Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 15, 2008

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NOAA's Monitor National Marine Sanctuary Seeks Applicants for Advisory Council Seats

NOAA's Monitor National Marine Sanctuary is seeking to fill one seat and one alternate position 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 fishing advisory council seat. One primary member and one alternate will be selected for the seat. Alternates attend meetings when members are not available, but are encouraged to attend other meetings and participate in all council activities.

The Monitor Sanctuary Advisory Council consists of 13 members, including nine non-governmental voting seats representing recreational diving, heritage tourism, education, conservation, maritime museums, marine archaeology research, and recreational/commercial fishing. There are also four governmental voting seats representing the U.S. Navy, North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources, Virginia Department of Cultural Resources, and the National Park Service.

Applicants will be chosen based on their expertise and experience in relation to the seat for which they are applying. Consideration includes knowledge of sanctuary resources, community and professional affiliations, residency in the sanctuary area, and views regarding the protection and management of marine resources. Applicants who are chosen as members should expect to serve two-year terms. The council usually meets at least quarterly throughout the year.

Applications are due by Sept. 15, 2008. To receive an application kit, or for further information please contact Shannon Ricles at 757-591-7328 or by writing to: Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, 100 Museum Drive, Newport News, VA 23606. Completed applications should be mailed to the above address.

Established in 1975 as the nation's first marine sanctuary, the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary is managed by NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. It is dedicated to protecting the wreck of the famed Civil War ironclad USS Monitor, located 16 miles off the coast of North Carolina. Artifacts recovered by the sanctuary and the U.S. Navy are being conserved and exhibited at The Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Va.

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