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Press Release |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOAA03-R421
May 14, 2003
Jeff Gray, NOAA
(989) 356-8805 ext.12
Kate Thompson, NOAA
(989) 356-8805 ext.10
The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve, managed by NOAA, the Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the State of Michigan, is seeking five volunteer advisors, and five alternates, to serve as education, tourism, diving, maritime history and interpretation and citizen at large representatives on the Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) for two-year terms.
The volunteer representatives provide advice and recommendations for the management of the sanctuary to the Sanctuary Manager and the Joint Management Committee, a state and federal body that oversees major sanctuary policy, management, and budget issues. Council members serve as liaisons to the community regarding sanctuary issues and concerns.
Sanctuary management partners, NOAA and the State of Michigan, will review applications and agree upon the new members. A member and alternate will be selected for each seat. Applicants are chosen based upon their expertise and experience in relation to the seat for which they are applying. Considerations include community and professional affiliations, philosophy on the conservation and management of marine and Great Lake resources, and the length of residence in the area affected by the sanctuary. Alternatives have voting privileges when the primary representative cannot attend a meeting.
Applications will be accepted for the open seats from May 13 to June 6. Application packets can be obtained at the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve office in the Federal Building, 145 Water Street, Alpena, Michigan during business hours or contact Kate Thompson at 356-8805 (ext 10) or Kate.Kauffman@noaa.gov. Application packets can also be downloaded from the sanctuary Web site.
The SAC was established in 1997 and consists of 15 members who represent a variety of local user groups, the public, and local and state government jurisdictions. The council typically meets several times per year.
Managed by the NOAA National Ocean Service, the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve is located in Lake Huron off lower Michigan’s northeast coast. The Sanctuary protects the nationally significant collection of shipwrecks in the Thunder Bay region.
The NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) seeks to increase public awareness of America’s maritime heritage by conducting scientific research, monitoring, exploration and educational programs. Today, 13 national marine sanctuaries encompass more than 18,000 square miles of America’s ocean and Great Lakes natural and cultural resources.
The NOAA National Ocean Service is dedicated to exploring, understanding, conserving and restoring the nation’s coasts and oceans. The NOAA National Ocean Service balances environmental protection with economic prosperity in fulfilling its mission of promoting safe navigation, supporting coastal communities, sustaining coastal habitats, and mitigating coastal hazards.
NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through research to better understand weather and climate-related events and to manage wisely the nation's coastal and marine resources.
On the Web:
NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov
NOAA National Ocean Service: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov
NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve: http://thunderbay.noaa.gov
Sanctuary Advisory Council Applications: http://thunderbay.noaa.gov/sac/sac.html
