[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 65 (Tuesday, April 5, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18773-18775]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-7960]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R1-R-2010-N009; 1265-000-10137-S3]
Marianas Trench Marine National Monument, Commonwealth of the
Northern Mariana Islands, et al.; Monument Management Plan,
Comprehensive Conservation Plans, and Environmental Assessment
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior; National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration, Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of intent; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the National
Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA), intend to prepare the
monument management plan (MMP) for the Marianas Trench Marine National
Monument (Monument) established by Presidential Proclamation 8335. The
MMP will satisfy FWS comprehensive conservation plan (CCP) requirements
for two units of the National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) contained
therein. When the draft MMP is complete, we will advertise its
availability and again seek public comment.
We furnish this notice to advise the public and other Federal and
local agencies of our intentions, and to obtain suggestions and
information on the scope of issues to consider during the planning
process.
An environmental assessment (EA) to evaluate the potential effects
of various management alternatives will also be prepared. The EA will
provide resource managers with the information needed to determine if
the potential effects may be significant and warrant preparation of an
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), or if the potential impacts lead
to a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI).
DATES: To ensure consideration, we must receive your written comments
by May 5, 2011.
ADDRESSES: Additional information about the Monument and its two refuge
units is available at http://www.fws.gov/marianastrenchmarinemonument/
and http://www.fpir.noaa.gov/MNM/mnm_index.html. Please send your
written comments or requests for more information by any of the
following methods.
E-mail: Heidi.Hirsh@noaa.gov.
Fax: (808) 973-2941.
U.S. Mail: Heidi Hirsh, Natural Resource Management Specialist,
NOAA, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1601 Kapiolani Blvd
1110, Honolulu, HI 96814.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Heidi Hirsh, Natural Resource
Management Specialist, (808) 944-2223.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Monument Establishment and Management Responsibilities
On January 6, 2009, President George W. Bush issued Proclamation
No. 8335 (Proclamation), establishing the Monument under the authority
of the Antiquities Act of 1906. The Monument consists of three units:
The Islands Unit encompasses the waters and submerged lands of the
three northernmost Mariana Islands from the mean low water line out
approximately 50 nautical miles (nmi); the Volcanic Unit encompasses
each designated volcanic feature and the surrounding submerged lands
out to 1 nmi; and the Trench Unit encompasses the submerged lands
within the Mariana Trench.
The Monument encompasses approximately 61 million acres of
submerged lands and certain waters of the Mariana Archipelago. The
Trench Unit contains approximately 50.5 million acres of submerged
lands, the Volcanic Unit includes approximately 55,912 acres of
submerged lands, and the Islands Unit encompasses approximately 10.5
million acres of submerged lands and waters.
The Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Secretary
of Commerce, has responsibility for management of the Monument; except
that the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Secretary of
the Interior, has primary responsibility for management with respect to
fishery-related activities regulated pursuant to the Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act (Magnuson-Stevens Act) (16
U.S.C. 1801 et seq.), the Proclamation, and other applicable legal
authorities.
The Proclamation requires the Secretaries of the Interior and
Commerce to prepare management plans within their respective
authorities for the Monument, and promulgate implementing regulations
that address specific actions necessary for the proper care and
management of the Monument. With this notice, the Department of the
Interior and the Department of Commerce (Departments) are commencing
development of the MMP. The Departments will work cooperatively under
Fish and Wildlife Service's lead in this process. The Commerce
Department, in consultation with the Secretary of the Interior, is
working with the Western Pacific Fishery Management Council pursuant to
the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act and the
Proclamation to develop a fisheries ecosystem plan amendment and
related regulations. To the extent they relate to waters within the
Monument, the plan amendment and implementing regulations will be one
component of the MMP. The Departments intend to cooperate and
coordinate in the development and timing of these planning and
management processes.
To carry out his responsibilities from the President under the
Proclamation, by Secretary's Order 3284 (Order) dated January 16, 2009,
the Secretary of the Interior delegated all of his management
responsibility for the Monument to the
[[Page 18774]]
FWS Director. The Order directs the FWS to manage the Volcanic Unit and
the Trench Unit as units of the NWRS. The Order also directs the FWS to
exercise all management responsibility given to the Secretary for the
Islands Unit, but specifies that no part of it is included as a unit of
the NWRS. In carrying out this delegation with respect to the two units
added to the NWRS, and to facilitate public awareness that their status
is slightly different than that of the Islands Unit, the FWS named the
Trench Unit the Mariana Trench National Wildlife Refuge, and the
Volcanic Unit the Mariana Arc of Fire National Wildlife Refuge.
The Monument's Natural Resources
The Volcanic Unit contains unique geological features found nowhere
else in the world, including the largest active mud volcanoes, vents
expelling almost pure liquid carbon dioxide, a pool of liquid sulfur,
and one of only a few places in the world where photosynthetic and
chemosynthetic communities of life coexist. The Trench Unit, where the
Pacific Plate plunges into the Earth's mantle, contains the deepest
point on Earth. The Islands Unit encompasses the waters of the
archipelago's three northern islands, which are among the most
biologically diverse in the western Pacific Ocean, and includes the
greatest diversity of seamount and hydrothermal vent life yet
discovered.
The MMP Planning Process
The MMP's format will include elements similar to a NWRS CCP, and
the planning process for those elements will be conducted in a manner
similar to the CCP planning and public involvement process. The MMP
will be updated every 15 years.
The National Wildlife Refuge System Administration Act of 1966, as
amended by the National Wildlife Refuge System Improvement Act of 1997
(16 U.S.C. 668dd-668ee) (Refuge System Administration Act), requires
FWS to develop a CCP for each national wildlife refuge or planning
unit. The purpose for developing a CCP is to provide refuge managers
with a 15-year plan for achieving refuge purposes and contributing
toward the mission of the NWRS, consistent with sound principles of
fish and wildlife management and natural resource conservation, legal
mandates, and applicable policies. In addition to outlining broad
management direction for conserving wildlife and their habitats, CCPs
identify wildlife-dependent recreational opportunities available to the
public, including opportunities for hunting, fishing, wildlife
observation and photography, and environmental education and
interpretation.
We will conduct environmental reviews of various management
alternatives and develop an EA in accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et
seq.); NEPA Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508); other Federal laws
and regulations; and our policies and procedures for compliance with
those laws and regulations.
The Fish and Wildlife Service, as lead agency for NEPA purposes,
will also designate and involve as cooperating agencies the Department
of Commerce, through NOAA; the Department of Defense; the Department of
State; and the Government of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands (CNMI), in accordance with NEPA and Executive Order 13352 of
August 26, 2004, titled Facilitation of Cooperative Conservation.
The MMP is to provide for the following activities, to the extent
appropriate to Department of the Interior and Department of Commerce
authorities and the Proclamation:
Management of the Islands Unit, in consultation with the
Government of the CNMI, including designating specific roles and
responsibilities, and identifying the means of consultation on
management decisions as appropriate and consistent with the respective
authorities and jurisdictions of the CNMI and the Secretaries of the
Interior and Commerce.
Public education programs and public outreach regarding
the Monument's coral reef ecosystem, related marine resources and
species, and conservation efforts.
Traditional access to the Monument by indigenous persons,
as identified by the Secretaries of the Interior and Commerce in
consultation with the Government of the CNMI, for culturally
significant subsistence and other cultural and religious uses.
A program to assess and promote Monument-related
scientific exploration and research, tourism, and recreational and
economic activities and opportunities in the CNMI.
A process to consider requests for recreational fishing
permits in certain areas of the Islands Unit.
Programs for monitoring and enforcement necessary to
ensure that scientific exploration and research, tourism, and
recreational and commercial activities do not degrade the Monument's
coral reef ecosystem or related marine resources or species, or
diminish the Monument's natural character.
Public Involvement
The FWS and NOAA will conduct the planning process in a manner that
will provide participation opportunities for the public, Federal and
local government agencies, and other interested parties. At this time,
we encourage input in the form of issues, concerns, ideas, and
suggestions for the future management of the Monument. Opportunities
for additional public input will be announced throughout the planning
process. We may hold public meetings to help share information and
obtain comments.
Preliminary Issues, Concerns, and Opportunities
We identified the following preliminary issues and opportunities
that we may address in the MMP. We expect to identify additional issues
during public scoping.
Climate change impacts and adaptation.
Marine debris impacts and removal.
Invasive species prevention and control.
Other potential threats to the ecosystem (e.g., trespass;
illegal fishing; and shipwrecks, groundings, and spills).
Emergency response to natural and manmade disasters and
natural resources damage assessments.
Operational capabilities for effective ecosystem
monitoring, surveillance, and enforcement.
Habitat conservation and restoration.
Biological and abiotic inventory and monitoring.
Protected resources and their habitats, including coral
reefs, marine clams, apex predators, marine mammals, sea turtles,
seabirds, and fishes.
Historic and cultural resources, including maritime
heritage.
Public education and outreach.
International programs and collaboration.
Scientific exploration and research opportunities.
Developing an appropriate permitting regime for activities
within the Monument.
Determining if bioprospecting is appropriate and
compatible.
Next Steps
The FWS and NOAA, in consultation with the Mariana Monument
Advisory Council, and the Government of the CNMI, will be considering
your comments during development of the Draft MMP/CCPs/EA.
[[Page 18775]]
Public Availability of Comments
Before including your address, phone number, 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
comments to withhold your personal identifying information from public
review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Robyn Thorson,
Regional Director, Region 1, Portland, Oregon.
Emily H. Menashes,
Acting Director, Office of Sustainable Fisheries, National Marine
Fisheries Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-7960 Filed 4-4-11; 8:45 am]
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