Availability of Draft Recovery Plan for the Kauai Plant Cluster for Review and Comment

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

50 CFR Part 17

Availability of Draft Recovery Plan for the Kauai Plant Cluster

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 Kauai Plant Cluster Recovery

Plan. There are 37 taxa of plants included in this plan. All but seven

of the taxa are or were endemic to the Hawaiian island of Kauai. The

plants that are not endemic to Kauai are or were also found on the

islands of Niihau, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and/or Hawaii.

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

before November 29, 1994, to receive consideration by the Service.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft recovery plan are available for

inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the

following locations: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, room 6307, 300 Ala

Moana Blvd., P.O. Box 50167, Honolulu, Hawaii 96850 (phone 808/541-

2749); U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Regional Office, Ecological

Services, 911 N.E. 11th Ave., Eastside Federal Complex, Portland,

Oregon 97232-4181 (phone 503/231-6131); the Kauai Public Library, 4344

Hardy Street, Lihue, Kauai 96766; and, the Wailuku Public Library, 251

High Street, Wailuku, Maui 96793. Requests for copies of the draft

recovery plan and written comments and materials regarding this plan

should be addressed to Brooks Harper, Field Supervisor, at the above

Honolulu address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:Karen W. Rosa, Fish and Wildlife

Biologist, at the above Honolulu address.

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

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.

The 37 plant taxa being considered in the draft Kauai Plant Cluster

Recovery Plan are: Brighamia insignis ('olulu), Chamaesyce halemanui

(no common name (NCN)), Cyanea asarifolia (haha), Cyrtandra

limahuliensis (ha'iwale), Delissea rhytidosperma (NCN), Diellia pallida

(NCN), Dubautia latifolia (NCN), Exocarpos luteolus (heau), Hedyotis

cookiana ('awiwi), Hedyotis st.-johnii (na Pali beach hedyotis),

Hibiscus clayi (Clay's hibiscus), Lipochaeta fauriei (nehe), Lipochaeta

micrantha var. exigua (nehe), Lipochaeta micrantha var. micrantha

(nehe), Lipochaeta waimeaensis (nehe), Lysimachia filifolia (NCN),

Melicope haupuensis (alani), Melicope knudsenii (alani), Melicope

pallida (alani), Melicope quadrangularis (alani), Munroidendron

racemosum (NCN), Nothocestrum peltatum ('aiea), Peucedanum sandwicense

(makou), Phyllotegia waimeae (NCN), Poa mannii (Mann's bluegrass), Poa

sandvicensis (Hawaiian bluegrass), Poa siphonoglossa (NCN), Pteralyxia

kauaiensis (kaulu), Remya kauaienis (NCN), Remya montgomeryi (NCN),

Schiedea apokremnos (Ma'oli'oli), Schiedea spergulina var. leiopoda

(NCN), Schiedea spergulina var. spergulina (NCN), Solanum sandwicense

(popolo' aiakeakua), Stenogyne campanulata (NCN), Wilkesia hobdyi

(Dwarf 'ili' au) and Xylosma crentaum (NCN).

All but seven of the taxa are or were endemic to the Hawaiian

island of Kauai; the exceptions are or were found on the Hawaiian

islands of Niihau, Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and/or the island of Hawaii as

well as Kauai. The 37 plant taxa and their habitats have been variously

affected or are currently threatened by one or more of the following:

habitat degradation by feral and domestic animals (goats, pigs, axis

and mule deer, cattle, and red jungle fowl); competition for space,

light, water, and nutrients by introduced vegetation; erosion of

substrate produced by human- or animal-caused disturbance; recreational

and agricultural activities; habitat loss from fires; disease; loss of

pollinators; and predation by animals (goats, rats and mice). Due to

the small number of existing individuals and their very narrow

distributions, these taxa and most of their populations are subject to

an increased likelihood of extinction and/or reduced reproductive vigor

from stochastic events.

The taxa included in this plan were historically distributed

throughout the island of Kauai and grow in a variety of vegetation

communities (grassland, shrubland, and forests), elevational zones

(coastal to montane), and moisture regimes (dry to wet). Most of the

taxa included in this plan persist on steep slopes, precipitous cliffs,

valley headwalls, and other regions where unsuitable topography has

prevented agricultural development or where inaccessibility has limited

encroachment by alien animal and plant taxa.

The objective of this plan is to provide a framework for the

recovery of these 37 taxa so that their protection by the Endangered

Species Act (ESA) is no longer necessary. Immediate actions necessary

for the prevention of extinction of these taxa include fencing for

exclusion of ungulates, alien plant control, protection from fire,

population and plant community monitoring and management, ex situ

propagation, and augmentation of populations, as appropriate. Long-term

activities necessary for the perpetuation of these taxa in their

natural habitats additionally include baseline and long-term research

regarding growth requirements, public education, maintenance of fenced

areas, long-term monitoring and management of populations and

communities, and re-establishment of populations within the historic

ranges of some taxa. Further research current range, reproduction and

reproductive status, pollinators, life history, limiting factors,

habitat requirements, and minimum viable population sizes is needed to

facilitate appropriate management decisions regarding the long-term

perpetuation of each of these taxa.

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 these plans.

Authority

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

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

Dated: September 26, 1994.

Michael J. Spear,

Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 1.

[FR Doc. 94-24195 Filed 9-29-94; 8:45 am]

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