E9-15309. Coastal Barrier Resources System Digital Mapping Pilot Project

AGENCY:

Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of extension of the public comment period on report and draft maps; notice of public meetings via Web cast and teleconference.

SUMMARY:

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), advise the public that we are extending the public review and comment period for the Report to Congress: John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System Digital Mapping Pilot Project and draft maps. Also, we plan to host public meetings via Web cast and teleconference on the John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) Digital Mapping Pilot Project.

DATES:

Comment Period: To ensure consideration, we must receive your written comments on the report and draft maps by August 5, 2009.

Public Meetings: We will hold public meetings via Web cast and teleconference; see “Public Meetings” and “Meeting Participation Information” under SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION for meeting dates, times, and registration information.

ADDRESSES:

Mail or hand-deliver (during normal business hours) comments to Katie Niemi, Coastal Barriers Coordinator, Division of Habitat and Resource Conservation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Room 860A, Arlington, VA 22203 or send comments by electronic mail (e-mail) to [e-mail].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Katie Niemi, Coastal Barriers Coordinator, [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

The Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) of 1982 (16 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) established the CBRS, a defined set of geographic units located along the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Great Lakes, Puerto Rico, and U.S. Virgin Island coasts. CBRA removes the Federal incentive for development in these high-risk and biologically important coastal barrier habitats by limiting Federal subsidies such as flood insurance within the CBRS. Development can still occur provided that private developers or other non-Federal parties bear the full cost.

The CBRS boundaries are depicted on U.S. Geological Survey topographic quadrangle maps, which are, on average, 30 years old. Because the maps are outdated technologically, the CBRS boundaries do not always align precisely with the geomorphic, cultural, or development features that they were intended to follow. As a result, some properties and projects intended to be eligible for Federal subsidies are not eligible and vice versa. Modernizing the CBRS maps using digital technology addresses the inaccuracies of the outdated maps; corrects errors that adversely affect private property owners; increases efficiencies and accessibility by allowing the integration of CBRS information into digital planning tools; conserves natural resources; and helps preserve the long-term integrity of the CBRS.

The pilot project creates draft revised maps for 70 CBRS units (representing approximately 10 percent of the entire CBRS) and establishes a framework for modernizing the remainder of the CBRS maps. The different types of proposed boundary changes reflected in the draft pilot project maps include:

• Alignment with geomorphic features (e.g., shorelines), development features (e.g., edge of a road, property parcel boundaries), and cultural features (e.g., park boundaries);
• Adjustment to reflect geomorphic change;
• Adjustment to map channel boundaries consistently;
• Addition of associated aquatic habitat;
• Addition of conservation or recreation area to existing Otherwise Protected Areas (OPAs);
• Addition of new OPAs;
• Addition of undeveloped fastland (land above mean high tide) not currently within the CBRS;
• Removal of private land that was inadvertently included within an OPA; and
• Reclassification from System unit to OPA and vice versa.

In cases where we found no compelling evidence to propose a revised boundary, the existing boundary remains unchanged.

For more information on the pilot project, as well as how to get a copy of the report and draft maps, see our April 7, 2009, notice (74 FR 15743) or visit the Service's Internet site: http://www.fws.gov/​habitatconservation/​coastal_​barrier.html.

Comment Period Extension

We are extending the public comment period on the Report to Congress: John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System Digital Mapping Pilot Project and draft maps, which we originally opened on April 7, 2009 (74 FR 15743), to allow additional time for public meetings and submission of comments by the public. If you previously submitted comments, you need not resubmit them; we have already incorporated them into the public record and will fully consider them when we finalize the pilot project maps and submit the report to Congress, per the directives of the Coastal Barrier Resources Reauthorization Act of 2005 (CBRRA of 2005; Pub. L. 109-226).

Public Meetings

We will hold the following public meetings via Web cast and teleconference. The purpose of the meetings is to give the public an overview of the pilot project effort and to offer an opportunity for questions and answers regarding the draft maps contained in the pilot project. See Appendix A for specific units we will discuss for the involved States.

Date	Time (eastern time)	States
July 14, 2009	10 a.m.-12 p.m.	Delaware and Louisiana.
July 14, 2009	1-3 p.m.	North Carolina and South Carolina.
July 15, 2009	10 a.m.-12 p.m.	North Florida.
July 15, 2009	1-3 p.m.	South Florida.

Meeting Participation Information

These meetings are open to the public. Members of the public planning to participate must register at http://www.fws.gov/​habitatconservation/​coastal_​barrier.html by close of business July 10, 2009. Registrants will be provided with instructions for participation via e-mail. If you require additional accommodations, please notify the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT at least one week prior to the meeting.

Public Availability of Comments

Before including your address, phone number, e-mail address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Appendix A—Pilot Project Units

Below we list the pilot project units for each State, by unit number, unit name, and county.

Number	Name	County
Delaware (1 Map)
DE-07	Delaware Seashore	Sussex.
DE-07P	Delaware Seashore	Sussex.
H01	North Bethany Beach	Sussex.
North Carolina (9 Maps)
NC-01	Pine Island Bay	Currituck, Dare.
NC-05P	Roosevelt Natural Area	Carteret.
NC-06	Hammocks Beach	Onslow.
NC-06P	Hammocks Beach	Onslow, Carteret.
L05	Onslow Beach Complex	Onslow.
L06	Topsail	Onslow.
L07	Lea Island Complex	Pender, New Hanover.
L08	Wrightsville Beach	New Hanover.
L09	Masonboro Island	New Hanover.
South Carolina (1 Map)
M02	Litchfield Beach	Georgetown.
M03	Pawleys Inlet	Georgetown.
Florida (27 Maps)
FL-01	Fort Clinch	Nassau.
FL-01P	Fort Clinch	Nassau.
P04A	Usinas Beach	St. Johns.
P05	Conch Island	St. Johns.
P05P	Conch Island	St. Johns.
P08	Ponce Inlet	Volusia.
P08P	Ponce Inlet	Volusia.
FL-13P	Spessard Holland Park	Brevard.
P09A	Coconut Point	Brevard.
P09AP	Coconut Point	Brevard.
FL-73P	De Soto	Manatee.
FL-78	Rattlesnake Key	Manatee.
FL-78P	Rattlesnake Key	Manatee.
FL-82	Bishop Harbor	Manatee.
FL-80P	Passage Key	Manatee.
FL-81	Egmont Key	Hillsborough.
FL-81P	Egmont Key	Hillsborough.
FL-83	Cockroach Bay	Hillsborough.
FL-85P	Sand Key	Pinellas.
P26	Pepperfish Keys	Dixie.
FL-89	Peninsula Point	Franklin.
FL-93	Phillips Inlet	Bay.
FL-93P	Phillips Inlet	Bay.
FL-94	Deer Lake Complex	Walton.
South Florida
P10A	Blue Hole	Indian River, St. Lucie.
FL-14P	Pepper Beach	St. Lucie.
P11	Hutchinson Island	St. Lucie.
P11P	Hutchinson Island	St. Lucie.
FL-15	Blowing Rocks	Martin, Palm Beach.
FL-16P	Jupiter Beach	Palm Beach.
FL-17P	Carlin	Palm Beach.
FL-18P	MacArthur Beach	Palm Beach.
FL-19	Birch Park	Broward.
FL-19P	Birch Park	Broward.
FL-20P	Lloyd Beach	Broward.
P14A	North Beach	Broward.
FL-39	Tavernier Key	Monroe.
FL-40	Snake Creek	Monroe.
FL-43	Channel Key	Monroe.
FL-44	Toms Harbor Keys	Monroe.
FL-45	Deer/Long Point Keys	Monroe.
FL-46	Boot Key	Monroe.
FL-64P	Clam Pass	Collier.
P17A	Bowditch Point	Lee.
FL-67	Bunche Beach	Lee.
FL-67P	Bunche Beach	Lee.
P21	Bocilla Island	Charlotte.
P21P	Bocilla Island	Charlotte.
P22	Casey Key	Sarasota.
FL-72P	Lido Key	Sarasota.
Louisiana (13 Maps)
LA-01	Isle Au Pitre	St. Bernard.
LA-02	Grand Island	St. Bernard.
S04	Timbalier Bay	Lafourche.
S05	Timbalier Islands	Terrebonne, Lafourche.
S06	Isle Dernieres	Terrebonne.
S07	Point au Fer	Terrebonne, St. Mary.

Dated: June 18, 2009.

Marvin E. Moriarty,

Acting Director, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.