Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, which extends to Cambria, includes birds such as this snowy egret in its various ecosystems. Photo by Amity Wood NOAA.
The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council will meet in Cambria Friday May 15, at the Coast Union School District board room, 1350 Main Street, 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Open to the public. SLO At Large member Christine Heinrichs will welcome the group to the first Cambria meeting in two years.
Paul Michel, senior advisor for NOAA Sanctuaries West Coast Region and Interim Community and Government Affairs Coordinator for Chumash Heritage NMS, will report on CHNMS progress, Monterey Bay NMS’s adjacent sanctuary.
Alyssa Leadingham, Ocean Guardian School program coordinator for NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, will focus her report on schools in the Cambria area. Ocean Guardian programs such as Youth Ambassador and Kids Clubs encourage children to get out into their natural coastal surroundings. Activities help them form a personal connection to the ocean and/or watersheds where they live.
John Armor, director of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), will make a presentation. He is the primary point of contact with the administration and Congress. He conveys to them the value national marine sanctuaries have to the communities around them. The National Marine Sanctuary System supports recreation, tourism, and commercial activities driving coastal economies.
National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council members represent a variety of interests, from fishing to science to conservation. The MBNMS Advisory Council is a community-based group that provides advice and recommendations to the MBNMS superintendent. The council also serves as liaison between the community and the sanctuary. Sanctuary advisory councils provide advice about sanctuary operations and projects, including education and outreach, research and science, regulations and enforcement, and management planning.
Time is allotted for public comments and questions during the meeting.
NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary encompasses a remarkably productive marine environment, ranging from its kelp forests to rocky shores, sandy beaches, estuaries, the Davidson Seamount, and Monterey Canyon. Its coastline stretches 276 miles and 6,094 square miles of ocean. The sanctuary was designated in 1992 to protect these marine ecosystems and cultural and maritime resources while promoting sustainable use. The sanctuary allows for recreational and commercial activities while conserving natural resources, water quality, habitats, and bountiful resident and migratory marine life.