[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 187 (Thursday, September 25, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55500-55501]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-22571]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Announcement of Padilla Bay 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 Padilla Bay 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 
Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.
    The Padilla Bay Reserve was designated in 1980 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 1980. 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 with this

[[Page 55501]]

requirement and sets a course for successful implementation of the 
goals and objectives of the reserve.
    The mission of the Padilla Bay Reserve is to provide leadership to 
promote informed management of estuarine and coastal habitats through 
scientific understanding and encourage good stewardship practices 
through partnerships, public education, and outreach programs. The 
management plan establishes three goals consistent with the Reserve's 
mission. These goals are (1) protect and improve habitat and biological 
diversity within the boundary of the Reserve, (2) increase the use of 
the Reserve and its research program to address priority coastal 
management issues of Washington State and (3) to support informed 
decision-making and responsible stewardship of coastal communities and 
ecosystems. Organized in a framework of programmatic goals and 
objectives, the Padilla Bay Reserve's management plan identifies 
specific strategies or actions for research, education/interpretation, 
public access, construction, land acquisition, and resource protection, 
restoration, and manipulation. Overall, the plan seeks to accomplish 
the mission of the Reserve by facilitating scientific research, 
encouraging stewardship, and addressing the local education and 
outreach needs.
    Specifically, stewardship is encompassed under resource protection, 
habitat restoration, and resource conservation priorities. These 
priorities address reserve efforts to evaluate natural and 
anthropogenic processes that affect the reserve and its habitats, 
support for research and monitoring of important resources, restore and 
protect natural habitats and to actively educate the public to inform 
resource management.
    Research and monitoring activities support independent research 
projects within the reserve and its vicinity with resources and 
background data. Staff and visiting researchers conduct monitoring and 
research within the boundaries of the reserve and Padilla Bay watershed 
and use GIS to map critical habitats. Research and monitoring results 
are made available to others and are translated to public and private 
users through education, training and outreach programs.
    Education at the reserve targets a wide variety of audiences 
including students, teachers, adults, resource users and coastal 
decision-maker audiences. The reserve's comprehensive approach to 
education including a K-12 education program, outreach and a coastal 
training program are designed to increase knowledge of the target 
audiences about Pacific Northwest estuaries. Public access at the 
Padilla Bay Reserve includes trails, an observation deck and boat 
launches.
    Administration at the reserve includes supporting the staffing and 
budget necessary to carry out the goals and objectives of the plan. The 
administration of the Padilla Bay Reserve is a collective effort 
involving the Washington State Department of Ecology (WDOE), other 
state or local agencies and organizations, a Reserve oversight and 
programmatic advisory committee for research, education, coastal 
training, and stewardship, and the Padilla Bay Foundation. An 
established administrative framework implements and coordinates Reserve 
programs under the plan.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nina Garfield at (301) 563-1171 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.

    Dated: September 17, 2008.
David M. Kennedy,
Director, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. E8-22571 Filed 9-24-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-08-P