[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 187 (Thursday, September 25, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55501-55502]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-22570]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Announcement of Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve 
Revised Management Plan

AGENCY: Estuarine Reserves Division, Office of Ocean and Coastal 
Resource Management, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of Approval and Availability of the Final Revised 
Management Plan for the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research 
Reserve.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Estuarine Reserves Division, 
Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National Ocean 
Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. 
Department of Commerce has approved the revised management plan for the 
Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve.
    The Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve was 
designated as part of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System in 
1976 pursuant to Section 315 of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 
1972, as amended, 16 U.S.C. 1461. The Reserve has been operating under 
a management plan approved in 1999. Pursuant to 15 CFR Section 
921.33(c), a state must revise their management plan every five years. 
The submission of this plan brings the reserve into compliance and sets 
a course for successful implementation of the goals and objectives of 
the reserve. New facilities and updated programmatic objectives are 
notable revisions to the 1999 approved management plan.
    The mission of the Sapelo Island Reserve is to perpetuate the 
protection of the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve and 
to provide a platform for conservation-based research, education and 
stewardship through the Reserve. The revised management plan identifies 
priority resource issues that are addressed through active management. 
These priority issues include addressing public access and visitor 
impact on Reserve uplands and marsh areas, addressing impacts related 
to activities on the Reserve by the island's population and addressing 
the projected increase in development and population growth on the 
Georgia coast. By addressing these priority resource issues, the Sapelo 
Island Reserve aims to fulfill its mission.
    The revised plan establishes goals and objectives for the Reserve's 
various programmatic activities, including scientific biological 
research; water quality monitoring; education, training, and outreach 
programs; and stewardship programs. It also outlines plans for future 
facility development to support reserve operations.
    The reserve has realized some aspects of the 1999 plan, including 
contributions toward the completion of the Barrier Island Research and 
Learning Center, a joint research dormitory and lab shared with the 
University of Georgia.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy Clark at (301) 563-1137 or Laurie 
McGilvray at (301) 563-1158 of NOAA's National Ocean Service, Estuarine 
Reserves Division, 1305 East-West Highway, N/ORM5, 10th floor, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910. For copies of the Sapelo Island National Estuarine 
Research Reserve Management Plan revision, visit: http://www.sapelonerr.org/.


[[Page 55502]]


    Dated: September 15, 2008.
Donna Wieting,
Deputy Director, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. E8-22570 Filed 9-25-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-08-P