Availability of Draft Recovery Plan for the Morro Shoulderband Snail and Four Plants From Western San Luis Obispo County, California for Review and Comment

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Availability of Draft Recovery Plan for the Morro Shoulderband

Snail and Four Plants From Western San Luis Obispo County, California

for Review and Comment

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the

availability for public review of the draft Recovery Plan for the Morro

Shoulderband Snail and Four Plants from Western San Luis Obispo County.

The snail and the four plants occur in coastal habitats between Nipomo

and San Simeno Creek in Western San Luis Obispo County, California.

These taxa were listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on

December 15, 1994 (59 FR 64613).

DATES: Comments on the draft recovery plan received by December 29,

1997, will be considered by the Service.

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

a copy by contacting the Field Supervisor at the following address:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura,

California 93003 (phone: 805/644-1766). Comments and material received

are available for public inspection, by appointment, during normal

business hours at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Diane Steeck, Botanist, or Kim Touneh,

Invertebrate Zoologist, at the above Ventura 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 plants 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 needed to downlist or delist them, and estimate time and cost

for implementing the necessary recovery measures.

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. The Service and other

Federal agencies will also take these comments into account in the

course of implementing approved recovery plans. Individualized

responses to comments will not be provided.

This recovery plan includes one snail species that is listed as

endangered, three plant taxa that are listed as endangered and one

plant taxon that is listed as threatened. All are endemic to western

San Luis Obispo County, California. The currently known range of the

Morro shoulderband snail (Helminthoglypta walkeriana) includes the

Morro Spit and those areas south of Morro Bay, west of Los Osos Creek

and north of Hazard Canyon that still support coastal dune and sage

scrub habitats. Morro manzanita (Arctostaphylos morroeniss) is

restricted to Baywood fine sands to the south of Morro Bay in stands of

varying size scattered over approximately 890 acres. Five of the six

known occurrences of Indian Knob mountainbalm (Eriodictyon altissimum)

also occur south of Morro Bay, typically at the margins of chaparral

and coastal sage scrub communities; the sixth occurrence, for which the

species was named, is located about 15 miles to the south, at Indian

Knob. Inland, Chorro Creek bog thistle (Cirsium fontinale var.

obispoense) is known from nine locations between San Simeon and Pismo

Beach, where it is restricted to serpentine seeps and springs. Pismo

clarkia (Clarkia speciosa ssp. immaculata) is known from about a dozen

locations in the area between Pismo Beach and Nipomo Mesa, where it is

restricted to grasslands.

The Morro shoulderband snail is threatened principally by habitat

destruction and degradation due to increasing development, invasion of

non-native plant species (i.e. veldt grass), senescence of dune

vegetation, and recreational use (e.g. off-road vehicle activity).

Competition with the brown garden snail (Helix aspersa), molluscicides,

and increased likelihood of extinction due to the small size and

isolation of populations are potential threats. Morro manzanita and

Indian Knob mountainbalm are threatened with habitat destruction and

degradation due to development, and possibly by invasion of non-native

plant species, and senescence resulting from alteration in fire cycles.

Threats to the Chorro Creek bog thistle include water diversion, road

maintenance, excessive cattle trampling and, potentially, invasive non-

native plants. The principal threat to the Pismo clarkia is habitat

destruction and degradation due to development. Road maintenance

activities, overgrazing, and competition with non-native grasses may

also be threats.

This plan provides for the recovery of the snail, Morro manzanita,

and Indian knob mountainbalm so that protection by the Act is no longer

necessary. It provides for downlisting Chorro Creek bog thistle and

Pismo clarkia to threatened status.

Protection and management of the species' habitat are the primary

goals of the recovery effort.

Public Comments Solicited

The Service solicits written comments on the recovery plan. All

comments recovery by the data specified above will be considered prior

to revision and approval of this plan.

Authority

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

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

Dated: September 24, 1997.

Michael J. Spear,

Regional Director, Region 1, Portland, Oregon.

[FR Doc. 97-25843 Filed 9-29-97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-55-M