About Management Plan Review

The National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) is updating the management plan for the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. This includes a review of resource protection actions, education and research programs, the program's resource and staffing needs, Sanctuary regulations and boundaries. Active and informed public participation is a critical element of sanctuary management, and plays an important role in the updating of the sanctuary’s management plan.

What is the “management plan”?

The management plan is a road map for sanctuary management that serves to:  1) guide site management toward achievement of the sanctuary’s goals using the best means available; and 2) inform sanctuary constituents, including the general public, about the sanctuary, its regulations, and the management actions it has planned for the next five years.  The sanctuary's Draft Management Plan, released in May 2006, represents a major revision of the original 1983 management plan under which the sanctuary currently operates.

The Draft Management Plan contains information about the sanctuary's environment and resources, staffing and administration, regulations and boundaries, priority management issues and the actions proposed to address them, and performance measures.  It is supported by a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), which contains detailed information on the greater sanctuary region, presents a range of alternatives for modified and new sanctuary regulations, and provides environmental and socioeconomic impact analyses of those regulatory alternatives.  These two documents are bundled together in two volumes: the Draft Management Plan is Volume I, and the DEIS is Volume II. In March 2008, the sanctuary released a supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) for public comment through May 30, 2008. Based on comments received during the public comment periods on these drafts, the NMSP will develop the sanctuary’s Final Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement.

Why is the sanctuary's management plan being reviewed?

The NMSP is required to review sanctuary management plans to:

•  Evaluate substantive progress toward implementing the management plan and goals;
•  Evaluate the effectiveness of site-specific management techniques and strategies;
•  Determine necessary revisions to the management plan and regulations;
•  Prioritize management objectives; and
•  Meet requirements of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act.

Since the sanctuary's 1980 designation, significant innovations in science, technology, and marine resource management techniques have been made, while challenging new resource management issues have emerged.  In addition to updating its now obsolete 1983 management plan, the plan revision process provides a vehicle for the NMSP to integrate new tools and practices into site management.

What is the process for revising the management plan?

The management plan revision process began with a series of public scoping meetings that were held in 1999. Since that time much progress has been made through the significant involvement of the public and the Sanctuary Advisory Council. The management plan revision process history is described in detail here.

The public comment period for the Sanctuary’s Draft Management Plan closed on July 21, 2006. The public comment period for the SDEIS closed on May 30, 2008. Based on comments received during the public comment periods, the Sanctuary is now developing a Final Management Plan and Final Environmental Impact Statement.  The final documents will include responses to all comments received during the public comment periods.  The Sanctuary anticipates publishing the final plan in 2008.

Check here for details on the project’s current status and future steps in the process.