Je veux savoir à propos de…

jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with RULES

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 118 / Wednesday, June 23, 2021 / Rules and Regulations 51. Comment: NOAA received several comments about the importance of NOAA providing additional protection to shipwrecks.
Response: Protecting shipwrecks and other underwater cultural resources will be a priority of Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary. As described in the final management plan, there are several ways to accomplish the resource protection goal, including enhanced regulations, installing mooring buoys, engaging with divers about best practices for diving, providing general education regarding the significance of these resources, and enforcing federal and state regulations to address protecting shipwrecks.
52. Comment: NOAA received a few comments that people should not be restricted from searching for shipwrecks.
Response: NOAA is not restricting the ability of the public to search for shipwrecks, or proposing requiring a sanctuary permit for this activity.
53. Comment: NOAA received several comments stating that there should not be any restrictions on access to shipwrecks.
Response: NOAA is not proposing regulation of, or restrictions on, recreational diving activities within the sanctuary, as long as the activities do not injure sanctuary resources or result in anchoring on or grappling onto a shipwreck site. NOAA is not proposing requiring a permit to dive in the sanctuary.
54. Comment: NOAA received a few comments asking how locations of newly discovered shipwrecks would be made public.
Response: While it is the intention of the sanctuary to release coordinates of known shipwrecks, NOAA may decide to withhold the release of coordinates of a newly discovered, historically significant shipwreck for a period of time so that NOAA and the state can document the site and its artifacts.
Under this scenario, NOAA will use agency and partner resources and possibly volunteers to document the site. A newly discovered site may be particularly fragile or possess a large number of artifacts, and specific management or monitoring measures would need to be put into place before site coordinates are published on the sanctuarys website.
55. Comment: NOAA received several comments asking how the sanctuary would actually protect shipwrecks, including whether there is sufficient enforcement to protect shipwrecks.
Response: The goal of WSCNMS is to comprehensively manage the underwater cultural resources of Lake
VerDate Sep<11>2014

15:58 Jun 22, 2021

Jkt 253001

Michigan. Enforcement is one aspect of the resource protection strategy as indicated in Strategy RP5 of the final management plan, which states Develop a plan to increase awareness of sanctuary regulations and state law and to enhance law enforcement efforts. Since NOAA does not currently have enforcement officers in the Great Lakes, NOAA works with the U.S. Coast Guard to enforce sanctuary regulations.
NOAA would also work with state partners to explore options for assistance in the enforcement of sanctuary regulations. Developing a plan to facilitate voluntary compliance with sanctuary regulations is another element of proactive enforcement included in the sanctuarys management plan.
56. Comment: NOAA received one comment asking if future maritime archaeological research in the sanctuary would be restricted.
Response: NOAA encourages research and documentation of underwater cultural resources, and in many cases can facilitate and act as a partner in these activities. NOAA is not restricting archaeological research, including Phase 1 searching for shipwrecks and Phase 2 documenting shipwrecks archaeology. However, given the sanctuarys proposed prohibition on injuring/damaging shipwreck sites, NOAA encourages researchers to obtain a Phase I archaeology permit from the State of Wisconsin, and consult with the sanctuary superintendent ahead of conducting research. For archaeological projects that will alter a site, or seek to remove artifacts, both a state and sanctuary permit would be required.
Through a programmatic agreement, NOAA and the state will seek to simplify this process.
57. Comment: NOAA received several comments stating that the threat to shipwrecks will increase with increased tourism. The commenters asked who would monitor the shipwrecks, how the shipwrecks would be protected, and who would pay for these costs.
Response: NOAA believes that increasing public access and tourism to shipwrecks sites is an important way to foster awareness, appreciation, and ultimately protection of these special places. While NOAA encourages public access to shipwrecks, we are aware that increased use can result in additional pressure to these resources. The final management plan takes a broad approach to ensuring that the shipwrecks are protected to the greatest extent possible through the resource protection, education, and research.
Monitoring is captured Strategy RP2 of the final management plan.

PO 00000

Frm 00029

Fmt 4700

Sfmt 4700

32749

Other elements of the final management plan that address increased use of sanctuary resources are the installation of additional mooring buoys, and public outreach programs on the value and fragility of shipwrecks.
Appendix 1 of the final management plan addresses potential sanctuary operating budgets and partner contributions.
58. Comment: NOAA received many comments stating that the State of Wisconsin already protects shipwrecks, and that this effort should not be duplicated by the federal government.
Response: NOAA and the state will be co-managers of the sanctuary and work together to ensure that their efforts are complementary and not duplicative.
Importantly, this co-management arrangement affords opportunities that neither NOAA nor the state could realize on its own. As detailed in the FEIS see Chapter 2, designation as a national marine sanctuary would provide increased resources to carry out the research, education, and law enforcement activities necessary to more comprehensively manage, protect, and increase the public benefit of these resources. For example, the sanctuary would bring national attention, interest, resources, and partners to the area. The sanctuary nomination put forth in 2014
by the State of Wisconsin on behalf of several lakeshore communities states the reasons the state wanted to partner with NOAA to protect the shipwrecks.
The sanctuary nomination can be found at https nominate.noaa.gov/media/
documents/nomination_lake_michigan_
wisconsin.pdf. An example of the types of research programs and activities that a national marine sanctuary could provide in Wisconsin can be found in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuarys 2013 condition report https sanctuaries.noaa.gov/science/
condition/tbnms/.
59. Comment: NOAA received a few comments suggesting that shipwrecks are not threatened to the degree that necessitates NOAA involvement, and that shipwrecks are already preserved by the fresh water of the Great Lakes.
Response: While it is true that the cold, fresh water of the Great Lakes preserves shipwrecks better than a saltwater environment, this alone does not negate negative impacts to Wisconsins shipwrecks. These threats, as described in the FEIS see Chapter 2, include both natural processes and human activities. Human threats to underwater cultural resources include looting and altering shipwreck sites and damaging shipwreck sites by anchoring.
The proposed final rule for WSCNMS
includes a prohibition on the use of
E:FRFM23JNR1.SGM

23JNR1