Notice of Availability of a Draft Recovery Plan for the Madison Cave Isopod for Review and Comment

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of a Draft Recovery Plan for the Madison

Cave Isopod 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 announces the availability

for public review of a draft Recovery Plan for the Madison Cave Isopod

(Antrolana lira). The Madison Cave Isopod is a subterranean freshwater

crustacean endemic to the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia. The species

was listed as threatened in November 1982 due to its extremely limited

distribution and threats to the quality of its deep karst habitat. The

objective of the proposed Recovery Plan is to protect Madison Cave

isopod populations by conserving its groundwater habitat, thereby

enabling its removal from the Federal list of endangered and threatened

wildlife and plants. To accomplish this, the draft Plan recommends

recovery activities that should continue or be initiated. If the

Recovery Plan is successfully implemented, full recovery may be

achieved by 2005. The Service solicits review and comment from the

public on this draft Plan.

dates: Comments on the draft Recovery Plan must be received December

18, 1995 to receive consideration by the Service.

addresses: Persons wishing to review the draft Recovery Plan can obtain

a copy from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Chesapeake Bay Field

Office, 177 Admiral Cochrane Drive, Annapolis, Maryland 21401,

telephone 410/573-4537 and fax 410/269-0832. Comments should be sent to

the same address, to the attention of G. Andrew Moser.

for further information contact: G. Andrew Moser at 410/573-4537 (see

ADDRESSES).

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 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 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 Recovery Plans.

The document submitted for review is the draft Madison Cave Isopod

(Antrolana lira) Recovery Plan. The Madison Cave isopod is a

subterranean crustacean endemic to the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.

This monotypic genus is the only freshwater member of the family

Cirolanidae found north of Texas. Until 1990, A. lira was known only

from two sites, Madison Saltpetre

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Cave and a fissure near the cave; since June 1990, the isopod has been

collected from five additional sites. Although specimens from all seven

sites are morphologically identical, they probably represent more than

one but less than seven genetic populations. Population size appears to

be extremely small at five of the species' seven occurrence sites.

The Madison Cave isopod was listed as a threatened species in

November 1982. Urban and agricultural development threaten the quality

of its groundwater habitat, and the small population size at most of

its sites indicates that this species is highly sensitive to

disturbance. The Madison Cave isopod, which is difficult to study and

collect, is known only from areas where fissures descend to the

groundwater table, thus allowing access to the surface of underground

lakes, or deep karst aquifers. Little is known of the physical and

chemical conditions of A. lira habitat. The temperature of the water

ranges from 11-14 deg.C, as is typical of groundwater for the

latitude, and the water is saturated with calcium carbonate, a

condition also typical of groundwater in areas of limestone. The level

of the karst aquifers can fluctuate for tens of meters at some sites.

The extent of the recharge zone of the aquifer at any site is unknown.

The objective of the draft Recovery Plan is to protect populations

of Antrolana lira from potential threats to the quality of its deep

karst aquifer habitat, thereby enabling the removal of this threatened

species from the Federal list of endangered and threatened wildlife and

plants. Delisting may be considered when: (1) Populations of Antrolana

lira and groundwater quality at Front Royal Caverns, Linville Quarry

Cave No. 3, and Madison Saltpetre Cave/Steger's Fissure are shown to be

stable over a ten-year monitoring period; (2) the recharge zone of the

deep karst aquifer at each of these population sites is protected from

all significant contamination sources; and (3) sufficient population

sites are protected to maintain the genetic diversity of the species.

Recovery activities designed to achieve these objectives include:

(1) Determining the number of genetic populations, (2) searching for

additional populations, (3) identifying potential sources and entry

points of contamination of the deep karst aquifer habitat, (4)

protecting known populations and habitats from a watershed perspective,

(5) collecting baseline ecological data for management and recovery,

and (6) implementing a program to monitor recovery progress and future

needs. Contingent on vigorous implementation of all recovery tasks,

full recovery is anticipated by the year 2005.

The draft Recovery Plan is being submitted for technical and agency

review. After consideration of comments received during the review

period, the Plan 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: September 8, 1995.

Ralph C. Pisapia,

Acting Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 95-23083 Filed 9-15-95; 8:45 am]

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