[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