"On June 1, 2008, Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle submitted a nomination to National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to designate part of the St. Louis River freshwater estuary and the Lake Superior shoreline as the Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve (LSNERR or 'the Reserve'). The National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS or 'reserve system') is a partnership program between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and coastal states that has protected more than 1.3 million acres of coastal and estuarine habitat since the program was established by the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) in 1972. NOAA provides funding, national guidance and technical assistance and the lead state partner manages the reserve on daily basis with input from local partners. The State of Wisconsin has designated the University of Wisconsin-Extension (UWEX) to be the lead state agency for the LSNERR. Through careful stewardship, the reserve system protects estuarine areas, provides educational opportunities, promotes and conducts estuarine research and monitoring, and transfers relevant information to coastal managers"--Executive summary (p. ix).

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
National Ocean Service (NOS)