Notice of Availability of a Draft Recovery Plan for Tennessee Yellow-Eyed Grass for Review and Comment

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of a Draft Recovery Plan for Tennessee

Yellow-Eyed Grass 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 draft recovery plan for Tennessee

yellow-eyed grass (Xyris tennesseenis. Fourteen populations are known

to occur, including 8 in Alabama (Franklin, Bibb, and Calhoun

Counties), 2 in Georgia (Bartow and Whitefield Counties), and 4 in

Tennessee (Lewis County). Populations are located in spring meadows or

along small streams. With the exception of three sites which occur all

or partially on Federal lands (Calhoun County, Alabama), sites are on

privately owned lands. 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 April 15, 1994, to receive consideration by the Service.

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

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

Service, 6578 Dogwood View Parkway, Suite A, Jackson, Mississippi

39213. 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:

Ms. Cary Norquist at the above address (601/965-4900).

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 U.S. Fish and Wildlife 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 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 (Act), 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 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 species considered in this draft recovery plan is Tennessee

yellow-eyed grass (Xyris tennesseensis). This plant occurs in spring

meadows or along small streams in Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. All

sites feature nearly permanent moisture regimes, open, sunny

conditions, and calcareous bedrock (shale, limestone, dolomite) or thin

calcareous soils. Tennessee yellow-eyed grass was listed as endangered

in 1991 due to its limited distribution, and loss or decline in

populations due to drainage and conversion of habitat to agricultural

fields and from timbering.

The objective of this proposed plan is to delist Tennessee yellow-

eyed grass. Delisting will be considered when there are 15 adequately

protected and managed, self-sustaining populations of the species

distributed throughout the historical range. Actions needed to reach

this goal include: (1) Protecting and managing populations, (2)

surveying for new populations, (3) investigating potential management

techniques, (4) conducting research on this species' ecological

requirements and life history, and (5) maintaining plants and seed ex

situ.

This Plan is being submitted for agency review. After consideration

of comments received during the review period, it will be submitted for

final approval.

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: February 15, 1994.

Robert Bowker,

Field Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 94-5193 Filed 3-7-94; 8:45 am]

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