Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Critical Habitat for Chorizanthe pungens var. pungens (Monterey Spineflower)

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), designate critical habitat for Chorizanthe pungens var. pungens (Monterey spineflower) pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). A total of approximately 7,620 hectares (18,830 acres) of land in Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties, California, are within the boundaries of the critical habitat designation. Critical habitat identifies specific areas, both occupied and unoccupied, that are essential to the conservation of a listed species and that may require special management considerations or protection. Section 7(a)(2) of the Act requires that each Federal agency shall, in consultation with and with the assistance of the Service, insure that any action authorized, funded or carried out by such agency is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of an endangered or threatened species or result in the destruction or adverse modification of critical habitat. Section 4 of the Act requires us to consider economic and other relevant impacts of specifying any particular area as critical habitat. We solicited data and comments from the public on all aspects of this proposal, including data on economic and other impacts of the designation.