[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 117 (Friday, June 18, 1999)] [Notices] [Pages 32886-32887] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 99-15505] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service Availability of a Technical/Agency Draft Revised Puerto Rican Parrot (Amazona vittata) Recovery Plan for Review and Comment
Agency
Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
Action
Notice of document availability and public comment period.
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Summary
We, the Fish and Wildlife Service, announce the availability for public review of the technical/agency
draft revised Puerto Rican parrot recovery plan. As the common name implies, the Puerto Rican parrot is a bird species endemic to the commonwealth of Puerto Rico. We solicit review and comment from the public on this draft plan.
Dates
We must receive comments on the draft recovery plan on or before a August 17, 1999 to receive consideration by us.
Addresses
You may obtain a copy of the draft recovery plan by contacting Pablo Torres-Baez, Rio Grande Field Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 1600, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico 00745 (telephone 787/887-8769). Send written comments and materials regarding the plan to the Field Supervisor at the above address. Comments and materials received are available on request for public inspection, by appointment, during normal business hours at the above address.
For Further Information Contact
Mr. Pablo Torres-Baez at the above address and telephone number (extension 226).
Supplementary Information
Background
Restoring endangered or threatened animals or plants to the point where they are again secure, self-sustaining members of their ecosystems is a primary goal of our endangered species program. To help guide the recovery effort, we are working to prepare recovery plans for most of the listed species native to the United States. Recovery plans describe actions considered necessary for conservation of the species, establish criteria for recognizing the recovery levels for downlisting or delisting them, and estimate time and cost for implementing the recovery measures needed. The Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) (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, as amended in 1988, requires that a public notice and an opportunity for public review and comment be provided 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 also take these comments into account in the course of implementing approved recovery plans. Despite intensive research and management efforts for more than 30 years, the survival of the Puerto Rican parrot is still perilous. Based upon available information concerning the range, biology, and threats to its continued survival, it is not yet possible to determine if or when full recovery of the Puerto Rican parrot is possible. This draft recovery plan outlines a mechanism that provides for the protection, maintenance, and enhancement of the only known wild population and the establishment of new wild populations in the future. We officially listed the Puerto Rican parrot as an endangered species in 1967 (32 FR 4001). The wild population reached an all time low of about 13 individuals in 1973. The same year, anticipating the possibility of losing the wild population to a catastrophic event, we initiated a captive breeding program to ensure survival of the species. Historically, the once abundant and widespread Puerto Rican parrot suffered from the negative effects of habitat loss, hunting, deleterious biological interactions, and the impact of hurricanes. We will use comments and information provided during this review in preparing the final recovery plan.
Public Comments Solicited
We solicit written comments on the recovery plan described. We will consider all comments received by the date specified above prior to approval of the plan.
Authority
The authority for this action is section 4(f) of the Endangered Species Act, 16 U.S.C. 1533(f).
Dated: June 14, 1999. Pablo Torres-Baez, Acting Field Supervisor. [FR Doc. 99-15505 Filed 6-17-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310-55-P