Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Reopening of Comment Period on Our Re-evaluation of Whether Designation of Critical Habitat Is Prudent for 245 Hawaiian Plants

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

50 CFR Part 17

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of

Reopening of Comment Period on Our Re-evaluation of Whether Designation

of Critical Habitat Is Prudent for 245 Hawaiian Plants

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of reopening of comment period.

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, provide notice of reopening

the public comment period on our re-evaluation of whether designation

of critical habitat is prudent for 245 Hawaiian plants. Our original

notice was published in the Federal Register on November 30, 1998 (63

FR 65805) and the original public comment period was opened from

November 30, 1998, to March 1, 1999. This notice reopens the comment

period to May 24, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Comments and materials concerning the notice should be sent

to Robert P. Smith, Pacific Islands Manager, U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service, 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 3-122, Box 50088, Honolulu, HI

96850 (telephone: 808/541-2749; facsimile: 808/541-2756).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen Rosa, Assistant Field

Supervisor, Ecological Services (see ADDRESSES section) (telephone:

808/541-3441; facsimile: 808/541-3470).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

On January 29, 1997, the Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund (now

Earthjustice Legal Defense Fund) filed a lawsuit on behalf of the

Conservation Council for Hawaii, the Sierra Club, and the Hawaiian

Botanical Society in U.S. District Court in Honolulu, Hawaii, for the

Service's failure to designate critical habitat for 278 endangered or

threatened Hawaiian plant taxa. Because the statute of limitations had

elapsed for many of the plants, this list of plants was later reduced

to 245 taxa.

The 245 plant species that are the subject of our November 30,

1998, notice were listed by the Service over a period of several years,

between 1990 and 1996, at which time the Service determined that

designation of critical habitat was not prudent for one or more of the

following three reasons: designation of critical habitat would increase

the likelihood of illegal taking or vandalism; designation of critical

habitat would not be beneficial for plant species located on private

property; and, designation of critical habitat for plant species

located on Federal lands provides little or no additional benefit

beyond the existing precautions the Federal government must take under

section 7 of the Act.

The 245 plant taxa are: Abutilon eremitopetalum, Abutilon

sandwicense, Acaena exigua, Achyranthes mutica, Adenophorus periens,

Alectryon macrococcus, Alsinidendron lychnoides, Alsinidendron

obovatum, Alsinidendron trinerve, Alsinidendron viscosum, Amaranthus

brownii, Argyroxiphium kauense, Argyroxiphium sandwicense ssp.

macrocephalum, Adenophorus periens, Asplenium fragile var. insulare,

Bidens micrantha ssp. kalealaha, Bidens wiebkei, Bonamia menziesii,

Brighamia insignis, Brighamia rockii, Canavalia molokaiensis, Cenchrus

agrimonioides, Centaurium sebaeoides, Chamaesyce celastroides var.

kaenana, Chamasyce deppeana, Chamaesyce halemanui, Chamaesyce herbstii,

Chamaesyce kuwaleana, Chamaesyce rockii, Clermontia drepanomorpha,

Clermontia lindseyana, Clermontia oblongifolia ssp. brevipes,

Clermontia oblongifolia ssp. mauiensis, Clermontia peleana,

[[Page 14210]]

Clermontia pyrularia, Colubrina oppositifolia, Ctenitis squamigera,

Cyanea asarifolia, Cyanea acuminata, Cyanea copelandii ssp. copelandii,

Cyanea dunbarii, Cyanea grimesiana ssp. grimesiana, Cyanea grimesiana

ssp. obatae, Cyanea hamatiflora ssp. carlsonii, Cyanea humboldtiana,

Cyanea koolauensis, Cyanea lobata, Cyanea longiflora, Cyanea

macrostegia ssp. gibsonii, Cyanea mannii, Cyanea mceldowneyi, Cyanea

pinnatifida, Cyanea platyphylla, Cyanea procera, Cyanea recta, Cyanea

remyi, Cyanea st.-johnii, Cyanea shipmanii, Cyanea stictophylla, Cyanea

superba, Cyanea truncata, Cyanea undulata, Cyperus trachysanthos,

Cyrtandra crenata, Cyrtandra cyaneoides, Cyrtandra dentata, Cyrtandra

giffardii, Cyrtandra limahuliensis, Cyrtandra munroi, Cyrtandra

polyantha, Cyrtandra subumbellata, Cyrtandra tintinnabula, Cyrtandra

viridiflora, Delissea rhytidosperma, Delissea rivularis, Delissea

subcordata, Delissea undulata, Diellia erecta, Diellia falcata, Diellia

pallida, Diellia unisora, Diplazium molokaiense, Dubautia herbstobatae,

Dubautia latifolia, Dubautia pauciflorula, Eragrostis fosbergii,

Eugenia koolauensis, Euphorbia haeleeleana, Exocarpos luteolus,

Flueggea neowawraea, Gahnia lanaiensis, Gardenia mannii, Geranium

arboreum, Geranium multiflorum, Gouania meyenii, Gouania vitifolia,

Hedyotis cookiana, Hedyotis coriacea, Hedyotis degeneri, Hedyotis

mannii, Hedyotis parvula, Hedyotis st.-johnii, Hesperomannia

arborescens, Hesperomannia arbuscula, Hesperomannia lydgatei,

Hibiscadelphus giffardianus, Hibiscadelphus hualalaiensis,

Hibiscadelphus woodii, Hibiscus arnottianus ssp. immaculatus, Hibiscus

brackenridgei, Hibiscus clayi, Hibiscus waimeae ssp. hannerae, Huperzia

mannii, Ischaemum byrone, Isodendrion hosakae, Isodendrion laurifolium,

Isodendrion longifolium, Isodendrion pyrifolium, Kokia kauaiensis,

Labordia cyrtandrae, Labordia lydgatei, Labordia tinifolia var.

wahiawaensis, Lepidium arbuscula, Lipochaeta fauriei, Lipochaeta

kamolensis, Lipochaeta lobata var. leptophylla, Lipochaeta micrantha,

Lipochaeta tenuifolia, Lipochaeta waimeaensis, Lobelia gaudichaudii

ssp. koolauensis, Lobelia monostachya, Lobelia niihauensis, Lobelia

oahuensis, Lycopodium nutans, Lysimachia filifolia, Lysimachia

lydgatei, Lysimachia maxima, Mariscus fauriei, Mariscus pennatiformis,

Marsilea villosa, Melicope adscendens, Melicope balloui, Melicope

haupuensis, Melicope knudsenii, Melicope lydgatei, Melicope

mucronulata, Melicope ovalis, Melicope pallida, Melicope

quadrangularis, Melicope reflexa, Melicope saint-johnii, Melicope

zahlbruckneri, Munroidendron racemosum, Myrsine juddii, Myrsine

linearifolia, Neraudia angulata, Neraudia ovata, Neraudia sericea,

Nothocestrum breviflorum, Nothocestrum peltatum, Nototrichium humile,

Ocrosia kilauaensis, Panicum niihauense, Peucedanum sandwicense,

Phyllostegia glabra var. lanaiensis, Phyllostegia hirsuta, Phyllostegia

kaalaensis, Phyllostegia knudsenii, Phyllostegia mannii, Phyllostegia

mollis, Phyllostegia parviflora, Phyllostegia racemosa, Phyllostegia

velutina, Phyllostegia warshaueri, Phyllostegia waimeae, Phyllostegia

wawrana, Plantago hawaiensis, Plantago princeps, Platanthera holochila,

Pleomele hawaiiensis, Poa mannii, Poa sandvicensis, Poa siphonoglossa,

Portulaca sclerocarpa, Pritchardia affinis, Pritchardia aylmer-

robinsonii, Pritchardia kaalae, Pritchardia munroi, Pritchardia

napaliensis, Pritchardia remota, Pritchardia schattaueri, Pritchardia

viscosa, Pteralyxia kauaiensis, Pteris lidgatei, Remya kauaiensis,

Remya mauiensis, Remya montgomeryi, Rollandia crispa, Sanicula

mariversa, Sanicula purpurea, Schiedea apokremnos, Schiedea

haleakalensis, Schiedea helleri, Schiedea hookeri, Schiedea kaalae,

Stenogyne campanulata, Schiedea kauaiensis, Stenogyne kanehoana,

Schiedea kealiae, Schiedea lydgatei,Schiedea membranacea, Schiedea

nuttallii, Schiedea sarmentosa, Schiedea spergulina var.

leiopoda,Schiedea spergulina var. spergulina, Schiedea stellarioides,

Schiedea verticillata, Sesbania tomentosa, Sicyos alba, Silene

alexandri, Silene hawaiiensis, Silene lanceolata, Silene perlmanii,

Solanum incompletum, Solanum sandwicense, Spermolepis hawaiiensis,

Stenogyne bifida, Tetramolopium arenarium, Tetramolopium capillare,

Tetramolopium filiforme, Tetramolopium lepidotum ssp. lepidotum,

Tetramolopium remyi, Tetramolopium rockii, Tetraplasandra gymnocarpa,

Trematolobelia singularis, Urera kaalae, Viola chamissoniana ssp.

chamissoniana, Viola helenae, Viola kauaensis var. wahiawaensis, Viola

lanaiensis, Viola oahuensis, Wilkesia hobdyi, Xylosma crenatum,

Zanthoxylum dipetalum var. tomentosum, Zanthoxylum hawaiiense.

In accordance with the U.S. District Court's August 10, 1998, order

(Civil No. 97-00098ACK Conservation Council for Hawaii, et al. vs.

Bruce Babbitt, et al.), the Service is reconsidering the not prudent

determinations that were made for these 245 plant species. We published

a notice seeking any new information that may affect whether we proceed

with a proposal to designate critical habitat for these species (63 FR

65805) on November 30, 1998. The original public comment period closed

on March 1, 1999. Four respondents requested that the public comment

period be extended to allow all interested parties ample opportunity to

respond to our request for comments. Therefore, we are reopening the

public comment period and continue to request comments, suggestions, or

information on our re-evaluation of whether designation of critical

habitat is prudent for these 245 plant species.

We are soliciting information concerning:

(1) Biological, commercial trade, vandalism, or other relevant data

concerning any threat to these species;

(2) The location of any additional populations of these species and

the reasons why any habitat should or should not be determined to be

critical habitat as provided by section 4 of the Act;

(3) Additional information concerning the range, distribution, and

population size of these species;

(4) Current or planned activities in the subject area and their

possible impacts on these species;

(5) Additional information on the principal biological or physical

constituent elements that are essential to the conservation of these

species. These primary constituent elements may include, but are not

limited to, the following: seasonal wetland or dryland, water quality

or quantity, plant pollinator, geological formation, vegetation type,

and specific soil types;

(6) Information on existing management for any of these species and

benefits to these species.

This information should be submitted by May 24, 1999, to the Fish

and Wildlife office in the ADDRESSES section.

Author: The primary author of this document is Christa Russell (see

ADDRESSES section).

Authority: The authority for this action is the Endangered

Species Act of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).

Dated: March 17, 1999.

Thomas J. Dwyer,

Acting Regional Director.

[FR Doc. 99-7153 Filed 3-23-99; 8:45 am]

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