Press Release

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Seeks Four New Advisory Council Representatives

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is recruiting highly motivated individuals to fill four Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) seats that expire in April of 2001. The seats include: Conservation, Diving, Education and Tourism.

Interested persons must submit a completed application to the Sanctuary by December 14, 2001. The Sanctuary will select both primary and alternate representatives for each seat later this year. The new representatives will begin their terms at the April 5, 2002 SAC meeting.

“The Sanctuary Advisory Council provides a mechanism for individuals and user groups to be involved in the management of the Sanctuary’s resources,” says William J. Douros, Superintendent, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. “The Sanctuary has enjoyed an incredibly productive partnership with all the representatives on the advisory council. I look forward to working closely with the conservation, diving, education, and tourism representatives, along with the rest of the SAC over the next few years, particularly as we begin the process to revise our management plan.”

The 23-member Monterey Bay Sanctuary Advisory Council consists of representatives from local user groups, education and research institutions, conservation organizations, and Federal and State resource management agencies. Council members are volunteers and serve three-year terms. The Council meets the first Friday of every other month at various coastal communities between Cambria and San Francisco. All meetings are open to the public.

Council members provide advice and recommendations to the Sanctuary Superintendent on issues of marine resource protection, education and research. Advisory Council representatives serve as liaisons between their constituencies -- such as the fishing or agriculture industries -- and the Sanctuary, by keeping the Sanctuary staff informed of issues and concerns, as well as performing outreach to their constituencies on the Sanctuary’s behalf.

Anyone interested in applying for any of the four seats can request an advisory council application package from the Sanctuary office (application forms and the Council Charter and Protocols are also available on the Sanctuary webpage at http://montereybay.nos.noaa.gov). Completed applications must be postmarked or received in the office no later than December 14, 2001. Please call Karen Grimmer at (831) 647-4253 to request an application package.

Completed applications should be mailed to the following address:

Karen Grimmer
MBNMS Advisory Council Coordinator
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
299 Foam Street
Monterey, CA 93940

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is one of 13 marine sanctuaries administered by the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The Sanctuary extends from Marin County to San Luis Obispo County, encompassing almost 300 miles of shoreline and 5,322 square miles of ocean. It is home to numerous mammals, seabirds, fish, invertebrates, and plants, in a remarkably productive coastal environment. Information on the Sanctuary may be found at http://montereybay.nos.noaa.gov