Availability of a Draft Recovery Plan for the Maguire Daisy (Erigeron Maguirei) for Review and Comment

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Availability of a Draft Recovery Plan for the Maguire Daisy

(Erigeron Maguirei) for Review and Comment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the

availability for public review of a draft recovery plan for the Maguire

daisy (Erigeron maguirei). The Maguire daisy occurs in Emery and Wayne

Counties, Utah. The Service solicits review and comment from the public

on this draft recovery plan.

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

before October 27, 1994 to ensure they receive consideration by the

Service.

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

a copy by contacting the Field Supervisor, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, Lincoln Plaza, Suite 404, 145 East 1300 South, Salt Lake City,

Utah 84115. Written comments and materials regarding this plan should

be sent to the Field Supervisor at the Salt Lake City address given

above. 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:

John L. England, Botanist (see ADDRESSES above), at telephone 801/524-

5001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Restoring an endangered or threatened animal or plant to the point

where it is again a secure, self-sustaining member of its ecosystem is

a primary goal of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (Service)

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 recovery levels for downlisting or delisting them, and

estimate time and cost for implementing the recovery measures needed.

The Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C.

1531 et seq.), 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 a public comment period prior

to approval of each new or revised recovery plan. The Service and other

Federal agencies also will take these comments into account in the

course of implementing approved recovery plans.

The Maguire daisy is a perennial, herbaceous plant in the composite

family (Asteraceae). The plant's stems are up to 18 cm (7 inches) tall.

One to three flower heads are borne at the end of each stem. Each

floral head has 15 to 20 pinkish white ray flowers and orange disk

flowers. The species range is in the San Rafael Swell in Emery County

and in Capitol Reef in Wayne County, Utah. Currently 25 locations

representing 5 separate populations are known with a total population

of approximately 3,000 individuals.

The Maguire daisy (Erigeron maguirei var. maguirei) was listed as

an endangered species under the authority of the Act, as amended, on

September 5, 1985 (50 FR 36089). The species (Erigeron maguirei) was

proposed for reclassification as threatened on September 7, 1994 (59 FR

46219). This species was listed due to its small population size and to

current and potential threats from grazing and surface disturbing

activities of the species habitat. The goal of the recovery plan is to

maintain viable populations to ensure the species survival and to guide

recovery efforts to facilitate delisting the species. Recovery efforts

will focus on protecting the species population and habitat from

habitat destroying activities through the section 6, 7, and 9

prohibitions of the Act for plant species. Biological and ecological

research of the species' biology and its relationship and interaction

with its environment is necessary to guide future management of the

species population and habitat to ensure its continued survival and the

preservation of the species ecosystem. Additional recovery efforts will

focus on inventory of potential habitat and minimum viable population

studies of its known populations.

Public Comments Solicited

The Service solicits written comments on the recovery plan

described above. All comments received by the date specified in the

DATES section above will be considered prior to approval of the

recovery plan.

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

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

Dated: September 15, 1994.

Terry T. Terrell,

Acting Regional Director, Region 6, Denver.

[FR Doc. 94-23720 Filed 9-21-94; 8:45 am]

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