Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Determination of Endangered or Threatened Status for Four Southern Maritime Chaparral Plant Taxa from Coastal Southern California and Northwestern Baja California, Mexico

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) determines endangered status pursuant to the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act), for two plants--Arctostaphylos glandulosa ssp. crassifolia (Del Mar manzanita) and Chorizanthe orcuttiana (Orcutt's spineflower) throughout their historic range in southwestern California and northwestern Baja California, Mexico; and threatened status for two plants--Verbesina dissita (big-leaved crown-beard) and Baccharis vanessae (Encinitas baccharis) throughout their historic range in southwestern California and northwestern Baja California, Mexico. These four taxa are threatened by one or more of the following--trampling by farm workers or recreational activities; fuel modification; competition from non-native plant species; and habitat destruction due to residential, agricultural, commercial, and recreational development. Several of these plant taxa are also threatened by a risk of extinction from naturally occurring events due to their small population size and limited distribution. This rule implements the Federal protection and recovery provisions afforded by the Act for these four plants.