NEW MANAGER NAMED
FOR NOAA’S HAWAIIAN ISLANDS HUMPBACK WHALE NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY

As manager of NOAA’s Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary (HIHWNMS), McIntosh will oversee the management of over 1,300 square miles of one of the world’s most important humpback whale habitats. The sanctuary was established in 1997 to protect the North Pacific population of the endangered humpback whale.

“Naomi’s service with the National Marine Sanctuary Program predated the establishment of the Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary,” said Richard W. Spinrad, assistant administrator for the NOAA National Ocean Service. “We are pleased that she will continue her stewardship of these important resources from a leadership position, and that she will continue to serve the sanctuary, which is one of America’s ocean treasures, in her new role as its manager.”

McIntosh came to the National Marine Sanctuary Program in March 1994 as the sanctuary’s Oahu office liaison assisting in program development with projects such as resource protection, research and monitoring, and coordinating public and media relations, education and outreach.

As acting manager, McIntosh oversaw the successful completion of the sanctuary’s five-year management plan review and gubernatorial approval, undertook innovative actions to foster public and private partnerships to promote conservation and management of the humpback whale and its habitat in Hawaii, and established several successful partnerships to benefit the sanctuary’s marine and cultural resources.

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 conducting a sanctuary designation process to incorporate the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve into the national sanctuary system.

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

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

Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale NMS: http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov