Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Recovery Plan and Initiation of Status Review for Four Subspecies of Island Fox (Urocyon littoralis), 12521-12522 [2015-05029]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 45 / Monday, March 9, 2015 / Notices Dated: March 3, 2015. Reed R. Murray, Program Director, Central Utah Project Completion Act, Department of the Interior. [FR Doc. 2015–05378 Filed 3–6–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4332–90–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service [FWS–R8–ES–2015–N021; FXES11130000– 156–FF08E00000] Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Recovery Plan and Initiation of Status Review for Four Subspecies of Island Fox (Urocyon littoralis) DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management [15XL LLIDT00000.L10100000.XG0000 .LXSSD0540000 241A 4500075905] Notice of Mailing/Street Address Change for the BLM-Idaho Twin Falls District Office, ID Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior. ACTION: Notice of document availability and initiation of status reviews. SUMMARY: AGENCY: AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior. ACTION: Notice. The mailing/street address for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Twin Falls District Office will be changing from 2536 Kimberly Road, Twin Falls, Idaho 83301 to 2878 Addison Avenue East, Twin Falls, Idaho 83301. The new Twin Falls District Office will consolidate several BLM offices in a new building. The new building will provide needed space for staff and operational support. SUMMARY: The date for the change will be on or about July 1, 2015. DATES: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Richard Alvarez, Lead Property Management Specialist, BLM Idaho State Office, 208–373–3916, ralvarez@ blm.gov. Persons who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 to leave a message or question for the above individual. The FIRS is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You will receive a reply during normal business hours. Authority: Departmental Manual 382, chapter 2.1. mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Timothy M. Murphy, BLM Idaho State Director. [FR Doc. 2015–05429 Filed 3–6–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–GG–P VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:04 Mar 06, 2015 Jkt 235001 We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability of the final recovery plan for the four subspecies of island fox (Urocyon littoralis). Each of the four subspecies, San Miguel Island fox (Urocyon littoralis littoralis), Santa Rosa Island fox (U. l. santarosae), Santa Cruz Island fox (U. l. santacruzae), and Santa Catalina Island fox (U. l. catalinae), is endemic to the Channel Island off southern California for which it is named. The recovery plan includes recovery objectives and criteria, and specific actions necessary to achieve downlisting and delisting from the Federal Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. With the publication of this notice, we are also initiating status reviews of these four subspecies. A status review is based on the best scientific and commercial data available at the time of the review; therefore, we are requesting submission of any such information that has become available since the listing of these subspecies. DATES: To ensure consideration, we are requesting submission of new information for use in the status review no later than May 8, 2015. However, we will continue to accept new information about any listed species at any time. ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of the recovery plan from our Web site at https://www.fws.gov/endangered/ species/recovery-plans.html. You may also request a copy of the recovery plan from the Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura, CA 93003 (telephone 805–644–1766). You may submit new information to be considered in the status reviews to the same address or by email to fw8islandfox@fws.gov. For more about submitting information, see ‘‘Request for Information’’ in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Henry, Field Supervisor, at the PO 00000 Frm 00100 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 12521 above street address or telephone number (see ADDRESSES). Individuals who are hearing impaired or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 800–877–8339 for TTY assistance. 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 Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (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 specified 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. On March 5, 2004, four of the six subspecies of island fox endemic to the California Channel Islands were listed as endangered following catastrophic population declines (69 FR 10335). The San Miguel Island fox declined from an estimated 450 individuals to 15, the Santa Rosa Island fox declined from over 1,750 individuals to 14, the Santa Cruz Island fox declined from approximately 1,450 individuals to approximately 55, and the Santa Catalina Island fox declined from over 1,300 individuals to 103. The San Clemente Island fox (Urocyon littoralis clementae) and the San Nicolas Island fox (U. l. dickeyi) were not federally listed in 2004, as their population numbers had not experienced similar declines. The two primary threats that resulted in the listing of the four subspecies of island fox as federally endangered were: (1) Predation by golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) (San Miguel Island fox, Santa Rosa Island fox, and Santa Cruz Island fox); and (2) disease (Santa Catalina Island fox). Additionally, because the size of each island fox population was drastically reduced, they were highly vulnerable to stochastic events and the effects of low genetic diversity. Recovery Plan The Draft Recovery Plan for Four Subspecies of Island Fox (Urocyon littoralis) was developed by the Island Fox Recovery Team’s Recovery Coordination Group and was published on September 14, 2012. In developing the plan, we coordinated with the California Department of Fish and E:\FR\FM\09MRN1.SGM 09MRN1 12522 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 45 / Monday, March 9, 2015 / Notices Wildlife, and a team of stakeholders, which included scientific experts, landowners and managers, agency representatives, and non-government organizations. Section 4(f) of the Act requires us to provide an opportunity for public review and comment prior to finalization of recovery plans. We made the draft of this recovery plan available for public comment from September 14, 2012, to November 13, 2012 (77 FR 56858). We considered all information we received during the public comment period and revised the recovery plan accordingly. mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Recovery Plan Goals The purpose of a recovery plan is to provide a framework for the recovery of species so that protection under the Act is no longer necessary. A recovery plan includes scientific information about the species and provides criteria that enable us to gauge whether downlisting or delisting the species is warranted. Furthermore, recovery plans help guide our recovery efforts by describing actions we consider necessary for each species’ conservation and by estimating time and costs for implementing needed recovery measures. To achieve these goals, we have identified the following objectives in the recovery plan: (1) Each federally listed subspecies of island fox exhibits demographic characteristics consistent with long-term viability; and (2) Land managers are able to respond in a timely fashion to predation by nesting golden eagles or significant predation rates by transient golden eagles, to potential or incipient disease outbreaks and to other identified threats using the best available technology. Because some or all of the subspecies may meet their recovery criteria, we are initiating a status review of each subspecies. Why do we conduct a status review? Under the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), we maintain Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants (which we collectively refer to as the List) in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR 17.11 (for animals) and 17.12 (for plants). Section 4(c)(2)(A) of the Act requires us to review each listed species’ status at least once every 5 years. Our regulations at 50 CFR 424.21 require that we publish a notice in the Federal Register announcing those species under active review. For additional information about status reviews, go to https://www.fws.gov/ endangered/what-we-do/recoveryoverview.html, scroll down to ‘‘Learn VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:04 Mar 06, 2015 Jkt 235001 More about 5-Year Reviews,’’ and click on our factsheet. hours at the offices where the comments are submitted. What information do we consider in our review? A status review considers all new information available at the time of the review. In conducting these reviews, we consider the best scientific and commercial data that have become available since the listing determination or most recent status review, such as: (A) Species biology, including but not limited to population trends, distribution, abundance, demographics, and genetics; (B) Habitat conditions, including but not limited to amount, distribution, and suitability; (C) Conservation measures that have been implemented that benefit the species; (D) Threat status and trends in relation to the five listing factors (as defined in section 4(a)(1) of the Act); and (E) Other new information, data, or corrections, including but not limited to taxonomic or nomenclatural changes, identification of erroneous information contained in the List, and improved analytical methods. Any new information will be considered during the review and will also be useful in evaluating the ongoing recovery programs for the species. Authority We developed our recovery plan and initiate these reviews under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). Request for Information To ensure that a status review is complete and based on the best available scientific and commercial information, we request new information from all sources. See ‘‘What Information Do We Consider in Our Review?’’ for specific criteria. If you submit information, please support it with documentation such as maps, bibliographic references, methods used to gather and analyze the data, and/or copies of any pertinent publications, reports, or letters by knowledgeable sources. Public Availability of Submissions 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 received will be available for public inspection, by appointment, during normal business PO 00000 Frm 00101 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Dated: February 27, 2015. Alexandra Pitts, Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region. [FR Doc. 2015–05029 Filed 3–6–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–55P INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [Investigation No. 337–TA–909] Certain Non-Volatile Memory Devices and Products Containing Same; Commission Determination Not To Review Granting Motion Terminating the Investigation as to all Respondents; Termination of the Investigation U.S. International Trade Commission. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: Notice is hereby given that the U.S. International Trade Commission has determined not to review an initial determination (‘‘ID’’) (Order No. 23) of the presiding administrative law judge (‘‘ALJ’’) terminating the above-captioned investigation as to all respondents based on a settlement agreement. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Clint Gerdine, Esq., Office of the General Counsel, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20436, telephone (202) 708–2310. Copies of non-confidential documents filed in connection with this investigation are or will be available for inspection during official business hours (8:45 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.) in the Office of the Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E Street SW., Washington, DC 20436, telephone (202) 205–2000. General information concerning the Commission may also be obtained by accessing its Internet server at https://www.usitc.gov. The public record for this investigation may be viewed on the Commission’s electronic docket (EDIS) at https:// edis.usitc.gov. Hearing-impaired persons are advised that information on this matter can be obtained by contacting the Commission’s TDD terminal on (202) 205–1810. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission instituted this investigation SUMMARY: E:\FR\FM\09MRN1.SGM 09MRN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 45 (Monday, March 9, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12521-12522]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05029]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R8-ES-2015-N021; FXES11130000-156-FF08E00000]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Recovery Plan and 
Initiation of Status Review for Four Subspecies of Island Fox (Urocyon 
littoralis)

AGENCY:  Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:  Notice of document availability and initiation of status 
reviews.

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

SUMMARY:  We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the 
availability of the final recovery plan for the four subspecies of 
island fox (Urocyon littoralis). Each of the four subspecies, San 
Miguel Island fox (Urocyon littoralis littoralis), Santa Rosa Island 
fox (U. l. santarosae), Santa Cruz Island fox (U. l. santacruzae), and 
Santa Catalina Island fox (U. l. catalinae), is endemic to the Channel 
Island off southern California for which it is named. The recovery plan 
includes recovery objectives and criteria, and specific actions 
necessary to achieve downlisting and delisting from the Federal Lists 
of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. With the publication 
of this notice, we are also initiating status reviews of these four 
subspecies. A status review is based on the best scientific and 
commercial data available at the time of the review; therefore, we are 
requesting submission of any such information that has become available 
since the listing of these subspecies.

DATES: To ensure consideration, we are requesting submission of new 
information for use in the status review no later than May 8, 2015. 
However, we will continue to accept new information about any listed 
species at any time.

ADDRESSES:  You may obtain a copy of the recovery plan from our Web 
site at https://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/recovery-plans.html. You 
may also request a copy of the recovery plan from the Ventura Fish and 
Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2493 Portola Road, 
Suite B, Ventura, CA 93003 (telephone 805-644-1766). You may submit new 
information to be considered in the status reviews to the same address 
or by email to fw8islandfox@fws.gov.
    For more about submitting information, see ``Request for 
Information'' in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Steve Henry, Field Supervisor, at the 
above street address or telephone number (see ADDRESSES). Individuals 
who are hearing impaired or speech impaired may call the Federal Relay 
Service at 800-877-8339 for TTY assistance.

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 
Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (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 
specified 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.
    On March 5, 2004, four of the six subspecies of island fox endemic 
to the California Channel Islands were listed as endangered following 
catastrophic population declines (69 FR 10335). The San Miguel Island 
fox declined from an estimated 450 individuals to 15, the Santa Rosa 
Island fox declined from over 1,750 individuals to 14, the Santa Cruz 
Island fox declined from approximately 1,450 individuals to 
approximately 55, and the Santa Catalina Island fox declined from over 
1,300 individuals to 103. The San Clemente Island fox (Urocyon 
littoralis clementae) and the San Nicolas Island fox (U. l. dickeyi) 
were not federally listed in 2004, as their population numbers had not 
experienced similar declines.
    The two primary threats that resulted in the listing of the four 
subspecies of island fox as federally endangered were: (1) Predation by 
golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) (San Miguel Island fox, Santa Rosa 
Island fox, and Santa Cruz Island fox); and (2) disease (Santa Catalina 
Island fox). Additionally, because the size of each island fox 
population was drastically reduced, they were highly vulnerable to 
stochastic events and the effects of low genetic diversity.

Recovery Plan

    The Draft Recovery Plan for Four Subspecies of Island Fox (Urocyon 
littoralis) was developed by the Island Fox Recovery Team's Recovery 
Coordination Group and was published on September 14, 2012. In 
developing the plan, we coordinated with the California Department of 
Fish and

[[Page 12522]]

Wildlife, and a team of stakeholders, which included scientific 
experts, landowners and managers, agency representatives, and non-
government organizations.
    Section 4(f) of the Act requires us to provide an opportunity for 
public review and comment prior to finalization of recovery plans. We 
made the draft of this recovery plan available for public comment from 
September 14, 2012, to November 13, 2012 (77 FR 56858). We considered 
all information we received during the public comment period and 
revised the recovery plan accordingly.

Recovery Plan Goals

    The purpose of a recovery plan is to provide a framework for the 
recovery of species so that protection under the Act is no longer 
necessary. A recovery plan includes scientific information about the 
species and provides criteria that enable us to gauge whether 
downlisting or delisting the species is warranted. Furthermore, 
recovery plans help guide our recovery efforts by describing actions we 
consider necessary for each species' conservation and by estimating 
time and costs for implementing needed recovery measures.
    To achieve these goals, we have identified the following objectives 
in the recovery plan:
    (1) Each federally listed subspecies of island fox exhibits 
demographic characteristics consistent with long-term viability; and
    (2) Land managers are able to respond in a timely fashion to 
predation by nesting golden eagles or significant predation rates by 
transient golden eagles, to potential or incipient disease outbreaks 
and to other identified threats using the best available technology.
    Because some or all of the subspecies may meet their recovery 
criteria, we are initiating a status review of each subspecies.

Why do we conduct a status review?

    Under the Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), we maintain Lists of 
Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants (which we collectively 
refer to as the List) in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 
CFR 17.11 (for animals) and 17.12 (for plants). Section 4(c)(2)(A) of 
the Act requires us to review each listed species' status at least once 
every 5 years. Our regulations at 50 CFR 424.21 require that we publish 
a notice in the Federal Register announcing those species under active 
review. For additional information about status reviews, go to https://www.fws.gov/endangered/what-we-do/recovery-overview.html, scroll down 
to ``Learn More about 5-Year Reviews,'' and click on our factsheet.

What information do we consider in our review?

    A status review considers all new information available at the time 
of the review. In conducting these reviews, we consider the best 
scientific and commercial data that have become available since the 
listing determination or most recent status review, such as:
    (A) Species biology, including but not limited to population 
trends, distribution, abundance, demographics, and genetics;
    (B) Habitat conditions, including but not limited to amount, 
distribution, and suitability;
    (C) Conservation measures that have been implemented that benefit 
the species;
    (D) Threat status and trends in relation to the five listing 
factors (as defined in section 4(a)(1) of the Act); and
    (E) Other new information, data, or corrections, including but not 
limited to taxonomic or nomenclatural changes, identification of 
erroneous information contained in the List, and improved analytical 
methods.
    Any new information will be considered during the review and will 
also be useful in evaluating the ongoing recovery programs for the 
species.

Request for Information

    To ensure that a status review is complete and based on the best 
available scientific and commercial information, we request new 
information from all sources. See ``What Information Do We Consider in 
Our Review?'' for specific criteria. If you submit information, please 
support it with documentation such as maps, bibliographic references, 
methods used to gather and analyze the data, and/or copies of any 
pertinent publications, reports, or letters by knowledgeable sources.

Public Availability of Submissions

    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 received will be available for public 
inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the offices 
where the comments are submitted.

Authority

    We developed our recovery plan and initiate these reviews under the 
authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 
1531 et seq.).

    Dated: February 27, 2015.
Alexandra Pitts,
Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2015-05029 Filed 3-6-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-55P
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