Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Seeks Citizen At-large Representative for Sanctuary Advisory Council

MONTEREY BAY NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY SEEKS CITIZEN AT-LARGE
REPRESENTATIVE FOR SANCTUARY ADVISORY COUNCIL

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is seeking applicants for a Citizen At-Large representative on the Sanctuary’s Advisory Council. One member and one alternate will be chosen for the council position. The general public is welcome to apply and candidates selected should expect to serve until February 2005. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Applicants are chosen based upon their expertise and experience including community and professional affiliations, philosophy regarding the conservation and management of marine resources, and the length of residence in the area affected by the sanctuary.

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) was established in March 1994 to assure continued public participation in the management of the sanctuary. Serving in a volunteer capacity, the SAC’s 20 voting members represent a variety of local user groups, as well as the general public, plus seven local, state and federal governmental jurisdictions. Since its establishment, the SAC has played a vital role in advising the sanctuary and NOAA on critical issues and is currently focused on the sanctuary’s development of a new 5-year management plan. The SAC meets bi-monthly in public sessions located throughout the 276-mile boundary of the sanctuary.

A SAC member application package may be obtained by contacting (831) 647-4201. Application packages are also available at the sanctuary Web site: http://www.mbnms.nos.noaa.gov/. Applications will be available through Nov. 27, 2002. Completed applications should be mailed to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, 299 Foam Street, Monterey, Calif. 93940 no later than Dec. 11, 2002.

Managed by NOAA National Ocean Service (NOAA Ocean Service), the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary stretches along 276 miles of central California coast and encompasses over 5,300 miles of ocean area. Renowned for its scenic beauty and remarkable productivity, the sanctuary supports one of the world’s most diverse marine ecosystems, including 33 species of marine mammals, 94 species of seabirds, 345 species of fishes and thousands of marine invertebrates and plants.

The NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) seeks to increase the public awareness of America’s maritime heritage by conducting scientific research, monitoring, exploration and educational programs. Today, 13 national marine sanctuaries encompass more than 18,000 square miles of America’s ocean and Great Lakes natural and cultural resources. In addition, the NMSP is now conducting a sanctuary designation process to incorporate the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve into the national sanctuary system.

NOAA Ocean Service is dedicated to exploring, understanding, conserving and restoring the nation’s coasts and oceans. NOAA Ocean Service balances environmental protection with economic prosperity in fulfilling its mission of promoting safe navigation, supporting coastal communities, sustaining coastal habitats, and mitigating coastal hazards.

The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through research to better understand weather and climate-related events and to manage wisely our nation's coastal and marine resources.

To learn more about NOAA, NOAA Ocean Service and the NMSP, please visit:

http://nos.noaa.gov.