[Federal Register: September 19, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 181)]
[Notices]
[Page 54837-54838]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr19se06-57]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Recovery Plan for Camissonia benitensis (San Benito evening-
primrose)
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of document availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the
availability of the Recovery Plan for Camissonia benitensis (San Benito
evening-primrose). This plant species is found primarily in the Clear
Creek Management Area (CCMA) in San Benito County, California; the CCMA
is managed by the Hollister Field Office of the Bureau of Land
Management.
ADDRESSES: Printed copies of this recovery plan will be available in 4
to 6 weeks by request from the Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office, 2493
Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura, California 93003 (phone: 805/644-1766).
An electronic copy of this recovery plan is now available on the World
Wide Web at http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery/index.html#plans.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Connie Rutherford, botanist, at 805/
644-1766.
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 our endangered species program. The
Endangered Species Act (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. Recovery
plans help guide the recovery effort by describing actions considered
necessary for the conservation of the species, establishing criteria
for downlisting or delisting listed species, and estimating time and
cost for implementing the measures needed for recovery.
Section 4(f) of the Act requires that public notice and an
opportunity for
[[Page 54838]]
public review and comment be provided during recovery plan development.
In fulfillment of this requirement, information presented during the
public comment period and comments from peer reviewers have been
considered in the preparation of this final recovery plan, and are
summarized in Appendix D to the recovery plan. We will forward
substantive comments regarding recovery plan implementation to
appropriate Federal or other entities so they can take these comments
into account during the course of implementing recovery actions.
Camissonia benitensis was listed as threatened in 1985 and is
associated with serpentine-derived soils within the San Benito
serpentine body in the southern Coast Ranges of California. Populations
of Camissonia benitensis are usually found on small streamside terraces
that have formed at the base of slopes within watersheds that flow off
of San Benito Mountain, which, at 5,247 feet (2,000 meters), is the
highest point in this stretch of the Coast Ranges. The entire range of
the species spans an area about 20 miles long and 5 miles wide.
Camissonia benitensis is an ephemeral annual species whose numbers
of individuals can fluctuate drastically from year to year. While
favorable climatic conditions in an occasional year may result in tens
of thousands of individuals, more often populations are small in
numbers of individuals and in the amount of acreage they occupy.
The primary threat to Camissonia benitensis is off-highway vehicle
recreation activity in the CCMA. Although most terrace sites that
support occupied or suitable habitat for the species have been
administratively closed and either wholly or partially fenced by the
Bureau, off-highway vehicles continue to access a certain number of
these sites and cause direct damage to plants and their habitat. Other
forms of recreation such as rock collecting, hunting, and nature hiking
are comparatively minor threats. In addition, the natural erosion rate
of the serpentine slopes above the terraces is exacerbated by human
recreational activities that contribute to deposition on top of the
terraces as well as erosion of the terraces due to sediment loading of
streams and subsequent flooding.
The objective of a recovery plan is to provide a framework for the
recovery of the species so that protection by the Act is no longer
necessary. Actions necessary to accomplish this objective include: (1)
Protecting existing populations and suitable habitat, (2) reducing or
eliminating soil erosion and stream sedimentation in the watersheds
that support habitat for the species, (3) developing a species
management plan that includes needed research and monitoring, (4)
establishing an ex situ seed collection, and (5) developing and
implementing a public outreach program.
Authority
The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered
Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Steve Thompson,
Manager, California-Nevada Operations Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
[FR Doc. E6-15508 Filed 9-18-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P