Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 25 / Tuesday, February 6, 1996 / Proposed Rules 4401 Whooping Cranes in the Wild in the Dated: October 20, 1995
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Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 25 / Tuesday, February 6, 1996 / Proposed Rules 4401 whooping cranes in the wild in the Dated: October 20, 1995. and its associated strategy to reduce experimental population area for George T. Frampton, Jr., threats to the Virgin spinedace that educational purposes, scientific Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and otherwise would warrant its listing as a purposes, the enhancement of Parks. threatened species under the propagation or survival of the species, [FR Doc. 96±2485 Filed 2±5±96; 8:45 am] Endangered Species Act of 1973, as and other conservation purposes BILLING CODE 4310±55±M amended (Act). The Agreement will consistent with the Act and in reestablish and maintain water flows accordance with applicable State fish required for the Virgin spinedace and and wildlife conservation laws and 50 CFR Part 17 will restore 50 percent of its lost historical habitat. On April 10, 1995, the regulations. RIN 1018±AC53 (4) * * * Service's Salt Lake City Field Office Endangered and Threatened Wildlife received a letter from one of the (ii) Relocate a whooping crane that and Plants; Withdrawal of the petitioners, the Bonneville Chapter of has moved outside the Kissimmee Proposed Rule to List the Fish Virgin the American Fisheries Society, stating Prairie or the Rocky Mountain range of Spinedace as Threatened and that with the implementation of the the experimental population when Withdrawal of the Proposed Rule to Agreement the Virgin spinedace no removal is necessary or requested; Designate Critical Habitat for the Virgin longer warrants listing. The other * * * * * Spinedace petitioner, Southern Utah Wilderness (8) Geographic areas that nonessential Alliance, still supports listing of the AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Virgin spinedace because of concerns experimental populations inhabit Interior. include the followingÐ that the Agreement will not be fully ACTION: Proposed rule; withdrawal. implemented or recover the species. (i) The entire State of Florida. The ADDRESSES: The complete file for this reintroduction site will be the SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) withdraws the May 18, rule is available for inspection, by Kissimmee Prairie portions of Polk, appointment, during normal business Osceola, Highlands, and Okeechobee 1994, proposed rule (59 FR 25875) to list the fish Virgin spinedace hours at the Utah Field Office, counties. Current information indicates Ecological Services, U.S. Fish and that the Kissimmee Prairie is within the (Lepidomeda mollispinis mollispinis) as a threatened species and also withdraws Wildlife Service, 145 East 1300 South, historic range of the whooping crane in Suite 404, Salt Lake City, Utah 84115. Florida. There are no other extant the portion of the April 5, 1995, proposed critical habitat designation for The complete file for this rule also will populations of whooping cranes that be available for public inspection at the could come into contact with the the Virgin spinedace (60 FR 17296). The Virgin spinedace, a small fish in the Washington County Public Library in St. experimental population. The only two George, Utah. extant populations occur well west of minnow family (Cyprinidae), is endemic FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. the Mississippi River. The Aransas/ to the Virgin River drainage of Robert D. Williams, Assistant Field Wood Buffalo National Park population southwestern Utah, northwestern Supervisor, Salt Lake City Field Office, nests in the Northwest Territories and Arizona, and southeastern Nevada. The at the above address, telephone (801) adjacent areas of Alberta, Canada Virgin spinedace was once common to 524±5001. primarily within the boundaries of the abundant in clear water tributaries of Wood Buffalo National Park, and the Virgin River and in some mainstem SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: reaches above Pah Tempe (La Verkin) winters along the Central Texas Gulf of Background Mexico coast at Aransas National Springs near Hurricane, Utah. It was Wildlife Refuge. Whooping cranes also occasionally found in most reaches The Virgin spinedace belongs to one adhere to ancestral breeding grounds of the river below Pah Tempe Springs, of three genera of a unique, endemic leaving little possibility that individuals with the exception of the mouth of tribe of western cyprinids, the from the extant population will stray Quail Creek and the mouth of Beaver Plagopterini. Adult Virgin spinedace into Florida or the Rocky Mountain Dam Wash, where Virgin spinedace measure 80±120 mm (3±5 in) in length Population. Studies of whooping cranes were once reported common. and have a broad, flat silvery body with have shown that migration is learned Approximately 37 to 40 percent of a brassy sheen. They are usually found rather than innate behavior. The Virgin spinedace historical habitat has in clear, cool streams that are experimental population released at been lost due to human impacts which interspersed with pools, runs, and Kissimmee Prairie is expected to remain include the introduction of nonnative riffles. Rinne (1971) found that Virgin within the prairie region of central fishes, dewatering for agricultural spinedace inhabited pools, often with Florida; and purposes, mining, and urban undercut banks, debris, or boulders. The development. These impacts have Virgin spinedace feeds primarily on (ii) The State of Colorado, Idaho, New resulted in habitat fragmentation and aquatic insect life (Rinne 1971, Gregor Mexico, Utah, and the western half of continue to threaten the existence of the and Deacon 1988, Angradi et al. 1991), Wyoming. Birds in this area do not Virgin spinedace. and their feeding habits are dependent come in contact with whooping cranes Subsequent to publication of the upon the types of food available. The of the Aransas/Wood Buffalo proposed rule, the State of Utah Virgin spinedace is endemic to the Population. developed the Virgin Spinedace Virgin River drainage, a tributary to the * * * * * Conservation Agreement and Strategy Colorado River of southwestern Utah, (Agreement) for the Virgin spinedace to northwestern Arizona, and southeastern § 17.95 [Amended] ensure that conservation measures and Nevada. The historical distribution of 4. Section 17.95(b) is amended by recovery actions needed for the fish's the Virgin spinedace is not well deleting the maps and descriptions of continued existence are initiated and documented (Valdez et al. 1991). The critical habitat for the whooping crane carried out. In June 1995, the eight species was probably common to in the States of Idaho, Colorado and signatory parties to the Agreement abundant in tributaries of the Virgin New Mexico. began implementation of the Agreement River and some mainstem reaches above 4402 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 25 / Tuesday, February 6, 1996 / Proposed Rules Pah Tempe (La Verkin) Springs, near habitat was proposed for the Virgin species. Appropriate Federal and State Hurricane, Utah (Holden et al. 1974). spinedace, Virgin River chub (Gila agencies, county governments, scientific The Virgin spinedace was probably less seminuda), and woundfin (Plagopterus organizations, and other interested abundant in the mainstem Virgin River argentissumus) (60 FR 17296). On April parties were contacted and requested to below Pah Tempe Springs, with the 11, 1995, the Service signed the comment. A notice inviting general exception of the mouths of Quail Creek Agreement developed by the State of public comment on the proposed listing and Beaver Dam Wash, where the Virgin Utah. was published in the following spinedace was a common member of the newspapers: Salt Lake Tribune/Desert Summary of Comments and fauna. News, St. George Daily Spectrum, Las Recommendations The proposal (59 FR 25875; May 18, Vegas Review Journal/Las Vegas Sun, 1994) to list the Virgin spinedace as In accordance with the July 1, 1994, Kingman Daily Miner, and the Mesquite threatened and a subsequent proposal Federal Register notice (59 FR 34270) Desert Valley Times. Requests to hold (60 FR 17296; April 5, 1995) to which announced a statement of public hearings on the proposed listing designate critical habitat were based on interagency cooperative policy for peer were received from the Washington the decline in the range of and review of activities under the Act (16 County Water Conservancy District, and continued threats to the species. The U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), independent peer from Congressman James H. Hansen's present distribution of Virgin spinedace review was requested on the proposed office (1st District, Utah). On June 30, is substantially smaller than its former listing of the Virgin spinedace as a 1994, the Service published a notice in range, with approximately 37 to 40 threatened species. This review process the Federal Register (59 FR 33724) percent (83 kilometers (km) or 52 miles is intended to complement the Service's announcing the public hearing and (mi)) of its habitat lost due to human existing public review process in listing extending the comment period until impacts (Valdez et al. 1991, Addley and and recovery, and to ensure that the best August 17, 1994. In addition to the Hardy 1993). Much of this habitat loss biological and commercial information Federal Register notice and has occurred recently. Approximately is being used in the decision making announcements in newspapers, a letter 60 percent of the habitat loss has process. According to policy, when was sent to all interested parties occurred since the 1950's and is directly listing a species the Service is