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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 155 / Monday, August 16, 2021 / Rules and Regulations projected climate change. In the case of Cumberland sandwort, differing judgements of the species physiological dependence on specific thermal and hydrological niches, restriction to uncommon geological features, and potential for phenological response to changing climate resulted in different outcomes with respect to predicted vulnerability to climate change. In the assessment that ranked Cumberland sandwort as moderately vulnerable, each of these factors were individually ranked as being more likely to increase the species overall vulnerability than in the contrasting assessment that produced a rank of presumed stable.
Despite having produced different vulnerability ranks, both assessments ranked Cumberland sandwort among the least vulnerable to projected climate change of the federally listed plant species evaluated in Tennessee Glick et al. 2015, p. 40; Kwit 2018, pers. comm..
While the rank of moderately vulnerable indicates that Cumberland sandwort would likely decrease in abundance and/or range extent by 2050, neither assessment using the CCVI predicted that the species would decrease significantly in abundance and/or range extent. Factors contributing to potential resilience of the species to projected climate change include the topographic complexity of the landscape it occupies, general lack of fragmentation among habitats where the species occurs, high abundance at some occurrences, and the fact that most occurrences are located on conservation lands where known threats can be monitored and managed.
Evidence of Cumberland sandworts potential resilience to the threat of increased drought frequency and intensity is provided by examining available monitoring data in relation to drought records available from 2000
through present. We acquired data from the U.S. Drought Monitor USDM
summarizing the number of weeks that the geographic area where Cumberland sandwort occurs experienced extreme or exceptional droughts for periods of more than 2 consecutive weeks USDM
2019. Since 2000, the four Tennessee counties, where all but one Cumberland sandwort occurrence are located, have experienced periods of such drought during 2007, 2008, and 2016. Prolonged drought conditions began during the last half of June 2007, and extended into late winter or spring of 2008, depending on the county. Extreme or exceptional drought conditions in these counties started again sometime between August and October 2008, ending in early December. During June 2007 through the end of 2008, these counties experienced between 26 and 53

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cumulative weeks of extreme or exceptional drought conditions for periods that lasted 2 or more consecutive weeks. These counties did not experience such drought conditions again until a 3-week period during November 2016.
To determine whether any population declines recorded through monitoring corresponded with documented periods of local drought, we examined available data TNHID 2018 for all sites where monitoring has encompassed the two drought periods discussed above. There were 20 occurrences with data spanning this time range, only one Tennessee E.O. 7 of which was judged to have declined. More than 450 plants were estimated to have been present at this site in November 2007, and 351 plants were counted at the site in September 2017. Cumberland sandwort was estimated to have occupied approximately 4 m2 of habitat in both years. This sites medium rank for abundance did not change over this time period. The other 19 sites remained stable over the time period encompassing the drought conditions discussed above, with the exception of three that increased. Available monitoring data, when considered in conjunction with data documenting droughts of extreme or exceptional severity within the range of Cumberland sandwort, indicate that the species is resilient to this climate phenomenon.
Small populations are likely the most vulnerable to reductions or loss due to climate change. Monitoring data spanning the time period of the droughts discussed above were available for three occurrences with fewer than 100 individuals or that were less than 1
m2 in size, all of which remained stable.
Thus, we conclude that climate change will not pose a threat to the viability of the species into the foreseeable future.
Cumulative Effects The stressors discussed in the analysis above could work in concert with each other and result in a cumulative adverse effect to Cumberland sandwort; that is, one stressor may make the species more vulnerable to other threats. For example, stressors discussed under Factor A that individually do not rise to the level of a threat could together result in habitat degradation or loss. In instances where multiple habitat stressors act in concert with small population sizes, occurrences might lack resilience needed for population stability or growth. However, the potential stressors we identified either have not occurred to the extent originally anticipated at the time of listing, or appear to be either
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well-tolerated by the species or adequately managed as described in this final rule to delist the species. Our analysis has identified no rangewide threats or stressors with significant effects to all occurrences. We characterized the presence and relative severity of threats resulting from disturbances of substrates or altered forest conditions. Only 7 of the 71
extant occurrences were found to be potentially exposed to both substrate disturbance and altered forest condition.
For reasons discussed below in Inadequacy of Existing Regulatory Mechanisms, we do not anticipate stressors to increase on conservation lands where nearly all of the occurrences are located. Furthermore, the increases documented in the number and size of many occurrences since the species was listed do not indicate that cumulative effects of various activities and stressors are affecting the viability of the species at this time or into the future.
Existing Regulatory Mechanisms The Commonwealth of Kentucky and the State of Tennessee both list Cumberland sandwort as an endangered species. Conservation efforts are directed towards such species by the Office of Kentucky Nature Preserves OKNP, formerly KSNPC and TDEC, using funding and authorities provided through cooperative agreements with the Service under section 6 of the Act for endangered species recovery. When Cumberland sandwort is delisted see DATES, above, these agencies will no longer receive such funding specifically for Cumberland sandwort conservation efforts, but could allocate a portion of overall funds they receive for postdelisting monitoring of the species.
The Kentucky Rare Plants Recognition Act, Kentucky Revised Statutes KRS, chapter 146, sections 600619, directs the OKNP to identify plants native to Kentucky that are in danger of extirpation within Kentucky and report every 4 years to the Governor and General Assembly on the conditions and needs of these endangered or threatened plants. The list of endangered or threatened plants in Kentucky is found in the Kentucky Administrative Regulations, title 400, chapter 3:040.
The statute also recognizes the need to develop and maintain information regarding distribution, population, habitat needs, limiting factors, other biological data, and requirements for the survival of plants native to Kentucky.
However, this statute does not include any regulatory prohibitions of activities or direct protections for any species included in the list. It is expressly stated
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