Initiation of Review of Management Plan/Regulations of the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary; Intent To Prepare Draft Environmental Impact Statement and Management Plan; Scoping Meetings

摘要

The Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS or Sanctuary) was designated in January 1981, and consists of 17 square nautical miles of open ocean and live bottom habitat approximately 17.5 nautical miles east of Sapelo Island, Georgia. The present management plan for the Sanctuary was completed in 1983. In accordance with Section 304(e) of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, as amended, (NMSA) (16 U.S.C 1431 et seq.), the Marine Sanctuaries Division (MSD) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is initiating a review of the management plan, to evaluate substantive progress toward implementing the goals for the Sanctuary, and to make revisions to the plan and regulations as necessary to fulfill the purposes and policies of the NMSA. The proposed revised management plan will likely involve changes to existing policies and regulations of the Sanctuary, to address contemporary issues and challenges, and to better protect and manage the Sanctuary's resources and qualities. The review process is composed of four major stages: information collection and characterization; preparation and release of a draft management plan/environmental impact statement, and any p