Notice of Availability of a Draft Revised Recovery Plan for Higgins' Eye Pearly Mussel, Lampsilis higginsi, for Review and Comment

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of a Draft Revised Recovery Plan for

Higgins' Eye Pearly Mussel, Lampsilis higginsi, 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 (Service) announces

availability for public review of a technical/agency draft revised

recovery plan for the endangered Higgins' eye pearly mussel, Lampsilis

higginsi. This freshwater mussel is known to presently occur in the

Mississippi River from Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, to

approximately the Iowa-Missouri border, near Keokuk, Iowa, with

populations also occurring in the Wisconsin River, downstream of

Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin; St. Croix River downstream of Taylors Falls,

Minnesota-St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin; and Rock River below Steel Dam,

at Milan, Illinois, all tributaries to the Mississippi River. The

Service solicits review and comments from the public on this draft

plan.

DATES: Comments on the draft recovery plan must be received on or

before August 21, 1998 to receive consideration by the Service.

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

a copy by contacting the Field Supervisor, Twin Cities Field Office,

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4101 East 80th Street, Bloomington,

Minnesota 55125-1665 (telephone 612/725-3548). Written comments and

materials regarding the plan should be addressed to the Field

Supervisor at the above address. Comments and materials received will

be available, by appointment, for public inspection during normal

business hours, at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mr. Gerry Bade, Rock Island Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, 4469 48th Avenue Court, Rock Island, Illinois 61201 (telephone

309/793-5800, ext. 520), or contact Mr. Chuck Kjos, Twin Cities Field

Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4101 East 80th Street,

Bloomington, Minnesota 55425-1665 (telephone 612/725-3548, ext. 206).

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 Service's endangered species program. To help

guide the recovery effort, the Service is working to prepare recovery

plans for most of the federally threatened and endangered species

native to the United States. Recovery plans describe actions considered

necessary for conservation of the species, establish criteria for the

recovery levels for upgrading and recovering 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 public notice and 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 document under review revises the original Higgins' eye pearly

mussel recovery plan, which was approved by the Service in 1983. Since

1983, additional information on the abundance, distribution, biology,

and threats to the species has been developed--for example, the species

is known today to be somewhat more widespread than was known in 1983

and zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha), believed today to be a serious

threat to Higgins' eye pearly mussel, did not invade U.S. waters until

the late 1980s. Endangered species recovery planning today incorporates

population concepts and genetic considerations to a greater and more

developed degree than it did in 1983 and statistical methods for

analysis of mussel populations have advanced significantly since that

date. Much recovery work recommended in the 1983 recovery plan remains

valid and needs to continue, but the recovery plan needs revision to

reflect current knowledge and information of the species' present

abundance, distribution, and welfare, as well as actions currently

needed for its recovery. The draft revised recovery plan updates

information on Higgins' eye pearly mussel abundance, distribution,

threats, recommended recovery actions, and recommended criteria for

reclassification to threatened status and delisting.

Higgins' eye pearly mussel is known to presently occur in the

Mississippi River from Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, to

approximately the Iowa-Missouri border, near Keokuk, Iowa, with

populations also occurring in the St. Croix River downstream of Taylors

Falls, Minnesota-St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin; Wisconsin River downstream

of Prairie de Sac, Wisconsin; and Rock River below Steel Dam, at Milan,

Illinois, all tributaries to the Mississippi River. Water quality,

navigation, past and present habitat alteration, zebra mussels,

incidental loss via legal and illegal harvest of commercial mussel

species, natural predation, and loss of genetic variability are

addressed in the recovery plan. Recovery efforts will concentrate on

protecting the habitat of areas known to support viable Higgins' eye

pearly mussel populations and on addressing individually the above

identified threats.

Public Comments Solicited

The Service solicits written comments on the recovery plan

described. All comments received by the date specified will be

considered prior to approval of the plan. Comments should be sent to

the Field Supervisor, Twin Cities Field Office, at the above address.

Authority

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

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

Dated: June 15, 1998.

John A. Blankenship,

Assistant Regional Director, IL, IN, MO (Ecological Services), Region

3, Fort Snelling, Minnesota.

[FR Doc. 98-16469 Filed 6-19-98; 8:45 am]

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