[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 157 (Monday, August 16, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49887-49888]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-20196]


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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 Comment Period for Revised Management Plans for the 
following National Estuarine Research Reserves: Narragansett Bay, RI 
and Tijuana River, CA.

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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 comment period for 
the revised management plans of the Narragansett Bay, RI National 
Estuarine Research Reserve and the Tijuana, CA National Estuarine 
Research Reserve. The Narragansett Bay, RI Reserve plan calls for an 
expansion to their boundary and the Tijuana, CA Reserve plan calls for 
a reduction to their boundary.
    The revised management plan for the Narragansett Bay, RI National 
Estuarine Research Reserve outlines the administrative structure; the 
education, training, stewardship, and research goals of the reserve; 
and the plans for future land acquisition and facility development to 
support reserve operations. The objectives described in this plan are 
designed to address the most critical coastal issues in Narragansett 
Bay such as wastewater and stormwater management, coastal and watershed 
development, and invasive species management. Since the last approved 
management plan in 1998, the reserve has become fully staffed; added a 
coastal training program that delivers science-based information to key 
decision makers; and added significant monitoring of invasive species, 
water quality, fish and bird populations. In addition to programmatic 
and staffing advances, the reserve upgraded visiting research 
facilities, space available for education and storage, and has 
increased the availability of dock space for research and educational 
programming.
    This management plan calls for a boundary expansion of 156 acres. 
The lands consist of one 128 acre parcel on the northern end of 
Prudence Island that is adjacent to current reserve property and the 
addition of the 28 acre Dyer Island. Dyer Island Habitats include 
coastal brush, salt marsh, cobble beaches, and both hard and soft 
substrate submerged lands. The island is considered a critical bird 
rookery and hosts an unusual amount of macroalgal diversity and rare 
examples of unditched salt marsh habitat. The 128 acre Ballard Property 
on Prudence Island consists of forested land with early successional 
shrubland and grassland communities as well as an important freshwater 
creek and the associated wetlands. The Dyer Island property will 
provide opportunities for research and passive recreation while the 
easily accessed Prudence Island parcel will be appropriate for 
education, recreation, and upland research purposes. This plan can be 
accessed for review at http://www.nbnerr.org.
    The revised management plan for the Tijuana River National 
Estuarine Research Reserve outlines a framework of overarching goals 
and program specific objectives that will guide the education, 
training, stewardship, and

[[Page 49888]]

research programs of the reserve; updates the reserve boundary; 
proposes criteria for boundary expansion activities through acquisition 
and/or mitigation; as well as outlines plans for facility use and 
development to support reserve operations. The goals described in this 
plan are designed to provide a framework that supports program 
integration for collaborative management in a highly urbanized bi-
national watershed.
    Since the last approved management plan in 2000, the reserve has 
become fully staffed; added a coastal training program that delivers 
science-based information to key decision makers; developed a robust 
volunteer program that provides broad support to Reserve programs; 
added a bi-nationally focused Watershed Program; completed habitat 
restoration projects to improve estuary function; improved management 
of sediment delivery to the estuary; and constructed facilities to 
support essential functions of the reserve including interpretive 
structures, staff offices, and on-site laboratory.
    This management plan amends the boundary of the reserve to be 2,293 
acres, 220 acres less, as a result of excluding the Border 
Infrastructure System completed since the last approved management 
plan. This plan can be accessed for review at trnerr.org/visitors_center.html.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Alison Krepp at (301) 563-7105 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.

    Dated: August 9, 2010.
Donna Wieting,
Director, Office of Ocean and Coastal, Resource Management, National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2010-20196 Filed 8-13-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-08-P