National Marine Sanctuary Nominations

OMB Control No. 0648-xxxx

Expiration Date: xx/xx/xxxx

Sanctuary Nomination Process Guide

• Thank you for your interest in nominating an area of the ocean or Great Lakes to become a national marine sanctuary. This guide is intended to help you in preparing your nomination. More detailed information can be found on NOAA’s sanctuary nomination website (www.nominate.noaa.gov) that includes a link to NOAA’s final rule establishing this process. NOAA staff, listed below, are also available to answer questions throughout the nomination development and review process.

• Please be aware while preparing your nomination that all nominating materials submitted to NOAA will be posted publically on a website. Nominations should not include confidential business information or information that is sensitive or protected. NOAA will attempt to remove personal identifying information before a nomination is posted online, but please minimize including this type of information.

• Nominations must meet the following requirements:

  • A maximum length of 25 pages, including attachments.

  • Times New Roman or Calibri font, 11 point font size, and one inch margins. .

  • No inclusion of any copyrighted information without the nominator first acquiring for or granting to the Government a copyright license for the information.

• NOAA will review each nomination based on the information submitted. This will be a qualitative analysis so NOAA will not be applying a numerical score to any nomination. Nominations will not be judged against each other.

• The strongest nominations will provide a clear connection and focus on the criteria and considerations that are relevant to the goals and intent for the nominated area and provide as much information as possible for those. While there is no minimum number of criteria or considerations, and no criteria or consideration is more important than the others, the nomination should provide all the relevant information so NOAA can evaluate the nomination.

• There are no deadlines for submissions. Nominations will be reviewed on a rolling basis as they are received by NOAA. Please note that a high volume of submission arriving at the same time may increase review timelines.

• Nominations should be addressed to the Director of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and submitted by either:

  • Electronic Submissions: Submit nomination packages to: sanctuary.nominations@noaa.gov

  • Mail: Director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 1305 East-West Highway, 11th Floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910.

Nomination Preparation Checklist – please make sure you have included the following four sections in your nomination package:

Section I - Basics

• Nomination Title

• Nominator Name(s) and Affiliation(s)

• Nomination Point of Contact - Name, Phone, Email, Address

Section II - Introduction

• Narrative Description – a brief overview of the nomination

• Goals Description – a brief description of why you are nominating this area

• Location Description – a brief overview of the area being nominated, please be as specific and descriptive as possible

Section III – Criteria Information

• Provide detailed information on each of the criteria below that are relevant to your nomination.

• Criteria 1: The area’s natural resources and ecological qualities are of special significance and contribute to: biological productivity or diversity; maintenance or enhancement of ecosystem structure and function; maintenance of ecologically or commercially important species or species assemblages; maintenance or enhancement of critical habitat, representative biogeographic assemblages, or both; or maintenance or enhancement of connectivity to other ecologically significant resources.

• Criteria 2: The area contains submerged maritime heritage resources of special historical, cultural, or archaeological significance, that: individually or collectively are consistent with the criteria of eligibility for listing on the National Register of Historic Places; have met or which would meet the criteria for designation as a National Historic Landmark; or have special or sacred meaning to the indigenous people of the region or nation.

• Criteria 3: The area supports present and potential economic uses, such as: tourism; commercial and recreational fishing; subsistence and traditional uses; diving; and other recreational uses that depend on conservation and management of the area’s resources.

• Criteria 4: The publicly-derived benefits of the area, such as aesthetic value, public recreation, and access to places depend on conservation and management of the area’s resources.

Section IV – Consideration Information

• Provide as much detailed information as you are able on each of these seven considerations, with an emphasis on describing the range of community support (Consideration #7).

  • Consideration 1: The area provides or enhances opportunities for research in marine science, including marine archaeology.

  • Consideration 2: The area provides or enhances opportunities for education, including the understanding and appreciation of the marine and Great Lakes environments.

  • Consideration 3: Adverse impacts from current or future uses and activities threaten the area’s significance, values, qualities, and resources.

  • Consideration 4: A national marine sanctuary would provide unique conservation and management value for this area or adjacent areas.

  • Consideration 5: The existing regulatory and management authorities for the area could be supplemented or complemented to meet the conservation and management goals for the area.

  • Consideration 6: There are commitments or possible commitments for partnerships opportunities such as cost sharing, office space, exhibit space, vessel time, or other collaborations to aid conservation or management programs for the area.

  • Consideration 7: There is community-based support for the nomination expressed by a broad range of interests, such as: individuals or locally-based groups (e.g., friends of group, chamber of commerce); local, tribal, state, or national elected officials; or topic-based stakeholder groups, at the local, regional or national level (e.g., a local chapter of an environmental organization, a regionally-based fishing group, a national-level recreation or tourism organization, academia or science-based group, or an industry association).

Questions?

• For general questions regarding the sanctuary nomination process, please contact Matt Brookhart, Chief, Policy & Planning Division, NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 1305 East-West Highway, 11th floor, Silver Spring, MD 20910, matt.brookhart@noaa.gov.

• For specific interest in nominating areas off Maine to North Carolina, or the Great Lakes contact Reed Bohne, Northeast and Great Lakes Regional Director, NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 10 Ocean Science Circle, Savannah, GA 31411, reed.bohne@noaa.gov.

• For specific interest in nominating areas off North Carolina to Florida, the Gulf of Mexico, or the Caribbean contact Billy Causey, Ph.D., Southeast Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Regional Director, NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 33 East Quay Rd, Key West, FL 33040, billy.causey@noaa.gov.

• For specific interest in nominating areas off California to Alaska contact William Douros, West Coast Regional Director, NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 99 Pacific Street, Suite 100F, Monterey, CA 93940, william.douros@noaa.gov.

• For specific interest in nominating areas in the Pacific Islands contact Allen Tom, Pacific Islands Regional Director, NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 726 South Kihei Road, Kihei (Maui), HI 96753, allen.tom@noaa.gov.

Paperwork Reduction Act Statement

Submittal of the information requested in these procedures is required for NOAA to consider a site for possible designation as a national marine sanctuary. This information is essential to evaluate the national significance of the area, management considerations of the area as a sanctuary, potential benefits of designation, and evaluate any environmental and socioeconomic impacts.

Nominators are requested to indicate any information that is considered proprietary business or confidential information. Such information is typically exempt from disclosure to anyone requesting information pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). NOAA will make all possible attempts to protect such proprietary information, consistent with all applicable FOIA exemptions in 5 U.S.C. 552(b). Typically exempt information includes trade secrets, commercial and financial information (5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4)). Personal information affecting an individual’s privacy will also be kept confidential consistent with 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(6).

Public reporting burden for this collection of information, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information is estimated to average twenty-nine (29) hours per response (e.g. initial nomination submission, logging records, and follow-up information), as follows:

• Four (4) hours per response collecting information for nomination;

• Twenty (20) hours per response gathering public support and organizing community meetings;

• Two (2) hours per response of public meetings;

• Two (2) hours per response writing and submitting the nomination request;

• Thirty (30) minutes per response for amendments to nomination; and

• Thirty (30) minutes per response for follow-up requests.

Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 1305 East-West Highway (N/NMS-2), Silver Spring, Maryland 20910.

Notwithstanding any other provision of the law, no person is required to respond to, nor shall any person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with, a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, unless that collection of information displays a currently valid OMB Control Number.

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