Notice of Reopening of Comment Period on Draft Recovery Plan for the Wetland and Aquatic Species of the Owens Basin, Inyo and Mono Counties, California and Related Public Information Workshops

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Reopening of Comment Period on Draft Recovery Plan for

the Wetland and Aquatic Species of the Owens Basin, Inyo and Mono

Counties, California and Related Public Information Workshops

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of reopening of comment period and related public

information workshops.

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

reopening of the comment period for a draft recovery plan for

endangered, proposed, and species of concern found in the wetland and

aquatic habitats of the Owens Basin in Inyo and Mono Counties,

California, and related public information workshops. The recovery plan

targets recovery of 11 species found throughout the Owens River

drainage on Federal, State and private lands. Also available for review

is the draft Owens Basin Management Guidelines Plan for rare species.

The Service solicits review and comment from the public on these draft

plans. Three public information workshops will be held in conjunction

with the reopening of the comment period.

DATES: Comments on the draft recovery plan and/or Management Guidelines

Plan must be received on or before April 14, 1997 to ensure

consideration by the Service.

Public information workshops will be held:

Tuesday, February 11, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Mammoth High School,

Multipurpose Room, 365 Sierra Park Road, Town of Mammoth Lakes;

Wednesday, February 12, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Eastern Sierra Tri-

County Fairgrounds, Home Economics Building, Sierra Street and

Fairgrounds Drive, Bishop; and

Thursday, February 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. in Statham Hall, corner of

Jackson and Bush, Lone Pine, California.

ADDRESSES: The draft recovery plan and/or Management Guidelines Plan

are available for public inspection, by appointment, during regular

business hours (7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday) at the

Service's Ventura Field Office, 2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura,

California, 93003, phone 805-644-1766. Copies of the draft plans may

also be obtained by written or phone request to the Ventura Field

Office. (Note: Copies of the draft Management Guidelines Plan will

automatically be mailed to all parties who received the draft recovery

plan during its previous release.) Comments and materials regarding the

plan should be addressed to the Field Supervisor at the Ventura Field

Office. Comments and materials received will be available for public

inspection upon request, by appointment, at the Ventura Field Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Carl Benz, Assistant Field

Supervisor, Division of Listing and Recovery, in the Ventura Field

Office (see ADDRESSES section).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On August 26, 1996, the Service published a notice of availability

for public review of a draft recovery plan for endangered, proposed,

and species of concern found in the wetland and aquatic habitats of the

Owens Basin in Inyo and Mono Counties, California. The original comment

period closed on October 25, 1996. The draft Management Guidelines Plan

was not completed at that time and therefore not available for public

review.

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 Service's endangered species program. To help

guide recovery efforts, the Service prepares recovery plans for most of

the listed species native to the United States. Recovery plans describe

actions considered necessary for conservation of listed species,

establish criteria for the recovery levels for reclassification from

endangered to threatened or removal from the list, and estimate the

time and cost for implementing the needed recovery measures.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act) (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 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

take these comments into account in the course of implementing approved

recovery plans.

The draft recovery plan for the Owens Basin wetland and aquatic

species addresses conservation of the following species: Owens tui

chub, Owens pupfish, Fish Slough milk-vetch, Owens speckled dace, Long

Valley Speckled dace, Inyo County mariposa lily, Owens Valley

checkerbloom, Fish Slough springsnail, Owens Valley springsnail,

Aardhal's springsnail, and Owens Valley vole. Owens tui chub and Owens

pupfish are federally listed as endangered, and the Fish Slough milk-

vetch has been proposed for listing as endangered. All of these species

are threatened by loss and degradation of wetland and aquatic habitats.

The draft recovery plan was developed in accordance with the

Service's recent policy emphasizing an ecosystem approach to

conservation of endangered species. The goal of the recovery plan is to

restore the target species to secure status within their natural

habitats. Protecting the ecosystem of endangered species in the Owens

Basin will also protect other locally rare species, and, it is hoped,

avert future declines in plant and wildlife populations that could lead

to future listings.

The draft recovery plan was developed with the participation of

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State and Federal land management agencies, local agencies and property

owners, including the California Department of Fish and Game, U.S.

Bureau of Land Management, Inyo National Forest, and the Los Angeles

Department of Water and Power. The plan calls for restoration of

wetland and aquatic habitats throughout the Owens River drainage. The

plan describes tasks that, when accomplished, should ensure the

survival of target species, and thereby justify their removal from the

endangered and threatened species list.

The draft Management Guidelines Plan for rare species was completed

to provide management guidance to the Department of Fish and Game. The

Management Guidance Plan is supplemental to, but independent from, the

draft recovery plan. In essence, they are separate documents.

Public Comments Solicited

The Service solicits written comments on the draft recovery plan

and Management Guidelines Plan described herein. All comments received

by the date specified above will be considered prior to approval of the

plan or completion of a final Management Guidelines Plan.

Authority

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

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

Dated: January 3, 1997.

Thomas J. Dwyer,

Acting Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 97-721 Filed 1-10-97; 8:45 am]

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