April 28, 2006.
David J. Wesley,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. E6-11466 Filed 7-18-06; 8:45 am]
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