[MPWG] Fw: [fws-news] Tennessee Purple Coneflower Proposed for Delisting: Comments being accepted

[Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov]

Date: Thursday, August 12, 2010 11:54:47 AM
Subject: [fws-news] Tennessee Purple Coneflower Proposed for Delisting

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Tennessee Purple Coneflower Proposed for Delisting 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today proposed removing the Tennessee 
purple coneflower from the list of threatened and endangered species, 
marking the success of a decades-long cooperative conservation effort 
under the Endangered Species Act.  The rule was published in today?s 
Federal Register, and the public is invited to comment on the proposal for 

the next 60 days until October 12, 2010.
 
?More than 30 years of protecting and expanding Tennessee purple 
coneflower colonies finally brought success to the Service and its 
conservation partners,? said Cindy Dohner, the Service?s Southeast 
Regional Director.  ?Thanks to the efforts of many people, adequate 
regulations exist to protect the plant?s populations, and these 
populations have stabilized to the point that the species has recovered 
and no longer needs the protection of the Endangered Species Act.? 

In addition, successful recovery efforts increased the known number and 
distribution of Tennessee purple coneflower populations range-wide, and 
provided adequate protection and management to ensure the plant?s 
long-term survival and recovery. 

When first listed in 1979, the coneflower was found only in small 
populations in Davidson, Rutherford, and Wilson counties, each considered 
a unique population.  Tennessee purple coneflower was first collected in 
1878, in Rutherford County, by one of Tennessee?s earliest botanists, Dr. 
Augustin Gattinger, and was described in 1898.  The species then went 
unnoticed until it was rediscovered in the late 1960s in Davidson County 
and in the early 1970s in Wilson County.  Currently, this plant exists in 
limestone barrens and cedar glades of the Central Basin in Davidson, 
Rutherford, and Wilson counties in Tennessee. 

In 1989, the Service published the revised recovery plan for Tennessee 
purple coneflower which included a criterion for recovering the species to 

the point that it could be considered for delisting.  This criterion 
requires that the species exist in five secure or protected populations, 
consisting of at least three colonies each.  There are now 19 secure 
colonies distributed among six populations, five of which contain three or 

more colonies.  These 19 colonies account for approximately 83 percent of 
the species? distribution. 

This recovery success story is the result of conservation efforts by many 
partners who worked more than 30 years to protect and expand the Tennessee 

purple coneflower colonies.  The Service?s partners include the Tennessee 
Department of Environment and Conservation and Tennessee Division of 
Forestry, The Nature Conservancy, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, National 
Park Service and various private landowners. 

Many factors influenced the recovery, including discovering new colonies 
through surveys of suitable habitat; researching the life history, 
genetics, and ecology of the species; and establishing new colonies from 
seed or nursery propagated plants. 

The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation was instrumental 
in recovering the Tennessee purple coneflower by buying or securing sites 
through other means to protect the species, as well as building fences to 
protect colonies from outdoor recreational vehicle damage, removing 
competing vegetation, and using fire with prescribed burns at many sites 
to provide habitat conditions that help this species thrive. 

Tennessee purple coneflower is a member of the sunflower family in the 
genus Echinacea, which includes several purple coneflower species that are 

commercially marketed for ornamental and medicinal purposes.  The 
Tennessee purple coneflower can be found commercially for landscaping 
purposes, but most often these plants are hybrids. 

If Tennessee purple coneflower is removed from the list of threatened and 
endangered species, federal agencies will no longer need to consult with 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure any action they authorize, 
fund, or carry out is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of 
this species.  The Service will work with Tennessee Department of 
Environment and Conservation to implement a post-delisting monitoring plan 

for at least five years if the species is delisted. 

To ensure that the final decision resulting from this proposal should be 
as accurate and effective as possible, the Service is soliciting comments 
and information from the public, other governmental agencies, the 
scientific community, industry, and any other interested parties. 

The Service particularly seeks comments relating to the biological 
information about this species, relevant data pertaining to threats, 
especially relating to current or planned activities near Tennessee purple 

coneflower habitat, and the draft post-delisting monitoring plan. 

The proposal and a draft post-delisting monitoring plan were published in 
today?s Federal Register.  Written comments regarding the proposed rule 
and draft post-delisting monitoring plan must be received by October 12, 
2010.  All comments will be considered before a final determination is 
made.  Comments should be submitted by one of the following methods:

·       Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.  Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments.
 
·       U.S. mail or hand-delivery to: Public Comments Processing, Attn: 
Docket Number FWS?R4?ES?2010?0059, Division of Policy and Directives 
Management; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 
222; Arlington, VA 22203. 

The proposed rule is on the Cookeville Ecological Services Field Office 
website at http://www.fws.gov/cookeville/.  Copies of the proposed rule 
and draft post-delisting monitoring plan are also available by contacting 
Geoff Call, Recovery Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 446 Neal 

Street, Cookeville, Tennessee 38501 (telephone 931/528-6481, extension 
213; facsimile 931/528-7075). 

The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others 
to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats 

for the continuing benefit of the American people. For more information, 
visit http://www.fws.gov or http://www.fws.gov/southeast. 

-FWS-

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Questions concerning a particular news release or item of
information should be directed to the person listed as the
contact. General comments or observations concerning the
content of the information should be directed to Malcomb Barsella 
(malcomb_barsella at fws.gov) in the Office of External Affairs.

. 
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