Draft Bexar County Karst Invertebrate Recovery Plan
About the Document
Title: Draft Bexar County Karst Invertebrate Recovery Plan
Purpose: The purpose of the recovery plan is to provide a strategy that leads to the recovery and delisting of the nine species of endangered karst invertebrates in Bexar County, Texas, in accordance with section 4(f)(1) of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The plan contains information on these species life history, threats, current conservation, and a recovery strategy with recovery actions.
About the Peer Review Process
Type of Review: Influential
Peer Review Timeline: May 16 - July 15, 2008
Process: The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) will solicit comments from at least seven independent peer reviewers on the Draft Bexar County Karst Invertebrate Recovery Plan. This scientific peer review will be held concurrently with the public review.
The Service will ask members of the technical subcommittee of the recovery team to recommend independent peer reviewers and will use our knowledge of who meets the following criteria:- Expertise: Reviewers should have expertise in karst invertebrate ecology, conservation biology, preserve design, groundwater hydrology, or decision analysis.
- Independence: Reviewers should not be employed by the Service. Academic and consulting scientists should have sufficient independence from the Service, if the government supports their work.
- Objectivity: Reviewers should be recognized by their peers as being objective, open-minded, and thoughtful. The reviewers should be comfortable sharing their knowledge and identifying their knowledge gaps.
- Advocacy: Reviewers should not be known or recognized for an affiliation with an advocacy position regarding the protection of these species under the Endangered Species Act.
- Conflict of Interest: Reviewers should not have any financial or other interest that conflicts or that could impair their objectivity.
About Public Participation
A 60-day public comment period for the draft recovery plan is May 15 – July 16, 2008. The plan will be made available to the public through news releases, direct mailings, and will be posted on Service websites with solicitations for public comment. The Service will implement an outreach plan to provide ample opportunity for public involvement in the review process. The Service will publish a final recovery plan following consideration of all comments received from the public and peer reviewers. This peer review plan is made available on this website to allow the public to monitor our compliance with the Office of Management and Budget’s Final Information Quality Bulletin for Peer Review.
Contact: Cyndee Watson, Austin Ecological Service Field Office, at Cyndee_Watson@fws.gov or 512-490-0057, ext. 223.