National Wetland Plant List, 15656-15658 [2021-05989]
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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 55 / Wednesday, March 24, 2021 / Notices
logistics personnel services; and other
related elements of logistical and
program support.
(iv) Military Department: Army (NE-BWJO)
(v) Prior Related Cases, if any: None
(vi) Sales Commission, Fee, etc., Paid,
Offered, or Agreed to be Paid: None
(vii) Sensitivity of Technology
Contained in the Defense Article or
Defense Services Proposed to be Sold:
None
(viii) Date Report Delivered to
Congress: March 16, 2021
*As defined in Section 47(6) of the
Arms Export Control Act.
POLICY JUSTIFICATION
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
The Netherlands—CH-47 Pilot Training
and Logistics Support
The Government of the Netherlands
has requested support for the Royal
Netherlands Air Force CH-47 training
program, to include fuel; base operating
support; facilities; publications and
technical documentation; pilot training;
personnel training and training
equipment; weapon system and
software support; U.S. Government and
contractor technical, engineering, and
logistics personnel services; and other
related elements of logistical and
program support. The total overall
estimated value is $125 million.
This proposed sale will support the
foreign policy and national security of
the United States by helping to improve
the security of a NATO ally which is an
important force for the political stability
and economic progress in Europe.
The proposed sale will improve the
Netherlands’ capability to maintain a set
of highly trained and deployment-ready
Royal Netherlands Air Force Chinook
units via continued training activities at
Fort Hood, Texas. This training includes
the AMERICAN FALCON exercise,
which serves as a certifying event for
Dutch military units and personnel to
deploy abroad, often supporting U.S.led coalition operations. The
Netherlands will have no difficulty
absorbing this training and support into
its armed forces.
The proposed sale of this equipment
and support will not alter the basic
military balance in the region.
This proposed sale does not contain
any principal contractor. There are no
known offset agreements proposed in
connection with this potential sale.
Implementation of this proposed sale
will not require the assignment of any
additional U.S. Government or
contractor representatives to the
Netherlands.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
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Jkt 253001
There will be no adverse impact on
U.S. defense readiness as a result of this
proposed sale.
[FR Doc. 2021–06047 Filed 3–23–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001–06–P
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Army Corps of Engineers
National Wetland Plant List
AGENCY:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers,
DoD.
ACTION:
Notice.
The National Wetland Plant
List (NWPL) provides plant species
indicator status ratings, which are used
in determining whether the hydrophytic
vegetation factor is met when
conducting wetland delineations under
the Clean Water Act and wetland
determinations under the Wetland
Conservation Provisions of the Food
Security Act. Other applications of the
NWPL include wetland restoration,
establishment, and enhancement
projects. To update the NWPL, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), as
part of an interagency effort with the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (FWS) and the U.S. Department
of Agriculture Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS), is
announcing the availability of the draft
changes to the 2020 NWPL and its web
address to solicit public comments. The
public will now have the opportunity to
comment on the proposed changes to
wetland indicator status ratings for five
plant species in select regions and the
addition of 22 new plant species to the
NWPL.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on
or before May 24, 2021.
ADDRESSES: U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, Attn: CECW–CO–R, 441 G
Street NW, Washington, DC 20314–
1000.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Brianne McGuffie, Headquarters, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Operations
and Regulatory Community of Practice,
Washington, DC 20314–1000, by phone
at 202–761–4750 or by email at
brianne.e.mcguffie@usace.army.mil.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
Background
USACE administers the NWPL for the
United States (U.S.) and its territories.
Responsibility for the NWPL was
transferred to USACE from the FWS in
2006. The NWPL has undergone several
revisions since its inception in 1988.
Additions or deletions to the NWPL
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Sfmt 4703
represent new records, range extensions,
nomenclatural and taxonomic changes,
and newly proposed species. The latest
review process began in 2020 and
included review by Regional Panels
(RPs) and the National Panel (NP).
Wetland Indicator Status Ratings
On the NWPL, there are five
categories of wetland indicator status
ratings, used to indicate a plant’s
likelihood for occurrence in wetlands
versus non-wetlands: Obligate Wetland
(OBL), Facultative Wetland (FACW),
Facultative (FAC), Facultative Upland
(FACU), and Upland (UPL). These rating
categories are defined by the NP as
follows: OBL—almost always occur in
wetlands; FACW—usually occur in
wetlands, but may occur in nonwetlands; FAC—occur in wetlands and
non-wetlands; FACU—usually occur in
non-wetlands, but may occur in
wetlands; UPL—almost always occur in
non-wetlands. These category
definitions are qualitative descriptions
that better reflect the qualitative
supporting information, rather than
numeric frequency ranges. The
percentage frequency categories used in
the older definitions are only used for
testing problematic or contested species
being recommended for indicator status
changes. Plus and minus designations
and wetland indicator designations such
as No Indicator (NI), No Occurrence
(NO), and No Agreement (NA) were
removed in 2012 and are no longer used
on the NWPL. More information on the
specifics of how to use these ratings is
available on the NWPL website at https://
wetland-plants.usace.army.mil/.
The NWPL is utilized in conducting
wetland delineations under the
authority of Section 404 of the Clean
Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344) and Section
10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899
(3 3 U.S.C. 401 et seq.) and wetland
determinations under the authority of
the Food Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C.
3801 et seq.). For the purposes of
determining how often a species occurs
in wetlands, wetlands are defined as
either (1) those areas that are inundated
or saturated by surface or ground water
at a frequency and duration sufficient to
support, and under normal
circumstances do support, a prevalence
of vegetation typically adapted for life
in saturated soil conditions (33 CFR
328.3) or (2) ‘‘except when such term is
part of the term ‘converted wetland,’
means land that has a predominance of
hydric soils; is inundated or saturated
by surface or groundwater at a
frequency and duration sufficient to
support a prevalence of hydrophytic
vegetation typically adapted for life in
saturated soil conditions; and under
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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 55 / Wednesday, March 24, 2021 / Notices
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normal circumstances does support a
prevalence of such vegetation, except
that this term does not include lands in
Alaska identified as having a high
potential for agricultural development
and a predominance of permafrost
soils.’’ (16 U.S.C. 3801(a)(27) and 7 CFR
12.2). Because each plant species being
evaluated occurs as part of a vegetation
assemblage, examining all species
present in relation to their assigned
wetland fidelity may be useful in
assessing hydrophytic vegetation.
2020 Update Information
For the 2020 NWPL update, the
NWPL NP and RPs reviewed proposed
wetland rating changes or additions for
27 species and 48 regional ratings (some
species were reviewed for multiple
regions) submitted by the public.
Twenty-two of these species were
proposed for addition to the NWPL, and
five species were submitted for a rating
change request in one or more regions.
Submitted information was reviewed by
the NP and RPs, and proposed 2020
ratings for these species were
determined, as detailed below. Note that
all submitted species are included here,
regardless of whether or not the NP and
RPs proposed a rating change. Hence,
for those species where a rating change
request was submitted but review of the
submitted information did not result in
a rating change for the 2020 update, the
current and proposed ratings are the
same. In several cases, it was
determined that a species recommended
for addition did not occur within the
region recommended (per USDA
PLANTS). In these cases, no proposed
species addition or indicator status was
carried forward.
Species
Region
Current
2018
NWPL
rating *
Aconitum noveboracense ..............................................................................................
Aconitum noveboracense ..............................................................................................
Aeschynomene virginica ................................................................................................
Apios priceana ...............................................................................................................
Apios priceana ...............................................................................................................
Apios priceana ...............................................................................................................
Asclepias meadii ............................................................................................................
Asclepias meadii ............................................................................................................
Asplenium scolopendrium ..............................................................................................
Asplenium scolopendrium ..............................................................................................
Atriplex lentiformis ..........................................................................................................
Boltonia decurrens .........................................................................................................
Celastrus orbiculatus .....................................................................................................
Cirsium pitcheri ..............................................................................................................
Cirsium pitcheri ..............................................................................................................
Dalea foliosa ..................................................................................................................
Dalea foliosa ..................................................................................................................
Dalea foliosa ..................................................................................................................
Echinacea laevigata .......................................................................................................
Echinacea laevigata .......................................................................................................
Helianthus verticillatus ...................................................................................................
Hypericum calycinum .....................................................................................................
Hypericum calycinum .....................................................................................................
Lespedeza leptostachya ................................................................................................
Lespedeza leptostachya ................................................................................................
Ligustrum lucidum ..........................................................................................................
Ligustrum lucidum ..........................................................................................................
Ligustrum lucidum ..........................................................................................................
Oxypolis canbyi ..............................................................................................................
Peucedanum palustre ....................................................................................................
Physaria globosa ...........................................................................................................
Physaria globosa ...........................................................................................................
Pinus palustris ................................................................................................................
Platanthera praeclara .....................................................................................................
Platanthera praeclara .....................................................................................................
Platanthera praeclara .....................................................................................................
Populus balsamifera ......................................................................................................
Quercus pagoda ............................................................................................................
Silene spaldingii .............................................................................................................
Silene spaldingii .............................................................................................................
Spiranthes diluvialis .......................................................................................................
Spiranthes diluvialis .......................................................................................................
Spiranthes diluvialis .......................................................................................................
Trifolium stoloniferum .....................................................................................................
Trifolium stoloniferum .....................................................................................................
Vinca major ....................................................................................................................
Vinca major ....................................................................................................................
Xylocarpus moluccensis ................................................................................................
MW ..........................
NCNE ......................
AGCP ......................
AGCP ......................
EMP .........................
MW ..........................
EMP .........................
MW ..........................
EMP .........................
NCNE ......................
AW ...........................
MW ..........................
NCNE ......................
MW ..........................
NCNE ......................
NCNE ......................
EMP .........................
MW ..........................
AGCP ......................
EMP .........................
AGCP ......................
AW ...........................
WMVC .....................
MW ..........................
NCNE ......................
AGCP ......................
GP ...........................
HI .............................
AGCP ......................
NCNE ......................
MW ..........................
EMP .........................
AGCP ......................
GP ...........................
MW ..........................
NCNE ......................
WMVC .....................
AGCP ......................
AW ...........................
WMVC .....................
AW ...........................
GP ...........................
WMVC .....................
EMP .........................
MW ..........................
AW ...........................
WMVC .....................
HI .............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
FAC .........................
NL ............................
UPL .........................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
FACU .......................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
FAC .........................
FACW ......................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
NL ............................
* NL = ‘‘Not Listed’’ and indicates proposed additions to the NWPL.
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15657
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Proposed
2020
NWPL
rating
FACW
FAC
OBL
FACU
FACU
FACU
FACU
FACU
FACU
UPL
FACU
FAC
FACU
FACU
UPL
FAC
FAC
FAC
FACU
FACU
FAC
FAC
FAC
FACU
FACU
FAC
FACU
FAC
OBL
OBL
FACU
FACU
FAC
FAC
FAC
FACW
FACW
FAC
FACU
FACU
FACW
FACW
FACW
FACU
FACU
FAC
FAC
OBL
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
15658
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 55 / Wednesday, March 24, 2021 / Notices
As part of the 2020 NWPL update,
USACE is also proposing administrative
changes to reformat the Hawai’i and
Pacific Islands Region (HI) and the
South Pacific Islands Subregion (SPI).
NWPL subregions are areas in which
small numbers of wetland plants have
wetland indicator status ratings that
differ from the ratings for the same plant
species in the rest of the region.
Boundaries of subregions are typically
based on Major Land Resource Areas.
Under the current format, the SPI
includes certain plant species which
have an indicator status rating for SPI
but not for HI (see e.g., indicator status
ratings for Abildgaardia ovata; SPI=
FACW, HI= NL). This current format of
HI/SPI is inconsistent with the
formatting of other NWPL regions and
subregions and has caused some
confusion when applying the NWPL
within HI. USACE proposes two
administrative changes to reduce this
confusion. Neither of the proposed
administrative changes to SPI or HI will
affect the current boundaries of SPI, HI,
or any other NWPL regions or
subregions.
USACE proposes to reformat SPI and
HI by merging the lists of plant species
from the existing SPI and HI to form a
single, comprehensive region, with SPI
serving as a subregion of HI, instead of
the current state of the region in which
SPI serves as a stand-alone subregion
separate from the larger HI region. As
proposed, plant species which currently
have an indicator status rating for SPI
but not for HI (e.g., Abildgaardia ovata)
will now have a single, comprehensive
indicator status rating for the entire
region (HI). For those species which
currently have differing indicator status
ratings between SPI and HI (e.g., Abrus
precatorius), the current indicator status
rating for SPI will be added to the
reformatted SPI, which, as proposed,
will serve as a subset of indicator status
ratings within HI and will include only
those plant species and associated
indicator status ratings which differ
from the HI indicator status rating. With
the exception of Xylocarpus
moluccensis and Ligustrum lucidum,
which were submitted by the public,
USACE is not proposing any changes to
wetland indicator status ratings for SPI
or HI. All current indicator status
ratings for SPI and HI will be retained
through this proposed reformatting. As
proposed, the USACE believes this
administrative change will provide
greater clarity for the public, remove
redundancies in the NWPL that
currently exist between SPI and HI,
allow for a consistent formatting of
subregions between all NWPL regions,
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16:30 Mar 23, 2021
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and more accurately and appropriately
reflect species’ distribution and wetland
frequency within SPI and HI.
USACE is also proposing to rename
SPI from its current name, ‘‘South
Pacific Islands Subregion’’, to ‘‘Pacific
Islands Subregion.’’ This subregion
includes islands which are located
within both the northern Pacific (i.e.,
the Commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands and the Territory of
Guam) and southern Pacific (i.e., the
Territory of American Samoa).
Therefore, the proposed name change
will more accurately characterize the
geographic extent and spatial variability
of this subregion. The proposed change
also creates consistency between the
naming conventions of the NWPL
regions and subregions and the Regional
Supplements to the Corps of Engineers
Wetland Delineation Manual regions.
Instructions for Providing Comments
Online
USACE encourages public input in
the form of data, comments, literature
references, or field experiences, to help
clarify the status of the species reviewed
for this update. The list of these same
27 reviewed species, and their draft
2020 wetland ratings by region, can be
viewed at the NWPL homepage, https://
wetland-plants.usace.army.mil/ under
‘‘2020 NWPL Update Information.’’ A
link to provide general or speciesspecific comments in response to this
notice is also available at this location.
Users are encouraged to submit
literature citations, herbaria records,
experiential references, monitoring data,
and other relevant information. Specific
knowledge of, or studies related to,
individual species are particularly
helpful. When providing input or
information on the draft changes to the
2020 NWPL update, commenters should
use their regional botanical and
ecological expertise, field observations,
reviews of the most recent indicator
status information, appropriate
botanical literature, floras, herbarium
specimens with notation of habitat and
associated species, habit data, relevant
studies, and historic list information.
Providing ratings without supporting
documentation or information is not
recommended. All submitted comments
and information will be compiled and
sent to the National Panel for their
review and consideration.
USACE is also seeking comments on
the NWPL update process. Detailed
information on the update process,
protocol, and technical issues can be
found in the following documents,
which are available on the ‘‘NWPL
Publications’’ web page:
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• Lichvar, Robert W. and Minkin,
Paul. Concepts and Procedures for
Updating the National Wetland Plant
List. Sept 2008. ERDC/CRREL TN–08–3.
Hanover, NH: U.S. Army Engineer
Research and Development Center, Cold
Regions Research and Engineering
Laboratory.
• Lichvar, Robert W. and Gillrich,
Jennifer J. Final Protocol for Assigning
Wetland Indicator Status Ratings during
National Wetland Plant List Update.
Sept 2011. ERDC/CRREL TN–11–1.
Hanover, NH: U.S. Army Engineer
Research and Development Center, Cold
Regions Research and Engineering
Laboratory.
• Lichvar R.W., N.C. Melvin, M.L.
Butterwick, and W.N. Kirchner. 2012.
National Wetland Plant List Indicator
Rating Definitions. ERDC/CRREL TN–
12–1. Hanover, NH: U.S. Army Engineer
Research and Development Center Cold
Regions Research and Engineering
Laboratory.
Future Actions
Future updates to the NWPL will
occur biennially. A change in indicator
status for a given species, or a proposed
species addition may be requested at
any time at https://wetlandplants.usace.army.mil/ under ‘‘Submit
NWPL Change Request.’’ Submissions
throughout the two-year period will be
compiled and reviewed prior to each
NWPL update and any resulting
proposed changes will be reflected in
the subsequent notice of an updated list.
Dated: March 18, 2021.
Taylor N. Ferrell,
Senior Official Performing the Duties of
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works).
[FR Doc. 2021–05989 Filed 3–23–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720–58–P
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
[Docket No.: ED–2021–SCC–0042]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget for Review
and Approval; Comment Request; Title
VI Undergraduate International Studies
and Foreign Language (UISFL)
Program Application
Office of Postsecondary
Education (OPE), Department of
Education (ED).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, ED is
proposing an extension without change
of a currently approved collection.
SUMMARY:
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 55 (Wednesday, March 24, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15656-15658]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-05989]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Army Corps of Engineers
National Wetland Plant List
AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The National Wetland Plant List (NWPL) provides plant species
indicator status ratings, which are used in determining whether the
hydrophytic vegetation factor is met when conducting wetland
delineations under the Clean Water Act and wetland determinations under
the Wetland Conservation Provisions of the Food Security Act. Other
applications of the NWPL include wetland restoration, establishment,
and enhancement projects. To update the NWPL, U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (USACE), as part of an interagency effort with the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (FWS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS), is announcing the availability of the
draft changes to the 2020 NWPL and its web address to solicit public
comments. The public will now have the opportunity to comment on the
proposed changes to wetland indicator status ratings for five plant
species in select regions and the addition of 22 new plant species to
the NWPL.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before May 24, 2021.
ADDRESSES: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Attn: CECW-CO-R, 441 G Street
NW, Washington, DC 20314-1000.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brianne McGuffie, Headquarters, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Operations and Regulatory Community of
Practice, Washington, DC 20314-1000, by phone at 202-761-4750 or by
email at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
USACE administers the NWPL for the United States (U.S.) and its
territories. Responsibility for the NWPL was transferred to USACE from
the FWS in 2006. The NWPL has undergone several revisions since its
inception in 1988. Additions or deletions to the NWPL represent new
records, range extensions, nomenclatural and taxonomic changes, and
newly proposed species. The latest review process began in 2020 and
included review by Regional Panels (RPs) and the National Panel (NP).
Wetland Indicator Status Ratings
On the NWPL, there are five categories of wetland indicator status
ratings, used to indicate a plant's likelihood for occurrence in
wetlands versus non-wetlands: Obligate Wetland (OBL), Facultative
Wetland (FACW), Facultative (FAC), Facultative Upland (FACU), and
Upland (UPL). These rating categories are defined by the NP as follows:
OBL--almost always occur in wetlands; FACW--usually occur in wetlands,
but may occur in non-wetlands; FAC--occur in wetlands and non-wetlands;
FACU--usually occur in non-wetlands, but may occur in wetlands; UPL--
almost always occur in non-wetlands. These category definitions are
qualitative descriptions that better reflect the qualitative supporting
information, rather than numeric frequency ranges. The percentage
frequency categories used in the older definitions are only used for
testing problematic or contested species being recommended for
indicator status changes. Plus and minus designations and wetland
indicator designations such as No Indicator (NI), No Occurrence (NO),
and No Agreement (NA) were removed in 2012 and are no longer used on
the NWPL. More information on the specifics of how to use these ratings
is available on the NWPL website at https://wetland-plants.usace.army.mil/.
The NWPL is utilized in conducting wetland delineations under the
authority of Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1344) and
Section 10 of the Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899 (3 3 U.S.C. 401 et
seq.) and wetland determinations under the authority of the Food
Security Act of 1985 (16 U.S.C. 3801 et seq.). For the purposes of
determining how often a species occurs in wetlands, wetlands are
defined as either (1) those areas that are inundated or saturated by
surface or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to
support, and under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of
vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions (33
CFR 328.3) or (2) ``except when such term is part of the term
`converted wetland,' means land that has a predominance of hydric
soils; is inundated or saturated by surface or groundwater at a
frequency and duration sufficient to support a prevalence of
hydrophytic vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil
conditions; and under
[[Page 15657]]
normal circumstances does support a prevalence of such vegetation,
except that this term does not include lands in Alaska identified as
having a high potential for agricultural development and a predominance
of permafrost soils.'' (16 U.S.C. 3801(a)(27) and 7 CFR 12.2). Because
each plant species being evaluated occurs as part of a vegetation
assemblage, examining all species present in relation to their assigned
wetland fidelity may be useful in assessing hydrophytic vegetation.
2020 Update Information
For the 2020 NWPL update, the NWPL NP and RPs reviewed proposed
wetland rating changes or additions for 27 species and 48 regional
ratings (some species were reviewed for multiple regions) submitted by
the public. Twenty-two of these species were proposed for addition to
the NWPL, and five species were submitted for a rating change request
in one or more regions. Submitted information was reviewed by the NP
and RPs, and proposed 2020 ratings for these species were determined,
as detailed below. Note that all submitted species are included here,
regardless of whether or not the NP and RPs proposed a rating change.
Hence, for those species where a rating change request was submitted
but review of the submitted information did not result in a rating
change for the 2020 update, the current and proposed ratings are the
same. In several cases, it was determined that a species recommended
for addition did not occur within the region recommended (per USDA
PLANTS). In these cases, no proposed species addition or indicator
status was carried forward.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current 2018 NWPL rating Proposed 2020 NWPL
Species Region * rating
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aconitum noveboracense............... MW...................... NL...................... FACW
Aconitum noveboracense............... NCNE.................... NL...................... FAC
Aeschynomene virginica............... AGCP.................... NL...................... OBL
Apios priceana....................... AGCP.................... NL...................... FACU
Apios priceana....................... EMP..................... NL...................... FACU
Apios priceana....................... MW...................... NL...................... FACU
Asclepias meadii..................... EMP..................... NL...................... FACU
Asclepias meadii..................... MW...................... NL...................... FACU
Asplenium scolopendrium.............. EMP..................... NL...................... FACU
Asplenium scolopendrium.............. NCNE.................... NL...................... UPL
Atriplex lentiformis................. AW...................... FAC..................... FACU
Boltonia decurrens................... MW...................... NL...................... FAC
Celastrus orbiculatus................ NCNE.................... UPL..................... FACU
Cirsium pitcheri..................... MW...................... NL...................... FACU
Cirsium pitcheri..................... NCNE.................... NL...................... UPL
Dalea foliosa........................ NCNE.................... NL...................... FAC
Dalea foliosa........................ EMP..................... NL...................... FAC
Dalea foliosa........................ MW...................... NL...................... FAC
Echinacea laevigata.................. AGCP.................... NL...................... FACU
Echinacea laevigata.................. EMP..................... NL...................... FACU
Helianthus verticillatus............. AGCP.................... NL...................... FAC
Hypericum calycinum.................. AW...................... NL...................... FAC
Hypericum calycinum.................. WMVC.................... NL...................... FAC
Lespedeza leptostachya............... MW...................... NL...................... FACU
Lespedeza leptostachya............... NCNE.................... NL...................... FACU
Ligustrum lucidum.................... AGCP.................... NL...................... FAC
Ligustrum lucidum.................... GP...................... NL...................... FACU
Ligustrum lucidum.................... HI...................... NL...................... FAC
Oxypolis canbyi...................... AGCP.................... NL...................... OBL
Peucedanum palustre.................. NCNE.................... NL...................... OBL
Physaria globosa..................... MW...................... NL...................... FACU
Physaria globosa..................... EMP..................... NL...................... FACU
Pinus palustris...................... AGCP.................... FACU.................... FAC
Platanthera praeclara................ GP...................... NL...................... FAC
Platanthera praeclara................ MW...................... NL...................... FAC
Platanthera praeclara................ NCNE.................... NL...................... FACW
Populus balsamifera.................. WMVC.................... FAC..................... FACW
Quercus pagoda....................... AGCP.................... FACW.................... FAC
Silene spaldingii.................... AW...................... NL...................... FACU
Silene spaldingii.................... WMVC.................... NL...................... FACU
Spiranthes diluvialis................ AW...................... NL...................... FACW
Spiranthes diluvialis................ GP...................... NL...................... FACW
Spiranthes diluvialis................ WMVC.................... NL...................... FACW
Trifolium stoloniferum............... EMP..................... NL...................... FACU
Trifolium stoloniferum............... MW...................... NL...................... FACU
Vinca major.......................... AW...................... NL...................... FAC
Vinca major.......................... WMVC.................... NL...................... FAC
Xylocarpus moluccensis............... HI...................... NL...................... OBL
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* NL = ``Not Listed'' and indicates proposed additions to the NWPL.
[[Page 15658]]
As part of the 2020 NWPL update, USACE is also proposing
administrative changes to reformat the Hawai'i and Pacific Islands
Region (HI) and the South Pacific Islands Subregion (SPI). NWPL
subregions are areas in which small numbers of wetland plants have
wetland indicator status ratings that differ from the ratings for the
same plant species in the rest of the region. Boundaries of subregions
are typically based on Major Land Resource Areas. Under the current
format, the SPI includes certain plant species which have an indicator
status rating for SPI but not for HI (see e.g., indicator status
ratings for Abildgaardia ovata; SPI= FACW, HI= NL). This current format
of HI/SPI is inconsistent with the formatting of other NWPL regions and
subregions and has caused some confusion when applying the NWPL within
HI. USACE proposes two administrative changes to reduce this confusion.
Neither of the proposed administrative changes to SPI or HI will affect
the current boundaries of SPI, HI, or any other NWPL regions or
subregions.
USACE proposes to reformat SPI and HI by merging the lists of plant
species from the existing SPI and HI to form a single, comprehensive
region, with SPI serving as a subregion of HI, instead of the current
state of the region in which SPI serves as a stand-alone subregion
separate from the larger HI region. As proposed, plant species which
currently have an indicator status rating for SPI but not for HI (e.g.,
Abildgaardia ovata) will now have a single, comprehensive indicator
status rating for the entire region (HI). For those species which
currently have differing indicator status ratings between SPI and HI
(e.g., Abrus precatorius), the current indicator status rating for SPI
will be added to the reformatted SPI, which, as proposed, will serve as
a subset of indicator status ratings within HI and will include only
those plant species and associated indicator status ratings which
differ from the HI indicator status rating. With the exception of
Xylocarpus moluccensis and Ligustrum lucidum, which were submitted by
the public, USACE is not proposing any changes to wetland indicator
status ratings for SPI or HI. All current indicator status ratings for
SPI and HI will be retained through this proposed reformatting. As
proposed, the USACE believes this administrative change will provide
greater clarity for the public, remove redundancies in the NWPL that
currently exist between SPI and HI, allow for a consistent formatting
of subregions between all NWPL regions, and more accurately and
appropriately reflect species' distribution and wetland frequency
within SPI and HI.
USACE is also proposing to rename SPI from its current name,
``South Pacific Islands Subregion'', to ``Pacific Islands Subregion.''
This subregion includes islands which are located within both the
northern Pacific (i.e., the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands and the Territory of Guam) and southern Pacific (i.e., the
Territory of American Samoa). Therefore, the proposed name change will
more accurately characterize the geographic extent and spatial
variability of this subregion. The proposed change also creates
consistency between the naming conventions of the NWPL regions and
subregions and the Regional Supplements to the Corps of Engineers
Wetland Delineation Manual regions.
Instructions for Providing Comments Online
USACE encourages public input in the form of data, comments,
literature references, or field experiences, to help clarify the status
of the species reviewed for this update. The list of these same 27
reviewed species, and their draft 2020 wetland ratings by region, can
be viewed at the NWPL homepage, https://wetland-plants.usace.army.mil/
under ``2020 NWPL Update Information.'' A link to provide general or
species-specific comments in response to this notice is also available
at this location. Users are encouraged to submit literature citations,
herbaria records, experiential references, monitoring data, and other
relevant information. Specific knowledge of, or studies related to,
individual species are particularly helpful. When providing input or
information on the draft changes to the 2020 NWPL update, commenters
should use their regional botanical and ecological expertise, field
observations, reviews of the most recent indicator status information,
appropriate botanical literature, floras, herbarium specimens with
notation of habitat and associated species, habit data, relevant
studies, and historic list information. Providing ratings without
supporting documentation or information is not recommended. All
submitted comments and information will be compiled and sent to the
National Panel for their review and consideration.
USACE is also seeking comments on the NWPL update process. Detailed
information on the update process, protocol, and technical issues can
be found in the following documents, which are available on the ``NWPL
Publications'' web page:
Lichvar, Robert W. and Minkin, Paul. Concepts and
Procedures for Updating the National Wetland Plant List. Sept 2008.
ERDC/CRREL TN-08-3. Hanover, NH: U.S. Army Engineer Research and
Development Center, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory.
Lichvar, Robert W. and Gillrich, Jennifer J. Final
Protocol for Assigning Wetland Indicator Status Ratings during National
Wetland Plant List Update. Sept 2011. ERDC/CRREL TN-11-1. Hanover, NH:
U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center, Cold Regions
Research and Engineering Laboratory.
Lichvar R.W., N.C. Melvin, M.L. Butterwick, and W.N.
Kirchner. 2012. National Wetland Plant List Indicator Rating
Definitions. ERDC/CRREL TN-12-1. Hanover, NH: U.S. Army Engineer
Research and Development Center Cold Regions Research and Engineering
Laboratory.
Future Actions
Future updates to the NWPL will occur biennially. A change in
indicator status for a given species, or a proposed species addition
may be requested at any time at https://wetland-plants.usace.army.mil/
under ``Submit NWPL Change Request.'' Submissions throughout the two-
year period will be compiled and reviewed prior to each NWPL update and
any resulting proposed changes will be reflected in the subsequent
notice of an updated list.
Dated: March 18, 2021.
Taylor N. Ferrell,
Senior Official Performing the Duties of Assistant Secretary of the
Army (Civil Works).
[FR Doc. 2021-05989 Filed 3-23-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3720-58-P
