[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 88 (Tuesday, May 6, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24952-24953]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-9977]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Draft Management Plan and Environmental Assessment for the Gerry
E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary: Notice of Public
Availability and Meetings
AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean
Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),
Department of Commerce (DOC).
ACTION: Notice of public availability and meetings.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with section 304(e) of the National Marine
Sanctuaries Act, as amended, (NMSA) NOAA is soliciting public comment
on the draft management plan and draft environmental assessment for the
Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
DATES: Comments: Comments on the draft management plan and draft
environmental assessment will be considered if received on or before
August 4, 2008.
Public meetings: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for
the dates and locations for the public meetings.
ADDRESSES: To obtain a copy: For a copy of the draft management plan
and draft environmental assessment, contact the Management Plan Review
Coordinator, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, 175 Edward
Foster Rd., Scituate, MA 02066. Copies can also be downloaded from the
SBNMS Web site at http://stellwagen.noaa.gov.
To submit comments: Comments on the draft management plan and draft
environmental assessment may be submitted by one of the following
methods:
1. In writing to the SBNMS Management Plan Review Coordinator (see
to obtain a copy section above);
2. By e-mail to [email protected]; or
3. By providing comments (oral or written) at one of the public
meetings (see public meetings section below).
Public meetings: See SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for the
dates and locations for the public meetings.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Benjamin Cowie-Haskell at (781) 545-
8026 or via e-mail at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background Information
Congress designated the Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National
Marine Sanctuary (sanctuary or SBNMS) through the Oceans Act of 1992
(November 4, 1992; Public Law 102-587 at section 2202). In 1993, the
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued final
regulations and released a final management plan and environmental
impact statement (EIS) to implement this designation (NOAA 1993).
Section 304(e) of the NMSA requires NOAA to review its management plans
for national marine sanctuaries every five years, and to evaluate the
substantive progress toward implementing the management plans and goals
for each sanctuary, especially the effectiveness of site-specific
management techniques (16 U.S.C. 1434(e)).
In accordance with this requirement, NOAA initiated a review of the
SBNMS management plan in 1998. This review was done in cooperation with
members of the Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC), a group formed of
members of the public to provide advice to the sanctuary superintendent
on the management and protection of sanctuary resources. The review was
delayed two years due to a change in sanctuary management. NOAA
restarted the review in June of 2002 with the publication of the
``State of the Sanctuary Report,'' which set the stage for the scoping
meetings and public comment period that ended on October 18, 2002.
The review revealed that many of the initial goals and objectives
of the original 1993 management plan had been met; however, in some
areas these goals and objectives were non-specific and general in scope
and/or based on limited scientific knowledge. New information about the
natural and cultural resources of the sanctuary and the human uses of
the resources made it apparent to NOAA that the plan was out-of date
and outmoded. NOAA decided to incorporate this new knowledge by
developing a new approach to managing the sanctuary, including an
updated vision, mission, and statement of goals and objectives. In
addition, NOAA revised the content and formatting requirements for all
national marine sanctuary management plans. The ultimate purpose of
this revised draft management plan is to update NOAA's approach to
managing, protecting, and restoring the resources of the sanctuary
pursuant to the purposes and policies of the NMSA. In April 2007, a
report on the condition of sanctuary resources was released for public
review and set the stage for this draft management plan.
Management Plan Contents
The SBNMS draft management plan serves as a non-regulatory policy
[[Page 24953]]
framework for addressing the issues facing the sanctuary over the next
five years. It lays the foundation for restoring and protecting the
sanctuary's ecosystem; details the human pressures that threaten the
qualities and resources of the sanctuary; and recommends actions that
should be taken both now and in the future to better manage the area
and resources.
This document provides strategic guidance for management actions
and focuses these actions on four priority programmatic areas: capacity
building, ecosystem protection, marine mammal protection and maritime
heritage management. The eleven action plans detailed in the draft
management plan address issues relative to these four areas, and are
based extensively on the advice of working groups established by the
SAC, cooperative coordination with other government agencies and
organizations and ongoing public input.
The draft environmental assessment analyzes the environmental
impacts of the revised management plan pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act. In doing so, it analyzes two alternatives:
the status quo (no change to the 1993 management plan) and the
preferred alternative (revising the 1993 management plan).
Public Meetings
Public meetings will be held at the following locations and dates:
------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 5........................ Portland, ME..... University of
Southern Maine Law
School, Talbot
Lecture Hall, 88
Bedford Street.
June 9........................ Wenham, MA....... Gordon College, Lane
Student Center,
President's Dining
Room, 255 Grapevine
Road.
June 10....................... Boston, MA....... Boston University,
School of
Management, 4th
Floor, Rooms 426 and
428, 595
Commonwealth Ave.
June 11....................... Plymouth, MA..... Hilton Garden Inn
Plymouth, Plymouth
Rooms 1 and 2, Four
Home Depot Drive.
June 12....................... Hyannis, MA...... The Cape Codder
Resort, JFK
Ballroom, 1225
Iyanough Road, Route
132 & Bearse's Way.
June 16....................... Portsmouth, NH... Sheraton Portsmouth
Harborside Hotel,
Harbor's Edge Room,
250 Market Street.
June 17....................... North Dartmouth, University of
MA. Massachusetts--Dartm
outh, Woodland
Common, 285 Old
Westport Road.
June 19....................... Mystic, CT....... Mystic Aquarium, Main
Exhibit Hall, 55
Coogan Boulevard.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dated: April 21, 2008.
Daniel J. Basta,
Director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.
[FR Doc. E8-9977 Filed 5-5-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-NK-P