Wednesday, June 13, 2001 Part III Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Proposed Designation of Critical Habitat for Deinandra conjugens (Otay tarplant); Proposed Rule VerDate 11<MAY>2000 14:30 Jun 12, 2001 Jkt 194001 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4717 Sfmt 4717 E:\FR\FM\13JNP3.SGM pfrm07 PsN: 13JNP3 32052 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 114 / Wednesday, June 13, 2001 / Proposed Rules DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 2001. Public hearing requests must be centimeters (2 to 10 inches) in height received by July 30, 2001. with deep green or gray-green leaves Fish and Wildlife Service ADDRESSES: If you wish to comment, covered with soft, shaggy hairs. The you may submit your comments and yellow flower heads are composed of 8 50 CFR Part 17 materials by any one of several methods: to 10 ray flowers and 13 to 21 disk 1. You may submit written comments flowers with hairless or sparingly RIN 1018–AH00 and information to the Field Supervisor, downy corollas (fused petals). The phyllaries (small bracts associated with Endangered and Threatened Wildlife Carlsbad Fish and Wildlife Office, U.S. the flower heads) are ridged and have and Plants; Proposed Designation of Fish and Wildlife Service, 2730 Loker short-stalked glands and large, stalkless, Critical Habitat for Deinandra Avenue West, Carlsbad, California flat glands near the margins. Deinandra conjugens (Otay tarplant) 92008. 2. You may hand-deliver written conjugens occurs within the range of D. AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, comments to our Carlsbad Fish and fasciculata [=Hemizonia fasciculata] Interior. Wildlife Office at the address given (fasciculated tarplant) and D. paniculata [=H. paniculata] (San Diego tarplant). ACTION: Proposed rule. above. 3. You may send comments by Deinandra conjugens can be SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and electronic mail (e-mail) to: distinguished from other members of Wildlife Service, propose designation of [email protected]. See the Public the genus by its ridged phyllaries, black critical habitat for Deinandra conjugens Comments Solicited section below for anthers (part of flower that produces [= Hemizonia conjugens] (Otay tarplant) file format and other information about pollen), and by the number of disk and pursuant to the Endangered Species Act electronic filing. ray flowers. The disk and ray flowers of 1973, as amended (Act). Deinandra You may view comments and each produce different types of seeds conjugens was federally listed as materials received, as well as supporting (heterocarpy) which is correlated to threatened (under the name Hemizonia documentation used in the preparation differential germination responses conjugens) throughout its range in of this proposed rule, by appointment, (Tanowitz et al. 1987). southwestern California and during normal business hours at the Most Deinandra conjugens northwestern Baja California, Mexico in above address. occurrences are closely associated with particular soils, vegetation types, and 1998. A total of approximately 2,685 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim hectares (ha) (6,630 acres (ac)) in San elevation range within southwestern Bartel, Field Supervisor, Carlsbad Fish San Diego County, California, and Diego County, California, are proposed and Wildlife Office, U.S. Fish and for designation as critical habitat for D. northwestern Baja California, Mexico. Wildlife Office, at the above address The majority of D. conjugens conjugens. We have not proposed (telephone 760/431–9440; facsimile critical habitat on lands covered by an occurrences are associated with clay 760/431–9618). soils and with grasslands (native, non- existing, legally operative, Habitat SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Conservation Plan (HCP) under section native, and mixed), coastal sage scrub, 10(a)(1)(B) of the Act in which Background or maritime succulent scrub. Current information indicates that D. conjugens Deinandra conjugens is a covered Deinandra conjugens (Otay tarplant) species. In areas where HCPs have not has a narrow geographic and elevation was known as Hemizonia conjugens range based on information from yet been completed, we have proposed when it was listed on October 13, 1998 herbarium records at the San Diego designation of critical habitat for lands (63 FR 54938). Since then, studies Natural History Museum (SDNHM) and encompassing essential habitat for analyzing plant and flower morphology CNDDB (2000) records. Deinandra conjugens. and genetic information prompted Deinandra conjugens is strongly If this proposal is made final, section Baldwin (1999) to revise the Madiinae correlated with clay soils, subsoils, or 7 of the Act requires Federal agencies to (tarplants), a tribe in the Asteraceae lenses (Bauder and Truesdale 2000). ensure that actions they fund, authorize, (sunflower family), and reclassify Clay soils are heavy (dense) soils with or carry out do not destroy or adversely several species into new or different small particles. Such soils typically modify critical habitat to the extent that genera. As a result, Deinandra support grasslands, but may support the action appreciably diminishes the conjugens is now the accepted scientific some woody vegetation. Much of the value of the critical habitat for the name for Hemizonia conjugens. This area with clay soils and subsoils within survival and recovery of the species. taxonomic change does not alter the the historical range of D. conjugens Section 4 of the Act requires us to limits or definition of D. conjugens. likely was once vegetated with native consider economic and other impacts of Because this taxonomic change was grassland and open coastal sage scrub specifying any particular area as critical published and is generally accepted by and maritime succulent scrub, which habitat. the scientific community, we are provided suitable habitat for D. We solicit data and comments from proposing to change the name of H. conjugens. Based on our Geographic the public on all aspects of this conjugens to D. conjugens in 50 CFR Information System (GIS) analysis, most proposal, including data on economic 17.12 (h), and will use D. conjugens in current and historical D. conjugens and other impacts of the designation. this proposed rule. occurrences (92 percent) are found on We may revise or further refine critical Deinandra conjugens was first clay soils or lenses in one of the habitat boundaries prior to final described by David D. Keck (1958) as following soil types: Diablo clay, designation based on habitat and plant Hemizonia conjugens based on a Olivenhain cobbly loam, Linne clay surveys, public comments on the specimen collected by L.R. Abrams in loam, Salinas clay loam, Huerhuero proposed critical habitat rule, 1903 from river bottom land in the Otay loam, Diablo-Olivenhain complex, finalization of pending habitat Valley area of San Diego County, Stockpen gravelly clay, and San Miguel- conservation plans, and new scientific California. Deinandra conjugens is a Exchequer rocky silt loams. and commercial information. glandular, aromatic annual of the Deinandra conjugens is also strongly DATES: We will accept comments until Asteraceae. It has a branching stem that associated with particular vegetation the close of business on August 13, generally ranges from 5 to 25 types. The species is found in vegetation VerDate 11<MAY>2000 14:30 Jun 12, 2001 Jkt 194001 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4701 Sfmt 4702 E:\FR\FM\13JNP3.SGM pfrm07 PsN: 13JNP3 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 114 / Wednesday, June 13, 2001 / Proposed Rules 32053 communities classified as, but not incompatible) (Keck 1959; Tanowitz the extent of observable plants seen in limited to, grasslands (native, non- 1982; B. Baldwin, in litt. 2001). Gene a given year. The number and location native, and mixed), open coastal sage flow is important for the long-term of standing plants in a population varies scrub, maritime succulent scrub, and survival of self-incompatible species annually due to a number of factors, the margins of some disturbed sites and (Ellstrand 1992) such as through including the amount and timing of cultivated fields (California Natural pollination. Gene flow in D. conjugens rainfall, temperature, soil conditions, Diversity Data Base (CNDDB) 2000; is essentially achieved through pollen and the extent and nature of the seed Keck 1959; Keil 1993; Skinner and movement among populations. The bank. Large annual fluctuations in the Pavlik 1994; David Hogan, San Diego movement of pollen likely occurs over number of standing plants in a given Biodiversity Project, in litt. 1990; Bruce short distances because most of the site have been documented. Population Baldwin, Jepson Herbarium, pers. insects that visit Deinandra are size has ranged from 1 to over 5,400 comm. 2001; Mark Dodero, RECON, relatively localized and generally travel standing plants at a site on northwest pers. comm. 2001; Scott McMillan, less than 0.5 km (0.3 mi) at one time. Otay Mesa (CNDDB 2000; City of San McMillan Biological Consulting, pers. Because small inter-population Diego, in litt. 1999), from approximately comm. 2001). Plant species common to occurrences of D. conjugens may 100 to 50,000 in a site in Rice Canyon these vegetation communities include facilitate greater gene flow, this (CNDDB 2000), and from approximately Nassella spp. (needlegrass), Bloomeria conservation may be critical to 280,000 to 1.9 million at San Miguel crocea (common goldenstar), maintaining genetic diversity in D. Ranch South (CNDDB 2000; Merkel & Dichelostemma pulchella (blue dicks),