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Management
Bill Douros is attending the Leadership Team meeting in Hawaii from
February 2-8, 2003.
Nicole Capps, SAC Coordinator, will be replacing Lisa de Marignac as
an assistant to Bill. Please feel free to contact her when you cannot
reach Bill.
Bill agreed to send Michelle Templeton, MERITO Bilingual Specialist,
to join a NOAA team investigating and learning from the Prestige oil
spill in Spain. Reports have shown Michelle’s fluency in Spanish
made the team’s visit a success.
The MBNMS website, recently upgraded, is the most visited site specific
website in the National Marine Sanctuary system. With nearly half a
million hits in December 2002, it is easily one of the most popular
sites in NOAA.
Joint Management Plan Review
Sean Morton represented the MBNMS at the Big Sur Multi Agency Advisory
Council meeting on Friday, December 20. Rachel Saunders and SAC Member
Deborah Streeter also attended. The major theme of the meeting centered
on the significant budget shortfalls and the various levels of government
but focused California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) and Department
of Parks and Recreation. This will increase the need for cooperation
and partnerships with other agencies at the federal, state and local
levels. MBNMS will address the issue of integrated and coordinated agency
planning in the Big Sur area in the Joint Management Plan Review.
Management Plan Review working groups begin meeting this week kicking
off with Tidepool Protection, Krill Harvesting, and Wildlife Disturbance.
In the following week, working groups for Davidson Seamount, Coastal
Armoring, Marine Reserves (renamed Marine Protected Areas), Research
and Education of Fishing Issues, and Motorized Personal Watercraft will
be meeting. For more information on these groups and other issues to
be addressed in the Joint Management Plan Review go to http://sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov/jointplan/issue.html
or contact Sean Morton, Management
Plan Coordinator at 831-647-4217.
Education
and Outreach
On December 7, Dawn Hayes and Mary Cunningham Welsh, Otter Bowl Coordinator
for the National Ocean Science Bowl, led a group of high school students
for a full-day enrichment opportunity. The group joined the annual symposia
for the American Geophysical Society at the Moscone Center in San Francisco
for interactions with scientists, and then met with staff from the Lawrence
Hall of Science for continued education activities and a tour of the
exhibits.
On December 7, Karen Grimmer and Michelle Templeton coordinated with
Anna Cummins of Save Our Shores to provide an informational booth at
the 4th Annual Conferencia Familia conducted at E.A Hall Middle School
in Watsonville. Two hundred Latino parents attended the conference,
and staff conducted a fifteen question survey to collect data on issues
of concern for the community, and on their awareness about the Sanctuary
and Elkhorn Slough.
At the request of Monterey City Council member Ruth Vreeland, Liz Love
invited all the students in Monterey whose artwork was included in our
anniversary calendar to the Dec. 17 city council meeting where the students
were recognized for this achievement. Liz addressed the council and
students and thanked them, and Bill Douros also thanked the council
for their support of the Oceans Fair and presented them with a framed
commemorative MBNMS anniversary poster signed by the artist, Robert
Lyn Nelson.
Dawn Hayes and Bill Douros attended a steering committee meeting for
the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Scenic Trail, organized by AMBAG. Congressman
Sam Farr attended and expressed great enthusiasm for the groups progress
towards developing a trail surrounding the Monterey Bay and focusing
on the Monterey Bay Sanctuary.
Jen Jolly, Santa Cruz Public Outreach Specialist, gave several sanctuary
presentations last week. She gave a lecture to 30 University of California
Santa Cruz marine policy students, and discussed "Ten Years of
Ocean Conservation" with 50 adult volunteer docents at the Seymour
Marine Discovery Center.
Research and Monitoring
On November 25 at the Sanctuary office, Steve Lonhart (SIMoN Scientist)
hosted an informational meeting for city volunteers interested in eradicating
an invasive alga in Monterey Harbor. Along with harbor and city staff,
Steve provided background information about the recent invasion of Undaria
pinnatifida into central CA. Several agencies and local researchers
are involved with an effort to eradicate Undaria from Monterey
Harbor.
On December 12th, Steve Lonhart assisted with the first phase of eradicating
an invasive sea weed from Monterey Harbor. Undaria pinnatifida,
which is native to Japan, was recently detected in the harbor. In response
to this invasion, a team of researchers, resource managers, and volunteers
(including the City of Monterey, California Department of Fish and Game,
Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Moss Landing Marine
Labs, and the University of California at Santa Cruz) began removing
the sea weed from the floating docks and pier pilings by hand while
using SCUBA.
On December 27, 2002 Steve Lonhart, SIMoN scientist, and a city of Monterey
volunteer diver completed a second day of Undaria removal from
within the Monterey Harbor. Sanctuary and Harbor staff, along with volunteers,
recently began to remove the invasive seaweed Undaria pinnatifida
from harbor docks and pilings. To date, nearly 1000 individuals have
been removed. Since the primary growing season began in December, most
of the removed individuals were <20 cm long and still juveniles.
However, the goal is to remove as many as possible before they are able
to reproduce.
Steve Lonhart (SIMoN Scientist) and Erica Burton (Research Assistant)
were part of a team of researchers and staff from MBNMS and the Elkhorn
Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve that monitored erosion within
the Elkhorn Slough on November 20. Using a Boston whaler from Moss Landing
Marine Lab, the crew measured the extent and height of the channel banks
relative to permanent markers. In addition, the extent of undercutting
and types of biologically-derived holes in the bank were quantified.
Copies of the 'Effectiveness of Marine Reserves' report, by Rick Starr
(California Sea Grant) and others, are now available for distribution.
The report consists of two parts: 1) Synopsis of Scientific Investigations;
and 2) Summary of Existing Marine Reserves in Central California and
their Potential Benefits. The report is now available as two PDF files
on the MBNMS website at http://montereybay.nos.noaa.gov/reports/2002/starr120402.html.
Sanctuary staff reviewed the 'Biogeographic Assessment of Seabirds'
draft report by Glenn Ford (R.G. Ford Consulting) and others. The report
includes information on the distribution, abundance, and biological
hot spots and time periods for selected seabirds. The report will be
used as a supportive document for the Joint Management Plan Review.
On December 3rd and 4th, Steve Lonhart (SIMoN scientist) attended the
Expert Planning Workshop II in Key Biscayne, Florida. The purpose of
the meeting was to continue the development of the National Marine Sanctuary's
System-wide Monitoring Network (SWiM).
Sanctuary staff from headquarters and five field sites discussed with
an expert panel how best to proceed with implementation plans. The primary
goal of SWiM is "to provide for the consistent application of a
robust conceptual framework, design model, and reporting strategy to
enable the evaluation of status and trends in program resources, and
activities that affect them."
On December 3rd, Erica Burton (Research Specialist) and Chad King (SIMoN
Data Analyst) attended the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research
Reserve Advisory Committee Meeting. Gary Patton, Executive Director
of LandWatch Monterey County, gave a presentation on the Monterey County
General Plan Update and land use issues in North Monterey County.
On December 6th, Sanctuary Staff and the Beach COMBERS Data Coordinator
(Hannah Nevins) met with Hamilton Smillie and Kimberly Cohen of the
NOAA Coastal Services Center, to discuss the resurrection of the Beach
COMBERS and Beach Watch Volunteer Database Entry Tool Project. The website
will allow volunteers to enter and view their monitoring data, query
data sets to produce data summaries, download data sheets, order supplies,
and review reports and newsletters.
On December 10th and 11th, Steve Lonhart (scientist for the Sanctuary
Integrated Monitoring Network (SIMoN) co-hosted a SIMoN-sponsored workshop
on monitoring marine mammals and sea birds in the west coast sanctuaries.
Led by co-host Ed Bowlby from the Olympic Coast NMS, the workshop group
consisted of sanctuary staff from all five west coast sites and marine
mammal and sea bird experts from other agencies, NGOs, and academic
institutions. The group assessed the status of current monitoring efforts
within each site and suggested how these efforts could be modified to
facilitate between site collaborations and develop regional-scale studies.
Moss Landing Marine Laboratories graduate student Laurie McConnico has
recently completed a demographic study of the dominant kelp on the rocky
shores of Big Sur. The project was initiated by MBNMS relative to Cal
Trans dumping impacts, and preliminary results indicate that sediment
smothering could have long term impacts to Alaria marginata assemblages
at the Big Creek and Gorda regions.
The Sanctuary Integrated Monitoring Network (SIMoN) has recently awarded
funds to two scientific projects within the Elkhorn Slough. Despite
a recent start date, one of the projects already has interesting preliminary
results to report. "We have now made 7 'cruises' on a roughly weekly
schedule over the last two months. The purpose of the sampling was largely
to get a feel for the community structure of the phytoplankton,"
reports co-Principal Investigator Dr. Nick Welschmeyer. "The results
are very interesting! All seven cruises show the Slough to be characterized
by a diatom/dinoflagellate assemblage at the harbor end, and a diatom/cryptophyte
assemblage at the Kirby Park end (upshore). The info on cryptophytes
is new, as far as we can tell." It is not known if this finding
is the result of a seasonal effect, but because the study is designed
for five years, Welschmeyer and his collaborators have multiple years
to answer this question.
Following up on a series of workshops in South Korea between NOAA and
the Korean Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, our Korean partners
are interested in more information on marine managed areas and integrated
coastal management. MBNMS is sending our site specific material, but
information from other sites is also welcome.
On December 18th and 19th, Irina Kogan (MBNMS/MBARI Research Fellow)
hosted a workshop on surveying the environmental impacts of offshore
cables. The workshop group consisted of staff from Monterey Bay, Olympic
Coast, and Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuaries as well as staff
from the National Marine Sanctuaries Program, Monterey Bay Aquarium
Research Institute, and NOAA-Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory.
Information was exchanged regarding known environmental impacts of subsea
cables and about existing monitoring programs. A survey plan of a NOAA-PMEL
cable stretching 95 km from Half Moon Bay, CA to Pioneer Seamount was
also agreed upon.
Chad King, SIMoN GIS Analyst, has been working with Steve Ralston and
Keith Sakuma (NMFS) to convert and integrate data from the Rockfish
Recruitment Assessment into SIMoN’s GIS. This project includes
annual juvenile rockfish trawl survey data in Monterey Bay from 1983
to present.
Steve Lonhart attended an invasive species workshop convened by The
Nature Conservancy (TNC) and San Francisco Zoo on January 9 and 10,
2003. Participants included representatives from several state and federal
agencies, NGOs, and private industry. An ad hoc committee on California
Invasive Species was formed, and it was determined that an effort should
be made for the State of California to establish an Invasive Species
Council through either the legislature or by executive order. This council
will then deal with all invasive taxa, in a general and comprehensive
manner, to coordinate "existing non-native, invasive species efforts
and [to identify] gaps in existing activities and policies." Follow-up
workshops are planned in 2003.
The Research Activity Panel met on January 10 at the NMFS lab in Santa
Cruz. The meeting topics included an update on the Salmon Research Program
at NMFS; a review of the decision making process regarding the recent
closure of some west coast fisheries; RAP involvement in the JMPR; a
nomination letter to include the Central California region in upcoming
IOOS (national monitoring/observatories) meetings; and the annual RAP
calendar.
The Center for Integrated MarineTechnology is submitting their proposal
for second year funding to NOAA, and SIMoN staff continues to contribute
to this project and proposal development. The purpose of this project
is to understand physical processes that determine the distribution
of bird and whales, and develop innovative methods for sharing information
through the web.
Resource Protection
Holly Price, Resource Protection Coordinator, participated in a CalTrans
workshop with the Scenic Byways program focused on outlining the structure
and goals of an interagency council, which will coordinate ongoing implementation
of the Coast Highway Management Plan for Big Sur. The draft of this
plan is to be released this winter, and will include a framework for
handling landslide disposal.
Chris Coburn joined the Sanctuary's Resource Protection Team last week
as the new Water Quality Protection Program Director. Chris will be
overseeing implementation of the 4 existing WQPP plans on urban and
agricultural runoff, marinas, and monitoring, and will be developing
a new JMPR plan to address beach closures and postings due to elevated
levels of coliform bacteria.
Katie Siegler, Agricultural Water Quality Coordinator, and Holly Price
attended the recognition dinner at the California Farm Bureau Federation
annual meeting held in Monterey. Special thanks was given to the MBNMS
and partner organizations for working with the Farm Bureau to address
agricultural runoff in the Sanctuary region.
Holly Price, Resource Protection Coordinator, participated in the regional
working group meeting for the Marine Life Protection Act, where the
group agreed on its operating principles and necessary data sources
to evaluate marine reserve locations.
Katie Siegler attended the initial field tour for the Pescadero/Butano
Watershed Assessment in San Mateo County. The assessment, led by the
Sanctuary Foundation, will focus on local sediment sources and evaluate
habitat conditions for anadramous fish.
Due to recent storm events, and severe coastal bluff erosion, the MBNMS
has recently been inundated with requests authorizing seawall repair,
maintenance, and construction by both private parties and the California
Department of Transportation (CalTrans). Emergency authorizations of
this sort continue to be an obstacle in which the MBNMS recommends addressing
the immediate problem at hand and searching for a long-term solution,
versus the desires of Caltrans which call for extensive riprap along
the shoreline to combat large waves. Ongoing discussions and negotiations
between the MBNMS, Caltrans and the California Coastal Commission have
been taking place to address this issue.
A sewage spill occured in Capitola with an estimated 100, 000 gallons
of sewage entering a tributary of Soquel Creek approximately half mile
inland. A storm drainpipe collapsed down on to a sewage pipe causing
the spill. CDFG is assisting us in the enforcement investigation.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute has submitted an amendment
request to a permit to allow them to dispose of 20 liters of carbon
dioxide within the Sanctuary. The MBNMS is has approved this proposal;
this issue has a reputation for being quite contentious, as it has implications
for large-scale ocean disposal of CO2, an issue which has been hotly
debated.
The MBNMS is putting the final touches on a joint institutional permit
which will be issued to NOAA Fisheries Southwest Fisheries Science Center.
This permit encompasses several projects in the GFNMS, CINMS, &
MBNMS, which in the past NMFS has sought individual permits for on a
project specific basis. Deirdre Hall has been coordinating with our
neighboring Sanctuaries over the past few months in order to synthesize
and address all resource protection concerns and draft special conditions
for the prevention of disturbance before issuance of the permit.
Deirdre Hall met with the Santa Cruz Harbormaster, Brian Foss, and received
a tour of its ongoing dredging operations. The Santa Cruz harbor was
completely blocked and inaccessible to vessels for 9 days as recent
storm events have made the federal channel a beach, with incoming or
outgoing passage completely blocked. As might be expected, crab fishermen
are highly irritated as the blockage is impacting their fishing ability.
Deirdre Hall met with the Santa Cruz Harbor Port District to also discuss
the results of a study in which 2,350 cubic yards of fine grain dredge
disposal sediment was discharged last year in an attempt to discern
where fine grain sediments settle. The report indicated that these fine
grain sediments migrate with the current to the mid shelf mud belt north
of the harbor. The Harbor has indicated an interest in disposing future
'fines' on the beach as part of a beach nourishment project. Representatives
from the US Geological Survey, the Environmental Protection Agency,
the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Arana Gulch Watershed, and scientists
were present.
Rachel Saunders, MBNMS Community and Public Relations Coordinator, attended
two Pew Oceans Commission events on Tuesday, January 14, 2003 announcing
the release of several reports on fishing and reserves. The morning
press conference and reception was in Half Moon Bay where the following
3 reports will be released: "Managing Marine Fisheries in the United
States," "A Dialogue on America's Fisheries," and "Socioeconomic
Perspectives on Marine Fisheries in the United States." The afternoon
press conference and reception is at Stanford University where the report
"Marine Reserves: A Tool for Ecosystem Management and Conservation"
will be released. The reports can be found on the Pew Oceans Commission
web site at www.pewoceans.org.
The Monterey Bay Sanctuary Citizen Watershed Monitoring Network Coordinator,
Bridget Hoover, hosted a volunteer appreciation event for First Flush
participants on January 13th. Approximately 35 people were in attendance
including Sanctuary staff and Public Works Directors from Monterey and
Pacific Grove. The evening's focus was to acknowledge the dedication
of the volunteers and present the monitoring results. A draft report
is undergoing internal review.
Special Events
The MBNMS was selected to be the Grand Marshals for the First Night
Monterey celebrations and parade on December 31st. Staff decorated the
30 ft P/B Shark Cat for their float. Many staff members participated
in the parade, wearing their MBNMS hats, shirts and jackets. Liz “Sponge
Bob” Love, was the hit of the parade!
On Friday, January 10, 2003 Rachel Saunders, MBNMS Community and Public
Relations Coordinator, spearheaded an informal gathering with public
relations managers from area institutions (e.g., the Monterey Bay Aquarium,
MBARI, U.C.Santa Cruz, Moss Landing Marine Labs and the MATE Program)
to share information on activities and to set up a mechanism for on-going
communications.
Lisa Emanuelson, Karen Grimmer, Liz Love and Rachel Saunders helped
staff the life sized, inflatable Humpback whale for Whale Fest this
past weekend at the Monterey wharf. Visitors from as far away as Germany
and England were treated to a view of a life sized whale, as well as
the opportunity to walk inside. We were able to hand out many calendars,
posters and goodies, and educated many people about the sanctuary. Fun
was had by all!
Significant News Coverage
"Disease takes toll on otters; Scientists finding evidence of infection
in dead marine life" by Kate Ramsayer, The Monterey County Herald,
11/21/02.
“New system cleans up car wash wastewater in city” By Karen
Davis, The Santa Cruz Sentinel, 11/30/02.
"Cruise line confirms port of call in Monterey" by Ken McLaughlin,
The Monterey County Herald, 10/5/02.
"Marine program aimed at Latinos," Salinas Californian, 12/5/02.
“Local panel explores sanctuary status” by Kathe Tanner,
The Cambrian, 12/6/02.
"Bay fishing in a rut; Monterey's seafood industry founders amid
chaotic change" by Dan Laidman, The Monterey County Herald, 12/9/02.
“Troubled Waters: Talk of a marine sanctuary to protect SLO county
coastline could get knotty” by Daniel Blackburn, New Times, 12/12/02.
"Monterey should cruise with caution" Editorial, The Monterey
County Herald, 12/14/02.
On December 17th, two local news stations, KSBW-TV Channel 8 and KSMS-TV
Univision 67 (Spanish) filmed the MERITO after school program during
their field trip to Watsonville wetlands. KSBW aired the broadcast at
6:00pm that day, and gave a brief description of the MERITO program
and the school groups activities that day. Spanish station KSMS broadcast
their segment on December 19th at 6 and 11pm, and presented a more in
depth view of the program through student and teacher interviews, and
an interview with Michelle Templeton, the MBNMS Bilingual Outreach Specialist.
For more information, contact Karen
Grimmer at (831) 647-4253.
On December 11, the Spanish newspaper, El Sol printed an article on
the MERITO program titled, "Programa marino se enfocará
en los Latinos".
“Gray whales journey south; Visible along central coast through
February,” by Amy Ettinger, The Monterey County Herald, 1/9/03.
“Natural cycle key culprit in plight of sardines, scientists say;
Study shows debate about overfishing,” by Emily Singer, The Monterey
County Herald, 1/10/03.
“Pesticide runoff waivers challenged,” The Monterey County
Herald, 1/10/03.
“Standard for dolphin-safe tuna labeling delayed,” The Monterey
County Herald, 1/10/03.
“California looks seaward for future water; New technology makes
desalination plants cheaper,” by Laura Wides, The Monterey County
Herald, 1/12/03.
“Whale time at the wharf,” by Kechia Smith-Gran, The Monterey
County Herald, 1/13/03.
“Weather worn coast; El Nino triggering severe shoreline erosion,”
by Dennis Moran and Elisabeth Nadin.
“Abalone restoration plan; State wants to restore depleted stocks”
by Colleen Valles, AP, The Monterey County Herald and Santa Cruz Sentinel,
1/27/03.
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