Notice To Extend the Public Comment Period for the Draft Recovery Plan for Gabbro Soil Plants of the Central Sierra Nevada Foothills, CA

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Notice To Extend the Public Comment Period for the Draft Recovery

Plan for Gabbro Soil Plants of the Central Sierra Nevada Foothills, CA

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of extension of public comment period.

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

SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gives notice that the

comment period announced in the March 8, 1999, notice of availability

of the Draft Recovery Plan for Gabbro Soil Plants of the Central Sierra

Nevada Foothills, California, will be extended an additional 30 days

until July 7, 1999. Substantial public interest in the draft plan led

the Service to distribute additional copies and to provide additional

opportunities for the public to comment on the plan. This recovery plan

includes six plant species, of which five are federally listed as

endangered or threatened. The draft plan includes recovery criteria and

measures for the plants--Stebbin's morning-glory (Calystegia

stebbinsii), Pine Hill ceanothus (Ceanothus roderickii), Pine Hill

flannelbush (Fremontodendron californicum ssp. decumbens), El Dorado

bedstraw (Galium californicum ssp. sierrae), and Layne's butterweed

(Senecio layneae), and an additional species, El Dorado mule-ears

(Wyethia reticulata), that is considered to be a species of concern.

The Service extends the current 90-day comment period and solicits

review and comment from the public on this draft plan.

DATES: Comments on the draft recovery plan received by July 7, 1999,

will be considered by the Service.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft recovery plan are available for

inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the

following location: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento Fish and

Wildlife Office, 3310 El Camino Avenue, Suite 130, Sacramento,

California (telephone (916) 979-2710); and U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, Regional Office, Ecological Services, 911 NE 11th Ave.,

Eastside Federal Complex, Portland Oregon 97232-4181 (telephone (503)

231-6131). Requests for copies of the draft recovery plan and written

comments and materials regarding this plan should be addressed to Wayne

S. White, Field Supervisor, Ecological Services, at the above

Sacramento address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Diane Elam, Fish and Wildlife

Biologist, at the above Sacramento 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

[[Page 25363]]

endangered species program. To help guide recovery efforts, 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 the conservation of the species, establish criteria 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 the 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 six species of plants covered in the draft

recovery plan are primarily restricted to gabbro soils habitat in the

central Sierra Nevada foothills of California. Conversion of habitat to

urban uses has extirpated the listed species and species of concern

from a significant portion of their historic ranges. The remaining

natural communities are highly fragmented, and many are marginal

habitats in which these species may not persist during catastrophic

events. The objectives of this recovery plan are two-fold: (1) to

delist the plants Stebbin's morning-glory, Pine Hill ceanothus, Pine

Hill flannelbush, El Dorado bedstraw, and Layne's butterweed by

protecting, enhancing, restoring, and appropriately managing their

habitat; and (2) to ensure the long-term conservation of the one

species of concern, El Dorado mule-ears, that occurs in the same gabbro

soils habitats with the listed species.

Public Comments Solicited

The Service solicits written comments on the draft recovery plan

described. All comments received by the date specified above will be

considered prior to 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: May 5, 1999.

Elizabeth H. Stevens,

Acting Manager, California/Nevada Operations Office, Sacramento,

California.

[FR Doc. 99-11775 Filed 5-10-99; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310-55-P