[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 109 (Thursday, June 5, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31977-31978]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-12541]


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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 public comment period for the Revised Management Plan 
for the Sapelo Island 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 Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve Management 
Plan Revision.
    The Sapelo Island Reserve (Georgia) was designated in 1976 pursuant 
to Section 315 of the Coastal Zone

[[Page 31978]]

Management Act of 1972, as amended, 16 U.S.C. 1461. The Reserve has 
been operating under a management plan approved in 1999. Pursuant to 15 
CFR 921.33(c), a state must revise their 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. New facilities and updated programmatic objectives are notable 
revisions to the 1999 approved management plan.
    The mission of the Sapelo Island Reserve is to perpetuate the 
protection of the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve and 
to provide a platform for conservation-based research, education and 
stewardship through the Reserve. The revised management plan identifies 
priority resource issues that are addressed through active management. 
These priority issues include addressing public access and visitor 
impact on Reserve uplands and marsh areas, addressing impacts related 
to activities on the Reserve by the island's population and addressing 
the projected increase in development and population growth on the 
Georgia coast. By addressing these priority resource issues, the Sapelo 
Island Reserve aims to fulfill its mission.
    The revised plan establishes goals and objectives for the Reserve's 
various programmatic activities, including scientific biological 
research; water quality monitoring; education, training, and outreach 
programs; and stewardship programs. It also outlines the plans for 
future facility development to support reserve operations.
    Since 1999, the reserve has realized some aspects of the 1999 plan, 
including the contributions toward the completion of the Barrier Island 
Research and Learning Center, a joint research dormitory and lab shared 
with the University of Georgia.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Amy N. Clark at (301) 563-1137 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 revised Management 
Plan for the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve visit 
http://www.sapelonerr.org.

    Dated: May 22, 2008.
David M. Kennedy,
Director, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
 [FR Doc. E8-12541 Filed 6-4-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P