Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Recovery Plan for the Gulf Coast Jaguarundi, 76066-76067 [2012-30914]
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Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 26, 2012 / Notices
The ESA requires recovery plans for
listed species unless such a plan would
not promote the conservation of a
particular species. Section 4(f) of the
ESA, 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. We will summarize
and respond to the issues raised by the
public and peer reviewers in an
appendix to the approved recovery plan.
The Kendall Warm Springs dace
(Rhinichthys osculus thermalis), found
only in one location in western
Wyoming, was first listed as endangered
in 1970 under the Endangered Species
Preservation Act of 1966 (80 Stat. 926;
16 U.S.C. 668aa(c)). It was later
grandfathered into the ESA of 1973, as
amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). At the
time of listing, the species was
threatened by habitat destruction and
modification, overexploitation, and
limited distribution. Since the time of
its listing, many recovery actions have
been implemented, including taxonomic
research, protection of habitat, cessation
of the species’ use as baitfish, and
prohibitions against certain forms of
mineral development. However, Kendall
Warm Springs dace population
estimates appear to be trending
downward over the last decade. In
addition, this fish remains vulnerable to
some high-level threats. These include
vulnerability to habitat changes from oil
and gas development and potential
competition and/or disease from the
introduction of exotic species.
The recovery of the Kendall Warm
Springs dace will depend on effective
conservation responses to the varied
and complex issues facing the species.
These issues include limited
distribution, exotic species, grazing,
hydrologic changes, invasive plants,
pollution, and energy resource
exploration and development.
Strategically, these issues can be
reduced to two overriding concerns:
potentially devastating effects from
natural resource extraction and exotic
species introductions. The recovery
strategy for the Kendall Warm Springs
dace focuses on the need to address
vulnerability due to limited
distribution; refugia populations;
regulatory mechanisms; protecting
habitat quality through a program that
VerDate Mar<15>2010
06:31 Dec 22, 2012
Jkt 229001
encompasses threats abatement; and
population management, research, and
monitoring. We emphasize the (1)
incorporation of protective measures
into land use plans; (2) protection of the
spring’s recharge zone; (3) establishment
of two captive refugia populations; and
(4) monitoring and managing population
levels, genetics, and habitat conditions.
Request for Public Comments
The Service solicits public comments
on the draft recovery plan. All
comments received by the date specified
in DATES 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).
Dated: December 4, 2012.
Noreen E. Walsh,
Regional Director, Denver, Colorado.
[FR Doc. 2012–31011 Filed 12–21–12; 4:15 pm]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–R2–ES–2012–N291; 20124–1113–
0000–C2]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
and Plants; Draft Recovery Plan for the
Gulf Coast Jaguarundi
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request
for comment.
AGENCY:
We, the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, announce the
availability of our draft recovery plan
for the Gulf Coast jaguarundi (Puma
yagouaroundi cacomitli) under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (Act). This species historically
occurred in southern Texas in the
United States and is currently known to
occur in eastern Mexico as far south as
Veracruz. We request review and
comment on our plan from local, State,
and Federal agencies, and the public.
We will also accept any new
information on the status of the Gulf
Coast jaguarundi throughout its range to
assist in finalizing the recovery plan.
DATES: To ensure consideration, we
must receive written comments on or
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00099
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
before February 22, 2013. However, we
will accept information about any
species at any time.
ADDRESSES: If you wish to review the
draft recovery plan, you may obtain a
copy by visiting our Web site at https://
www.fws.gov/endangered/species/
recovery-plans.html. Alternatively, you
may contact the South Texas Refuges
Complex Headquarters at 3325 Green
Jay Road, Alamo, Texas, or by phone at
(956) 784–7500. If you wish to comment
on the plan, you may submit your
comments in writing by any one of the
following methods:
• U.S. mail: Mitch Sternberg, at the
above address;
• Hand-delivery: South Texas Refuges
Complex Headquarters at the above
address;
• Fax: (956) 787–8338; or
• Email: Mitch_Sternberg@fws.gov.
For additional information about
submitting comments, see the ‘‘Request
for Public Comments’’ section below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mitch Sternberg at the above address,
phone number, or email.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Recovery of 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 and the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et
seq.). Recovery means improvement of
the status of listed species to the point
at which listing is no longer appropriate
under the criteria set out in section
4(a)(1) of the Act. The Act requires the
development of recovery plans for listed
species, unless such a plan would not
promote the conservation of a particular
species.
Species’ History
We listed the Gulf Coast jaguarundi as
an endangered species under the Act on
June 14, 1976 (41 FR 24062). The Listed
Cats of Texas and Arizona Recovery
Plan (With Emphasis on the Ocelot),
was completed in 1990 and it briefly
addressed the jaguar, jaguarundi, and
margay, but focused on the ocelot,
primarily in Texas. The Draft Gulf Coast
Jaguarundi Recovery Plan only applies
to the Gulf Coast subspecies of
jaguarundi.
The jaguarundi was originally
included in the genus Felis, and the
Gulf Coast jaguarundi was originally
listed under the Act as Felis
yagouaroundi cacomitli in 1976. Later,
genus classification was changed from
Felis to Herpailurus, and this widely
accepted change was subsequently
E:\FR\FM\26DEN1.SGM
26DEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 247 / Wednesday, December 26, 2012 / Notices
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with
made to the listing. Thus, this
subspecies is currently listed under the
Act as Herpailurus (=Felis)
yagouaroundi cacomitli. However, more
recent genetic work assigns the
jaguarundi to the genus Puma, and this
has become the generally accepted
nomenclature. Therefore, in keeping
with this current information, we refer
to the Gulf Coast jaguarundi subspecies
as Puma yagouaroundi cacomitili
throughout this recovery plan, and we
officially accept the new scientific name
of the jaguarundi as Puma
yagouaroundi.
The Sinaloan jaguarundi (Puma
yagouaroundi tolteca) was originally
listed under the Act at the same time as
the Gulf Coast subspecies. Because all of
the current information indicates that
the tolteca subspecies occurs entirely
outside the United States and has never
been confirmed within the United
States, the Sinaloan jaguarundi was
exempted from recovery planning on
June 7, 2011.
The Gulf Coast jaguarundi is found in
the Tamaulipan Biotic Province of
northeast Mexico and south Texas.
Within Mexico it occurs in the eastern
lowlands and has not been recorded in
the Central Highlands. In southern
Texas, jaguarundis used dense thorny
shrublands. Jaguarundis will use
bunchgrass pastures if dense brush or
woody cover is nearby.
The primary known threats to the
Gulf Coast jaguarundi are habitat
destruction, degradation, and
fragmentation associated with
agriculture and urbanization, and, to
some extent, border security activities.
Mortality from collisions with vehicles
is also a threat.
Recovery Plan Goals
The objective of an agency recovery
plan is to provide a framework for the
recovery of a species so that protection
under the Act is no longer necessary. A
recovery plan includes scientific
information about the species and
provides criteria and actions necessary
for us to be able to reclassify the species
to threatened status or remove it from
the Federal List of Endangered and
Threatened Wildlife and Plants (List).
Recovery plans help guide our recovery
efforts by describing actions we
consider necessary for the species’
conservation, and by estimating time
and costs for implementing needed
recovery measures. To achieve its goals,
this draft recovery plan identifies the
following objectives:
• Support efforts to develop more
effective survey techniques for
jaguarundis and to ascertain the status,
better understand ecological and
VerDate Mar<15>2010
06:31 Dec 22, 2012
Jkt 229001
conservation needs, and promote
conservation of the Gulf Coast
jaguarundi and its habitats.
• Assess, protect, and restore
sufficient habitat and connectivity to
support viable populations and genetic
exchange of the Gulf Coast jaguarundi in
southern Texas and in Mexico.
• Reduce the effects of human
population growth and development on
potential Gulf Coast jaguarundi habitat
in the United States and on the
jaguarundi’s potential survival and
mortality.
• Assure the long-term viability of
jaguarundi conservation through
partnerships, the development and
application of incentives for
landowners, application of existing
regulations, and public education and
outreach.
• Practice adaptive management in
which recovery is monitored and
recovery tasks are revised by the FWS
as new information becomes available.
The draft revised recovery plan
contains recovery criteria based on
maintaining and increasing population
numbers and habitat quality and
quantity. The revised recovery plan
focuses on protecting populations,
managing threats, maintaining habitat,
monitoring progress, and building
partnerships to facilitate recovery.
As the subspecies meets recovery
criteria, we will review the subspecies’
status and consider removal from the
List.
Request for Public Comments
Section 4(f) of the Act requires us to
provide public notice and an
opportunity for public review and
comment during recovery plan
development. It is also our policy to
request peer review of recovery plans
(July 1, 1994; 59 FR 34270). In an
appendix to the approved recovery plan,
we will summarize and respond to the
issues raised by the public and peer
reviewers. Substantive comments may
or may not result in changes to the
recovery plan; comments regarding
recovery plan implementation will be
forwarded as appropriate to Federal or
other entities so that they can be taken
into account during the course of
implementing recovery actions.
Responses to individual commenters
will not be provided, but we will
provide a summary of how we
addressed substantive comments in an
appendix to the approved recovery plan.
We invite written comments on the
draft recovery plan. This plan
incorporates the most recent scientific
research specific to the Gulf Coast
jaguaurundi. In particular, we are
interested in information regarding the
PO 00000
Frm 00100
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
76067
current threats to the species and the
costs associated with implementing the
recommended recovery actions.
Before we approve the plan, we will
consider all comments we receive by the
date specified in DATES above. Methods
of submitting comments are in the
ADDRESSES section above.
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other
personal identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment—including your
personal identifying information—may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Comments and materials we receive
will be available, by appointment, for
public inspection during normal
business hours at our office (see
ADDRESSES).
Authority
We developed our draft recovery plan
and publish this notice under the
authority of section 4(f) of the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: December 10, 2012.
Benjamin Tuggle,
Regional Director, Southwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2012–30914 Filed 12–21–12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[CACA–051552, LLCAD0700 L51010000
FX0000 LVRWB10B3980]
Notice of Availability of a Proposed
Land Use Plan Amendment and Final
Environmental Impact Statement for
the Proposed McCoy Solar Energy
Project, CA
Bureau of Land Management,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
National Environmental Policy Act of
1969, as amended (NEPA), and the
Federal Land Policy and Management
Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has
prepared a proposed California Desert
Conservation Area (CDCA) plan
amendment and final environmental
impact statement (EIS) for the McCoy
Solar Energy Project (project)—a
photovoltaic solar electricity generation
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\26DEN1.SGM
26DEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 26, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 76066-76067]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-30914]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R2-ES-2012-N291; 20124-1113-0000-C2]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Recovery
Plan for the Gulf Coast Jaguarundi
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the
availability of our draft recovery plan for the Gulf Coast jaguarundi
(Puma yagouaroundi cacomitli) under the Endangered Species Act of 1973,
as amended (Act). This species historically occurred in southern Texas
in the United States and is currently known to occur in eastern Mexico
as far south as Veracruz. We request review and comment on our plan
from local, State, and Federal agencies, and the public. We will also
accept any new information on the status of the Gulf Coast jaguarundi
throughout its range to assist in finalizing the recovery plan.
DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive written comments on or
before February 22, 2013. However, we will accept information about any
species at any time.
ADDRESSES: If you wish to review the draft recovery plan, you may
obtain a copy by visiting our Web site at https://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/recovery-plans.html. Alternatively, you may contact
the South Texas Refuges Complex Headquarters at 3325 Green Jay Road,
Alamo, Texas, or by phone at (956) 784-7500. If you wish to comment on
the plan, you may submit your comments in writing by any one of the
following methods:
U.S. mail: Mitch Sternberg, at the above address;
Hand-delivery: South Texas Refuges Complex Headquarters at
the above address;
Fax: (956) 787-8338; or
Email: Mitch_Sternberg@fws.gov.
For additional information about submitting comments, see the
``Request for Public Comments'' section below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mitch Sternberg at the above address,
phone number, or email.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Recovery of 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 and the
Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Recovery means improvement of the status
of listed species to the point at which listing is no longer
appropriate under the criteria set out in section 4(a)(1) of the Act.
The Act requires the development of recovery plans for listed species,
unless such a plan would not promote the conservation of a particular
species.
Species' History
We listed the Gulf Coast jaguarundi as an endangered species under
the Act on June 14, 1976 (41 FR 24062). The Listed Cats of Texas and
Arizona Recovery Plan (With Emphasis on the Ocelot), was completed in
1990 and it briefly addressed the jaguar, jaguarundi, and margay, but
focused on the ocelot, primarily in Texas. The Draft Gulf Coast
Jaguarundi Recovery Plan only applies to the Gulf Coast subspecies of
jaguarundi.
The jaguarundi was originally included in the genus Felis, and the
Gulf Coast jaguarundi was originally listed under the Act as Felis
yagouaroundi cacomitli in 1976. Later, genus classification was changed
from Felis to Herpailurus, and this widely accepted change was
subsequently
[[Page 76067]]
made to the listing. Thus, this subspecies is currently listed under
the Act as Herpailurus (=Felis) yagouaroundi cacomitli. However, more
recent genetic work assigns the jaguarundi to the genus Puma, and this
has become the generally accepted nomenclature. Therefore, in keeping
with this current information, we refer to the Gulf Coast jaguarundi
subspecies as Puma yagouaroundi cacomitili throughout this recovery
plan, and we officially accept the new scientific name of the
jaguarundi as Puma yagouaroundi.
The Sinaloan jaguarundi (Puma yagouaroundi tolteca) was originally
listed under the Act at the same time as the Gulf Coast subspecies.
Because all of the current information indicates that the tolteca
subspecies occurs entirely outside the United States and has never been
confirmed within the United States, the Sinaloan jaguarundi was
exempted from recovery planning on June 7, 2011.
The Gulf Coast jaguarundi is found in the Tamaulipan Biotic
Province of northeast Mexico and south Texas. Within Mexico it occurs
in the eastern lowlands and has not been recorded in the Central
Highlands. In southern Texas, jaguarundis used dense thorny shrublands.
Jaguarundis will use bunchgrass pastures if dense brush or woody cover
is nearby.
The primary known threats to the Gulf Coast jaguarundi are habitat
destruction, degradation, and fragmentation associated with agriculture
and urbanization, and, to some extent, border security activities.
Mortality from collisions with vehicles is also a threat.
Recovery Plan Goals
The objective of an agency recovery plan is to provide a framework
for the recovery of a species so that protection under the Act is no
longer necessary. A recovery plan includes scientific information about
the species and provides criteria and actions necessary for us to be
able to reclassify the species to threatened status or remove it from
the Federal List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants
(List). Recovery plans help guide our recovery efforts by describing
actions we consider necessary for the species' conservation, and by
estimating time and costs for implementing needed recovery measures. To
achieve its goals, this draft recovery plan identifies the following
objectives:
Support efforts to develop more effective survey
techniques for jaguarundis and to ascertain the status, better
understand ecological and conservation needs, and promote conservation
of the Gulf Coast jaguarundi and its habitats.
Assess, protect, and restore sufficient habitat and
connectivity to support viable populations and genetic exchange of the
Gulf Coast jaguarundi in southern Texas and in Mexico.
Reduce the effects of human population growth and
development on potential Gulf Coast jaguarundi habitat in the United
States and on the jaguarundi's potential survival and mortality.
Assure the long-term viability of jaguarundi conservation
through partnerships, the development and application of incentives for
landowners, application of existing regulations, and public education
and outreach.
Practice adaptive management in which recovery is
monitored and recovery tasks are revised by the FWS as new information
becomes available.
The draft revised recovery plan contains recovery criteria based on
maintaining and increasing population numbers and habitat quality and
quantity. The revised recovery plan focuses on protecting populations,
managing threats, maintaining habitat, monitoring progress, and
building partnerships to facilitate recovery.
As the subspecies meets recovery criteria, we will review the
subspecies' status and consider removal from the List.
Request for Public Comments
Section 4(f) of the Act requires us to provide public notice and an
opportunity for public review and comment during recovery plan
development. It is also our policy to request peer review of recovery
plans (July 1, 1994; 59 FR 34270). In an appendix to the approved
recovery plan, we will summarize and respond to the issues raised by
the public and peer reviewers. Substantive comments may or may not
result in changes to the recovery plan; comments regarding recovery
plan implementation will be forwarded as appropriate to Federal or
other entities so that they can be taken into account during the course
of implementing recovery actions. Responses to individual commenters
will not be provided, but we will provide a summary of how we addressed
substantive comments in an appendix to the approved recovery plan.
We invite written comments on the draft recovery plan. This plan
incorporates the most recent scientific research specific to the Gulf
Coast jaguaurundi. In particular, we are interested in information
regarding the current threats to the species and the costs associated
with implementing the recommended recovery actions.
Before we approve the plan, we will consider all comments we
receive by the date specified in DATES above. Methods of submitting
comments are in the ADDRESSES section above.
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone number, email address, or
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be
able to do so.
Comments and materials we receive will be available, by
appointment, for public inspection during normal business hours at our
office (see ADDRESSES).
Authority
We developed our draft recovery plan and publish this notice under
the authority of section 4(f) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.).
Dated: December 10, 2012.
Benjamin Tuggle,
Regional Director, Southwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2012-30914 Filed 12-21-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
