Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Review of Native Species That Are Candidates for Listing as Endangered or Threatened; Annual Notice of Findings on Resubmitted Petitions; Annual Description of Progress on Listing Actions; Proposed Rule

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Packard’s milkvetch (Astragalus cusickii var. packardiae) is removed from Candidate list. <br> In this Candidate Notice of Review (CNOR), we, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), present an updated list of plant and animal species native to the United States that we regard as candidates for or have proposed for addition to the Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants under the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended. Identification of candidate species can assist environmental planning efforts by providing advance notice of potential listings, allowing landowners and resource managers to alleviate threats and thereby possibly remove the need to list species as endangered or threatened. Even if we subsequently list a candidate species, the early notice provided here could result in more options for species management and recovery by prompting candidate conservation measures to alleviate threats to the species. <br> The CNOR summarizes the status and threats that we evaluated in order to determine that species qualify as candidates, to assign a listing priority number (LPN) to each species, and to determine whether a species should be removed from candidate status. Additional material that we relied on is available in the Species Assessment and Listing Priority Assignment Forms (species assessment forms) for each candidate species. <br> Overall, this CNOR recognizes 23 new candidates, changes the LPN for one candidate, and removes one species from candidate status. Combined with other decisions for individual species that were published separately from this CNOR in the past year, the current number of species that are candidates for listing is 146. <br> This document also includes our findings on resubmitted petitions and describes our progress in revising the Lists of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants (Lists) during the period October 1, 2013, through September 30, 2014. <br> We request additional status information that may be available for the 146 candidate species identified in this CNOR. <br> Candidate Removals: <br> As summarized below, we have evaluated the threats to the following species and considered factors that, individually and in combination, currently or potentially could pose a risk to the species and its habitats. After a review of the best available scientific and commercial data, we conclude that listing this species under the Endangered Species Act is not warranted because this species is not likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range. Therefore, we no longer consider it to be a candidate species for listing. We will continue to monitor the status of this species and to accept additional information and comments concerning this finding. We will reconsider our determination in the event that new information indicates that the threats to the species are of a considerably greater magnitude or imminence than identified through assessments of information contained in our files, as summarized here. <br> Flowering Plants: <br> Astragalus cusickii var. packardiae (Packard’s milkvetch)—The following summary is based on information contained in our files. Packard’s milkvetch is narrowly endemic to a specific group of light-colored sedimentary outcrops in southwestern Idaho. The total range of the species covers approximately 26 square kilometers (km2) (10 square miles (mi2)) in Payette County. Suboccurrences of Packard’s milkvetch, which are typically represented by individual occupied outcrops, are found at elevations ranging from 793 to 915 meters (m) (2,600 to 3,000 feet (ft)). Occupied outcrops tend to be found on steep, south- to west-facing slopes, and are relatively sparsely vegetated. <br> Packard’s milkvetch became a candidate species in 2010, based on the identified primary threat of habitat degradation due to off highway vehicles (OHVs). In response, on December 13, 2013, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) made a decision that permanently closed 5,620 acres within and near Packard’s milkvetch habitat to OHV use, covering 68 percent of the species’ occurrences. Monitoring data collected since the closure was implemented in 2011 indicates that the OHV closure has been effective at eliminating the primary threat to the species throughout a large majority of the species’ range. <br> Other natural and anthropogenic activities identified at the time it was designated a candidate included an altered wildfire regime due to invasive nonnative plant species and livestock use. There was little data at the time to suggest whether these potential threats were significant, but out of an abundance of caution, the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Office (IFWO) considered these activities along with the OHV monitoring data from 2008–2010 when making the 2010 decision. However, by 2013, a 5-year monitoring dataset (2008– 2013) suggested a stable population and no association between cover of nonnative plant species and wildfire and the abundance of Packard’s milkvetch. <br> In 2010, the population of Packard’s milkvetch was estimated at approximately 5,000 plants located within 26 suboccurrences with abundance ranges from 3 to approximately 500 plants per suboccurrence. Surveys in 2012 documented several additional occupied outcrops collectively totaling approximately 2,000 individuals, which revised the range-wide population estimate to 6,500 plants occurring within 28 suboccurrences. The 5-year monitoring dataset (2008–2013) has suggested a stable population overall. <br> Therefore, based on (1) the reduction of the species’ primary threat (i.e., OHV use), (2) the increase in number of known suboccurrences and resulting increase in the overall population, and (3) the species’ overall stable population status over a 5-year monitoring period, we find that listing of Packard’s milkvetch as threatened or endangered throughout all or a significant portion of its range is no longer warranted; the species no longer meets the definition of a candidate species, and we are removing it from candidate status. <br> In addition to the factors that led us to conclude that Packard’s milkvetch no longer warrants candidate status, the BLM and IFWO signed a 20-year Candidate Conservation Agreement (CCA) on December 20, 2013, which further supports the BLM’s OHV closure decision and commits to continued enforcement and monitoring of the OHV closure. The CCA also outlines the BLM’s plans for long-term monitoring and future proactive conservation measures to address new potential threats that may arise.

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Reference Code: D14FWS05IDUS <br>

Full Citation: Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Review of Native Species That Are Candidates for Listing as Endangered or Threatened; Annual Notice of Findings on Resubmitted Petitions; Annual Description of Progress on Listing Actions; Proposed Rule. 2014. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Federal Register. Volume 79, Number 234 Vol. 79. pp. 72449-72497 <br>

Location: ELECTRONIC FILE - BOTANY: PLANT SPECIES: {Astragalus cusickii var. packardiae} <br>

Keywords: Astragalus cusickii var. packardiae, Packard’s milkvetch, endemic, southwestern Idaho <br>

Short Title: Packard’s milkvetch dropped from Candidate status December 2014 <br>