74 eagles and whitetailed deer that make Rookery Bay their permanent residences. Within the sanctuary is the Rookery Bay Marine Laboratory, which, even before the sanctuary's establishment, provided data used in important coastal management decisions-a primary objective of Congress in legislating the existence of the National Est.arine Sanctuary Program. APALACHICOLA BAY/RIVER, FLORIDA The largest sanctuary, at more than 190,000 acres, Florida's Apalachicola Bay/River estuary has been called one of the largest remaining naturally functioning systems in the nation, and it is also the first sanctuary on the mouth of a major navigable river. Because of this, its establishment served to promote improved cooperation among the States of Florida, Alabama, and Georgia over river navigation. The major business activity of the town of Apalachicola, adjacent to the sanctuary, centers around the oyster industry, and it is expected that the sanctuary will benefit this and other fishing industries by protecting the environment and by providing research information that will help assure the continued productivity of this river/bay ecosystem. Within the Apalachicola Estuarine Sanctuary boundaries are an existing U.S. Fish and Wildlife Refuge and a State Park, which, to gether, represent a unique cooperative effort at ecosystem protection. ELKHORN SLOUGH, One of the more recent estuarine sanctuaries to be funded is Elkhorn Slough, California. The sanctuary itself, which is on the south and east portions of the slough, covers 1,510 acres, but these will be contiguous with a proposed U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Refuge on the north and west portions so that the whole slough system will be protected. In the future, joint management practices for both areas will be pursued by the State and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The small town of Moss Landing, at the mouth of the slough, contains within it Moss Landing Marine Laboratory, which has been and will continue doing research on the slough. Because, in general, the salt concentration of Elkhorn is close to marine, one researcher has called it "a portion of the ocean ottom conveniently located for st. .y." Study here, and at the other estuarine sanctuaries, will help to better understand coastal areas, so that they may remain functioning ecosystems while humans continue to enjoy their many benefits. PADILLA BAY, WASHINGTON The Padilla Bay sanctuary consists of 11,612 acres of tidal marsh and upland areas. Its extensive eelgrass beds, which are perhaps the largest within the continental United States, are primary habitats for substantial numbers of water fowl. On an average winter day there are over 50,000 ducks in Padilla Bay, including scamps, golden eyes, buffleheads and the endangered canvasback. Padilla Bay is the most important habitat in the northwest for the scarce black brant duck, since this species is dependent on shallow, coastal bays with a supply of eelgrass. Other uncommon inhabitants of Padilla Bay include the American bald eagle, red fox, great blue heron, snowy owls and harbor seals. The establishment of Padilla Bay was unique in land acquisition programs. A steering committee composed of local, State and Federal representatives was established and given authority to make all decisions about boundaries and sanctuary uses, as long as they were consistent with NOAA sanctuary guidelines and other Federal and State laws. The committee adopted a philosophy calling for coexistence of the sanctuary with other community needs such as agriculture and industry. The Padilla Bay sanctuary is located in northern Puget Sound, 5 miles from the community of Anacortes. The sanctuary is under the administration of the State Department of Game. The Skagit County Board of Commissioners serves as an oversight committee. NARRAGANSETT BAY, The Narragansett Bay Estuarine Sanctuary consists of two islands and the portion of a third lying in the center of the bay. The bay itself extends for 25 miles from Newport on the ocean to Providence. With the assistance of the National Estuarine Sanctuary Program, almost all of Patience Island was purchased in 1980. It is combined with State-owned lands and waters on Hope and North Prudence Islands to form the 1,629-acre sanctuary, the first of its kind (Virginian classification which extends from Cape Cod to Cape Hatteras) in the National Estuarine Sanctuary Program. The islands contain the largest salt marshes in Rhode Island and the largest rookery in the Northeast. They are generally in an undisturbed natural condition, or were once developed but are gradually returning to a natural, state which the sanctu APPENDIX 3 HOW EXISTING STATE LAWS PROTECT THE MAINE COAST The Maine coast, including the areas proposed for estuarine sanctuary status, is already protected by several State laws. These include: In combination, these laws provide substantial protection for the Maine coast and, along with several others, provide the basis for Maine's Coastal Program approved by the federal government under section 306 of the Coastal Zone Management Act. For a complete description of how these laws control development and protect the coast, please refer to the Final Environmental Impact Statement on Maine's Coastal Program, issued in August of 1978. A brief overview of how these laws work is as follows: 1) Shoreland Zoning. The Shoreland Zoning Law requires that for all significant activities consistent with a set of State guide- 7'8 2) Water Quality. Under the Water Quality Law, the State has designated all of its waters to be either class A, B, C, or D. These classifications establish minimum quality standards for each body of water. Permits and at least best practicable treatment are required for all discharges. 3) Coastal Wetlands. The Coastal Wetlands Act covers all of the State's coastal wetlands including: marshes, beaches, sand dunes, mudflats, and submerged lands. This law requires a permit from the Board of Environmental Protection for virtually any alteration of a established in the Law which speak to impacts on wildlife, fish, navigation, water quality, and water flow. 4) Site Location Act. The Site Location Act requires permits from the Board of Environmental Protection for all major developments. Major developments are defined as those which involve buildings which are larger than 60 thousand square feet, parking lots larger than 2 acres, and subdivisions which are larger than 20 acres, or which involve large-scale extraction of minerals. Permit requests are judged based on standards established by the law which speaks to impacts on the natural environment, proper use of soils and subsoils, traffic congestion, and compatibility with existing uses. 5) Subdivision Law. The Subdivision Law requires a permit from the town in cases where a parcel of land is divided into three or more lots within a five-year period. Permit requests are judged on the basis of standards established by the Act. These standards include: impact on natural areas, proper use of soils, impact on water quality, adequacy of water supply, impact on traffic, impact on |