[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 8 (Wednesday, January 12, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2085-2086]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-504]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


National Estuarine Research Reserve System; North Inlet-Winyah 
Bay, SC and San Francisco Bay, CA; Revised Management Plans

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 final approval and availability of the revised 
management plans for the following National Estuarine Research 
Reserves: North Inlet-Winyah Bay, SC and San Francisco Bay, CA.

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SUMMARY: 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 has 
approved the Management Plan

[[Page 2086]]

Revisions of the North Inlet-Winyah Bay National Estuarine Research 
Reserve and San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.
    The revised management plan for the North Inlet-Winyah Bay, SC 
National Estuarine Research Reserve outlines the administrative 
structure; the education, training, stewardship, and research programs 
of the reserve; and the plans for future land acquisition and facility 
development to support reserve operations. The goals described in this 
plan provide a framework that supports program integration based on 
priority issues defined by the reserve. The objectives described in 
this plan address the most critical coastal issues in North Inlet-
Winyah Bay such as impacts from coastal and watershed development, 
climate events on coastal ecosystems and human communities, and 
invasive species and habitat loss impacts on biodiversity.
    Since the last approved management plan in 1992, 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 emergent marsh vegetation, invasive species, water 
quality, and bird populations. In addition to programmatic and staffing 
advances, the reserve upgraded its headquarters building with a 4,500 
square foot structure to support research, stewardship, and the coastal 
training programs that includes six offices, a monitoring lab, and 
library. In cooperation with the Belle W. Baruch Foundation, a 12,500 
square foot education facility was developed to support reserve 
educational programs and includes interpretive exhibits, aquaria, 
classrooms, and education staff offices, as well as an outdoor 
classroom. This plan can be accessed at http://www.northinlet.sc.edu.
    The revised management plan for the San Francisco Bay National 
Estuarine Research Reserve outlines a framework of overarching goals 
and program specific objectives that will guide the education, 
training, research, and developing stewardship programs of the reserve; 
describes land acquisition and boundary expansion; as well as outlines 
plans for facility use and development to support reserve operations. 
The goals and objectives put forth in this plan focus programmatic 
efforts on four critical issues that affect the reserve's ability to 
conserve ecological communities in support of the Bay's growing 
population: Climate change, species interactions, water quality, and 
habitat restoration. Broadly, the goals for each of these issues 
include increasing knowledge, understanding effects, and improving the 
ability of partners and stakeholders to respond to these issues. The 
goals described in this plan provide a framework that supports program 
integration for collaborative management of the San Francisco Bay 
National Estuarine Research Reserve.
    Since the last approved management plan in 2003, the reserve has 
hired a full complement of core staff; established a research lab, 
fully operational System-wide Monitoring Program, and Graduate Research 
Fellowship Program; added a Coastal Training Program that delivers 
science-based information to key decision makers; developed education 
programs focused on sharing estuarine research with non-academic 
audiences; and constructed facilities to support essential functions of 
the reserve at its headquarters on the Romberg Tiburon Center campus of 
San Francisco State University. These facilities include office space 
for staff, classroom space, laboratory, and meeting facilities. The 
reserve has also constructed facilities and interpretive exhibits at 
its components sites, China Camp State Park and Rush Ranch Open Space 
Preserve, that support on-site research and educational programs. This 
plan can be accessed at http://www.sfbaynerr.org

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: December 22, 2010.
Donna Wieting,
Director, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2011-504 Filed 1-11-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-08-P