Notice of Extension of Comment Period for Technical/Agency Draft Multi-Species Recovery Plan for the Threatened and Endangered Species of South Florida

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice of Extension of Comment Period for Technical/Agency Draft

Multi-Species Recovery Plan for the Threatened and Endangered Species

of South Florida

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of extension of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: The Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces the

extension of the public comment period for Volume II of the draft

multi-species recovery plan for the threatened and endangered species

of South Florida. A notice announcing the availability of Volume II was

published in the Federal Register on July 13, 1998 (63 FR 37584).

DATES: The comment period, which originally closed on September 30,

1998, is now extended until October 31, 1998 for Volume II only. The

comment period for Volume I (63 FR 11304) still closes on September 30,

1998. Comments on the draft recovery plan must be received on or before

these dates to ensure consideration by the Service.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft recovery plan can be obtained by

contacting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Publications Unit,

National Conservation Training Center, c/o Aramark, Rt. 1 Box 166,

Shepherd Grade Rd., Shepherdstown, West Virginia 25443. The Service is

encouraging that requests for copies be for the CD-ROM version as the

hard copy of Volume II encompasses approximately 900 pages.

Additionally, the entire document may be viewed or downloaded from the

Service's South Florida Ecological Service's Field Office website at:

http://www.fws.gov/r4eao/wildlife/esvb.html.

Written comments and materials regarding the plan should be

addressed to Dawn Jennings, South Florida Field Office, 1360 U.S.

Highway 1, Suite 5, Vero Beach, Florida 32960. Comments and materials

received are available on request for public inspection, by

appointment, during normal business hours at the South Florida Field

Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dawn Jennings at the South Florida

Field Office (561) 562-3909 for information on the recovery plan; the

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Publications Unit (304) 876-7203 for

additional copies of the draft recovery plan.

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 Fish and Wildlife Service's

threatened and endangered species program. To help guide the recovery

effort, the Service prepares recovery plans for most of the listed

species native to the United States. Recovery plans describe actions

that may be necessary for conservation of these species, establish

criteria for the recovery levels for reclassification from endangered

to threatened status or removal from the list, and estimate the time

and cost for implementing the needed recovery measures.

The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended (16 U.S.C. 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 the

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 Multi-Species Recovery Plan identifies the recovery and

restoration needs of 68 threatened and endangered

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species and their habitats in the South Florida Ecosystem, an area

encompassing 67,346 square kilometers covering the 19 southernmost

counties in Florida, using an ecosystem-wide approach. This plan is a

two-volume effort to identify recovery needs of the species of South

Florida and the ecosystems upon which they depend. The focus of Volume

I is the individual species, while Volume II integrates the species

needs with those of the ecological communities in which they reside.

Paper copies of both volumes of the draft recovery plan are

available for public inspection at the following locations:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, South Florida Field Office, U.S.

Highway 1, Suite 5, Vero Beach, Florida 32960, 561-562-3909

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Merritt Island National Wildlife

Refuge, 4 miles east of Titusville, State Road 402, Titusville, Florida

32782, 407-861-0667

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, J.N. ``Ding'' Darling National Wildlife

Refuge, 1 Wildlife Drive, Sanibel, Florida 33957, 813-472-1100

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida Panther National Wildlife

Refuge, 3860 Tollgate Boulevard, Suite 300, Naples, Florida 34114, 941-

353-8442

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Key Deer Refuge, Winn Dixie

Shopping Plaza, Big Pine Key, Florida 33043-1510, 305-872-2239

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge,

10216 Lee Road, Boynton Beach, Florida 33437-4796, 561-732-3684

University of Florida, Smathers Library West, Gainesville, Florida

32611, University of Miami Library, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami,

Florida 33149

University of Central Florida Library, 4000 Central Florida Blvd.,

Orlando, Florida 32816

Florida Atlantic University Library, 777 Glades Rd, Boca Raton, Florida

33431

Florida International University Library, FIU University Park, 11200 SW

A St., Miami, Florida 33199

University of South Florida Library, 4202 E. Fowler Ave., Tampa,

Florida 33620

Florida Gulf Coast University Library, 19501 Ben Hill Griffin Parkway,

Ft. Myers, Florida 33965-6565

Archbold Biological Station Library, P.O. Box 2057, Old State Road 8,

Lake Placid, Florida 33852

Fairchild Tropical Garden Library, 11935 Old Cutler Road, Miami,

Florida 33156

Big Pine Key Branch Library, 213 Key Deer Boulevard, Big Pine Key,

Florida 33043

Public Comments Solicited

The Service solicits written comments on the recovery plan

described. All comments received by the date identified 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: September 3, 1998.

James J. Slack,

Project Leader.

[FR Doc. 98-24325 Filed 9-9-98; 8:45 am]

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