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Proposed Designation of Critical Habitat For Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 32 / Thursday, February 15, 2001 / Proposed Rules 10469 * * * * * Road, Suite B, Ventura, California, (km) (30 miles (mi)) inland. Polygonum Dated: January 16, 2001 93003. hickmanii differs from P. parryi in its Kenneth L. Smith, You may also send comments by larger white flowers, longer leaves, electronic mail (e-mail) to larger anthers and achenes, and longer, Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and straight stem sheath (Hinds and Morgan Parks. svpolyg&[email protected]. See the Public Comments Solicited section below for 1995). [FR Doc. 01–1836 Filed 2–14–01; 8:45 am] file format and other information about Chorizanthe robusta var. hartwegii is BILLING CODE 4310–55–C electronic filing. a low-growing herb with rose-pink You may hand-deliver comments to involucral margins confined to the basal portion of the teeth and an erect habit. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR our Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2493 The aggregate flowers (heads) are Fish and Wildlife Service Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura, medium in size (1 to 1.5 cm (0.4 to 0.6 California 93003. in.) in diameter) and distinctly 50 CFR Part 17 Comments and materials received will aggregate. The plant germinates during be available for public inspection, by the winter months and flowers from RIN 1018–AH82 appointment, during normal business April through June. Although hours at the above address. pollination ecology has not been studied Endangered and Threatened Wildlife for this taxon, it is likely visited by a and Plants; Proposed Designation of FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Connie Rutherford, Ventura Fish and wide array of pollinators; observations Critical Habitat for Polygonum of pollinators on other species of hickmanii (Scotts Valley Polygonum) Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Chorizanthe that occur in Santa Cruz and Chorizanthe robusta var. hartwegii County have included leaf cutter bees (Scotts Valley Spineflower) Ventura, California 93003 (telephone 805/644–1766; facsimile 805/644–3958). (megachilids), at least 6 species of butterflies, flies, and sphecid wasps. AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Interior. Each flower produces one seed; depending on the vigor of individual ACTION: Proposed rule. Background plants, dozens, if not hundreds, of seeds Polygonum hickmanii and SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and could be produced. The importance of Chorizanthe robusta var. hartwegii are pollinator activity in seed set has been Wildlife Service (Service), propose to endemic to Purisima sandstone and designate critical habitat pursuant to the demonstrated in another species of Santa Cruz mudstone in Scotts Valley in Chorizanthe by the production of seed Endangered Species Act of 1973, as the Santa Cruz Mountains. Chorizanthe amended (Act), for Polygonum with low viability where pollinator robusta var. hartwegii was listed as access was limited (Harding Lawson hickmanii (Scotts Valley polygonum) endangered on February 4, 1994 (59 FR and Chorizanthe robusta var. hartwegii Associates 2000). Seed dispersal is 5499). Polygonum hickmanii was facilitated by the involucral spines, (Scotts Valley spineflower). proposed as endangered on November 9, Approximately 125 hectares (310 acres) which attach the seed to passing 2000 (65 FR 67335). animals. Chorizanthe robusta var. of land fall within the boundaries of the Polygonum hickmanii is a small, proposed critical habitat designation. hartwegii is one of two varieties of the erect, taprooted annual in the species C. robusta. The other variety (C. Proposed critical habitat is located in buckwheat family (Polygonaceae). It Santa Cruz County, California. Critical robusta var. robusta), known as the grows from 2 to 5 centimeters (cm) (1 to robust spineflower, is known from the habitat receives protection from 2 inches (in.)) tall, and can be either destruction or adverse modification coast of southern Santa Cruz and single stemmed or profusely branching northern Monterey counties and also is through required consultation under near the base in more mature plants. section 7 of the Act with regard to listed as endangered. The linear-shaped leaves are 0.5 to 3.5 Polygonum hickmanii and actions carried out, funded, or cm (0.2 to 1.4 in.) long and 1 to 1.5 cm Chorizanthe robusta var. hartwegii are authorized by a Federal agency. Section (0.4 to 0.6 in.) wide and tipped with a known from two sites about one mile 4 of the Act requires us to consider sharp point. The single white flowers apart at the northern end of Scotts economic and other relevant impacts consist of two outer tepals and three Valley in Santa Cruz County, California. when specifying any particular area as inner tepals and are found in the axils The plants are found on gently sloping critical habitat. of the bracteal leaves. The plant flowers to nearly level fine-textured shallow We solicit data and comments from from late May to August. Seed soils over outcrops of Santa Cruz the public on all aspects of this production ranges from a few dozen in mudstone and Purisima sandstone proposal, including data on economic a typical individual to as many as two (Hinds and Morgan 1995). Together they and other impacts of the designation. hundred in a particularly robust occur with other small annual herbs in We may revise this proposal to individual (R. Morgan, pers. comm. patches within a more extensive annual incorporate or address new information 1998). Although pollination for this grassland habitat. These small patches received during the comment period. species has not been studied, Morgan have been referred to as ‘‘wildflower DATES: We will accept comments until observed a sphecid wasp (family fields’’ because they support a large April 16, 2001. Public hearing requests Sphecidae) visitation to an individual of number of native herbs, in contrast to must be received by April 2, 2001. P. hickmanii (Morgan, pers. comm. the adjacent annual grasslands that ADDRESSES: If you wish to comment, 1998). Other potential pollinators have support a greater number of non-native you may submit your comments and not been identified at this time, and the grasses and herbs. While the wildflower materials concerning this proposal by degree to which P. hickmanii depends fields are underlain by shallow, well- any one of several methods: on insect pollinators (rather than being draining soils, the surrounding annual You may submit written comments self-pollinated) has not been grasslands are underlain by deeper soils and information to the Field Supervisor, determined. The nearest location of a with a greater water-holding capacity, Ventura Fish and Wildlife Office, U.S. closely related species, P. parryi, is at and therefore more easily support the Fish and Wildlife Service, 2493, Portola Mount Hamilton, about 48 kilometers growth of non-native grasses and herbs. VerDate 11<MAY>2000 18:45 Feb 14, 2001 Jkt 194001 PO 00000 Frm 00092 Fmt 4702 Sfmt 4702 E:\FR\FM\15FEP1.SGM pfrm02 PsN: 15FEP1 10470 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 32 / Thursday, February 15, 2001 / Proposed Rules The surface soil texture in the hickmanii. The total number of colonies hartwegii occur within 0.2 km (0.1 mi) wildflower fields tends to be of Chorizanthe robusta var. hartwegii is of each other on the Polo Ranch site consolidated and crusty rather than difficult to count for several reasons: 1) (Lyons in litt. 1997; Impact Sciences loose and sandy (Biotic Resources depending on the scale at which 2000b). Group (BRG) 1998). Elevation of the colonies are mapped, a larger or smaller Both Polyonum hickmanii and sites is from 215 to 245 meters (m) (700 number of colonies may result, and 2) Chorizanthe robusta var. hartwegii are to 800 feet (ft)) (Hinds and Morgan depending on the climate and other threatened with extinction by habitat 1995). The climate in the city of Santa annual variations in habitat conditions, alteration due to secondary impacts of Cruz, 13 km (8 mi) to the south, is the extent of colonies may either shrink urban development occurring within characterized by an average of 76.7 cm and temporarily disappear, or enlarge close proximity. Urban development (30 in.) of rain per year, and an average and merge into each other, thus includes the recent construction and temperature of 14 degrees Celsius (57 appearing as larger but fewer colonies. operation of a high school; installation degrees Fahrenheit) per year, while the Additional patches of suitable but and maintenance of water delivery city of Los Gatos, 16 km (10 mi) to the unoccupied habitat for Polygonum pipelines, access roads, and water tanks; north, averages 129.9 cm (51 in.) of rain hickmanii, Chorizanthe robusta var and currently existing and proposed per year, and an average temperature of hartwegii, and other wildflower field housing. Over the last decade a variety 15 degrees Celsius (58 degrees taxa have been mapped on these parcels of housing proposals have been Fahrenheit) per year (Worldclimate as well (Denise Duffy and Associates considered for two of the parcels; active 1998). 1998). However, some of these patches, proposals currently exist for both of Polygonum hickmanii and as well as those patches occupied by these parcels. Chorizanthe robusta var. hartwegii are Chorizanthe robusta var hartwegii, were The kinds of habitat alterations associated with a number of native destroyed in 1999 during construction expected to impact Polygonum herbs including Lasthenia californica of Scotts Valley High School. hickmanii
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