[PCA] Draft Recovery Plan for Astragalus holmgreniorum (Holmgren milk-vetch) and Astragalus ampullarioides (Shivwits milk-vetch)
Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov
Patricia_DeAngelis at fws.gov
Wed Aug 2 07:44:00 CDT 2006
The Draft Recovery Plan for Astragalus holmgreniorum (Holmgren milk-vetch)
and Astragalus ampullarioides (Shivwits milk-vetch) has just been
announced and public comment welcome until August 31:
"Copies of the draft recovery plan are available by request from the Utah
Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2369 West Orton Circle,
Suite 50, West Valley City, Utah 84119 (telephone 801-975-3330). Submit
comments on the draft recovery plan to the Field Supervisor at this same
address. An electronic copy of the draft recovery plan is available at
http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/index.html#plans."
Interesting to note that the draft recovery plan mentions a public role in
the recovery..."Recovery of Holmgren milk-vetch and Shivwits milk-vetch
will...require the active involvement of experts and the public as well as
a continuing recognition of the role each milk-vetch plays in the ecology
of southwestern Utah and, in the case of Holmgren milk-vetch, northwestern
Arizona." Fodder for Cooperative Conservation!
More info on these species can be found at:
http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/websites/fwsgov/mountain-prairie.fws.gov/pressrel/00-11.htm
-Patricia
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[Federal Register: August 1, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 147)]
[Notices]
[Page 43514-43515]
>From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01au06-81]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Recovery
Plan for Astragalus holmgreniorum (Holmgren milk-vetch) and Astragalus
ampullarioides (Shivwits milk-vetch)
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability for review and comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) announces
availability for public review a draft recovery plan for the Holmgren
milk-vetch (Astragalus holmgreniorum) and Shivwits milk-vetch
(Astragalus ampullarioides). These species are federally listed as
endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act).
The Service solicits review and comment from the public on this draft
plan.
DATES: Comments on the draft recovery plan must be received on or
before August 31, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Copies of the draft recovery plan are available by request
from the Utah Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2369 West
Orton Circle, Suite 50, West Valley City, Utah 84119 (telephone 801-
975-3330). Submit comments on the draft recovery plan to the Field
Supervisor at this same address. An electronic copy of the draft
recovery plan is available at <A HREF="
http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/index.html#plans
">http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/index.html#plans</A>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Field Supervisor, at the above
address, or telephone 801-975-3330.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Restoring an endangered or threatened animal or plant to the point
where it is again a secure, self-sustaining member of its ecosystem 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 the federally listed species native to the United States
where a plan will promote the conservation of the species. Recovery
plans describe site-specific actions necessary for the conservation of
the species, establish objective, measurable criteria which, when met,
would result in a determination that the species no longer needs the
protection of the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), and provide estimates
of the time and cost for implementing the needed recovery measures.
The Act requires 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 opportunity for public review and comment be provided during
recovery plan development. The Service will consider all information
received during a public comment period when preparing each new or
revised recovery plan for approval. The Service and other Federal
agencies also will take these comments into consideration in the course
of implementing approved recovery plans. It is our policy to request
peer review of recovery plans, and we will summarize and respond to the
issues raised by the peer reviewers in a determination appendix to the
approved recovery plan.
Holmgren milk-vetch and Shivwits milk-vetch are endemic to the
Mojave Desert around St. George, Utah. These perennials were listed as
endangered in October 2001 (66 FR 49560, September 28, 2001) due to
their rarity and declining population trends as well as the threats of
urban development, off-road vehicle use, grazing, displacement by
invasive plants, and mineral development. Critical habitat was proposed
for these species on March 29, 2006 (71 FR 15966). For the purpose of
recovery each species comprises six extant populations located in
Washington County, Utah, with one Holmgren milk-vetch population
extending into Mohave County, Arizona. This also represents the known
historic distribution, although it is probable that both species
occupied more habitat in the past.
Holmgren milk-vetch occurs at elevations between 756 and 914 meters
(2,480 and 2,999 feet) in areas that drain to the Santa Clara and
Virgin Rivers. It is typically found on the skirt edges of hill and
plateau formations slightly above or at the edge of drainage areas; it
occurs on soils characterized by small stone and gravel deposits and
where living cover is less than 20 percent of the landscape. Shivwits
milk-vetch is found in isolated pockets of Chinle and Moenave soils
around St. George. Occupied sites are small, and populations are found
between 920 and 1,330 meters (3,018 and 4,363 feet) in elevation in
sparsely vegetated habitat with an average 12 percent cover. Shivwits
milk-vetch is thinly and discontinuously distributed within its
habitat; Shivwits milk-vetch is found in dense patches. Depending on
precipitation, Holmgren milk-vetch has variable seedling output
followed by a low rate of survivorship, limiting the number of
reproductive adults within a population; Shivwits milk-vetch is
constrained by the isolation of appropriate soil substrate and limited
mechanisms for seed dispersal.
Recovery of Holmgren milk-vetch and Shivwits milk-vetch will hinge
on conservation of extant populations and establishment of enough
additional populations to ensure long-term demographic and genetic
viability. This will require the active involvement of experts and the
public as well as a continuing recognition of the role each milk-vetch
plays in the ecology of southwestern Utah and, in the case of Holmgren
milk-vetch, northwestern Arizona. Because of the biological and
historical uncertainties regarding the status and recovery potential of
these species, the recovery strategy is necessarily contingent on a
growing understanding of the species and their ecological requirements.
Consequently, a dynamic and adaptive approach will be key to making
effective progress toward full recovery.
Public Comments Solicited
The Service solicits public comments on the draft recovery plan
described. All comments received by the date specified will be
considered prior to approval of the plan. Written comments and
materials regarding the plan should be addressed to the Field
Supervisor (see ADDRESSES section). Comments and materials received
will be available, by appointment, for public inspection during normal
business hours at the above address.
Authority
The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered
Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
[[Page 43515]]
Dated: July 5, 2006.
James J. Slack,
Deputy Regional Director, Denver, Colorado.
[FR Doc. E6-12306 Filed 7-31-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
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