[Federal Register: March 2, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 41)]
[Notices]
[Page 10652-10653]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr02mr06-34]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
[I.D. 121905A]
Endangered and Threatened Species; Recovery Plans; Reopening of
Public Comment Period
AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice; reopening of public comment period.
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SUMMARY: NMFS is reopening the public comment period for the proposed
Puget Sound Salmon Recovery Plan (Plan) for the Evolutionarily
Significant Unit (ESU) of Puget Sound Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus
tshawytscha) until March 16, 2006. The proposed Recovery Plan consists
of a ``Draft Puget Sound Recovery Plan'' prepared by the Shared
Strategy and a NMFS Supplement. NMFS is reopening the public comment
period at the request of commenters to provide additional opportunity
for public review and comment.
DATES: Written comments must be received by March 16, 2006.
ADDRESSES: Comments on the proposed Plan may be submitted by any of the
following methods. Send written comments and materials to Elizabeth
Babcock, National Marine Fisheries Service, Salmon Recovery Division,
7600 Sandpoint Way NE Seattle, WA 98115. Comments may be submitted by
e-mail to PugetSalmonPlan.nwr@noaa.gov; include in the subject line of
the e-mail comment the following identifier: Comments on Puget Sound
Salmon Plan. Comments may also be submitted via facsimile (fax) to 206
526 6426.
Persons wishing to review the Plan can obtain an electronic copy
(i.e., CDROM) from Carol Joyce by calling 503- 230-5408, or by e-
mailing a request to carol.joyce@noaa.gov, with the subject line ``CD-
ROM Request for Puget Sound Salmon Plan''. Electronic copies of the
Shared Strategy Plan are also available on-line on the Shared Strategy
Web site http://www.sharedsalmonstrategy.org.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Babcock, NMFS Puget Sound
Salmon Recovery Coordinator (206-526-4505), or Elizabeth Gaar, NMFS
Salmon Recovery Division (503-230-5434).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Recovery plans describe actions considered necessary for the
conservation and recovery of species listed under the Endangered
Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The ESA
requires that recovery plans incorporate (1) objective, measurable
criteria which, when met, would result in a determination that the
species is no longer threatened or endangered; (2) site-specific
management actions necessary to achieve the plan's goals; and (3)
estimates of the time required and costs to implement recovery actions.
The ESA requires the development of recovery plans for listed species
unless such a plan would not promote the recovery of a particular
species.
NMFS' goal is to restore endangered and threatened Pacific salmon
ESUs to the point where they are again secure, self-sustaining members
of their
[[Page 10653]]
ecosystems and no longer need the protections of the ESA. NMFS believes
it is critically important to base its recovery plans on the many
state, regional, tribal, local, and private conservation efforts
already underway throughout the region. The agency's approach to
recovery planning has been to support and participate in locally led
collaborative efforts involving local communities, state, tribal, and
Federal entities, and other stakeholders to develop recovery plans.
On June 30, 2005, the Governor of Washington presented NMFS a
locally developed recovery plan for Puget Sound Chinook salmon prepared
by the Shared Strategy, a coalition of natural resource agencies, local
governments, tribes, businesses, environmental groups, and other
stakeholders. After review of the Shared Strategy's ``Draft Puget Sound
Salmon Recovery Plan'', NMFS added a Supplement, which describes how
the local plan satisfies ESA requirements, including additional actions
that NMFS believes are necessary to support recovery. The Shared
Strategy plan and the NMFS-prepared Supplement form a proposed Recovery
Plan that meets the requirements of the ESA. The proposed Recovery Plan
covers the range of the Puget Sound Chinook Salmon ESU (Oncorhynchus
tshawytscha), listed as threatened on March 24, 1999 (64 FR 14307). The
area covered by the proposed Recovery Plan is the 16,000-square-mile
(41,440 square km) Puget Sound Basin, the second largest estuary in the
United States. It encompasses twenty major river systems originating in
the Cascade mountain range to the east and the Olympic mountain range
to the west. The recovery planning area ends at the Canadian border,
but includes the San Juan Islands.
NMFS published notice of the availability of the proposed Recovery
Plan for public comment in the Federal Register on December 27, 2005
(70 FR 76445), with a comment period closing on February 27, 2005. At
the request of several commenters, NMFS is reopening the comment
period, which will now extend until March 16, 2006 to allow additional
opportunity for public comment. The documents are available on the NMFS
Northwest Region Salmon Web site at http://www.nwr.noaa.gov/Salmon-Recovery-Planning/index.cfm
.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.
Dated: February 24, 2006.
James H. Lecky,
Director, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries
Service.
[FR Doc. E6-2991 Filed 3-1-06; 8:45 am]
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