Notice of public meeting and opportunity to comment: NOAA Evaluation of Lake Superior Reserve

September 9, 2020

4:00 pm - 5:30 pm

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Evaluation of National Estuarine Research Reserve

AGENCY: Office for Coastal Management (OCM), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting and opportunity to comment SUMMARY: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office for Coastal Management will hold a public meeting to solicit comments on the performance evaluation of the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve

DATES: NOAA will consider all written comments received by September 18, 2020. The virtual public meeting will be held on Wednesday September 9, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. CDT.

ADDRESS: You may submit comments on the coastal management program and national estuarine research reserve NOAA intends to evaluate by emailing Ralph Cantral, Senior Advisor, NOAA Office for Coastal Management at Ralph.Cantral@noaa.gov. Comments that the Office for Coastal Management receives are considered part of the public record and may be publicly accessible. Any personal identifying information (e.g., name, address) submitted voluntarily by the sender may also be publicly accessible. NOAA will accept anonymous comments. To participate in the public meeting Wednesday, September 9, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. CDT, registration is required two hours in advance by 2:00 p.m. CDT.

Registration: http://noaacsc.adobeconnect.com/lsnerrpublicmeeting/event/event_info.html. You may participate online or by phone. If you would like to provide comment during the public meeting, please select “yes” during the online registration. The line-up of speakers will be based on your date and time of registration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ralph Cantral, Evaluator, NOAA Office for Coastal Management by phone at (301) 233-2998 or email Ralph.Cantral@noaa.gov. Copies of the previous evaluation findings and reserve’s management plan and site profile may be viewed and downloaded on the Internet at http://coast.noaa.gov/czm/evaluations. A copy of the evaluation notification letter and most recent progress reports may be obtained upon request by contacting Ralph Cantral.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 312 of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) requires NOAA to conduct periodic evaluations of federally approved state coastal programs and national estuarine research reserves. The process includes one or more public meetings, consideration of written public comments, and consultations with interested Federal, state, and local agencies and members of the public. For the evaluation of the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve, NOAA will consider the extent to which the state has met the national objectives, adhered to its management plan approved by the Secretary of Commerce, and adhered to the terms of financial assistance under the Coastal Zone Management Act. When the evaluation is completed, NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management will place a notice in the Federal Register announcing the availability of the Final Evaluation Findings.

Keelin Kuipers

Deputy Director, Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

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