Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of Availability of a Technical/Agency Draft Recovery Plan for the Dusky Gopher Frog, 53728-53729 [2014-21549]
Download as PDF
<![CDATA[
53728
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 175 / Wednesday, September 10, 2014 / Notices
Information Collection Clearance
Officer: Cheryl Blundon, 703–787–1607.
Dated: August 21, 2014.
Robert W. Middleton,
Deputy Chief, Office of Offshore Regulatory
Programs.
[FR Doc. 2014–21586 Filed 9–9–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–VH–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
Background
[FWS–R4–ES–2014–N134;
FXES11130400000C2–145–FF04E00000]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife
and Plants; Notice of Availability of a
Technical/Agency Draft Recovery Plan
for the Dusky Gopher Frog
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability and
request for public comment.
AGENCY:
We, the Fish and Wildlife
Service, announce the availability of the
technical/agency draft recovery plan for
the endangered dusky gopher frog. We
request review and comment on this
draft recovery plan from local, State,
and Federal agencies, and the public.
DATES: In order to be considered,
comments on the draft recovery plan
must be received on or before November
10, 2014.
ADDRESSES: If you wish to review this
technical/agency draft recovery plan,
you may obtain a copy by visiting the
Service’s Mississippi Field Office Web
site at https://www.fws.gov/
mississippiES/ or by contacting Linda
LaClaire, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Mississippi Ecological Services Field
Office, 6578 Dogwood View Parkway,
Jackson, MS 39213; tel. (601) 321–1126.
If you wish to comment, you may
submit your comments by one of the
following methods:
1. You may submit written comments
and materials to Linda LaClaire, at the
above address.
2. You may hand-deliver written
comments to our Mississippi Field
Office, at the above address, or fax them
to (601) 965–4340.
3. You may send comments by email
to linda_laclaire@fws.gov. Please
include ‘‘Dusky Gopher Frog Recovery
Plan Comments’’ on the subject line.
For additional information about
submitting comments, see the ‘‘Request
for Public Comments’’ section below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Linda LaClaire (see ADDRESSES above).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the
Fish and Wildlife Service (Service),
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
SUMMARY:
VerDate Mar<15>2010
19:04 Sep 09, 2014
Jkt 232001
announce the availability of the
technical/agency draft recovery plan for
the endangered dusky gopher frog (Rana
sevosa). The draft recovery plan
includes specific recovery objectives
and criteria the dusky gopher frog
would have to meet in order for us to
downlist it to threatened under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as
amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.; Act).
We request review and comment on this
draft recovery plan from local, State,
and Federal agencies, and the public.
The dusky gopher frog was listed as
an endangered species under the Act on
December 4, 2001 (66 FR 62993). At the
time of the original listing, the species
was identified as the Mississippi gopher
frog, a distinct population segment of
what was then considered the dusky
gopher frog (Rana capito sevosa).
Subsequent to the listing, taxonomic
research was completed that indicated
the Mississippi gopher frog was
different from other gopher frogs and
warranted acceptance as its own
species. In 2012, the Service officially
recognized the listed entity as the dusky
gopher frog, Rana sevosa, based on this
research and the original description of
the species given this name.
Dusky gopher frogs are terrestrial
amphibians endemic to the longleaf
pine ecosystem of southeastern
Louisiana, coastal Mississippi, and
coastal Alabama to the Mobile River
drainage. Currently, it is only found at
four localities in two Mississippi
counties and has not been recently
observed in either Alabama or
Louisiana.
Approximately 625 hectares (1,544
acres) have been designated as critical
habitat for the dusky gopher frog in St.
Tammany Parish, Louisiana, and 1,996
hectares (4,933 acres) are designated in
Forrest, Harrison, Jackson, and Perry
Counties, Mississippi (77 FR 35118).
The dusky gopher frog has a Federal
recovery priority number of 5, which
indicates the species faces a high degree
of threat and also has a low recovery
potential.
Restoring an endangered or
threatened animal or plant to the point
where it is again a secure, selfsustaining member of its ecosystem is a
primary goal of our endangered species
program. To help guide the recovery
effort, we prepare recovery plans for
most listed species. Recovery plans
describe actions considered necessary
for conservation of the species; establish
criteria for downlisting or delisting; and
estimate time and cost for implementing
recovery measures.
PO 00000
Frm 00045
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
The Act requires the development of
recovery plans for listed species, unless
such a plan would not promote the
conservation of a particular species.
Section 4(f) of the Act requires us to
provide public notice and an
opportunity for public review and
comment during recovery plan
development. We will consider all
information presented during a public
comment period prior to approval of
each new or revised recovery plan. We
and other Federal agencies will take
these comments into account in the
course of implementing approved
recovery plans.
Recovery Plan Components
The Service’s recovery objectives are
to work to reduce threats so that the
dusky gopher frog may be downlisted to
threatened status. Defining reasonable
delisting criteria is not possible at this
time, given the current low number of
populations and individuals, lack of
information about the species’ biology,
and magnitude of threats. Therefore,
this recovery plan only establishes
downlisting criteria for the dusky
gopher frog.
Downlisting of the dusky gopher frog
will be considered when:
1. Six viable metapopulations * are
documented within blocks of recovery
focus areas (described in Section II of
the recovery plan) and are widely
distributed across the range of the
species. The six metapopulations would
include a minimum of 12 breeding
ponds and would be distributed as
follows:
a. One metapopulation in Block #1
(Louisiana. Portions of St. Tammany,
Tangipahoa, and Washington Parishes,
west to the Tangipahoa River);
b. Two metapopulations each in Block
#2 (South-Central Mississippi. North of
State Hwy. 26, between the Pearl and
Pascagoula Rivers; Forrest County and
portions of Lamar, Pearl River, Perry,
and Stone Counties) and Block #3
(South Mississippi. South of Hwy. 26,
between the Pearl and Pascagoula
Rivers; Hancock and Harrison Counties,
and portions of Jackson, George, Pearl
River, and Stone Counties); and
c. One metapopulation in either Block
#4 (Eastern Mississippi. East of
Pascagoula/Leaf Rivers; portions of
George, Greene, Jackson, and Wayne
Counties) or Block #5 (Alabama. West of
the Mobile River Delta; Mobile and
Washington Counties, small portion of
Choctaw County).
2. Long-term monitoring (10+ years)
of each metapopulation documents
population viability (viability standard
to be defined through a recovery task).
The 10-year timeframe will allow
E:\FR\FM\10SEN1.SGM
10SEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 175 / Wednesday, September 10, 2014 / Notices
monitoring recruitment events and other
population attributes in a species that
has been characterized by highly
variable reproductive and survival rates.
In each of at least two annual breeding
events within a 3-year period, a total of
30 egg masses per metapopulation must
be documented and recruitment must be
verified.
3. Breeding and adjacent upland
habitats within the six metapopulations
are protected long term through
management agreements, public
ownership, or other means, in sufficient
quantity and quality (to be determined
by recovery task) to support growing
populations.
4. Studies of the dusky gopher frog’s
biological and ecological requirements
have been completed, and any required
recovery measures discovered during
these studies are developed and
implemented.
* Information defining what constitutes a
viable metapopulation can be found in the
Service’s Technical/Agency draft recovery
plan.
Request for Public Comments
We request written comments on the
draft recovery plan. We will consider all
comments we receive by the date
specified in DATES prior to final
approval of the plan.
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.
Authority
The authority for this action is section
4(f) of the Endangered Species Act, 16
U.S.C. 1533 (f).
tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Dated: September 3, 2014.
Mike Oetker,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2014–21549 Filed 9–9–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–55–P
VerDate Mar<15>2010
19:04 Sep 09, 2014
Jkt 232001
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
[NPS–WASO–NAGPRA–16314;
PPWOCRADN0–PCU00RP14.R50000]
Notice of Inventory Completion: State
Historical Society of Wisconsin,
Madison, WI
National Park Service, Interior.
Notice.
AGENCY:
ACTION:
The State Historical Society of
Wisconsin has completed an inventory
of human remains, in consultation with
the appropriate Indian tribes or Native
Hawaiian organizations, and has
determined that there is no cultural
affiliation between the human remains
and any present-day Indian tribes or
Native Hawaiian organizations.
Representatives of any Indian tribe or
Native Hawaiian organization not
identified in this notice that wish to
request transfer of control of these
human remains should submit a written
request to the State Historical Society of
Wisconsin. If no additional requestors
come forward, transfer of control of the
human remains to the Indian tribes or
Native Hawaiian organizations stated in
this notice may proceed.
DATES: Representatives of any Indian
tribe or Native Hawaiian organization
not identified in this notice that wish to
request transfer of control of these
human remains should submit a written
request with information in support of
the request to the State Historical
Society of Wisconsin at the address in
this notice by October 10, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Jennifer Kolb, Wisconsin
Historical Museum, 30 North Carroll
Street, Madison, WI 53703, telephone
(608) 261–2461, email Jennifer.Kolb@
wisconsinhistory.org.
SUMMARY:
Notice is
here given in accordance with the
Native American Graves Protection and
Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), 25 U.S.C.
3003, of the completion of an inventory
of human remains under the control of
the State Historical Society of
Wisconsin, Madison, WI. The human
remains were removed from two sites in
Sheboygan County, WI.
This notice is published as part of the
National Park Service’s administrative
responsibilities under NAGPRA, 25
U.S.C. 3003(d)(3) and 43 CFR 10.11(d).
The determinations in this notice are
the sole responsibility of the museum,
institution, or Federal agency that has
control of the Native American human
remains. The National Park Service is
not responsible for the determinations
in this notice.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
PO 00000
Frm 00046
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
53729
Consultation
A detailed assessment of the human
remains was made by the State
Historical Society of Wisconsin
professional staff in consultation with
representatives of the Forest County
Potawatomi Community, Wisconsin;
Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin; and the
Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin.
History and Description of the Remains
In 1906, human remains representing,
at minimum, one individual
(1969A.90.40–.56) were removed from
an unknown site within the Black River
Village complex in Sheboygan County,
WI. The fragmentary human remains
were collected from the surface by
Charles E. Brown, who donated them to
the State Historical Society in 1910. The
human remains were determined to
represent one individual of
indeterminate age and sex. No known
individuals were identified. No
associated funerary objects are present.
In 1927, human remains representing,
at minimum, two individuals
(1978.362.118) were removed from the
Andrae Village Site (47–SB–0062),
which is within the Black River Village
complex, in Sheboygan County, WI. The
cremated human remains were
excavated by archeologist Leland
Cooper, who donated the human
remains to the State Historical Society at
an unknown date. The human remains
were determined to represent an adult
and an infant, both of indeterminate sex.
No known individuals were identified.
No associated funerary objects are
present.
Determinations Made by the State
Historical Society of Wisconsin
Officials of the State Historical
Society of Wisconsin have determined
that:
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the
human remains described in this notice
are Native American based on the
location and context of the burial and
State Historical Society records.
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(9), the
human remains described in this notice
represent the physical remains of three
individuals of Native American
ancestry.
• Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. 3001(2), a
relationship of shared group identity
cannot be reasonably traced between the
Native American human remains and
any present-day Indian tribe.
• According to final judgments of the
Indian Claims Commission or the Court
of Federal Claims, the land from which
the Native American human remains
were removed is the aboriginal land of
the Citizen Potawatomi Nation,
E:\FR\FM\10SEN1.SGM
10SEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 175 (Wednesday, September 10, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53728-53729]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-21549]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R4-ES-2014-N134; FXES11130400000C2-145-FF04E00000]
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Notice of
Availability of a Technical/Agency Draft Recovery Plan for the Dusky
Gopher Frog
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of availability and request for public comment.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability
of the technical/agency draft recovery plan for the endangered dusky
gopher frog. We request review and comment on this draft recovery plan
from local, State, and Federal agencies, and the public.
DATES: In order to be considered, comments on the draft recovery plan
must be received on or before November 10, 2014.
ADDRESSES: If you wish to review this technical/agency draft recovery
plan, you may obtain a copy by visiting the Service's Mississippi Field
Office Web site at https://www.fws.gov/mississippiES/ or by contacting
Linda LaClaire, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Mississippi Ecological
Services Field Office, 6578 Dogwood View Parkway, Jackson, MS 39213;
tel. (601) 321-1126. If you wish to comment, you may submit your
comments by one of the following methods:
1. You may submit written comments and materials to Linda LaClaire,
at the above address.
2. You may hand-deliver written comments to our Mississippi Field
Office, at the above address, or fax them to (601) 965-4340.
3. You may send comments by email to
lindalaclaire@fws.gov. Please include ``Dusky Gopher Frog
Recovery Plan Comments'' on the subject line.
For additional information about submitting comments, see the
``Request for Public Comments'' section below.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Linda LaClaire (see ADDRESSES above).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service),
announce the availability of the technical/agency draft recovery plan
for the endangered dusky gopher frog (Rana sevosa). The draft recovery
plan includes specific recovery objectives and criteria the dusky
gopher frog would have to meet in order for us to downlist it to
threatened under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16
U.S.C. 1531 et seq.; Act). We request review and comment on this draft
recovery plan from local, State, and Federal agencies, and the public.
Background
The dusky gopher frog was listed as an endangered species under the
Act on December 4, 2001 (66 FR 62993). At the time of the original
listing, the species was identified as the Mississippi gopher frog, a
distinct population segment of what was then considered the dusky
gopher frog (Rana capito sevosa). Subsequent to the listing, taxonomic
research was completed that indicated the Mississippi gopher frog was
different from other gopher frogs and warranted acceptance as its own
species. In 2012, the Service officially recognized the listed entity
as the dusky gopher frog, Rana sevosa, based on this research and the
original description of the species given this name.
Dusky gopher frogs are terrestrial amphibians endemic to the
longleaf pine ecosystem of southeastern Louisiana, coastal Mississippi,
and coastal Alabama to the Mobile River drainage. Currently, it is only
found at four localities in two Mississippi counties and has not been
recently observed in either Alabama or Louisiana.
Approximately 625 hectares (1,544 acres) have been designated as
critical habitat for the dusky gopher frog in St. Tammany Parish,
Louisiana, and 1,996 hectares (4,933 acres) are designated in Forrest,
Harrison, Jackson, and Perry Counties, Mississippi (77 FR 35118).
The dusky gopher frog has a Federal recovery priority number of 5,
which indicates the species faces a high degree of threat and also has
a low recovery potential.
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 our endangered species program. To help guide the
recovery effort, we prepare recovery plans for most listed species.
Recovery plans describe actions considered necessary for conservation
of the species; establish criteria for downlisting or delisting; and
estimate time and cost for implementing recovery measures.
The Act requires the development of recovery plans for listed
species, unless such a plan would not promote the conservation of a
particular species. Section 4(f) of the Act requires us to provide
public notice and an opportunity for public review and comment during
recovery plan development. We will consider all information presented
during a public comment period prior to approval of each new or revised
recovery plan. We and other Federal agencies will take these comments
into account in the course of implementing approved recovery plans.
Recovery Plan Components
The Service's recovery objectives are to work to reduce threats so
that the dusky gopher frog may be downlisted to threatened status.
Defining reasonable delisting criteria is not possible at this time,
given the current low number of populations and individuals, lack of
information about the species' biology, and magnitude of threats.
Therefore, this recovery plan only establishes downlisting criteria for
the dusky gopher frog.
Downlisting of the dusky gopher frog will be considered when:
1. Six viable metapopulations * are documented within blocks of
recovery focus areas (described in Section II of the recovery plan) and
are widely distributed across the range of the species. The six
metapopulations would include a minimum of 12 breeding ponds and would
be distributed as follows:
a. One metapopulation in Block 1 (Louisiana. Portions of
St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington Parishes, west to the
Tangipahoa River);
b. Two metapopulations each in Block 2 (South-Central
Mississippi. North of State Hwy. 26, between the Pearl and Pascagoula
Rivers; Forrest County and portions of Lamar, Pearl River, Perry, and
Stone Counties) and Block 3 (South Mississippi. South of Hwy.
26, between the Pearl and Pascagoula Rivers; Hancock and Harrison
Counties, and portions of Jackson, George, Pearl River, and Stone
Counties); and
c. One metapopulation in either Block 4 (Eastern
Mississippi. East of Pascagoula/Leaf Rivers; portions of George,
Greene, Jackson, and Wayne Counties) or Block 5 (Alabama. West
of the Mobile River Delta; Mobile and Washington Counties, small
portion of Choctaw County).
2. Long-term monitoring (10+ years) of each metapopulation
documents population viability (viability standard to be defined
through a recovery task). The 10-year timeframe will allow
[[Page 53729]]
monitoring recruitment events and other population attributes in a
species that has been characterized by highly variable reproductive and
survival rates. In each of at least two annual breeding events within a
3-year period, a total of 30 egg masses per metapopulation must be
documented and recruitment must be verified.
3. Breeding and adjacent upland habitats within the six
metapopulations are protected long term through management agreements,
public ownership, or other means, in sufficient quantity and quality
(to be determined by recovery task) to support growing populations.
4. Studies of the dusky gopher frog's biological and ecological
requirements have been completed, and any required recovery measures
discovered during these studies are developed and implemented.
* Information defining what constitutes a viable metapopulation can
be found in the Service's Technical/Agency draft recovery plan.
Request for Public Comments
We request written comments on the draft recovery plan. We will
consider all comments we receive by the date specified in DATES prior
to final approval of the plan.
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.
Authority
The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered
Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533 (f).
Dated: September 3, 2014.
Mike Oetker,
Acting Regional Director, Southeast Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-21549 Filed 9-9-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P
