Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Recovery Plan for Hawaiian Waterbirds, Second Revision, 2753-2754 [2012-926]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 12 / Thursday, January 19, 2012 / Notices Telephone Number: (302) 678–9400 ext 112. Email Address: jmyer@ncall.org. mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Washington The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in Nespleem, Washington will receive a Rural Innovation Fund Indian Economic Development and Entrepreneurship grant in the amount of $799,750 to support the creation of a new woody biomass business entity that will harvest woody biomass and deliver it to local cogeneration facilities where it will be converted into electricity. The new business will add 16 new jobs and expand business opportunities for several contractors. Funds will be used to purchase the heavy equipment needed for turning woody biomass— waste from logging, orchards and mills—into fuel for power generation. The new business will be developed under the guidance of the CCT Energy Department as a for-profit business called Fuel Enterprises. Leveraging for this project is $2,300,000. Contact Person: Mr. Ernie Clark. Grantee Address: P. O. Box 150, Nespelem, WA 99155–0150. Telephone Number: (509) 422–7755. Email Address: Emie.clark@colvillletribes.com. The Kalispel Tribe of Indians in Usk, Washington will receive a Rural Innovation Fund Indian Economic Development and Entrepreneurship grant in the amount of $240,970 to construct a nursery to cultivate native plants, including over 3,000 trees from locally sourced plant stock. The project will also restore lost habitat on the reservation, fund wetland restoration efforts, and link these efforts with the initiation/development of a forestry apprenticeship. Partners include KNRD, EPA, BPA, and KCTC, as well as in-kind funds for land acreage. Leveraging for this project is $128,456. Contact Person: Mr. Ray Entz. Grantee Address: PO Box 39 Usk, WA 99180–0039. Telephone Number: (509) 447–7278. Email Address: rentz@kalispeltribe.com. Wisconsin The Lac Courte Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians in Hayward, Wisconsin will receive a Rural Innovation Fund Indian Economic Development and Entrepreneurship grant in the amount of $789,063 to enhance the tourism-based economy by creating a visitor’s center, museum, and gift shop located in former Kinnamon School, which will be renovated. The visitor’s center will promote tribal VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:21 Jan 18, 2012 Jkt 226001 businesses and will provide a venue for the work of local crafts and tradespersons. Partners include Sawyer County Historian Andrea Wittwer, Tribal Spiritual Leader and Historic Preservation Officer Jerry Smith, Lac Courte Oreilles (LCO) Arts & Crafts Assoc. Director Cathy Begay, Tribal Governing Board and Tribal Attorney, Paul Shagan, LC Dev Corp, NW Regional Planning Commission, and A&E Consulting Firm. Leveraging for this project is $394,908. Contact Person: Ms. Lorene Wielgot. Grantee Address: 13394 West Trepania Rd, Hayward, WI 54843–2186. Telephone Number: (715) 634–8934. Email Address: weilot@gmail.com. The Ho-Chunk Housing and Community Development Agency in Tomah, Wisconsin will receive a Rural Innovation Fund Single Purpose grant in the amount of $300,000 to rehab 21 homes in the 40-year old Indian Mission community, located in Black River Falls, Wisconsin. As part of the Indian Mission Green Rehabilitation project, 21 homes will receive a geothermal heatpump system and new basement insulation. The green retrofitting will increase energy efficiency and reduce energy costs by 63 percent. Leveraging for this project is $150,000. Contact Person: Mr. Paul Tysse. Grantee Address: 1116 E. Monowau Street, P.O. Box 730, Tomah, WI 54660– 2332. Telephone Number: (608) 374–1245. Email Address: paul.tysse@hochunk.com. [FR Doc. 2012–1008 Filed 1–18–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4210–67–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS–R1–ES–2010–N252; FXES11130100000C2–123–FF01E00000] Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Recovery Plan for Hawaiian Waterbirds, Second Revision Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of document availability. AGENCY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability of the final approved Recovery Plan for Hawaiian Waterbirds, Second Revision. The recovery plan addresses four endangered bird species. This plan includes recovery objectives and criteria, and specific recovery actions necessary to achieve downlisting and delisting of the species and their removal from the Federal List SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00070 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 2753 of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. ADDRESSES: An electronic copy of the recovery plan is available at https://www. fws.gov/endangered/species/recoveryplans.html and https://www.fws.gov/pacific/ecoservices/ endangered/recovery/plans.html. Copies of the recovery plan are also available by request from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, 300 Ala Moana Boulevard, Room 3–122, Box 50088, Honolulu, HI 96850 (telephone: (808) 792–9400). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Annie Marshall, Fish and Wildlife Biologist, at the above Honolulu address. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We announce the availability of the approved Recovery Plan for Hawaiian Waterbirds, Second Revision. The recovery plan addresses the following four bird species listed as endangered: Hawaiian duck or koloa maoli (Anas wyvilliana), Hawaiian coot or alae keokeo (Fulica alai), Hawaiian common moorhen or alae ula (Gallinula chloropus sandvicensis), and Hawaiian stilt or aeo (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni). Background Recovery of endangered or threatened animals and plants is a primary goal of the Endangered Species Act (Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) and our endangered species program. Recovery means improvement of the status of listed species to the point at which listing is no longer required under the criteria set out in section 4(a)(1) of the Act. Recovery plans describe actions considered necessary for the conservation of listed species, establish criteria for downlisting or delisting, and estimate time and cost for implementing the measures needed for recovery. The Act requires the development of recovery plans for endangered or threatened species unless such a plan would not promote the conservation of the species. Section 4(f) of the Act requires that public notice, and an opportunity for public review and comment, be provided during recovery plan development. A recovery plan for these four waterbirds was first published in 1978, and the first revision of the recovery plan was published in 1985. A draft of the second revision to the recovery plan was made available for public comment from July 9 through September 7, 1999 (64 FR 37148). However, that draft was never finalized. From August 24 through October 24, 2005, we made a second draft of the E:\FR\FM\19JAN1.SGM 19JAN1 mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 2754 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 12 / Thursday, January 19, 2012 / Notices second revision available for public comment (70 FR 49668). We have considered information we received from public comments and peer reviewers in our preparation of the recovery plan, and have summarized that information in an appendix of the approved recovery plan. We welcome continuing public comment on this recovery plan, and we will consider all substantive comments on an ongoing basis to inform the implementation of recovery activities and future updates to the recovery plan. The four species of waterbirds addressed in the recovery plan occurred historically on all of the main Hawaiian Islands except Lanai and Kahoolawe. Currently, Hawaiian ducks are found on the islands of Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii; Hawaiian coots and Hawaiiian stilts are found on all of the main Hawaiian Islands except Kahoolawe; and Hawaiian common moorhens are found only on the islands of Kauai and Oahu. These species use a variety of wetland habitats, including freshwater marshes and ponds, coastal estuaries and ponds, artificial reservoirs, taro patches, irrigation ditches, sewage treatment ponds, and, in the case of the Hawaiian duck, montane streams and swamplands. Historically, the primary cause of population declines for the endangered Hawaiian waterbirds has been loss of wetland habitat. Other factors that have contributed to waterbird population declines, and which continue to be detrimental, include predation by introduced animals, altered hydrology, grazing, alteration of habitat by invasive nonnative plants, disease, and possibly environmental contaminants. Hunting in the late 1800s and early 1900s took a heavy toll on Hawaiian duck populations and, to a lesser extent, populations of the other three endemic waterbirds. Currently, predation by introduced animals may be the greatest threat to the coot, moorhen, and stilt; hybridization with feral mallards is the most serious threat to the Hawaiian duck. The recovery of the endangered waterbirds focuses on the following objectives: (1) Increasing population numbers to be consistently stable or increasing, with a minimum of 2,000 birds for each species; (2) establishing multiple, self-sustaining breeding populations throughout each species’ historical range; (3) establishing and protecting a network of both core and supporting wetlands that are managed as habitat suitable for waterbirds, including the maintenance of appropriate hydrological conditions and control of invasive nonnative plants; (4) VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:21 Jan 18, 2012 Jkt 226001 eliminating or controlling the threats posed by introduced predators, avian diseases, and contaminants; and (5) for the Hawaiian duck, removing the threat of hybridization with feral mallards. Authority: The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f). Dated: October 28, 2011. Richard R. Hannan, Acting Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. [FR Doc. 2012–926 Filed 1–18–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–55–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS–R4–R–2011–N241; FXRS12650400000S3–123–FF04R02000] Establishment of Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: The Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) has approved the establishment of the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area in Polk, Osceola, Highlands, and Okeechobee Counties, Florida. The Service establishes the Refuge and Conservation Area in order to support a connected conservation landscape; to provide quality habitats for native wildlife diversity and at-risk species; to enhance water quality, quantity, and storage; and to provide opportunities for wildlife-dependent recreation. DATES: This action was effective on December 16, 2011. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Cheri M. Ehrhardt, Natural Resource Planner, at (321) 861–2368 (telephone) or Mr. Charlie Pelizza, Refuge Manager, at (772) 562–3909, extension 244 (telephone). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The establishment of the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area will protect approximately 150,000 acres in central and south Florida, helping to protect and restore one of the great grassland and savanna landscapes of eastern North America, conserving one of the nation’s prime areas of biological diversity. It will also help to address the threats from habitat fragmentation and urban development, altered ecological processes, and impacts from global climate change. The Service will work SUMMARY: PO 00000 Frm 00071 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 with willing landowners to create a 100,000-acre conservation area through conservation easements or other lessthan-fee-title means, and a 50,000-acre national wildlife refuge. The authorities to establish and manage the Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge and Conservation Area are the National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act [16 U.S.C. 668dd(a)(2)], Endangered Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1534), Emergency Wetlands Resources Act [16 U.S.C. 3901(b), 100 Stat. 3583], Migratory Bird Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 715d), Fish and Wildlife Act [16 U.S.C. 742f(a)(4)], and Refuge Recreation Act (16 U.S.C. 460k–460k–4). Working with conservation land managers across this landscape, the Service will: (1) Manage the refuge and employ appropriate conditions for the conservation area to support a more connected and functional conservation landscape that will provide effective habitat connections between existing conservation areas and allow habitats and species to shift in response to urban development pressures and global climate change; (2) provide a wide range of quality Kissimmee River Basin habitats to support migratory birds, Federal- and State-listed species, Statedesignated species of special concern, and native wildlife diversity; (3) contribute to water quality, water quantity, and water storage capacity of the upper Everglades watershed to complement Everglades restoration goals and objectives and water quality and supply for central and south Florida; and (4) provide opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife observation, wildlife photography, and environmental education and interpretation, while increasing knowledge of and support for conservation of the important grassland and savanna landscape of the headwaters of the Everglades. Several uses were evaluated in the interim compatibility determinations and determined to be compatible for the refuge. These included hunting, fishing, environmental education and interpretation, wildlife observation and photography, research, camping, hiking, horseback riding, bicycling, grazing, and off-road vehicle use (on designated roads and trails to support hunting and research). The Service is working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to establish a memorandum of understanding to also employ appropriate State wildlife management areas for hunting on properties acquired for the refuge. On September 8, 2011, the Service published a Federal Register notice (76 E:\FR\FM\19JAN1.SGM 19JAN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 12 (Thursday, January 19, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2753-2754]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-926]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R1-ES-2010-N252; FXES11130100000C2-123-FF01E00000]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Recovery Plan for 
Hawaiian Waterbirds, Second Revision

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of document availability.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the 
availability of the final approved Recovery Plan for Hawaiian 
Waterbirds, Second Revision. The recovery plan addresses four 
endangered bird species. This plan includes recovery objectives and 
criteria, and specific recovery actions necessary to achieve 
downlisting and delisting of the species and their removal from the 
Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants.

ADDRESSES: An electronic copy of the recovery plan is available at 
https://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/recovery-plans.html and https://www.fws.gov/pacific/ecoservices/endangered/recovery/plans.html. Copies 
of the recovery plan are also available by request from the U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service, Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, 300 Ala 
Moana Boulevard, Room 3-122, Box 50088, Honolulu, HI 96850 (telephone: 
(808) 792-9400).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Annie Marshall, Fish and Wildlife 
Biologist, at the above Honolulu address.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We announce the availability of the approved 
Recovery Plan for Hawaiian Waterbirds, Second Revision. The recovery 
plan addresses the following four bird species listed as endangered: 
Hawaiian duck or koloa maoli (Anas wyvilliana), Hawaiian coot or alae 
keokeo (Fulica alai), Hawaiian common moorhen or alae ula (Gallinula 
chloropus sandvicensis), and Hawaiian stilt or aeo (Himantopus 
mexicanus knudseni).

Background

    Recovery of endangered or threatened animals and plants is a 
primary goal of the Endangered Species Act (Act) (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 
seq.) and our endangered species program. Recovery means improvement of 
the status of listed species to the point at which listing is no longer 
required under the criteria set out in section 4(a)(1) of the Act. 
Recovery plans describe actions considered necessary for the 
conservation of listed species, establish criteria for downlisting or 
delisting, and estimate time and cost for implementing the measures 
needed for recovery.
    The Act requires the development of recovery plans for endangered 
or threatened species unless such a plan would not promote the 
conservation of the species. Section 4(f) of the Act requires that 
public notice, and an opportunity for public review and comment, be 
provided during recovery plan development. A recovery plan for these 
four waterbirds was first published in 1978, and the first revision of 
the recovery plan was published in 1985. A draft of the second revision 
to the recovery plan was made available for public comment from July 9 
through September 7, 1999 (64 FR 37148). However, that draft was never 
finalized. From August 24 through October 24, 2005, we made a second 
draft of the

[[Page 2754]]

second revision available for public comment (70 FR 49668). We have 
considered information we received from public comments and peer 
reviewers in our preparation of the recovery plan, and have summarized 
that information in an appendix of the approved recovery plan. We 
welcome continuing public comment on this recovery plan, and we will 
consider all substantive comments on an ongoing basis to inform the 
implementation of recovery activities and future updates to the 
recovery plan.
    The four species of waterbirds addressed in the recovery plan 
occurred historically on all of the main Hawaiian Islands except Lanai 
and Kahoolawe. Currently, Hawaiian ducks are found on the islands of 
Niihau, Kauai, Oahu, Maui, and Hawaii; Hawaiian coots and Hawaiiian 
stilts are found on all of the main Hawaiian Islands except Kahoolawe; 
and Hawaiian common moorhens are found only on the islands of Kauai and 
Oahu. These species use a variety of wetland habitats, including 
freshwater marshes and ponds, coastal estuaries and ponds, artificial 
reservoirs, taro patches, irrigation ditches, sewage treatment ponds, 
and, in the case of the Hawaiian duck, montane streams and swamplands. 
Historically, the primary cause of population declines for the 
endangered Hawaiian waterbirds has been loss of wetland habitat. Other 
factors that have contributed to waterbird population declines, and 
which continue to be detrimental, include predation by introduced 
animals, altered hydrology, grazing, alteration of habitat by invasive 
nonnative plants, disease, and possibly environmental contaminants. 
Hunting in the late 1800s and early 1900s took a heavy toll on Hawaiian 
duck populations and, to a lesser extent, populations of the other 
three endemic waterbirds. Currently, predation by introduced animals 
may be the greatest threat to the coot, moorhen, and stilt; 
hybridization with feral mallards is the most serious threat to the 
Hawaiian duck.
    The recovery of the endangered waterbirds focuses on the following 
objectives: (1) Increasing population numbers to be consistently stable 
or increasing, with a minimum of 2,000 birds for each species; (2) 
establishing multiple, self-sustaining breeding populations throughout 
each species' historical range; (3) establishing and protecting a 
network of both core and supporting wetlands that are managed as 
habitat suitable for waterbirds, including the maintenance of 
appropriate hydrological conditions and control of invasive nonnative 
plants; (4) eliminating or controlling the threats posed by introduced 
predators, avian diseases, and contaminants; and (5) for the Hawaiian 
duck, removing the threat of hybridization with feral mallards.

    Authority: The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the 
Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).

    Dated: October 28, 2011.
Richard R. Hannan,
Acting Regional Director, Region 1, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2012-926 Filed 1-18-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P

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