Press Release Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council Meets in Salinas on February 25, 2002

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council
Meets in Salinas on February 25, 2002

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) will meet on Monday, February 25, 2002 from 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at the National Steinbeck Center (One Main Street), in Salinas, CA. The Advisory Council is scheduled to continue work on the Sanctuary’s joint management plan review (JMPR), and receive a staff analysis of the public’s initial scoping comments to date. They will also hear a presentation from Congressman Leon Panetta on his involvement with the Pew Oceans Commission.

"The Advisory Council, and its working groups, are important tools in getting citizens involved in the management of this Sanctuary,” said William J. Douros, Superintendent of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. “At the upcoming meeting, the Advisory Council will discuss criteria for prioritizing the huge array of joint management plan review issues we received during the scoping process. In addition, they will hear an interesting presentation from our agricultural partners on the implementation of the Agricultural and Rural Lands Action Program.”

Advisory Council members will discuss and help define their role in helping to develop action plans for the new management plan, and get an update on the marine reserves working group, a sub-committee of the Alliance of Communities for Sustainable Fisheries. Other agenda items include some time for public comment, and taking input for the next SAC meeting scheduled for April.

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council was established by Federal law to assure continued public participation in the management of the Sanctuary. Its nineteen voting members represent a variety of local user groups, as well as the general public, plus seven local, state and federal governmental jurisdictions. The meeting is open to the public.

More information about the February 25, 2002 Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council meeting can be found at: http://montereybay.nos.noaa.gov/intro/advisory/
sac_agendas/2002SACagendas/022502sacagenda.html

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MONTEREY BAY NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY
ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING

DRAFT AGENDA	MONTEREY BAY NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING February 25, 2002 National Steinbeck Center One Main Street Salinas
8:30 AM	Coffe and Sign-in
9:00 AM	Call to Order Roll Call Swear-in of new SAC Member Dedication to Moss Landing Harbor District Dedication to Steinbeck’s Centennial Approval of 12/7/01 DRAFT Meeting Minutes	Stephanie Harlan
9:15 AM	Council Member & Staff Announcements	Harlan
9:45 AM	Public Comment: Items Not on the Agenda	Harlan
10:00 AM	Presentation: Pew Oceans Commission	Cong. Leon Panetta
11:00 AM	Presentation: Agricultural & Rural Lands Action Plan	Holly Price/Katie Siegler/Kelly Huff/Daniel Mountjoy
12:00 PM	Update: Fisheries Alliance/MBNMS Process	Holly Price/Tom Canale
12:15 PM	Election of SAC Secretary	Harlan
12:20 PM	Lunch & view video on Oceans for the Future
1:00 PM	Summary: Joint Management Plan Review (JMPR) Public Comment & Schedule Update	Sean Morton
1:30 PM	Discussion: Draft Criteria for Prioritizing JMPR Issues	Morton/SAC Members
3:00 PM	Presentation: Staff Analysis of Scoping Comments	Douros/Morton
3:15 PM	Action: Set April 5, 2002 SAC Meeting Agenda	Harlan
3:30 PM	ADJOURN

* TIMES ARE APPROXIMATE - AN ITEM MAY BE PRESENTED OR DISCUSSED SOONER OR LATER THAN SHOWN ON THE AGENDA.

Directions to National Steinbeck Center:

From Monterey, take Route 68 East, 17 miles to downtown Salinas. Continue through Oldtown to One Main Street. From the North, take Hwy. 101 South to the Salinas Main Street exit. Continue on North Main to 3rd light. The Center is on the left. From the South, take 101 north to John St. exit. Turn left on John St. to South Main. Turn right on South Main and continue 5 blocks to the Center.