[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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