81 FR 39945 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Recovery Plan for Four Species of the Santa Rosa Plain

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 118 (June 20, 2016)

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability of the Recovery Plan for four plant species of the Santa Rosa Plain: The Sonoma sunshine, Burke's goldfields, the Sebastopol meadowfoam, and the Sonoma County Distinct Population Segment of the California Tiger Salamander. The recovery plan includes recovery objectives and criteria, and specific actions necessary to achieve removal of the species from the Federal Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 118 (Monday, June 20, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39945-39946]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-14456]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R8-ES-2016-N071; FXES11130000-156-FF08E00000]


Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Recovery Plan for 
Four Species of the Santa Rosa Plain

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the 
availability of the Recovery Plan for four plant species of the Santa 
Rosa Plain: The Sonoma sunshine, Burke's goldfields, the Sebastopol 
meadowfoam, and the Sonoma County Distinct Population Segment of the 
California Tiger Salamander. The recovery plan includes recovery 
objectives and criteria, and specific actions necessary to achieve 
removal of the species from the Federal Lists of Endangered and 
Threatened Wildlife and Plants.

ADDRESSES: You may obtain a copy of the recovery plan from our Web site 
at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/species/recovery-plans.html. 
Alternatively, you may contact the Sacramento Fish and Wildlife Office, 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2800 Cottage Way, Suite W-2605, 
Sacramento, CA 95825 (telephone 916-414-6700).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jennifer Norris, Field Supervisor, at 
the above street address by telephone (see ADDRESSES).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We announce the availability of the Recovery 
Plan for the following four species of the Santa Rosa Plain:

 Blennosperma bakeri (Sonoma sunshine)
 Lasthenia burkei (Burke's goldfields)
 Limnanthes vinculans (Sebastopol meadowfoam)
 Sonoma County Distinct Population Segment of the California 
Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma californiense)
The recovery plan includes recovery objectives and criteria, and 
specific actions necessary to achieve removal of the species from the 
Federal Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants.

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.
    We listed Blennosperma bakeri (Sonoma sunshine), Lasthenia burkei 
(Burke's goldfields), and Limnanthes vinculans (Sebastopol meadowfoam) 
as endangered on December 2, 1991 (56 FR 61173). The present ranges of 
these species are predominantly located on the Santa Rosa Plain, which 
is located in central Sonoma County, bordered on the south and west by 
the Laguna de Santa Rosa, on the east by the Coast Range foothills, and 
on the north by the Russian River. However, the geographic area covered 
by this recovery plan includes all known locations of the species, some 
of which are outside of the Plain. They are annual plants that exist 
only in seasonal wetlands.
    We listed the Sonoma County California tiger salamander, which we 
identified as a distinct population segment (DPS), as endangered on 
March 19, 2003 (68 FR 13498). The species is endemic to the Santa Rosa 
Plain. The Sonoma County California tiger salamander requires seasonal 
wetlands for breeding, and the surrounding uplands (upland habitat) for 
dispersal, feeding, growth, maturation, and maintenance of the juvenile 
and adult population.
    The loss, degradation, and fragmentation of seasonal wetlands due 
to development have led to population declines for all four species. 
While ongoing agricultural practices have disturbed seasonal wetlands, 
certain agricultural practices, such as irrigated or grazed pasture, 
have protected habitat from intensive development and are compatible 
with persistence of these listed species. However, conversion of

[[Page 39946]]

pastures to vineyards is a current threat of high magnitude.

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.
    The ultimate goal of this recovery plan is to recover Blennosperma 
bakeri (Sonoma sunshine), Lasthenia burkei (Burke's goldfields), 
Limnanthes vinculans (Sebastopol meadowfoam), and California Tiger 
Salamander Sonoma County Distinct Population Segment (Ambystoma 
californiense) so that they can be delisted. To meet the recovery 
goals, the following objectives have been identified:
    1. Restore habitat conditions to sustain viable (meta) populations 
of species to support self-sufficiency in perpetuity.
    2. Maintain the current geographic, elevational, and ecological 
distribution of each listed species.
    3. Maintain the genetic structure and diversity of existing 
populations.
    4. Protect and manage sufficient habitat to ensure that the listed 
entity is able to adapt to unforeseen or unknown threats, such as 
climate change.
    5. Reintroduce individuals to successfully establish new 
populations in historically occupied areas.
    6. Minimize the contribution of extant or potential threats.
    7. Monitor species population trends across multiple years (and 
varied climatic conditions) to determine whether abundances are 
sustainable.
    8. Manage occurrences on a case-by-case basis during consultation, 
with an emphasis on protections to identified core areas.
    As Blennosperma bakeri (Sonoma sunshine), Lasthenia burkei (Burke's 
goldfields), Limnanthes vinculans (Sebastopol meadowfoam), and 
California Tiger Salamander Sonoma County Distinct Population Segment 
(Ambystoma californiense) meet reclassification and recovery criteria, 
we will review their status and consider them for removal from the 
Federal Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants.

Authority

    We developed our 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) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 
et seq.).

    Dated: May 31, 2016.
Ren Lohoefener,
Regional Director, Pacific Southwest Region.
[FR Doc. 2016-14456 Filed 6-17-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4333-15-P