Availability of Draft Recovery Plan for the Giant Garter Snake for Review and Comment

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

Availability of Draft Recovery Plan for the Giant Garter Snake

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 announces the availability

for public review of the Draft Recovery Plan for the Giant Garter

Snake. This recovery plan includes the threatened giant garter snake

(Thamnophis gigas). Additional species of concern that will benefit

from recovery actions taken for the giant garter snake are also

discussed in the draft recovery plan. The draft plan includes recovery

criteria and measures for the giant garter snake.

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

before August 31, 1999.

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). Requests for copies of the draft

recovery plan and written comments and materials regarding this plan

should be addressed to the Field Supervisor, Ecological Services, at

the above Sacramento address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Miller, 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 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

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 giant garter snake is an endemic species of wetlands in the

Central Valley of California. Historically, giant garter snakes were

found in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys from the vicinity of

Butte County southward to Buena Vista Lake, near Bakersfield in Kern

County. Today, populations of the giant garter snake are found in the

Sacramento Valley and isolated portions of the San Joaquin Valley. They

historically inhabited natural wetlands and now occupy a variety of

agricultural, managed, and natural wetlands including their waterways

and adjacent uplands. This species is threatened by historic wetland

habitat loss and resulting habitat fragmentation, and by continuing

urban expansion.

The objective of this recovery plan is to delist the giant garter

snake through implementation of a variety of recovery measures

including (1) habitat protection; (2) public participation,

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outreach and education; (3) habitat management and restoration; (4)

surveying and monitoring; and (5) research.

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 this plan.

Authority

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

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

Dated: June 28, 1999.

Elizabeth H. Stevens,

California/Nevada Operations Manager, Sacramento, California.

[FR Doc. 99-16850 Filed 7-1-99; 8:45 am]

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