[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 251 (Friday, December 30, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 82277-82279]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-33540]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)


Nomination of Existing Marine Protected Areas to the National 
System of Marine Protected Areas

AGENCY: NOAA, Department of Commerce (DOC).

ACTION: Public notice and opportunity for comment on the list of 
nominations received from federal, state, territorial and tribal marine 
protected area programs to join the National System of Marine Protected 
Areas.

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SUMMARY: In July 2011, NOAA and the Department of the Interior (DOI) 
invited federal, state, commonwealth, and territorial marine protected 
area (MPA) programs with potentially eligible existing MPAs to nominate 
their sites to the National System of MPAs (national system). The 
national system and the nomination process are described in the 
Framework for the National System of Marine Protected Areas of the 
United States (Framework), developed in response to Executive Order 
13158 on Marine Protected Areas. The final Framework was published on 
November 19, 2008, (73 FR 69608) and provides guidance for 
collaborative efforts among federal, state, commonwealth, territorial, 
tribal and local governments and stakeholders to develop an effective 
and well coordinated national system of MPAs that includes existing 
MPAs meeting national system criteria as well as new sites that may be 
established by managing agencies to fill key conservation gaps in 
important ocean areas.

DATES: Comments on the nominations to the national system are due 
February 13, 2012.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Comments should be sent to Lauren 
Wenzel, NOAA, at (301) 713-3100, ext. 136 or via email at 
[email protected]. A detailed electronic copy of the List of 
National System MPAs is available for download at http://www.mpa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background on National System

    The national system is made up of member MPA sites, networks and 
systems established and managed by federal, state, commonwealth, 
territorial, tribal and/or local governments that collectively enhance 
conservation of the nation's natural and cultural marine heritage and 
represent its diverse ecosystems and resources. Although participating 
sites continue to

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be managed independently, national system MPAs also work together at 
the regional and national levels to achieve common objectives for 
conserving the nation's important natural and cultural resources, with 
emphasis on achieving the priority conservation objectives of the 
Framework. MPAs include sites with a wide range of protection, from 
multiple use areas to no-take reserves where all extractive uses are 
prohibited. The term MPA refers only to the marine portion of a site 
(below the mean high tide mark) that may include both terrestrial and 
marine components.
    The national system is a mechanism to foster greater collaboration 
among participating MPA sites and programs in order to enhance 
stewardship in the waters of the United States. The act of joining the 
national system does not create new MPAs, or create new restrictions 
for the existing MPAs that become members. In fact, a site must have 
existing protections of natural and/or cultural resources in place in 
order to be eligible to join the national system, as well as meet other 
criteria described in the Framework. Joining the national system does 
not establish new regulatory authority or change existing regulations 
in any way, require changes affecting the designation process or 
management of member MPAs, or bring state, territorial, tribal or local 
sites under federal authority.
    Benefits of joining the national system, which are expected to 
increase over time as the system matures, include a facilitated means 
to work with other sites in the MPA's region, and nationally on issues 
of common conservation concern; fostering greater public and 
international recognition of U.S. MPAs and the resources they protect; 
priority in the receipt of available technical and other support for 
cross-cutting needs; and the opportunity to influence federal and 
regional ocean conservation and management initiatives (such as Coastal 
and Marine Spatial Planning, integrated ocean observing systems, 
systematic monitoring and evaluation, targeted outreach to key user 
groups, and helping to identify and address MPA research needs). In 
addition, the national system provides a forum for coordinated regional 
planning about place-based conservation priorities that does not 
otherwise exist.

Nomination Process

    The Framework describes two major focal areas for building the 
national system--a nomination process to allow existing MPAs that meet 
the entry criteria to become part of the system and a collaborative 
regional gap analysis process to identify areas of significance for 
natural or cultural resources that may merit additional protection 
through existing federal, state, commonwealth, territorial, tribal or 
local MPA authorities. A call for nominations is issued annually, and 
may also be issued at the request of an MPA management agency. This 
round of nominations began on July 6, 2011 and the deadline for 
nominations was October 31, 2011.
    There are three entry criteria for existing MPAs to join the 
national system, plus a fourth for cultural heritage. Sites that meet 
all pertinent criteria are eligible for the national system.
    1. Meets the definition of an MPA as defined in the Framework.
    2. Has a management plan (can be site-specific or part of a broader 
programmatic management plan; must have goals and objectives and call 
for monitoring or evaluation of those goals and objectives).
    3. Contributes to at least one priority conservation objective as 
listed in the Framework (see below).
    4. Cultural heritage MPAs must also conform to criteria for the 
National Register for Historic Places.
    Additional sites not currently meeting the management plan 
criterion can be evaluated for eligibility to be nominated to the 
national system on a case-by-case basis based on their ability to fill 
gaps in the national system coverage of the priority conservation 
objectives and design principles described in the Framework.
    The MPA Center used existing information in the MPA Inventory to 
determine which MPAs meet the first and second criteria. The inventory 
is online at http://www.mpa.gov/dataanalysis/mpainventory/ and 
information about potentially eligible sites is posted online at http://www.mpa.gov/pdf/national-system/nominationsummary_jul11.pdf. As part 
of the nomination process, the managing entity for each potentially 
eligible site is asked to provide information on the third and fourth 
criteria. Following this public comment period, the National Marine 
Protected Areas Center will make a determination about the eligibility 
of nominated sites. All comments will be forwarded to the relevant MPA 
management agency, which will reaffirm or withdraw the nomination based 
on public comment received and any other factors deemed relevant.

List of MPAs Nominated to the National System MPAs

    The following MPAs have been nominated by these management 
entities: American Samoa Department of Marine and Wildlife Resources; 
Massachusetts Board of Underwater Archaeological Resources; National 
Park Service; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Puerto Rico Department of 
Natural and Environmental Resources; South Carolina Institute of 
Archaeology and Anthropology; Virgin Islands Department Of Planning and 
Natural Resources; and Washington Department of Natural Resources.
    The complete List of National System MPAs, which now includes 297 
members, is available at www.mpa.gov.

Federal Marine Protected Areas

Cumberland Island National Seashore (GA)
Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve (WA)
Farallon National Wildlife Refuge (CA)
Fort Pulaski National Monument (GA)

American Samoa

Aoa Village Marine Protected Area
Sa'ilele Village Marine Protected Area
Amanave Village Marine Protected Area

Massachusetts

Albert Gallatin Exempt Site
Alice M. Colburn Exempt Site
Alice M. Lawrence Exempt Site
Ardandhu Exempt Site
Barge and Crane Exempt Site
California Exempt Site State
Charles S. Haight Exempt Site
Chester A. Poling Exempt Site
Chelsea Exempt Site
City of Salisbury Exempt Site
Corvan Exempt Site
Dixie Sword Exempt Site
Edward Rich Exempt Site
Henry Endicott Exempt Site
Herbert Exempt Site
Herman Winter Exempt Site
Hilda Garston Exempt Site
James S. Longstreet Exempt Site
John Dwight Exempt Site
Kershaw Exempt Site
Kiowa Exempt Site
Lackawana Exempt Site
Lunet Exempt Site
Mars Exempt Site
Pemberton Exempt Site
Pendleton Exempt Site
Pinthis Exempt Site
Port Hunter Exempt Site
Pottstown Exempt Site
Romance Exempt Site
Seaconnet Exempt Site
Trojan Exempt Site
U.S.S. Grouse Exempt Site
U.S.S. New Hampshire Exempt Site
U.S.S. Triana Exempt Site
U.S.S. Yankee Exempt Site
U.S.S. YSD Exempt Site
H.M.C.S. Saint Francis Exempt Site
French Van Gilder Exempt Site

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Vineyard Sound Lightship Exempt Site

Puerto Rico

Arrecifes de la Cordillera Natural Reserve
Canal Luis Pe[ntilde]a Natural Reserve
Isla de Desecheo Marine Reserve
Isla de Mona Natural Reserve
Tres Palmas de Rinc[oacute]n Marine Reserve

South Carolina

Cooper River Heritage Dive Trail
Ashley River Heritage Canoe Trail

U.S. Virgin Islands

St. Thomas East End Reserve

Washington

Smith and Minor Island Aquatic Reserve
Protection Island Aquatic Reserve
Nisqually Reach Aquatic Reserve

    Dated: December 22, 2011.
Holly Bamford,
Deputy Assistant Administrator, National Ocean Service, National 
Oceanic Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2011-33540 Filed 12-29-11; 8:45 am]
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