MONTEREY BAY NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY
ADVISORY COUNCIL

FINAL
Meeting Minutes
February 23, 2000
Doubletree Hotel
Monterey

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) Advisory Council met on 
Wednesday, February 23, 2000 at the Doubletree Hotel in Monterey.  Public categories and 
government agencies were present as indicated:

Agriculture: Richard Nutter
Diving: David Clayton
AMBAG: Stephanie Harlan - ABSENT
Education: Patricia Clark-Gray - ABSENT
At Large: Steve Webster
Enforcement: Doug Huckins - ABSENT
At Large: Karin Strasser Kauffman
Fishing: Dave Danbom
At Large: Chet Forrest - ABSENT
Ports & Harbors: James Stilwell
Business & Industry: Steve Abbott
Recreation: Takashi Hattori
CA Coastal Commission: Tami Grove - ABSENT
Research: Gregor Cailliet
CA EPA: Craig J. Wilson - ABSENT
Tourism: Ed Brown - ABSENT
CA Resources Agency: Brian Baird - ABSENT
U.S. Coast Guard: LCDR Phyllis Blanton - ABSENT
Conservation: Vicki Nichols

The following non-voting members were present as indicated:

Channel Islands NMS: Ed Cassano - ABSENT
Gulf of the Farallones NMS and Cordell Bank NMS: Ed Ueber - ABSENT
Elkhorn Slough NERR: Becky Christensen
Monterey Bay NMS: William Douros

I.	CALL TO ORDER & ROLL CALL

The meeting was called to order by the Chair, Steve Webster, at 9:00 a.m.  Michele Finn 
conducted the roll call.

II.	NON-AGENDA ITEMS

The Chair opened the floor to discussion of issues not related to the recent organizational 
changes within the National Ocean Service (NOS).  Dan Basta, Acting Sanctuaries Program 
Chief, and Bill Douros, MBNMS Superintendent responded to Council inquiries on the 
following items:

… National Marine Sanctuaries Program (NMSP) fiscal year 2000 budget allocations
… implications of letter from Nancy Foster, Assistant Administrator of NOS, regarding the 
authority of the Sanctuary Advisory Council
… coordination among the Council's working groups
… recently released National Academy of Public Administration report on the NMSP

III.	INTRODUCTIONS & RECENT ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES WITHIN
	NOS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR THE SANCTUARIES PROGRAM

Bill Douros provided a brief background about the Council's request to meet with Dan 
Basta and the concerns of the California Coastal Commission regarding the organizational 
changes within NOS.  Because Coastal Commission staff were unable to attend the meeting, 
with Dan Basta, the agency submitted their concerns in a letter.

Dan Basta provided an overview of the recent organizational changes within NOS.  As a 
result of increased interest in the NMSP, the Marine Sanctuaries Division (MSD) is being 
elevated within NOAA; the program will no longer operate within the Office of Coastal 
Resource Management (OCRM), but will remain within NOS.  Stephanie Thornton, the 
former Chief of MSD, has been reassigned to conduct special projects and Dan Basta is 
serving as the interim Chief.  Dan outlined some of the benefits of the reorganization:

… greater ability to bring NOAA assets to the sanctuaries program
… more direct decision-making
… greater ability to enter into collaborative relationships
… directly responds to constituent requests supporting the sanctuaries program
… increased priority within NOS science office
… more power in dealing with agencies within NOAA and other government agencies

Council members raised several concerns about the reorganization:

… internal nature of reorganization - no consult with other agencies involved in coastal 
zone management
… separating programs may pit the Sanctuary program against other coastal resource 
management programs for resources
… fragmentation may negatively impact National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) 
program

Dan responded by explaining that these programs have not necessarily worked closely 
together at the national level in the past and have been fundamentally separate.  However, 
joint programs exist at local levels, and these opportunities will not be affected by the 
changes.

Dan, Bill and Council members also discussed the Advisory Council future role within the 
sanctuaries program.  Discussion focused on the following issues:

… finalization of Sanctuary Advisory Council policy paper
… improving the effectiveness of Advisory Councils
… providing opportunity for Sanctuary Advisory Councils to communicate and interact 
with each other
… significance of the Advisory Council's role in bringing together diverse interests to reach 
consensus/agreement
… the role of the Council in producing a "product"
… need for increased coordination among Council's working groups and between the 
working groups and the Advisory Council
… communication problems and unprofessional behavior -- accusations and falsifications
… need for better access to NOAA documents

The meeting adjourned at 11:00 a.m.

Submitted by
Michele Finn, Assistant Manager and 
Lisa de Marignac, Advisory Council Coordinator