[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 206 (Tuesday, October 26, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Page 65613]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-27068]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


National Estuarine Research Reserve System

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 Comment Period for Revised Management Plans for the 
following National Estuarine Research Reserves: North Inlet-Winyah Bay, 
SC and San Francisco Bay, CA.

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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 is announcing a thirty day comment period for 
the revised management plans of the North Inlet-Winyah Bay, SC National 
Estuarine Research Reserve and the San Francisco Bay, CA National 
Estuarine Research Reserve.
    The revised management plan for the North Inlet-Winyah Bay, SC 
National Estuarine Research Reserve outlines the administrative 
structure; the education, training, stewardship, and research programs 
of the reserve; and the plans for future land acquisition and facility 
development to support reserve operations. The goals described in this 
plan are designed to provide a framework that supports program 
integration based on priority issues defined by the reserve. The 
objectives described in this plan are designed to address the most 
critical coastal issues in North Inlet-Winyah Bay such as impacts from 
coastal and watershed development, climate events on coastal ecosystems 
and human communities, and invasive species impacts on habitat loss and 
biodiversity. Since the last approved management plan in 1992, the 
reserve has become fully staffed; added a Coastal Training Program that 
delivers science-based information to key decision makers; and added 
significant monitoring of emergent marsh vegetation, invasive species, 
water quality, and bird populations. In addition to programmatic and 
staffing advances, the reserve upgraded its headquarters building with 
a 4500 square foot structure to support research, stewardship, and the 
coastal training programs that includes six offices, a monitoring lab, 
and library. In cooperation with the Belle W. Baruch Foundation, a 
12,500 square foot education facility was developed to support reserve 
educational programs and includes interpretive exhibits, aquaria, 
classrooms, and education staff offices, as well as an outdoor 
classroom. This plan can be accessed for review at http://www.northinlet.sc.edu.
    The revised management plan for the San Francisco Bay National 
Estuarine Research Reserve outlines a framework of overarching goals 
and program specific objectives that will guide the education, 
training, research, and developing stewardship programs of the reserve; 
describes land acquisition and boundary expansion; as well as outlines 
plans for facility use and development to support reserve operations. 
The goals and objectives put forth in this plan focus programmatic 
efforts on four critical issues that affect the reserve's ability to 
conserve ecological communities in support of the Bay's growing 
population: climate change, species interactions, water quality, and 
habitat restoration. Broadly, the goals for each of these issues 
include increasing knowledge, understanding effects, and improving the 
ability of partners and stakeholders to respond to these issues. The 
goals described in this plan are designed to provide a framework that 
supports program integration for collaborative management of the San 
Francisco Bay Reserve.
    Since the last approved management plan in 2003, the reserve has a 
full complement of core staff; established a research lab, fully 
operational System-wide Monitoring Program, and Graduate Research 
Fellowship Program; added a Coastal Training Program that delivers 
science-based information to key decision makers; developed education 
programs focused on sharing estuarine research with non-academic 
audiences; and constructed facilities to support essential functions of 
the reserve at its headquarters on the Romberg Tiburon Center campus of 
San Francisco State University. These facilities include office space 
for staff, classroom space, laboratory, and meeting facilities. The 
reserve has also constructed facilities and interpretive exhibits at 
its components sites, China Camp State Park and Rush Ranch Open Space 
Preserve, that support on-site research and educational programs. This 
plan can be accessed for review at http://www.sfbaynerr.org.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alison Krepp at (301) 563-7105 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: October 8, 2010.
Donna Wieting,
Acting Director, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2010-27068 Filed 10-25-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-08-P