Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 8, 2007

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MONITOR SANCTUARY EXPEDITION, DOCUMENTARY FEATURED IN NOAA SANCTUARIES REPORT

Last summer's expedition to the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary and the resulting video documentary are among the major accomplishments highlighted in the 2006 State of the Sanctuaries Report, an annual summary of the NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program's most significant achievements.

"NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program helps preserve the many stories of America's history hidden under the sea," said Monitor sanctuary Superintendent David Alberg. "As the first national marine sanctuary, the Monitor paved the way for other sanctuary designations and promoted public understanding and appreciation of our nation's maritime heritage. Our summer expedition gave the public an up-close-and personal experience with researchers studying a historic wreck 240 feet below the surface."

In addition to the filmed expedition, the report highlights other accomplishments that took place at the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. These include the opening of the new USS Monitor Center at The Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia, featuring a full-size steel replica of the Monitor, expanded education programs and continued conservation efforts on Monitor artifacts.

The 2006 State of the Sanctuaries Report also details science, education, and resource protection accomplishments throughout the sanctuary system, including establishing the world's largest area of marine protection in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and shifting shipping lanes to reduce the risks of ship strikes to endangered whales in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

"Our 2006 accomplishments reflect the significant progress being made by the National Marine Sanctuary Program to develop results-oriented resource protection, science, management and educational programs," said sanctuary program Director Daniel J. Basta. "I am especially proud of our program's five years of hard work with our partners that resulted in the president establishing the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument."

Information on the Monitor sanctuary accomplishments and more across the sanctuary system, including in-depth features, stunning images and videos, are available on the sanctuary program website

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

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and service to the nation. From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.

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