AGENCY:

Office for Coastal Management, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce.

ACTION:

Notice of public meeting; opportunity to comment.

SUMMARY:

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management will hold a hybrid-format public meeting to solicit input on the performance evaluation of the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (ESNERR). NOAA also invites the public to submit written comments.

DATES:

NOAA will hold a hybrid-format public meeting from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at Monterey County Library, Castroville Branch, 11160 Speegle Street, Castroville, California 95012. NOAA may close the meeting 10 minutes after the conclusion of public testimony and after responding to any clarifying questions from meeting participants. NOAA will consider all relevant written comments received by Friday, September 25, 2026.

ADDRESSES:

Comments may be submitted by one of the following methods:

• Hybrid-Format Public Meeting: Provide oral comments in-person or virtually during the hybrid-format public meeting on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at Monterey County Library, Castroville Branch, 11160 Speegle Street, Castroville, California 95012 by registering as a speaker at https://forms.gle/​dbXzQD4xBUbgd1649. Please register by Monday, September 14, 2026, at 6 p.m. PDT. Registration is requested but not mandatory, and you may change your mode of participation after registering. Virtual meeting registrants may remain anonymous by typing “Anonymous” in the “First Name” and “Last Name” fields on the registration form. The speaker lineup is based on the date and time of registration. If time allows, non-registered participants will be able to provide comments after registered speakers. At least one hour prior to the start of the September 15, 2026 hybrid-format meeting, NOAA will send an email to all registrants with instructions for attending the public meeting virtually and a reminder of the physical location: Monterey County Library, Castroville Branch, 11160 Speegle Street, Castroville, California 95012. The virtual meeting link will be posted in the registration form at least an hour prior to the public meeting. NOAA may close the meeting 10 minutes after the conclusion of public testimony and after responding to any clarifying questions from meeting participants.
• Email: Send written comments to Pam Kylstra, NOAA Office for Coastal Management, at czma.evaluations@noaa.gov by Friday, September 25, 2026. Include “Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve—Performance Evaluation Comments” in the subject line of the message. NOAA will accept anonymous comments; however, all comments NOAA receives are considered part of the public record, and the entirety of the comment, including the name of the commenter, email address, attachments, and other supporting materials, will be publicly accessible. Do not submit confidential business information or otherwise sensitive or personally identifiable information, such as account numbers and Social Security numbers. Comments that are not related to the performance evaluation of ESNERR or that contain profanity, vulgarity, threats, or other inappropriate language will not be considered.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Pam Kylstra, NOAA Office for Coastal Management, by email at Pam.Kylstra@noaa.gov. Copies of the previous evaluation findings may be viewed and downloaded at https://coast.noaa.gov/​czm/​evaluations/​. A copy of the evaluation notification letter, reserve management plan, reserve site profile, and most recent progress report may be obtained upon request by contacting Pam Kylstra.