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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 155 / Monday, August 16, 2021 / Rules and Regulations
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which vary in population size and threat exposure. These historical data provide insight into Cumberland sandworts exposure and response to potential threats under varying conditions. When combined with our knowledge of factors affecting the species, available data allow us to reasonably predict future conditions, albeit with diminishing precision over time. Given our understanding of the best available data, we consider the foreseeable future for Cumberland sandwort to be approximately 30 years for the purposes of this rule.
In assessing threats to Cumberland sandwort, we consider the exposure of individual occurrences to suspected stressors, available data on the species response to those stressors where they have been observed, and efforts undertaken to reduce exposure into the future. As noted above in Recovery Criteria, available data indicate that the Kentucky occurrence is not exposed to threats that would result in modification or destruction of habitat.
Habitat Loss and Curtailment of Range In the rule listing the Cumberland sandwort 53 FR 23745; June 23, 1988, the primary threats identified for the species were the destruction and modification of habitat due to trampling by recreational users of the rockhouse and bluff habitats where the species occurs, trampling and soil disturbance from looting of archeological artifacts i.e., relic digging, and timber harvesting in or adjacent to occupied sites.
In Tennessee, the potential for trampling or soil disturbance from recreational use, wildlife, or relic digging has been noted at 38 sites where Cumberland sandwort occurs, with varying degrees of exposure and actual risk for adversely affecting the species TDEC 2011b, pp. 4044; TNHID 2018.
In one of these sites E.O. 78, signs of trampling and a fire pit were observed on the rockhouse floor in 2007 TNHID
2018, but Cumberland sandwort plants are located on ledges and solution pockets on the bluff where they are not exposed to trampling. Additionally, no fire pit was observed during a site visit by the Service in February 2019. Of the other 37 sites where risk of trampling or soil disturbance has been recorded during monitoring or other site visits, available data indicate that Cumberland sandwort faces high risk of exposure in 12 of them and moderate risk in the other 25. Cumberland sandwort abundance has declined at 6 of the 12
sites with high exposure risk, while 6
have remained stable. Declines in abundance have been observed at only
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three of the sites with moderate risk of exposure, while increases have been observed at three others. The remaining 19 sites with moderate risk of exposure to the threat of trampling or soil disturbance have remained stable. Thus, while the potential threat of trampling or soil disturbance has been noted at many sites, Cumberland sandwort faces a high risk of actual exposure in less than 20 percent of occurrences. Under conditions of moderate exposure risk, the species has demonstrated low vulnerability to being adversely affected, having maintained stable populations in most instances.
Regardless of the level of exposure risk, no occurrences are known to have been extirpated as a result of trampling or soil disturbance from recreational use, wildlife, or relic digging.
Protective features, including fences, boardwalks, barricades, rerouted trails, or informational signs, have been installed at 8 of the 37 occurrences discussed above, protecting specific habitats occupied by Cumberland sandwort Service 2013, pp. 1314;
TDEC 2016, p. 3. Seven of these sites where management has occurred to reduce the threat of trampling have remained stable or seen increases in Cumberland sandwort, whereas 20 of the 30 sites where the risk of trampling has been noted but not managed have remained stable. This information indicates that management efforts have been effective at reducing adverse effects, especially when considering that such management was provided in sites where the greatest threats were present.
The seven occurrences at PCNA are protected from recreational activities by the States efforts to survey proposed alignments for new trails and route them away from sites with Cumberland sandwort. Measures such as these reduce or preclude the species exposure to the threat of trampling from recreationists using trails on public lands where the species occurs.
Available data reveal the lack of a clear trend in visitation rates to recreational lands where Cumberland sandwort occurs. The BSF experienced an overall decline in annual visitation levels from 892,322, in 1995, to 643,135
in 2015 NPS 2020. Conversely, PSP, saw an overall increase from 223,397 to 271,889 annual visitors between 2009
and 2013 Tennessee State Parks, no date. We are not aware of data regarding predicted trends in future visitation for these parks, nor are data available to estimate what proportion of visitors use trails where Cumberland sandwort is located.
Timber harvest occurs at PSF, but does not occur at BSF, PSP, or PCNA,
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limiting the potential magnitude of this activity, determined at the time of listing to be a threat to Cumberland sandwort, to less than half of the sites on conservation lands. During the course of evaluating forest conditions in the vicinity of Cumberland sandwort occurrences, we observed that timber harvests had been conducted in the general vicinity of 10 occurrences at PSF, during the period between approximately 2008 and 2017. Timber harvests occurred upslope or downslope of seven of these occurrences, creating a high risk for exposure to potential effects of this threat, and in the general vicinity of three occurrences, where exposure risk was moderate. Sometime prior to 1999, the forest was converted to pasture on the plateau top above an eleventh occurrence, located on privately owned lands. Based on these data, timber harvests or forest conversion to pasture have taken place near approximately 15 percent of Cumberland sandwort sites. Data were available to evaluate trends for 10 of these 11 occurrences, showing that 3
have declined and 7 have remained stable. Monitoring data collected by TDEC since 2016 at three of these declining occurrences revealed no adverse effects from logging activities.
These data support the conclusion that timber harvests in the vicinity of Cumberland sandwort occurrences that do not directly impact the species or its habitat may pose little threat in terms of indirect effects. This conclusion is also supported by observations from visits we conducted in February 2019 to four occurrences with nearby timber harvests, in which no adverse effects from off-site timber removal were detectable. Based on these observations, we conclude that our estimates of forest condition ranks, discussed above in Recovery Criteria, likely underestimate the resiliency of occurrences in those instances where forest condition ranks were reduced due to evidence of nearby logging activities.
While some Cumberland sandwort occurrences are exposed to potential habitat-related stressors that might, in certain situations, adversely affect the species, available monitoring data indicate that the species is less vulnerable to these threats than was determined at the time of listing. When Cumberland sandwort is removed from the List see DATES, above, our postdelisting monitoring plan see Postdelisting Monitoring, below identifies 50 occurrences that will be monitored over a period of at least 5 years following delisting, including 27
occurrences where risks of exposure to
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