[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 44 (Tuesday, March 8, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11195-11196]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-4389]


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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.

[[Page 11196]]


ACTION: Notice of public comment period for the Revised Management Plan 
for the Delaware 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 is announcing a thirty day public comment period 
on the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve Management Plan 
Revision which will begin on the day this announcement is published. 
Comments should be sent within the comment period in hard copy or e-
mail to Cory Riley at [email protected] or NOAA's Estuarine Reserves 
Division, 1305 East-West Highway, N/ORM5, 10th floor, Silver Spring, MD 
20910.
    The Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve was designated in 
1993 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 1993. Pursuant to 15 CFR 921.33(c), a 
state must revise its management plan every five years. The submission 
of this plan fulfills this requirement and sets a course for successful 
implementation of the goals and objectives of the reserve. Changes in 
the administrative structure of the reserve, a boundary expansion, new 
facility and land acquisition plans, and updated programmatic 
objectives are notable revisions to the 1993 approved management plan.
    When the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve was 
designated, it was managed jointly by three divisions within the 
Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. 
Since that time, the Division of Soil and Water has become the sole 
state agency administering reserve activities. The revised management 
plan outlines the administrative structure; the education, stewardship, 
and research goals of the reserve; and the plans for future land 
acquisition and facility development to support reserve operations.
    One hundred and forty seven (147) acres adjacent to the Blackbird 
Creek component site are incorporated through the boundary amendment in 
the management plan revision. The previous reserve boundary around 
Blackbird Creek did not include an access point to the estuarine 
habitat. The expansion adds land that was acquired in fee simple from 
willing sellers. The new boundary and will provide direct access to the 
Blackbird Creek for reserve related research and education programs. 
These parcels also provide excellent passive recreation and educational 
opportunities in an area that was previously not accessible to the 
public. Forested uplands, wetlands and marsh habitat will be protected 
through this expansion to ensure the Blackbird Creek component is an 
appropriate site for long term research and education.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cory Riley at (301) 563-7222 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 Delaware Management Plan revision, 
visit http://www.dnrec.state.de.us/DNREC2000/Divisions/Soil/DNERR/.

    Dated: March 2, 2005.
Eldon Hout,
Director, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 05-4389 Filed 3-7-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-08-P