39326 Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 148 / Wednesday, August 2, 1995 / Proposed Rules Species Historic range Family name Status When listed Critical Special Scientific name Common name habitat rules ******* Astragalus Clara Hunt's U.S.A. (CA) ............. Fabaceae ............... E ................... NA NA clarianus. milkvetch. ******* Carex albida ..... White sedge ............ U.S.A. (CA) ............. Cyperaceae ........... E ................... NA NA ******* Clarkia imbricata Vine Hill clarkia ....... U.S.A. (CA) ............. Onagraceae ........... E ................... NA NA ******* Lilium Pitkin Marsh lily ....... U.S.A. (CA) ............. Liliaceae ................. E ................... NA NA pardalinum ssp. pitkinense. ******* Plagiobothrys Calistoga allocarya .. U.S.A. (CA) ............. Boraginaceae ......... E ................... NA NA strictus. ******* Poa napensis ... Napa bluegrass ....... U.S.A. (CA) ............. Poaceae ................. E ................... NA NA ******* Sidalcea Kenwood Marsh U.S.A. (CA) ............. Malvaceae ............. E ................... NA NA oregana ssp. checkermallow. valida. ******* Trifolium Showy Indian clover U.S.A. (CA) ............. Fabaceae ............... E ................... NA NA amoenum. ******* Dated: July 5, 1995. threatened status for Cupressus California, 93003. Comments and Mollie H. Beattie, goveniana ssp. goveniana (Gowen materials received will be available for Director, Fish and Wildlife Service. cypress). The six taxa are found public inspection, by appointment, [FR Doc. 95±18812 Filed 8±1±95; 8:45 am] primarily along the coast of northern during normal business hours at the BILLING CODE 4310±55±P Monterey County, California. The five above address. plant taxa and the lizard are threatened FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carl by one or more of the following: Benz, Assistant Field Supervisor, 50 CFR Part 17 alteration, destruction, and Ventura Field Office (see ADDRESSES [RIN 1018±AD09] fragmentation of habitat resulting from section) (telephone number 805/644± Endangered and Threatened Wildlife urban and golf course development; 1766; facsimile 805/644±3958). and Plants; Proposed Rule to recreational activities; highway SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Determine Five Plants and a Lizard widening; military activities; Background from Monterey County, California, as competition with non-native species; The Monterey Peninsula on the Endangered or Threatened and alteration of natural fire cycles. All central California coast has been noted AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, taxa are also threatened with stochastic for a high degree of species endemism Interior. extinction due to the small numbers of (Axelrod 1982, Howitt 1972, Raven and ACTION: Proposed rule. populations or individuals. This Axelrod 1978). Species with more proposed rule, if made final, would northern affinities reach their southern SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife extend the Act's protection to these limits on the Peninsula; species with Service (Service) proposes endangered taxa. more southern affinities reach their status pursuant to the Endangered DATES: Comments from all interested northern limits here as well (Howitt and Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), parties must be received by October 9, Howell 1964). The Monterey Peninsula for four plants and a reptile: Astragalus 1995. Public hearing requests must be is influenced by a maritime climate that tener var. titi (coastal dunes milk-vetch), received by September 25, 1995. is even more pronounced due to the Piperia yadonii (Yadon's piperia), ADDRESSES: Comments and materials upwelling of cool water from the Potentilla hickmanii (Hickmann's concerning this proposal should be sent Monterey submarine canyon. Rainfall potentilla), Trifolium trichocalyx to the Field Supervisor, Ventura Field amounts to only 38 to 51 centimeters (Monterey clover) and the black legless Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, (cm) (15 to 20 inches) per year, but lizard (Anniella pulchra nigra); and 2493 Portola Road, Suite B, Ventura, summer fog-drip is a primary source of Federal Register / Vol. 60, No. 148 / Wednesday, August 2, 1995 / Proposed Rules 39327 moisture for taxa that would otherwise found on Huckleberry Hill centrally generally been regarded as the same as not be able to persist with such low located on Monterey Peninsula. Here, Astragalus tener, * * * the two plants rainfall. Some taxa, such as the coastal the less aggressive C. goveniana ssp. are not the same and Astragalus titi closed-cone pines and cypresses may goveniana and P. muricata are spared seems worthy of varietal, if not specific represent relicts of species that once had competition from P. radiata. Some of recognition.'' Rupert Barneby published a more continuous, widespread the chaparral species associated with the combination A. tener var. titi in distribution in the more mesic climate these forest stands include 1950, noting the difference in flower of the late Pleistocene period, then Arctostaphylos pumila (sandmat size, habitat, and geographic range retreated to small pockets of cooler and manzanita), Arctostaphylos hookeri ssp. between it and A. tener var. tener wetter conditions along the coast ranges hookeri (Hooker's manzanita), (Barneby 1950). during the hotter and drier xerothermic Ceanothus dentatus (toothleaf lilac), Astragalus tener var. titi is a period between 8,000 and 4,000 years and Ericameria fasciculata (Eastwood's diminutive annual herb of the pea ago (Axelrod 1982). ericameria) (Holland 1986, Vogl et al. family (Fabaceae). The slender, slightly In 1602, the Spanish government 1988). pubescent stems reach 1 to 1.5 commissioned Sebastian Viscaino to Much of what the Forest Service decimeters (dm) (4 to 6 inches) in map the coastline; he travelled as far mapped in 1941 as grassland or height, with leaves that are 7 to 11 north as the Mendocino coast. In his ``barren'' (which most likely included pinnately compound and 2 to 7 cm (0.8 journal, he made note of the ``pine coastal dunes) on the peninsular to 2.7 inches) long with slightly bilobed covered headlands'' and the ``great pine coastline has been subsequently tips. The tiny lavender to purple flowers trees, smooth and straight, suitable for converted to golf courses. Remnant are 5 to 6 millimeters (mm) (0.25 inches) the masts and yards of ships'' that he dunes support a coastal dune scrub long and are arranged in subcapitate saw while anchored in Monterey Bay community dominated by Artemisia racemes of 2 to 12 flowers. The linear (F.B. Larkey in Howitt 1972). During the pycnocephala (beach sagewort), seed pods are straight to sickle-shaped early 1900s, Willis L. Jepson Baccharis pilularis (coyote bush), and and 6 to 14 mm (0.25 to 0.6 inches) long characterized the forests on the several bush lupines (Lupinus arboreus, (Bittman 1985). Monterey Peninsula as the ``most L. chamissonis). The southernmost Two historical locations from Los important silva ever'', and encouraged occurrences for Erysimum menziesii Angeles County (Hyde Park in Samuel F. B. Morse of the Del Monte (Menzies wallflower), Layia carnosa Inglewood and Santa Monica) and two Properties Company to explore the (beach layia), Lupinus tidestromii from San Diego County (Silver Strand possibilities of preserving the unique (Tidestrom's lupine), and Gilia and Soledad) were annotated by forest communities (F. B. Larkin in tenuiflora ssp. arenaria (dune gilia), all Barneby as Astragalus tener var. titi Howitt 1972). Morse believed that federally endangered species, occur on (Barneby 1950). Numerous unsuccessful developing recreational facilities would these remnant dunes (Holland 1986, searches for the plant have been made allow income to be derived from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 1992). It in these locations over the past decade property while maintaining the forest is uncertain what species characterized (Ferreira 1992a, Julie Vanderweir, intact. the grasslands mapped by the Forest botanical consultant, San Diego County, In 1941, maps were compiled by the Service. Aside from harboring small pers. comm., 1992). It is unlikely that U.S. Forest Service to show plant populations of several of the species suitable habitat remains, since the Los associations that were similar in ``fire- that are contained within this proposed Angeles County locations have been hazard characteristics and in uses or rule, these patches of herbaceous heavily urbanized. The Silver Strand qualities of economic importance'' (U.S. vegetation support a large number of area is owned by the Department of Forest Service 1941). The bulk of the non-native grasses and succulents, as Defense (Miramar Naval Weapons Monterey Peninsula was mapped as well as opportunistic native herbaceous Center), and a portion has been Monterey pine forest with a discrete species (Ferreira 1992a, Ferreira 1992b). subjected to amphibious vehicle stand of Bishop pine in the center of the As for the patches mapped by the Forest training exercises. Another portion of peninsula. The coastline was fringed Service as ``sagebrush'', these most Silver Strand has been leased by the with either ``barren'' stretches, likely matched what is currently called Navy to the California Department of grassland, or ``sagebrush'', and a stretch coastal sage scrub, a community Parks and Recreation for development of of ``cypress species'' extending east dominated by Artemisia californica a campground and recreational along the coast from what is known as (California sagebrush). For the most facilities. Cypress