[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 95 (Wednesday, May 16, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28855-28857]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-11872]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
RIN 0648-XC008
Endangered and Threatened Species; Recovery Plans
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Availability; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We, NMFS, announce that the Proposed Endangered Species Act
(ESA) Recovery Plan for Lower Columbia River Chinook Salmon, Lower
Columbia River Coho Salmon, Columbia River Chum Salmon, and Lower
Columbia River Steelhead (Proposed Plan) is available for public review
and comment. The Proposed Plan addresses the Lower Columbia River
Chinook salmon (Oncoryhnchus tschawytscha), Lower Columbia coho salmon
(O. kisutch), and Columbia River chum salmon (O. keta) evolutionarily
significant units (ESUs) and the Lower Columbia River steelhead (O.
mykiss) distinct population segment (DPS), all of which are listed as
threatened under the ESA. The geographic area covered by the Proposed
Plan is the Lower Columbia River mainstem and tributaries downstream of
(and including) the White Salmon River in Washington and the Hood River
in Oregon. As required by the ESA, the Proposed Plan contains
objective, measurable delisting criteria, site-specific management
actions necessary to achieve the Proposed Plan's goals, and estimates
of the time and costs required to implement recovery actions. We are
soliciting review and comment from the public and all interested
parties on the Proposed Plan.
DATES: We will consider and address, as appropriate, all substantive
comments received during the comment period. Comments must be received
no later than 5 p.m. Pacific daylight time on July 16, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Please send written comments and materials to Patty
Dornbusch, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1201 NE. Lloyd Boulevard,
Suite 1100, Portland, OR 97232. Comments may also be submitted by email
to: nmfs.nwr.lowercolumbiaplan@noaa.gov. Please include ``Comments on
Lower Columbia Recovery Plan'' in the subject line of the email.
Comments may be submitted via facsimile (fax) to (503) 230-5441.
Electronic copies of the Proposed Plan are available on the NMFS Web
site at http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Salmon-Recovery-Planning/Recovery-Domains/Willamette-Lower-Columbia/LC/Plan.cfm. Persons wishing to
obtain an electronic copy on CD ROM of the Proposed Plan may do so by
calling Kelly Gallivan at (503) 736-4721 or by emailing a request to
kelly.gallivan@noaa.gov with the subject line ``CD ROM Request for
Lower Columbia Recovery Plan.''
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patty Dornbusch, NMFS Lower Columbia
Recovery Coordinator, at (503) 230-5430, or patty.dornbusch@noaa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
We are responsible for developing and implementing recovery plans
for Pacific salmon and steelhead listed under the ESA of 1973, as
amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Recovery means that the listed
species and their ecosystems are sufficiently restored, and their
future secured, to a point that the protections of the ESA are no
longer necessary. Section 4(f)(1) of the ESA requires that recovery
plans include, to the extent practicable: (1) Objective, measurable
criteria which, when met, would result in a determination that the
species is no longer threatened or endangered; (2) site-specific
management actions necessary to achieve the plan's goals; and (3)
estimates of the time required and costs to implement recovery actions.
We believe it is essential to have local support of recovery plans
by those whose activities directly affect the listed species and whose
continued commitment and leadership will be needed to implement the
necessary recovery actions. We therefore support and participate in
locally led, collaborative efforts to develop salmon and steelhead
recovery plans that involve state, tribal, and Federal entities, local
communities, and other stakeholders. We review locally developed
recovery plans to ensure that they satisfy the ESA requirements. We
make the recovery plans, along with any additional plan elements needed
to satisfy the ESA requirements, available for public review and
comment before finalizing and formally adopting them as ESA recovery
plans.
In the Lower Columbia River, four salmon and steelhead species are
listed as threatened: Lower Columbia River Chinook salmon, Lower
Columbia River coho salmon, Columbia River chum salmon, and Lower
Columbia River steelhead.
Three geographically based, locally developed plans each address a
different portion of these species' range. NMFS' science center and
regional office staff were closely involved in the development of these
local plans. We have reviewed the final versions of these local plans
and have developed an ESU/DPS-level plan that synthesizes the local
plans, incorporates them as appendices, and provides all additional
material needed to meet the ESA requirements. We have determined that
this Proposed ESA Recovery Plan for Lower Columbia River Chinook
Salmon, Lower Columbia River Coho Salmon, Columbia River Chum Salmon,
and Lower Columbia River Steelhead meets the statutory requirements for
a recovery plan and are proposing to adopt it as the ESA recovery plan
for these four threatened species. Section 4(f) of the ESA, as amended
in 1988, requires that public notice and an opportunity for public
review and comment be provided prior to final approval of a recovery
plan. This notice solicits comments on this Proposed Plan.
Development of the Proposed Plan
The initial technical foundation for this Proposed Plan was
developed by the Willamette-Lower Columbia Technical Recovery Team.
NMFS appointed Technical Recovery Teams to provide a solid scientific
foundation for recovery plans. Scientists on these teams were nominated
because of their geographic and species expertise. The Willamette-Lower
Columbia Technical Recovery Team included biologists from NMFS, other
federal agencies, states, tribes, academic institutions, and the
private sector.
A primary task for all the Technical Recovery Teams was to
recommend criteria for determining when each component population with
an ESU or DPS should be considered viable (i.e., when they have a low
risk of extinction over a 100-year period) and when ESUs and DPSs have
a risk of extinction consistent with no longer needing the protections
of the ESA. All Technical Recovery Teams used the same biological
principles for developing these recommendations; these principles are
described in the NOAA technical memorandum Viable Salmonid Populations
and the Recovery
[[Page 28856]]
of Evolutionarily Significant Units (McElhany et al., 2000).
We also worked with state, tribal, local, and other federal
entities to develop planning forums that built on ongoing locally led
recovery efforts. We defined ``management units'' for these local
efforts, based on jurisdictional boundaries as well as areas where
discrete local planning efforts were under way. A recovery plan was
developed for each management unit, either led by local groups with
strong NMFS participation, or led by NMFS with extensive local
participation. Management unit recovery planners adopted and built upon
the work of the Technical Recovery Teams. The management unit plans for
the Lower Columbia River Basin, which are incorporated as Appendices A
through C of this Proposed Plan, are as follows:
(1) Oregon Management Unit: The recovery plan for the Oregon
management unit covers the portions of the Lower Columbia salmon ESUs
and steelhead DPS that occur within Oregon. The Oregon Department of
Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) led development of this plan in collaboration
with NMFS and numerous stakeholders. The Lower Columbia River
Conservation and Recovery Plan for Oregon Populations of Salmon and
Steelhead (ODFW 2010) is incorporated into this Proposed Plan as
Appendix A.
(2) Washington Management Unit: The recovery plan for the
Washington management unit covers the portions of the Lower Columbia
salmon ESUs and steelhead DPS that occur in Washington within the
planning area of the Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board (LCFRB). The
LCFRB was established by Washington State statute in 1998 to oversee
and coordinate salmon and steelhead recovery efforts in the Lower
Columbia region of Washington. The LCFRB led a collaborative process to
develop the Washington Lower Columbia Salmon Recovery and Fish &
Wildlife Subbasin Plan (LCFRB 2010). In February 2006 we approved the
December 2004 version of the LCFRB plan as an interim regional recovery
plan for the Washington management unit of the listed Lower Columbia
River salmon ESUs and steelhead DPS. In May 2010, the LCFRB completed a
revision of its earlier plan. That revised version is incorporated into
this Proposed Plan as Appendix B.
(3) White Salmon Management Unit: In the absence of an existing
local planning forum for salmon recovery, we led the development of the
White Salmon management unit plan in cooperation with local
stakeholders. The plan covers the portions of the Lower Columbia
Chinook, coho, and chum salmon ESUs that occur in the White Salmon
River subbasin (Washington). The Lower Columbia steelhead DPS does not
occur in the White Salmon River subbasin. (However, the White Salmon
management unit plan does cover a steelhead population that is part of
the Middle Columbia River Steelhead DPS, which is addressed in NMFS'
Middle Columbia River Steelhead Distinct Population Segment ESA
Recovery Plan [2009]). The ESA Salmon Recovery Plan for the White
Salmon River Subbasin (NMFS 2011a) is incorporated into this Proposed
Plan as Appendix C.
After the management unit plans were completed, we developed an
ESU/DPS-level document that synthesizes material from the management
unit plans to demonstrate that recovery needs are being addressed at
the ESU and DPS levels. We also incorporated delisting criteria into
the Proposed Plan. In addition, to address recovery needs in the Lower
Columbia River mainstem and estuary, we developed and incorporated the
Columbia River Estuary ESA Recovery Plan Module for Salmon and
Steelhead (NMFS 2011b) as Appendix D of this Proposed Plan. To address
recovery needs related to the Columbia River Hydropower System, we
incorporated the Recovery Plan Module: Mainstem Columbia River
Hydropower Projects (NMFS 2008) as Appendix E of this Proposed Plan.
The Proposed Plan, including the component management unit plans
and recovery plan modules, is now available for public review and
comment.
Contents of Proposed Plan
The ESU/DPS-level portion of the Proposed Plan contains background
and contextual information that includes descriptions of the ESUs and
DPS addressed, the planning area, and the context of the plan's
development. It presents relevant information on ESU and DPS structure,
guidelines for assessing salmonid population and ESU/DPS-level status,
and brief summaries of the Willamette-Lower Columbia Technical Recovery
Team's products. It also contains summaries of the management unit
plans' recovery goals, presents NMFS' proposed delisting criteria for
the ESUs and DPS, and describes the methods used in the management unit
plans to develop the principal plan components.
For each species addressed, the Proposed Plan also summarizes the
results of the management unit plan analyses and presents specific
information on the following: Population status; limiting factors and
threats that have contributed to population declines; estimates of the
impacts of six main categories of threats on population productivity;
and a scenario of reductions in each of those threats that, if
achieved, would likely improve the persistence probability of each
population to a level consistent with recovery goals for the ESU or
DPS.
In addition, the Proposed Plan describes recovery strategies and
actions for each ESU/DPS, critical uncertainties, and research,
monitoring, and evaluation needs. It explains how management unit
planners developed site-specific management actions and summarizes the
time and costs required to implement those actions. It also describes
how implementation, prioritization of actions, and adaptive management
will proceed at both the ESU/DPS and management-unit scales. In
addition to summary information presented in the Proposed Plan, readers
are referred to specific sections of the management unit plans
(Appendices A through C) and recovery plan modules (Appendices D and E)
for more information on all these topics.
How NMFS and Others Expect To Use the Plan
With approval of the final Plan, we will commit to implement the
actions in the Plan for which we have authority and funding; encourage
other federal and state agencies and tribal governments to implement
plan actions for which they have responsibility, authority, and
funding; and work cooperatively with the public and local stakeholders
on implementation of other actions. We expect the plan to guide us and
other federal agencies in evaluating federal actions under ESA section
7, as well as in implementing other provisions of the ESA and other
statutes. For example, the plan will provide greater biological context
for evaluating the effects that a proposed action may have on a species
by providing delisting criteria, information on priority areas for
addressing specific limiting factors, and information on how
populations within the ESUs and DPS can tolerate varying levels of
risk.
When we are considering a species for delisting, the agency will
examine whether the section 4(a)(1) listing factors have been
addressed. To assist in this examination, we will use the delisting
criteria described in Section 3.2 of the Proposed Plan, which include
both biological criteria and criteria addressing each of the ESA
section 4(a)(1) listing factors, as well as any other relevant data and
policy considerations.
[[Page 28857]]
At the management unit level, the LCFRB, ODFW, and the Washington
Gorge Implementation Team, working with us, will develop implementation
schedules that provide greater specificity for recovery actions to be
implemented over three- to five-year periods. These entities also will
coordinate the implementation of the recovery actions identified in the
management unit plans and subsequent implementation schedules, and will
track and report on implementation progress. Management unit planners
and NMFS staff will work together to coordinate the implementation of
recovery actions among federal, state, local, and tribal entities and
stakeholders.
Conclusion
Section 4(f)(1)(B) of the ESA requires that recovery plans
incorporate, to the extent practicable, (1) objective, measurable
criteria which, when met, would result in a determination that the
species is no longer threatened or endangered; (2) site-specific
management actions necessary to achieve the plan's goals; and (3)
estimates of the time required and costs to implement recovery actions.
We conclude that the Proposed Plan meets the requirements of ESA
section 4(f) and is proposing to adopt it as the ESA Recovery Plan for
Lower Columbia River Chinook Salmon, Lower Columbia River Coho Salmon,
Columbia River Chum Salmon, and Lower Columbia River Steelhead.
Public Comments Solicited
We are soliciting written comments on the Proposed Plan. All
substantive comments received by the date specified above will be
considered and incorporated, as appropriate, prior to our decision
whether to approve the plan. We will issue a news release announcing
the adoption and availability of a final plan. We will post on the
Northwest Region Web site (www.nwr.noaa.gov) a summary of, and
responses to, the comments received, along with electronic copies of
the final plan and its appendices.
Literature Cited
Lower Columbia Fish Recovery Board (LCFRB). 2010. Washington Lower
Columbia Salmon Recovery and Fish & Wildlife Subbasin Plan. Lower
Columbia Fish Recovery Board, Washington. May 28, 2010.
McElhany, P., M.H. Ruckelshaus, M.J. Ford, T.C. Wainwright, and E.P.
Bjorkstedt. 2000. Viable salmon populations and the recovery of
evolutionarily significant units. U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA Tech.
Memo., NMFS NWFSC 42, 156 p.
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). 2009. Middle Columbia
River Steelhead Distinct Population Segment ESA Recovery Plan.
Northwest Region. November 30, 2009.
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). 2011a. Draft ESA Recovery
Plan for the White Salmon River Subbasin. Northwest Region. December
2011.
National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). 2011b. Columbia River
Estuary ESA Recovery Plan Module for Salmon and Steelhead. Northwest
Region. Prepared for NMFS by the Lower Columbia River Estuary
Partnership (contractor) and PC Trask & Associates, Inc.
(subcontractor). January 2011.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. 2010. Lower Columbia River
Conservation and Recovery Plan for Oregon Populations of Salmon and
Steelhead. August 6, 2010.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.
Dated: May 10, 2012.
Dwayne Meadows,
Acting Chief, Endangered Species Division, Office of Protected
Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-11872 Filed 5-15-12; 8:45 am]
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