[Federal Register: June 11, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 112)] [Notices] [Page 31541-31542] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr11jn99-36] ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 approval and availability of revision to the final revised management plan for the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, 1998-2003. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that the Estuarine Reserves Division (ERD), Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, has approved the revised Management Plan for the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR). WBNERR was designated in 1986 and has been operating under a Management Plan approved in 1985. Pursuant to Section 315 of the Coastal Zone Management Act, 16 U.S.C., Section 1461, and Section 921.33(c) of the implementing regulations, a state must revise its management plan at least every five years, or more often if necessary. This revision is Alabama's effort to comply with this requirement. The revisions to the WBNERR Management Plan provide a more complete and updated articulation of reserve goals, objectives, and activities in the areas of administration, research/monitoring, stewardship, education/interpretation, boundaries/acquisition/facilities construction, and the volunteer program for a five year period from 1998 to 2003. The plan will increase community awareness and understanding of the Weeks Bay estuary through Reserve programs and partnerships. Highlights include: 1. Staffing. The revised Management Plan increases Reserve staff, including the addition of a full-time Research Coordinator to manage the System-wide Monitoring Program, initiate research and secure research funds, and support third party research activities in the Reserve boundaries. 2. Future Boundary Expansion and Land Acquisition. The revised Management Plan identifies the five [[Page 31542]] tracts of land (191 acres) currently held by the Weeks Bay Reserve Foundation as areas to be incorporated into the Reserve boundaries in the future. It initiates a land acquisition plan that identifies and prioritizes key ecological areas for future acquisition and/or protection. 3. Core and Buffer Areas. The revised Management Plan establishes the water bottoms within the Reserve boundaries up to mean high tide as the core area of the Reserve and the Reserve land areas as buffer to protect the core and provide additional protection for estuarine- dependent species. 4. Facilities. Under the revised Management Plan, the Reserve administration will improve existing facilities and develop buildings and boardwalks adjacent to the Interpretive Center to optimize the stewardship function of the Reserve with respect to resource protection, research, and education while maintaining a low impact on the immediate resources in that area. 5. Education. The revised Management Plan calls for the design and implementation of comprehensive programs of education and interpretation for all audiences to strengthen understanding, appreciation and stewardship of estuaries, coastal habitats and associated watersheds. 6. Research, Monitoring, and Coastal Decision Making. The revised Management Plan provides for the use of the System-wide Monitoring Program information and other research to provide a basis within the watershed for better informed decisions on the part of public and private users of the watershed. 7. Resource Protection. The revised Management Plan incorporates portions of the Weeks Bay Watershed Management Plan which has been developed to improve the water quality in Weeks Bay and the Weeks Bay watershed. 8. Habitat Restoration. The revised Management Plan describes current restoration of Reserve habitats (e.g. the pitcher plant bog, the southwest Weeks Bay shoreline). It establishes a process to identify and prioritize other habitats that have been degraded by human impact or have been disturbed leading to decreased productivity/ biodiversity within the Reserve ecosystem. The impacts of the WBNERR Management Plan have not changed and the initial Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prepared at the time of designation remains valid. NOAA has made the determination that the proposed project will not have a significant effect on the human environment and therefore qualifies for a categorical exclusion under NOAA Administrative Order 216-6. An environmental assessment will not be prepared. Copies of the document can be obtained from the Weeks National Estuarine Research Reserve, 11300 US Highway 98, Fairhope, Alabama 36532. (334) 928-9792. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nathalie Peter, OCRM, Estuarine Reserves Division, 1305 East-West Highway, 11th Floor (N/ORM5), Silver Spring, Maryland 20910. (301) 713-3132, extension 119. Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog Number 11.420 (Coastal Zone Management) Research Reserves Dated: June 3, 1999. Ted Lillestolen, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal Zone Management. [FR Doc. 99-14906 Filed 6-10-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-08-P