[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 212 (Monday, November 2, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69320-69321]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-24190]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Draft Revised Management Plan for the Lake Superior National 
Estuarine Research Reserve

AGENCY: Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, National 
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Request for comments on draft revised management plan.

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SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is 
soliciting comments from the public regarding a proposed revision of 
the management plan for the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research 
Reserve. A management plan: Provides a framework for the direction and 
timing of a reserve's programs; allows reserve managers to assess a 
reserve's success in meeting its goals and to identify any necessary 
changes in direction; and is used to guide programmatic evaluations of 
the reserve. Plan revisions are required of each reserve in the 
National Estuarine Research Reserve System at least every five years. 
This revised plan is intended to replace the plan approved in 2010.

DATES: Comments must be received at the appropriate address (see 
ADDRESSES) on or before December 2, 2020.

ADDRESSES: The draft revised management plan can be downloaded or 
viewed at: https://lakesuperiorreserve.org/management-plan/. The 
document is also available by sending a written request to the point of 
contact identified below (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION).
    You may submit comments by any of the following methods:
    Electronic Submission: Submit all electronic public comments by 
email to [email protected].
    Mail: Submit written comments to Elizabeth Mountz, Office for 
Coastal Management, 1305 East-West Highway, N/ORM, 10th Floor, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910. Comments submitted by any other method or after the 
comment period may not be considered. All comments are part of the 
public record and may be publicly accessible. Any personal identifying 
information (e.g., name, address) submitted voluntarily by the sender 
may also be accessible. NOAA will accept anonymous comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Mountz of NOAA's Office for 
Coastal Management, by email at [email protected], phone at 
240-533-0819, or mail at: 1305 East-West Highway, N/ORM, 10th Floor, 
Silver Spring, MD 20910.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Pursuant to 15 CFR 921.33(c), a state must 
revise the management plan for the research reserve at least every five 
years. If approved by NOAA, the Lake Superior National Estuarine 
Research Reserve's revised plan will replace the plan previously 
approved in 2010.
    The draft revised management plan outlines the reserve's: Strategic 
goals and objectives; administrative structure; programs for conducting 
research and monitoring, education, and training; resource protection, 
restoration, and manipulation plans; public access and visitor use 
plans; consideration for future land acquisition; and facility 
development to support reserve operations. In particular, this draft 
revised management plan focuses on changes to facilities through 
acquiring permanent housing for visiting students and researchers; 
growing the sectors by structurally supporting additional staff; 
advancing geographic information systems (GIS) and data management 
priorities; and developing a formal advisory board and strategic 
relationships with the private sector in the region.
    Since 2010, the reserve has acquired permanent facilities for the 
reserve's operations; hired core sector leads and support staff; opened 
a public interpretive center and classroom; and expanded formal 
partnerships in research and education across the region. The revised 
management plan, once approved, would serve as the guiding document for 
the 16,697-acre research reserve for the next five years.
    NOAA's Office for Coastal Management analyzes the environmental 
impacts of the proposed approval of this draft revised management plan 
in accordance with section 102(2)(C) of the National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C), and the Council 
on Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural 
Provisions of NEPA (40 CFR 1500-1508). The public is invited to comment 
on the draft revised management plan. NOAA will take these comments 
into consideration in deciding whether to approve the draft revised 
management plan in whole or in part.


[[Page 69321]]


    Authority: 16 U.S.C. 1451 et seq.; 15 CFR 921.33.

Keelin S. Kuipers,
Deputy Director, Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, 
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
[FR Doc. 2020-24190 Filed 10-30-20; 8:45 am]
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