Workshop will highlight changes to marine sanctuary

Coastsiders will get a chance to hear from experts on a range of coastal and ocean issues, as well as learn about the regulatory changes for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary at a community workshop in Montara on Tuesday, Nov 14 from 7 to 9pm.

The event, at the Pt. Montara Lighthouse Hostel, 16th St at Highway 1, will highlight topics specific to the San Mateo County coastside community including wildlife disturbance, beach contamination and water quality presented by conservation experts:

 

• James Alamillo, Urban Programs Manager for Heal the Bay

 

• Tim Eichenberg, director of the Pacific regional office of The Ocean Conservancy, and adjunct professor of law at the Vermont Law School Environmental Law Center

 

• Bob Breen, vice chair of the Gulf of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council, marine biology teacher at Half Moon Bay High School and recently-retired longtime naturalist/ranger for Fitzgerald Marine Reserve

Admission is free. Seating is limited. Click below for more information on the program.

The program also features a film, Oceans for the Future, and spectacular underwater imagery of photographer Marc Shargel of Lumigenic Media/Living Sea Images, available for purchase.

"This is a critical opportunity for the public to weigh in on the management plan by which the sanctuary will operate under for the next decade," said Mike Osmond, senior program officer with World Wildlife Fund’s California Marine office. "The Making Waves sessions will help teach citizens to be an effective voice for protecting our coast and ocean at the upcoming public hearing." 

The public can submit their comments at a public hearing hosted by the National Marine Sanctuary Program scheduled for December 6 at Community United Methodist Church, 777 Miramontes Street in Half Moon Bay, or in writing anytime before January 5, 2007. 

FACT SHEET

About Northern and Central California’s National Marine Sanctuaries: Three sanctuaries ~ Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary ~  encompass some of the richest and most diverse marine habitats along the West Coast. 

About the Draft Management Plans:  The National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) under the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration manages our three sanctuaries.  Since their establishment, the waters of these sanctuaries have come under increasing pressure from considerable development and change in the coastal and inland communities adjacent to their boundaries. The National Marine Sancuaries Act mandates regular reviews of management plans for each sanctuary.  The NMSP prepared draft Management Plans and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Cordell Bank, Gulf of the Farallones, and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries after nearly three years of a complex process that included public input, issue prioritization, and recommendations from each site’s Sanctuary Advisory Councils. In early 2002, public scoping meetings were held to develop "action plans" that addressed a wide variety of issues.  The actions plans have formed the basis of the new management plan that will provide sanctuary management with the ability to respond to these changes through an updated plan. 

For more information on the EIS and draft Management Plan log onto http://sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov/jointplan

"Making Waves: An Evening Dedicated to Our Blue Backyard," is made possible in part by the Resources Legacy Foundation Fund (California Coastal and Marine Initiative), San Francisco Foundation, Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment, Mental Insight Foundation, members of Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association, and The Marine Mammal Center. In partnership with Seymour Marine Discovery Center, Randall Museum, Bay Model Visitor Center, Monterey Institute of International Studies, and Marc Shargel/LivingSeaimages.com.