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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 5, 2021 / Proposed Rules
recreational uses away from biologically sensitive areas.
Objective 3: Restore habitats by revegetation of disturbed areas using native species.
Objective 4: Identify areas of San Clemente Island where habitat restoration and population increase of certain addressed taxa may be achieved through a careful survey of the island and research on habitat requirements of each taxon.
Objective 5: Delist or downlist those taxa that achieve vigorous, selfsustaining population levels as the result of habitat stabilization, habitat restoration, and prevention or minimization of adverse human-related impacts.
Objective 6: Monitor effectiveness of recovery effort by undertaking baseline quantitative studies and subsequent follow-up work USFWS
1984, pp. 106107.
The Navy has taken a variety of recovery actions to achieve the recovery plans objectives. These include:
Removal of all feral herbivores, which was achieved in 1992.
Monitoring and control of the expansion of highly invasive, nonnative plant species on an ongoing basis since the 1990s OConnor 2019, pers.
comm..
Implementing a nonnative wildlife program, which focuses on island-wide nonnative predator management, initiated by the Navy in 1992 USFWS
2008, p. 172.
Conducting and funding surveys, research, and monitoring to better understand the ecology and habitat requirements of sensitive species, and monitor their status and the effectiveness of recovery efforts.
Conducting long-term vegetation monitoring studies.
Conducting propagation and outplanting transplant individuals from the greenhouse to vegetative communities of native species through a contract with the San Diego State University Soil Ecology and Restoration Group SERG since 2001 Howe 2009, pers. comm.; Munson 2013, pers.
comm.. Although most of the restoration efforts were not specifically designed for the benefit of the species addressed in this proposed rule, restoration of the islands vegetation communities has helped to improve habitat suitability for the subject species by reducing the spread of invasive, nonnative plants and restoring ecological processes.
Conducting annual reviews of fire management and fire occurrences, allowing for adaptive management to minimize the frequency and spread of
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fires. For example, in 2017, after a large fire that burned part of the eastern escarpment had seemingly gone out, the fire restarted the next day and response was therefore delayed. This prompted a change in how the Navy monitors fires that are thought to be out OConnor 2019, pers. comm..
Addressing training-related erosion through development of an erosion control plan Navy 2013b, entire. The Navy incorporates erosion control measures into all site feasibility studies to minimize impacts from erosion and avoid impacts to listed species.
Contributions to meeting the recovery objectives include adoption and implementation of the SCI Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan INRMP. The Navy adopted the SCI
INRMP in 2002 Navy 2002, entire and updated it again in 2013 Navy 2013a, entire. An INRMP is intended to guide installation commanders in managing their natural resources in a manner that is consistent with the sustainability of those resources, while ensuring continued support of the military mission Navy 2002, p. 11. The INRMP identifies goals and objectives for specified management units and their natural resources, including measures to protect, monitor, restore, and manage special status species and their habitats. The Navy identifies and addresses threats to special status species during the INRMP planning process. If possible, threats are ameliorated, eliminated, or mitigated through this procedure.
The SCI INRMP outlines management actions for invasive species control island-wide, including near listed species; biosecurity protocols;
restoration of sites that support sensitive plants; habitat enhancement for sensitive and listed species; fuel break installation to minimize fire spread; and fire suppression to protect endangered, threatened, and other priority species.
The Navy also developed and implements specific plans for some management issues, including: SCI
Wildland Fire Management Plan;
Erosion Control Plan; and the Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island Biosecurity Plan. For additional details on the Navys implementation of recovery efforts, see Conservation Actions and Regulatory Mechanisms, below.
Interim progress on achieving the recovery objectives resulted in improvements in the status of SCI
paintbrush and SCI lotus such that our 2007 5-year reviews recommended reclassification USFWS 2007a, b, and both species were subsequently reclassified from endangered species to
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threatened species July 26, 2013; 78 FR
45406. We also recommended in our 2007 5-year review for SCI bush-mallow and 2008 5-year review for SCI larkspur that they be reclassified as threatened USFWS 2007c; USFWS 2008.
While the recovery plan did not include specific metrics, the plans objectives have largely been achieved for these five species through removal of nonnative herbivores and subsequent recovery of native plant communities, and through restoration and management actions implemented by the Navy to improve habitat and control threats related to erosion, invasive species, fire, and land use. As a result of these actions, habitat has been sufficiently restored and managed on the island and supports self-sustaining populations for each of these five taxa.
Regulatory and Analytical Framework Regulatory Framework Section 4 of the Act 16 U.S.C. 1533
and its implementing regulations 50
CFR part 424 set forth the procedures for determining whether a species is an endangered species or a threatened species. The Act defines an endangered species as a species that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range, and a threatened species as a species that is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range. The Act requires that we determine whether any species is an endangered species or a threatened species because of any of the following factors:
A The present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of its habitat or range;
B Overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes;
C Disease or predation;
D The inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; or E Other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence.
These factors represent broad categories of natural or human-caused actions or conditions that could have an effect on a species continued existence.
In evaluating these actions and conditions, we look for those that may have a negative effect on individuals of the species, as well as other actions or conditions that may ameliorate any negative effects or may have positive effects. We consider these same five factors in reclassifying a species from an endangered species to a threatened species or removing a species from the Lists 50 CFR 424.11c through e.

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