Availability of a Draft Recovery Plan for the Carolina Heelsplitter for Review and Comment

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Availability of a Draft Recovery Plan for the Carolina

Heelsplitter for Review and Comment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service. Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability and public comment period.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the

availability for public review of a technical/agency draft recovery

plan for Carolina heelsplitter (Lasmigona decorata). This rare

freshwater mussel inhabits cool, slow-moving, small- to medium-sized

streams and rivers. The Carolina heelsplitter currently has a very

fragmented, relict distribution but historically was known from several

locations within the Catawaba River and Pee Dee River systems in North

Carolina and the Saluda and Pee Dee River systems in South Carolina.

The species is presently know to be surviving in only four streams--

Waxhaw Creek (Catawba River system) Union County, North Carolina; Goose

Creek (Pee Dee River system), Union County, North Carolina; Lynches

River (Pee Dee River system), Chesterfield, Lancaster, and Kershaw

Counties, South Carolina; and Flat Creek (Pee Dee River system), a

tributary to the Lynches River in Lancaster County, South Carolina. It

has been reduced to a few short reaches of each of these streams,

primarily as a result of impoundments and general deterioration of

water quality resulting from siltation and other pollutants contributed

by poor land use practices. The Service solicits review and comment

from the public on this draft plan.

DATES: Comments on the draft recovery plan must be received on or

before October 3, 1994 to receive consideration by the Service.

ADDRESSES: Persons wishing to review the agency draft recovery plan may

obtain a copy by contacting the Asheville Field Office, U.S. Fish and

Wildlife Service, 330 Ridgefield Court, Asheville, North Carolina 28806

(Telephone 704/665-1195). Written comments and materials regarding the

plan should be addressed to the Field Supervisor at the above address.

Comments and materials received are available on request for public

inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the above

address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. John Fridell at the address and telephone number shown above (Ext.

225).

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 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 the species, establish criteria for recognizing the

recovery levels for downlisting or delisting them, and estimate time

and cost for implementing the recovery measures needed.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973, 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 a 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 approved recovery plans.

The primary species considered in this draft recovery plan is the

Carolina heelsplitter (Lasmigona decorata). The area of emphasis for

recovery actions is the upper Catawba River and Pee Dee River systems

in south-central North Carolina and north-central South Carolina and

the Saluda River system in northwestern South Carolina Habitat

protection, reintroduction, and preservation of genetic material are

major objectives of this recovery plan.

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 the plan.

Authority: The authority for this action is Section 4(f) of the

Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).

Dated: July 29, 1994.

Brian P. Cole,

Field Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 94-19040 Filed 8-3-94; 8:45 am]

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