[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 226 (Monday, November 24, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 62563-62564]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-30829]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Estuarine Research Reserve System
AGENCY: Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM),
National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration, Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of Public Meeting and Intent to Prepare a Draft
Environmental Impact Statement.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act and
with section 315 of the Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972; as
amended, the State of Florida and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) intend to conduct a public scoping meeting on the
proposed Guana Tolomato Matanzas (GTM) National Estuarine Research
Reserve (NERR) in Florida to solicit comments on significant issues
related to the preparation of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(DEIS) and Draft Management Plan (DMP). The DEIS and DMP address
research, monitoring, education and resource protection needs for the
reserve.
DATE AND TIME: Wednesday, December 10, 1997 at 7:00 p.m.
ADDRESSES: St. Johns County Auditorium, Government Complex, 4020 Lewis
Speedway, St. Augustine, Florida 32095.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna Marie Hartman, Bureau of Coastal
and Aquatic Managed Areas, Division of Marine Resources, Department of
Environmental Protection at (850) 488-3456; or Nathalie Peter,
Sanctuaries and Reserves Division, Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource
Management, NOAA, at (301) 713-3132, ext. 119.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In October 1997, NOAA Sanctuaries and
Reserves Division (SRD) approved the nomination of the Guana Tolomato
Matanzas (GTM) estuarine systems as a proposed National Estuarine
Research Reserve. Research reserves provide natural coastal habitats as
field laboratories for baseline ecological studies and education
programs. Research and monitoring programs are designed to enhance
scientific understanding of the coastal environment and aid in resource
management decision making.
The proposed GTM Reserve encompasses approximately 53,333 acres of
publicly owned lands and waters in St. Johns and Flagler Counties on
the east coast of Florida. It consists of two sites: the Guana River
and Tolomato River estuarine system located north of St. Augustine and
the Matanzas River south of St. Augustine. The proposed reserve is an
area important to many resident and migratory fish and waterfowl and a
variety of threatened and endangered species, including the manatee,
the least tern, and the loggerhead, green and leatherback turtles.
Major habitat types include beach dunes, salt and freshwater marshes,
cypress and hardwood swamps, shell mounds, and xeric hammocks. The
Matanzas Inlet is the last naturally occurring inlet on the east coast
of Florida that has not been subject to dredging and other manmade
disturbances.
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has developed a
draft management plan for the NERR which identifies specific needs and
priorities related to research, monitoring, education, and stewardship
at the proposed site. It also presents draft action plans for
administration, a volunteer program, public access, facilities/
construction, and boundaries/land acquisition.
At the public meeting, DEP and NOAA will provide a synopsis of the
draft management plan and will solicit comments on significant
environmental issues that will be incorporated into a DEIS.
The public meeting will be held in St. Augustine, Florida at the
St. Johns County Auditorium, Government Complex, 4020 Lewis Speedway,
on December 10, 1997, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Interested parties who wish to submit suggestions, comments or
substantive information regarding the scope or content of the proposed
DEIS/DMP are invited to attend the above meeting. Parties who wish to
respond in writing should do so by December 26, 1997, to Anna Marie
Hartman, Department of Environmental Protection, Division of Marine
Resources, Bureau of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas, 3900
Commonwealth Boulevard, MS 235 Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3000, or
Nathalie Peter, NOAA Sanctuaries and
[[Page 62564]]
Reserves Division, 1305 East-West Highway N/ORM2, Silver Spring, MD
20910.
Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog Number 11.420 (Coastal Zone
Management) Research Reserves
Dated: November 19, 1997.
Captain Evelyn J. Fields,
Acting Deputy Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal
Zone Management.
[FR Doc. 97-30829 Filed 11-21-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-08-M
