Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 20, 2007

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NOAA'S MONITOR NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY SEEKS APPLICANTS FOR ADVISORY COUNCIL

Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is seeking applicants to fill five seats on its advisory council, which ensures public participation in sanctuary management and provides advice to the sanctuary superintendent.

The sanctuary is accepting applications for the following advisory council seats: Recreational Diving, Maritime Archaeological Research, Conservation, Heritage Tourism, and Citizen-At-Large.

"Sanctuary advisory councils have proven to be an invaluable source of advice and input by members of the community regarding the management of our national marine sanctuaries, America's ocean treasures," said David Alberg, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary superintendent.

The sanctuary program selects council members based on their expertise and experience in relation to the seats for which they are applying. Consideration includes knowledge of sanctuary resources, community and professional affiliations, residency in the sanctuary area, and philosophy regarding the protection and management of marine resources. Terms run for two years and members serve without pay. Current seat holders may re-apply.

Applications are due by November 9, 2007. Council member application packages may be obtained by contacting Krista Trono at (757) 591-7328, or by e-mail at Krista.Trono@noaa.gov.

Application packages are also available at the sanctuary's website. Completed applications should be mailed to Krista Trono, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary,100 Museum Drive Newport News, VA 23606.

Monitor National Marine Sanctuary was designated in 1975 to protect the wreck of the famed Civil War ironclad USS Monitor, which sank during a storm 16 miles off Cape Hatteras, N.C. in 1862.

NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program 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.

NOAA, 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 70 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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