[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 57 (Monday, March 26, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14132-14133]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-5471]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Notice of Availability of a Final Implementation Schedule for the
South Florida Multi-Species Recovery Plan
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability.
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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service (``we,'' ``our,'' or
``Service'') announces the availability of the Implementation schedule
for the South Florida Multi-Species Recovery Plan (MSRP). The MSRP, as
approved in 1999, included a discussion of the need for a coordinated
effort to develop an implementation schedule. This implementation
schedule was prepared with the assistance of the South Florida Multi-
species/Ecosystem Recovery Implementation Team (MERIT). The
implementation schedule prioritizes the recovery tasks as described in
the MSRP on a community level, and identifies the associated
participating parties, time frames, and costs necessary to accomplish
those tasks.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the final implementation schedule can be
downloaded from http://verobeach.fws.gov or can be obtained by
contacting the Fish and Wildlife Service, South Florida Ecological
Services Office, 1339 20th Street, Vero Beach, Florida 32960. We
encourage requests for the CD-ROM version of the implementation
schedule, as the hard (paper) copy encompasses more than 140 pages.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cindy Schulz at the South Florida
Ecological Services Office, (772) 562-3909, ext. 305.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On April 2, 2004, we published a notice
announcing the availability of this technical/agency draft
implementation schedule in the Federal Register, and opened a 60-day
public comment period. We particularly sought comments concerning: (1)
Recommended changes to the priority number for recovery tasks; (2)
recommendations for additions or deletions to the participants
identified for each recovery task; and (3) additional information to
assist us with determining costs for accomplishing recovery tasks. Four
parties provided comments on ten species. Among those were comments on
recovery task priority number, participants, and cost. Comments were
also received on the recovery tasks themselves. We have considered and
addressed comments where appropriate in this final implementation
schedule. Those comments, as well as updates by Service staff, led to
this final version of the implementation schedule that differs from the
technical/agency draft. The recovery tasks listed in the implementation
schedule were taken directly from the MSRP. Any changes needed to the
tasks themselves will be addressed in a future revision of the MSRP
rather than in the implementation schedule. These changes, if any,
would be subject to public comment only during such future revision.
Background
Restoring listed animals and plants to the point where they are
again secure, self-sustaining components of their ecosystems is a
primary goal of the Service's threatened and endangered species
program. To help guide the recovery effort, we prepare recovery plans
for listed species native to the United States, pursuant to section
4(f) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended (16 U.S.C.
et seq.), which requires the development of recovery plans for listed
species unless such a plan would not promote the conservation of a
particular species. Recovery plans describe actions that may be
necessary for conservation of these species, establish criteria for
reclassification from endangered to threatened status or removal from
the list, and estimate the time and cost for implementing the needed
recovery measures.
Section 4(f) of the Act also requires that a public notice and an
opportunity for public review and comment be provided during recovery
plan development. Accordingly, the MSRP was made available for public
review and comment before its approval in May 1999. The MSRP identifies
the recovery needs of the 68 threatened and endangered species and 23
natural communities in the south Florida ecosystem, which encompasses
67,346 square kilometers (26,002 square miles), covering the 19
southernmost counties in Florida.
[[Page 14133]]
The process to develop this final implementation schedule involved
the collaborative effort of a team appointed by the Service to focus
specifically on recovery implementation efforts in South Florida. The
team, known as MERIT, is comprised of 36 members representing Federal,
State, and local government agencies; Tribal governments; academia;
industry, and the private sector. MERIT members assisted in assigning
priorities to recovery tasks, and estimating the duration and possible
cost to complete each task. They also identified organizations or
agencies that would likely be involved in accomplishing each task.
The implementation schedule for the MSRP contains recovery tasks
for those species that occur only in south Florida, and for which the
South Florida Ecological Services Office has recovery lead. Other
Service offices have recovery responsibility for those species that
occur in south Florida but also occur elsewhere. Implementation
schedules for those species can be found in the approved individual
recovery plans for those species. Recovery tasks are provided in this
implementation schedule for the following species:
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Status/species Scientific name
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Mammals:
E Key deer......................... Odocoileus virginianus clavium.
E Key Largo cotton mouse........... Peromyscus gossypinus
allapaticola.
E Key Largo woodrat................ Neotoma floridana smalli.
E Rice rat (= silver rice rat)..... Oryzomys palustris natator (=
O. argentatus.)
E Lower Keys rabbit................ Sylvilagus palustris hefneri.
Birds:
T Audubon's crested caracara....... Polyborus plancus audubonii.
E Cape Sable seaside sparrow....... Ammodramus (= Ammospiza)
maritimus mirabilis.
E Everglade snail kite............. Rostrhamus sociabilis plumbeus.
E Florida grasshopper sparrow...... Ammodramus savannarum
floridanus.
Reptiles:
PT American crocodile.............. Crocodylus acutus.
T Bluetail (blue-tailed) mole skink Eumeces egregius lividus.
T Sand skink....................... Neoseps reynoldsi.
Invertebrates:
E Schaus swallowtail butterfly..... Heraclides (= Papilio)
aristodemus ponceanus.
T Stock Island tree snail.......... Orthalicus reses (not incl.
nesodryas.)
Plants:
E Avon Park harebells.............. Crotalaria avonensis.
E Beach jacquemontia............... Jacquemontia reclinata.
E Beautiful pawpaw................. Deeringothamnus pulchellus.
E Carter's mustard................. Warea carteri.
E Crenulate lead-plant............. Amorpha crenulata.
E Deltoid spurge................... Chamaesyce (= Euphorbia)
deltoidea spp. deltoidea.
E Florida perforate cladonia....... Cladonia perforata.
E Florida ziziphus................. Ziziphus celata.
E Four-petal pawpaw................ Asimina tetramera.
E Fragrant prickly-apple........... Cereus eriophorus var.
fragrans.
T Garber's spurge.................. Chamaesyce (= Euphorbia)
garberi.
E Garrett's mint................... Dicerandra christmanii.
E Highlands scrub hypericum........ Hypericum cumulicola.
E Key tree-cactus.................. Pilosocereus (= Cereus)
robinii.
E Lakela's mint.................... Dicerandra immaculata.
E Lewton's polygala................ Polygala lewtonii.
E Okeechobee gourd................. Cucurbita okeechobeensis ssp.
okeechobeensis.
T Papery whitlow-wort.............. Paronychia chartacea (= Nyachia
pulvinata.)
T Pigeon wings..................... Clitoria fragrans.
E Pygmy fringe-tree................ Chionanthus pygmaeus.
E Sandlace......................... Polygonella myriophylla.
E Scrub blazing star............... Liatris ohlingerae.
E Scrub mint....................... Dicerandra frutescens.
E Short-leaved rosemary............ Conradina brevifolia.
E Small's milkpea.................. Galactia smallii.
E Snakeroot........................ Eryngium cuneifolium.
E Tiny polygala.................... Polygala smallii.
E Wireweed......................... Polygonella basiramia (=
ciliata var. b.)
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E = Endangered, T = Threatened, PT = Proposed for Reclassification to
Threatened Status.
To request copies of the final implementation schedule, please see
the ADDRESSES section above. Paper copies of both the MSRP and the
final implementation schedule are available for public inspection at
the South Florida Ecological Services Office.
Authority
The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered
Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Dated: December 27, 2006.
Cynthia K. Dohner,
Acting Regional Director.
[FR Doc. E7-5471 Filed 3-23-07; 8:45 am]
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