Notice of Availability of a Revised Draft Recovery Plan for the Mobile River Basin Aquatic Ecosystem for Review and Comment

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Availability of a Revised Draft Recovery Plan for the

Mobile River Basin Aquatic Ecosystem for Review and Comment

AGENCY: U.S. 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 revised draft recovery plan for the

Mobile River Basin aquatic ecosystem, a drainage basin encompassing

much of south and central Alabama, with portions extending into east

Mississippi, northwest Georgia, and southeast Tennessee. The revised

draft plan addresses the recovery objectives, criteria, and tasks for

15 freshwater species, including 3 fish, 11 mussels, and 1 aquatic

snail, and complements recovery plans previously developed for another

17 freshwater species within the Mobile River Basin, including 2

turtles, 7 fish, 6 mussels, and 2 plants. The Service solicits review

and comment from the public on this revised draft plan.

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

before September 1, 1998 to receive consideration by the Service.

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

a copy by contacting the Jackson Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, 6578 Dogwood View Parkway, Suite A, Jackson, Mississippi

39213. Written comments and materials regarding the plan should be

addressed to the Field Supervisor at the above address. Comments and

materials received are available on request for public inspection, by

appointment, during normal business hours at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Paul Hartfield at the above address

(601/965-4900, ext. 25).

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 actions considered necessary for

conservation of the species, establish criteria for the recovery levels

for downlisting or delisting listed species, 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 will

consider all information presented during a public comment period prior

to approval of each new or revised recovery plan. Substantive technical

comments will result in changes to the plan. Substantive comments

regarding recovery plan implementation may not necessarily result in

changes to the recovery plan, but will be forwarded to appropriate

Federal or other entities so that they can take these comments into

account during the course of implementing recovery actions.

Individualized responses to comments will not be provided.

The draft Mobile River Basin Aquatic Ecosystem Recovery Plan was

initially released for public review and comment on September 28, 1994.

The current revised draft plan evolved from four years of information

sharing, discussion, and review of aquatic resources and conflicts by a

group of Mobile River Basin stakeholders that included private

landowners, industry representatives, environmental organizations, and

State and Federal agencies.

The revised draft recovery plan provides recovery objectives and

criteria for the goldline darter (Percina aurolineata), Cherokee darter

(Etheostoma scotti), Etowah darter (Etheostoma etowahae), Alabama

moccasinshell (Medionidus acutissimus), orange-nacre mucket (Lampsilis

perovalis), fine-lined pocketbook (Lampsilis altilis), southern

acornshell (Epioblasma othcaloogensis), upland combshell (Epioblasma

metastriata), Coosa moccasinshell (Medionidus parvulus), ovate

clubshell (Pleurobema perovatum), southern clubshell (Pleurobema

decisum), dark pigtoe (Pleurobema furvum), southern pigtoe (Pleurobema

georgianum), triangular kidneyshell (Ptychobranchus greeni), and the

tulotoma snail (Tulotoma magnifica). The goldline darter was listed as

threatened in 1992 due to a suspected decline in historic range,

population fragmentation and isolation, and existing threats to extant

populations due to water quality degradation. The threatened Cherokee

darter and endangered Etowah darter were listed in 1994 because of

nonpoint source pollution threats to limited stream populations. In

1993, eight of the 11 mussels were listed as endangered, and three as

threatened due to habitat loss and fragmentation resulting from

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impoundment and their vulnerability to nonpoint source pollution and

other threats. The tulotoma snail was listed as endangered in 1991 due

to the loss of more than 90 percent of its historic habitat, and the

isolation and vulnerability of surviving populations.

The recovery objectives of the revised draft plan are to protect

the Basin's native aquatic fauna and flora by achieving higher levels

of innovative land and water stewardship; reclassify and delist the

tulotoma snail; delist the goldline, Etowah, and Cherokee darters; and

prevent the extinction of the eight endangered mussels and the

continued decline of the three threatened mussels. Actions needed to

achieve these objectives include protection of fluvial habitats and

water quality, development of mitigation strategies for in stream

habitats, community based watershed stewardship planning and action,

concerted public education efforts, and basic research on freshwater

species endemic to the basin.

This revised plan is being submitted for technical/agency review.

After consideration of comments received during the review period, it

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: June 22, 1998.

Robert Bowker,

Field Supervisor.

[FR Doc. 98-17180 Filed 6-26-98; 8:45 am]

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