NOAA 2004-R446
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ben Sherman
5/28/04
 NOAA News Releases 2004
NOAA Home Page
NOAA Public Affairs


NOAA’S MONTEREY BAY NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY
ANNOUNCES NEW ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS

NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary announced the appointment of five members and alternates to serve on the site’s advisory council today. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

The following were named to fill open primary seat for business and the alternate seats for business, agriculture, recreation and education are the following individuals:

  • Business – Primary member: Nancy Black, owner of Monterey Bay Whale Watch, a commercial whale watching company operated from Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey. Black, a resident of Pacific Grove, Calif., also co-owns Monterey Bay Boat Charters, Inc., which includes commercial passenger-carrying vessels.
  • Business – Alternate member: Anjanette Adams, general manager of Monterey Bay Kayaks, a commercial kayaking company located in Monterey and Moss Landing. She also resides in Pacific Grove.
  • Agriculture – Alternate member: Tim Frahm, director of conservation and water quality for the San Mateo County Farm Bureau. Frahm resides in Half Moon Bay, Calif.
  • Recreation – Alternate member: Gary Pezzi, an active member of the Santa Cruz Chapter of Surfrider Foundation for the past 10 years and an associate vice president and financial advisor with Morgan Stanley. He resides in Watsonville, Calif.
  • Education – Alternate member: Steve Clark, a former Monterey High School and Monterey Peninsula College science teacher. Clark, a resident of Pacific Grove, was one of the founders of Monterey High School’s Academy of Oceanographic Science.

“We are committed to working in partnership with the community and the advisory council to make the sanctuary a success,” said Sanctuary Superintendent William Douros. “We are especially pleased to have two local ocean-related businesses join the advisory council as their businesses bring thousands of people to the sanctuary every year. Collaboration with these on-the-sanctuary operators, as well as all the other constituencies represented on the advisory council is a key ingredient to the sanctuary’s successful promotion of responsible ocean stewardship.”

The newly appointed members will be sworn in at the advisory council’s 9:00 a.m. June 4 meeting at the Canterbury Woods Retirement Facility, 651 Sinex Avenue, Pacific Grove, Calif. The meeting is open to the public.

Advisory council members and alternates serve three-year terms. Alternates attend meetings when members are not available and assume a seat if a member resigns. The advisory council meets bi-monthly in daytime public sessions at locations throughout the 276-mile stretch of coast bordering the sanctuary.

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council was established in March 1994 to assure continued public participation in the management of the sanctuary. Serving in a volunteer capacity, the advisory council’s 20 voting members represent a variety of local user groups, as well as the general public, plus seven local, state and federal government jurisdictions. Since its establishment, the advisory council 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 five-year management plan.

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary stretches along 276 miles of central California coast and encompasses more than 5,300 square 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.

NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary Program seeks to increase the public awareness of America’s maritime heritage by conducting scientific research, monitoring, exploration and educational programs. Today, the sanctuary program manages 13 national marine sanctuaries and one coral reef ecosystem reserve that encompass more than 150,000 square miles of America’s ocean and Great Lakes natural and cultural resources.

NOAA’s National Ocean Service manages the National Marine Sanctuary Program and is dedicated to exploring, understanding, conserving and restoring the nation’s coasts and oceans. NOAA’s 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.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

National Ocean Service: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov

National Marine Sanctuary Program: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary: http://montereybay.noaa.gov

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: http://montereybay.noaa.gov/intro/advisory/advisory.html