[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 131 (Friday, July 9, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Page 37148]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-17276]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Availability of a Draft Revised Recovery Plan for the Santa Cruz
Long-Toed Salamander for Review and Comment
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the
availability for public review of a Draft Revised Recovery Plan for the
Santa Cruz Long-Toed Salamander (Ambystoma macrodactylum croceum). The
salamander occurs near the Pacific Coast in Monterey and Santa Cruz
Counties, California.
DATES: Comments on the draft revised recovery plan must be received on
or before September 7, 1999 to receive consideration by the Service.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft revised recovery plan are available for
inspection by appointment, during normal business hours at the
following location: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2493 Portola Road,
Suite B, Ventura, California 93003 (phone: 805/644-1766). Requests for
copies of the draft revised recovery plan and written comments and
materials regarding this plan should be addressed to Ms. Diane K. Noda,
Field Supervisor, at the above Ventura address.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Grace S. McLaughlin,
Herpetologist, at the above Ventura address.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Restoring endangered or threatened animals and plants to the point
where they are again secure, self-sustaining members of their 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 the
conservation of the species, establish criteria for the recovery levels
for downlisting or delisting them, and estimate time and cost for
implementing the recovery measures needed.
The Endangered Species Act, as amended (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. 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 the public comment period prior to
approval of each new or revised recovery plan. Substantive technical
comments will result in changes to the plans. Substantive comments
regarding recovery plan implementation may not necessarily result in
changes to the recovery plans, but will be forwarded to appropriate
Federal or other entities so that they can take these comments into
account during the course of implementing recovery actions.
Individualized responses to comments will not be provided.
This salamander is listed as endangered. Currently it is known from
no more than seven breeding sites comprising three metapopulations in
the coastal areas of two Counties (Santa Cruz and Monterey) along the
central coast of California. The Santa Cruz long-toed salamander
inhabits temporary ponds for breeding and adjacent upland scrub and
wooded areas during the nonbreeding season. These kinds of ponds and
adjacent scrub and woodlands are restricted naturally to relatively few
areas along the central coast of California. Direct habitat loss due to
agriculture, urbanization, and road building is the main cause for
decline. Other threats include pollution, siltation, and declining
water quality in breeding ponds due to nearby development and
agricultural activities; loss of non-breeding habitat and food
resources due to the spread of exotic plants; predation by introduced
fishes, bullfrogs, and tiger salamanders; and parasites.
The objective of this plan is to provide a framework for the
recovery of the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander so that protection by
the Act is no longer necessary. The recovery strategy for the Santa
Cruz long-toed salamander is focused on providing sufficient breeding
and upland habitat to maintain self-sustaining populations of
salamanders in each of the metapopulations, and minimizing or
eliminating impacts and threats to salamander populations. This plan
describes a five-part recovery strategy with specific tasks necessary
to maintain healthy aquatic, riparian, and adjacent upland ecosystems
that provide habitat for Santa Cruz long-toed salamanders. The tasks,
when implemented, will stabilize and maintain populations throughout
the range of the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander in California by
protecting sufficient breeding and nonbreeding habitat, monitor the
status of existing populations to ensure recovery actions are
successful, identify and secure additional suitable Santa Cruz long-
toed salamander habitat and populations, conduct research to determine
the population dynamics and ecology of the species to guide management
efforts and determine the best methods for reducing threats, and
continue and expand an outreach program.
Public Comments Solicited
The Service solicits written comments on the recovery plan
described. All comments received by the date specified above will be
considered prior to approval of this plan.
Authority: The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the
Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Dated: July 1, 1999.
Elizabeth H. Stevens,
Acting Manager, California/Nevada Operations Office, Region 1, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 99-17276 Filed 7-8-99; 8:45 am]
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