Notice of Availability of Draft Recovery Plan for Nelson's Checker-Mallow (Oregon and Washington) for Review and Comment

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of Draft Recovery Plan for Nelson's

Checker-Mallow (Oregon and Washington) 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 the

Nelson's checker-mallow (Sidalcea nelsoniana), listed as a threatened

species on February 12, 1993 (58 FR 8242). The species occurs primarily

as scattered populations in two distinct ecological regions--the

northern Coast Range and the Willamette Valley of Oregon. Two outlying

populations are located in the Puget Trough of Washington.

DATES: Comments on the draft recovery plan received by November 24,

1997 will be considered by the Service.

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

a copy by contacting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Oregon State

Office, 2600 S.E. 98th Ave., Suite 100, Portland, Oregon 97266-1398.

Written comments and material regarding the plan should be addressed to

the Field Supervisor at the above address. Comments and materials

received are available for public inspection, by appointment, during

normal business hours at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Andrew F. Robinson Jr., Fish and

Wildlife Biologist, at the above address or by phone at 503/231-6179.

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 the site specific management

actions considered necessary for conservation and survival of the

species, establish objectives and measurable 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, 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, and

other affected Federal agencies, will take these comments into account

in the course of implementing approved recovery plans.

Nelson's checker-mallow (Sidalcea nelsoniana) is a herbaceous

perennial plant species in the mallow family (Malvaceae). Like many of

the members of its genus, Nelson's checker-mallow produces mature

plants that have either exclusively female flowers or perfect flowers.

Nelson's checker-mallow is listed as threatened, with 59 known extant

occurrences containing an estimated 27,000 individuals. The species

typically occurs in or along the margins of seasonally moist, early

successional valley bottom habitats of the Willamette Valley or in

mountain meadows in the Oregon Coast Range.

Populations in the Willamette Valley are threatened by agriculture

and urban development that has resulted in severe habitat depletion and

modification, and the fragmentation of its populations into mostly

small, widely-scattered patches. Successional species, primarily

resulting from suppression or elimination of natural disturbances such

as periodic flooding and fires, are eliminating Nelson's checker-mallow

from much of its remaining habitat. In addition to land use threats,

Willamette Valley populations are subject to competitive exclusion by

exotic species, seed predation by weevils prior to seed dispersal, and

increased vulnerability to extirpation due to small population size and

genetic isolation, and lack of genetic variation within and among

populations.

Land use threats are serious in the Oregon Coast Range, where the

meadows occupied by Nelson's checker-mallow are isolated from

agricultural and Urban development. The major land use threat in the

Oregon Coast Range is inundation by a reservoir planned for Walker

Creek, the site of the largest known population of the species. The

habitat of several Oregon Coast Range populations is disturbed by

recreational use of habitat by motorcyclists.

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

recovery of Nelson's checker-mallow so that its protection by the Act

is no longer necessary. The plan will be made final and approved

following incorporation of comments and material received during this

comment period.

Public Comments Solicited

The Service solicits written comments on the recovery plan

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

be considered prior to approval of this plan.

[[Page 50398]]

Authority

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

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

Dated: September 14, 1997.

William F. Shake,

Acting Regional Director, Region 1, Portland, Oregon.

[FR Doc. 97-25421 Filed 9-24-97; 8:45 am]

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