NOAA and UW-Green Bay to hold joint public meetings regarding the proposed Bay of Green Bay NERR On Tuesday, March 19, 2024
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 13, 2024
Green Bay, WI – A joint public meeting will be held by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and UW-Green Bay on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, to solicit comments on significant issues related to the development of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Bay of Green Bay NERR. A virtual meeting will be held at 10 a.m. via Zoom, and an in-person meeting will be held at 1:30 p.m. at the STEM Innovation Center on the UW-Green Bay campus.
In January of this year, NOAA reviewed the final nomination package submitted by the state of Wisconsin and determined that it met all regulatory requirements for accepting the nomination of natural area sites for a NERR. Read the full NOAA acceptance letter here.
This nomination moves the bay of Green Bay one step closer to becoming a designated NERR site. Acceptance of the nomination will enable the state and NOAA to begin the next steps of designating the reserve: conducting public outreach, tribal engagement and developing a draft environmental impact statement and management plan. The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay leads the state’s efforts towards NERR designation.
If you are not able to attend either meeting but would like to submit a public comment, follow the directions below provided by NOAA.
Submit via Regulations.gov
https://www.regulations.gov/document/NOAA-NOS-2024-0006-0001
Submit by mail to:
Bridget Faust-Accola
Office for Coastal Management
1735 Lake Drive West
Chanhassen, MN 55317
ATTN: Bay of Green Bay Research Reserve
Written comments must be submitted or postmarked no later than 11:59 pm Eastern on April 19, 2024.
On December 29, 2022, Governor Tony Evers submitted a NERR site nomination package to NOAA, requesting that NOAA accept the nomination of a multicomponent site along the bay of Green Bay.
The Green Bay ecosystem is the largest freshwater estuary in the world, in the largest reservoir of freshwater on the planet, the vitality of which are critical to the current and future prosperity of the broader Northeast Wisconsin region and state.
NOAA’s selection of the nomination for the Bay of Green Bay NERR is a significant milestone in the designation process and an advancement on bringing the water quality research, educational programming and technical expertise that come with siting a research reserve on the bay of Green Bay.
The designation of a Bay of Green Bay NERR presents an opportunity to engage northeast Wisconsin more fully with the incredible natural resources of the Green Bay ecosystem. It will enhance the region’s economic, cultural, and recreational connections to our waters, while protecting and restoring the Green Bay water ecosystem. The NERR designation will bring national attention to the bay of Green Bay as an important waterway for the state and the Great Lakes region. Only publicly owned or lands open to the public are eligible to be included in the NERR and no new land will be purchased for the designation. The reserve will be a non-regulatory, state-managed entity, with program guidance and technical assistance from NOAA.
The site proposal is a culmination of several years of local, grassroots-support for a research reserve in Wisconsin. The proposed site[s] were selected following a comprehensive evaluation process that sought the views of the public, member of local communities and other interested parties. State and local agency representatives, tribal nations, estuarine experts, and industry representatives served as committee members and evaluated candidate site areas. Recordings from previous public meetings about the Bay of Green Bay NERR designation can be found here.
What is a National Estuarine Research Reserve?
The National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR) is a national network of 30 sites across the coastal US, including the Great Lakes, designed to protect and study estuaries and their coastal wetlands. The mission of the NERR System is, “To practice and promote stewardship of coasts and estuaries through innovative research, education, and training using a place-based system of protected areas.” Established through the Coastal Zone Management Act, the reserves represent a partnership program between NOAA and the coastal states. NOAA provides funding and national guidance, and each site is managed on a daily basis by a lead state agency or university with input from local partners. For the Bay of Green Bay NERR, UW-Green Bay is the state lead for the designation process. At the local level, a Bay of Green Bay NERR will offer a coordinating force to manage, restore, and protect the Green Bay ecosystem, with a programmatic focus on four sectors: research, education, stewardship, and training.
About UW-Green Bay
The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is a school of resilient problem solvers who dare to reach higher with the power of education that ignites growth and answers the biggest challenges. Serving 10,300 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students as well as 67,500 continuing education learners annually, UW-Green Bay offers 200 academic degrees, programs, and certificates. With four campus locations in Northeast Wisconsin, the University’s access mission welcomes all students who want to learn, from every corner of the world. Championing bold thinking since opening its doors in 1965, it is a university on the rise – Wisconsin’s fastest growing UW. For more information, visit www.uwgb.edu.
–34-24–
