[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 44 (Wednesday, March 5, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11886-11887]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 08-930]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact
Statement for the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary
AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, National Ocean Service,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of
Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent to initiate public scoping.
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SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA)
Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS) is preparing a draft
environmental impact statement to consider the establishment of a
research (control) area in Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary
(GRNMS). Activities are restricted within research areas in order to
facilitate better understanding of resources and environmental
processes. This notice announces the beginning of public scoping
pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act. The public scoping
process, including public scoping meetings, is intended to solicit
information and comments on the range and significance of issues
related to the establishment of a research area at Gray's Reef. The
results of this scoping process will assist NOAA in formulating
alternatives for the draft environmental impact statement for the
proposed research area. This notice contains times, dates, and
locations for scoping meetings.
DATES: Comments will be considered if received by April 21, 2008.
Scoping meetings will be held at:
(1) March 18, 2008, Camden Public Library, 6-8 p.m.
(2) March 20, 2008, Armstrong Center, 6-8 p.m.
(3) March 24, 2008, Statesboro Regional Library, 6-8 p.m.
(4) March 25, 2008, Stevens Wetlands Education Center, 6-8 p.m.
(5) March 27, 2008, Best Western Sea Island Inn, 6-8 p.m.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent to Gray's Reef NMS (Research
Area), 10 Ocean Science Circle, Savannah, GA 31411; or by facsimile to
912/598-2367; or to [email protected].
Scoping meetings will be held at:
(1) Camden Public Library, 1410 Highway 40 East, Kingsland, Georgia
31548.
(2) Armstrong Center, 13040 Abercorn St., Savannah, Georgia 31419.
(3) Statesboro Regional Library, 124 South Main St., Statesboro,
Georgia 30458.
(4) Stevens Wetlands Education Center, 600 Cedar St., Richmond
Hill, Georgia 31324.
(5) Best Western Sea Island Inn, 1015 Bay St., Beaufort, South
Carolina 29902.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Becky Shortland (912) 598-2381 or
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA),
16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq., authorizes the Secretary of Commerce
(Secretary) to designate discrete areas of the marine environment as
national marine sanctuaries to protect their special conservation,
recreational, ecological, historical, cultural, archaeological,
scientific, educational, or esthetic qualities. The NMSA is
administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) through the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS).
The concept of a research (control) area within Gray's Reef
National Marine Sanctuary has been under discussion for several years.
The concept was first raised in 1999 during the early stages of the
GRNMS Management Plan review process at public scoping meetings and was
raised again during public research workshops.
Subsequently, the Gray's Reef Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC),
with the approval of the Sanctuary superintendent, formed a research
area working group (RAWG) to further consider the concept. The Advisory
Council's recommendation to investigate the concept of a marine
research area was adopted by GRNMS as a research and monitoring
strategy for the Management Plan which was released in 2006.
The RAWG comprised representative constituents of Gray's Reef
including: researchers, academics, conservation groups, recreational
anglers and divers, educators, commercial fishing, law enforcement and
sanctuaries representatives. The working group met initially in May
2004, and then periodically over the course of a year, to discuss the
concept in detail. The working group employed a consensus-driven,
constituent-based process to address the concept of a marine research
area. All participants discussed at length all issues, considerations,
priorities and concerns for each step of the process.
The following recommendations were developed by the working group
and were referred to the SAC. After reviewing and considering the
recommendations, the SAC adopted and submitted them to NOAA GRNMS:
Recommendation 1
Significant research questions exist at Gray's Reef National Marine
Sanctuary that can only be addressed by establishing a control
(research) area. Therefore, the research area concept should be further
explored by NOAA through a public review process.
Recommendation 2
As many appropriate tools as feasible, especially a GIS (Geographic
Information Systems, geographic and spatial analysis software) site
evaluation tool and a RAWG should be used to investigate a research
area with proper siting criteria.
[[Page 11887]]
Recommendation 3
Diversity of habitat with emphasis on high relief habitat should be
the primary siting criterion. The RAWG should be maintained to support
NOAA GRNMS in consideration of these various criteria (e.g., habitat,
size, existing research and monitoring sites, bottom fishing data) in
developing proposed options for a draft environmental impact statement.
Recommendation 4
Minimizing impacts to user communities including fishing, diving,
research, and resource management should be a priority under the
research area concept. Non-bottom impinging activities should not be
viewed as conflicting with the primary objectives of a proposed
research area. Based on the recommendations of the Advisory Council,
NOAA has concluded that the research area concept should be further
explored through a public review process. In the upcoming DEIS, NOAA
will likely develop a range of alternatives for the creation of a
research area, including a no-action alternative. If this action
results in the creation of a research area in the GRNMS, a companion
management plan for the research area will serve as a supplement to the
2006 GRNMS Final Management Plan/Final Environmental Impact Statement.
By this notice, NOAA announces the initiation of scoping for the
proposed research area in Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary.
Scoping is the initial process intended to solicit information and
comments on the range and significance of issues related to the
proposed action. The results of this scoping process will assist NOAA
in formulating alternatives for a draft environmental impact statement
for the proposed research area.
NOAA encourages the public and interested parties to submit (via
mail, e-mail, or fax) comments and to attend the public scoping
meetings in March.
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1431 et seq.
(Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog Number 11.429 Marine Sanctuary
Program)
Dated: February 26, 2008.
John H. Dunnigan,
Assistant Administrator, Ocean Services and Coastal Zone Management,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 08-930 Filed 3-4-08; 8:45 am]
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