Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Recovery Plan for Lilaeopsis schaffneriana, 12115-12116 [2016-05083]

Agencies

• Fish and Wildlife Service
• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 45 (Tuesday, March 8, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12115-12116]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-05083]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R2-ES-2015-N044]; [FXES11130200000-167-FF02ENEH00]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Draft Recovery 
Plan for Lilaeopsis schaffneriana ssp. recurva (Huachuca Water Umbel)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: We, the Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), announce the 
availability of our draft recovery plan for the Lilaeopsis 
schaffneriana ssp. recurva (Huachuca water umbel), which is listed as 
endangered under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). 
This plant species is currently found in southern Arizona and in 
northern Sonora, Mexico. The draft recovery plan includes specific 
recovery objectives and criteria to be met in order to enable us to 
remove this species from the list of endangered and threatened wildlife 
and plants. We request review and comment on this plan from local, 
State, and Federal agencies; Tribes; and the public. We will also 
accept any new information on the status of the species throughout its 
range to assist in finalizing the recovery plan.

DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive written comments on or 
before May 9, 2016. However, we will accept information about any 
species at any time.

ADDRESSES: Obtaining Documents: If you wish to review the draft 
recovery plan, you may obtain a copy by any one of the following 
methods:
    Internet: Download the file at www.fws.gov/southwest/es/Documents/R2ES/LilaeopsisSchaffnerianaRecurva_DraftRecoveryPlan_Final_November2015.pdf;

    U.S. mail: Request a copy by writing to the Arizona Ecological 
Services Field Office, Fish and Wildlife Service, 2321 W. Royal Palm 
Road, Suite 103, Phoenix, AZ 85021; or
    Telephone: Request a copy by calling (602) 242-0210.
    Submitting Comments: If you wish to comment on the draft recovery 
plan, you may submit your comments in writing by any one of the 
following methods:
    U.S. mail: Field Supervisor, at the above address;
    Hand-delivery: Arizona Ecological Services Office, at the above 
address;
    Fax: (602) 242-2513; or
    Email: julie_crawford@fws.gov.
    For additional information about submitting comments, see the 
``Request for Public Comments'' section below.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steve Spangle, Field Supervisor, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, Arizona Ecological Services Field Office, 
2321 West Royal Palm Road, Suite 103, Phoenix, AZ 85021; telephone: 
602-242-0210; facsimile: 602-242-2513. Persons who use a 
telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal 
Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 800-877-8339.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We announce the availability of our draft 
recovery plan for the Lilaeopsis schaffneriana ssp. recurva (Huachuca 
water umbel), an endangered plant species currently found in southern 
Arizona and in northern Sonora, Mexico. The draft recovery plan 
includes specific recovery objectives and criteria to be met in order 
to enable us to remove this species from the list of endangered and 
threatened wildlife and plants. We request review and comment on this 
plan from local, State, and Federal agencies; Tribes; and the public. 
We will also accept any new information on the status of the species 
throughout its range to assist in finalizing the recovery plan.

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

    Lilaeopsis schaffneriana ssp. recurva (Huachuca water umbel), found 
in aquatic habitats such as cienegas, rivers, streams, and springs of 
southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico, was federally listed as 
endangered on January 6, 1997. On July 12, 1999, 83.2 kilometers (51.7 
miles) of streams or rivers in Cochise and Santa Cruz Counties, 
Arizona, were designated as critical habitat. The taxon has been found 
historically in Cochise, Pinal, Pima, and Santa Cruz Counties, Arizona, 
and northern Sonora, Mexico. Lilaeopsis schaffneriana ssp. recurva is 
not listed under Mexican protected species regulations by the 
Secretar[iacute]a de Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales. The recovery 
priority number for L. schaffneriana ssp. recurva is 3C, meaning that 
the listed entity is a subspecies, the level of threat is high, the 
potential for recovery is high, and there is a conflict with some form 
of economic activity (groundwater withdrawal for mining, agriculture, 
Fort Huachuca, municipal use, and private wells). The first 5-year 
status review for L. schaffneriana ssp. recurva was signed on August 
21, 2014. Based on the static or declining status of the species across 
its range and continued threats, it was recommended in the 5-year 
review that the taxon remain listed as endangered.
    Lilaeopsis schaffneriana ssp. recurva is a semi-aquatic to fully 
aquatic herbaceous perennial that ranges from 2.5 to 33 centimeters 
(cm) (0.98 to 12.99 inches (in)) depending on habitat. The leaves are 
round or elliptical in cross section, 0.5 to 5.5 millimeters (mm) (0.02 
to 0.2 in) in diameter, and contain 6 to18 distinctive septa (thin 
partitions) along their length. Umbels (umbrella-like flower 
structures) develop on stalks shorter than the leaves, and contain 
three to ten 1.0 to 2.0 mm (0.04 to 0.08 in) wide perfect (containing 
male and female parts) flowers with five white to slightly maroon 
tinted petals and maroon anthers. Flowering has been observed 
episodically from March through October, peaking in July. The taxon 
reproduces both sexually via seed and asexually through rhizome spread 
and fragmentation. Clonal establishment following flooding events is 
thought to be important for maintaining diversity in the taxon; the 
seedbank can allow for recolonization following drought if hydric 
conditions return.
    Groundwater pumping, regional drought, and climate change are among 
the largest threats to this taxon, which depends on the availability of 
permanently wet (or nearly so), muddy, or silty substrates with some 
organic content. At this time, the most significant long-term threats 
to the continued existence of the species are: (1) Aquatic habitat 
degradation; (2) the effects of drought and climate change; (3) 
wildfire and resulting sedimentation and scouring; (4) invasive non-
native plant competition; and (5) livestock grazing. While propagation 
has proven successful, augmentation into new and previously occupied 
habitat has had mixed success. A larger challenge involves restoring 
appropriate habitat for the taxon, including the availability of 
perennial water.
    The majority of critical habitat is under Federal administration 
through

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the Coronado National Forest (National Forest Service), the San Pedro 
Riparian National Conservation Area (Bureau of Land Management), and 
Fort Huachuca Military Reservation (United States Army); a small 
portion is in private ownership. The taxon occurs in five watersheds in 
southeastern Arizona and adjacent portions of Sonora, Mexico. In the 
United States, we are aware of 17 locations supporting extant 
occurrences of L. schaffneriana ssp. recurva, 8 locations where all L. 
schaffneriana ssp. recurva occurrences are considered extirpated, and 6 
locations where no occurrences have been relocated in recent years. In 
Sonora, Mexico, we are aware of 21 locations supporting L. 
schaffneriana ssp. recurva occurrences, though most of these locations 
have not been revisited in recent years. It is difficult to estimate 
the number of individuals due to the clonal nature of the taxon, though 
estimates of density indicate most occurrences are stable or in 
decline.
    The principal recovery strategy is to conserve the habitat of L. 
schaffneriana ssp. recurva by implementing a variety of protection 
strategies, including decreasing groundwater pumping, increasing water 
conservation and recharge, and protecting L. schaffneriana ssp. recurva 
occurrences and their seedbanks. Providing conservation and restoration 
of the taxon and its habitat will allow stable, self-sustaining 
occurrences to persist with some level of connectivity and 
opportunities for expansion and dispersal. Additional efforts will 
focus on improving the baseline understanding of L. schaffneriana ssp. 
recurva ecology and threats.

Recovery Plan Goals

    The objective of a 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 
list of federally endangered and threatened wildlife and plants. 
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:
    (1) Protect and restore functional aquatic habitat and reduce 
dewatering threats to known and newly discovered L. schaffneriana ssp. 
recurva occurrences and habitat.
    (2) Conserve existing and newly discovered L. schaffneriana ssp. 
recurva occurrences and their seedbanks; establish new occurrences in 
appropriate habitat; establish plants at botanical gardens for 
research, recovery, and educational purposes; and maintain seeds for 
conservation and recovery at seed storage facilities.
    (3) Remove stressors related to invasive plants, unmanaged 
livestock grazing, and small population size to L. schaffneriana ssp. 
recurva occurrences and their habitats.
    (4) Develop a standardized monitoring technique based on existing 
protocols; monitor L. schaffneriana ssp. recurva occurrences, threats, 
and outcomes from management actions allowing for adaptive management.
    (5) Encourage scientific study to improve our understanding of L. 
schaffneriana ssp. recurva geography, ecology, viability, genetics, 
propagation, restoration, and threats in the United States and Mexico.
    (6) Develop public outreach, collaborative partnerships, agency 
management plans, and agreements with private land owners in the United 
States and Mexico that encourage L. schaffneriana ssp. recurva 
conservation.
    The draft recovery plan focuses on conserving and enhancing habitat 
quality, protecting populations, managing threats, monitoring progress, 
and building partnerships to facilitate recovery. When the recovery of 
L. schaffneriana ssp. recurva approaches these criteria, we will review 
the species' status and consider downlisting, and, ultimately, removal 
from the list of federally threatened and endangered wildlife and 
plants.

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. In 
particular, we are interested in additional information regarding the 
current threats to the species and the costs associated with 
implementing the recommended recovery actions.
    Before we approve our final recovery 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).

References Cited

    A complete list of all references cited herein is available upon 
request from the Arizona Ecological Services Field Office (see FOR 
FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section).

Authority

    We developed our draft recovery plan under the authority of section 
4(f) of the Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f). We publish this notice under 
section 4(f) Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 
et seq.).

    Dated: March 1, 2016.
Joy E. Nicholopoulos.
Acting Regional Director, Southwest Region, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2016-05083 Filed 3-7-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-55-P