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Press Release |
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FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE
NOAA02-r434
September 23, 2002
CONTACT:
Nancy Berenson
Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
(805) 884-1469
The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, managed by the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is seeking a volunteer to serve a three year term with the sanctuary advisory council as an education representative in charge of communicating with educators and learning institutions.
The sanctuary is looking for a trained educator or an applicant who can demonstrate affiliation with or experience in effectively communicating with the region's multiple educational institutions and educators.
Direct experience with marine education or outreach programs is a plus. Serving in a volunteer capacity, advisory council members provide counsel and recommendations to the sanctuary manager on issues of marine resource protection, education and research. The advisory council plays an important role in advising the sanctuary on critical issues, such as the establishment of marine reserves (no-take zones) and the development of a new sanctuary management plan.
The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary advisory council was established in 1998, and consists of 20 voting members and 21 alternates that represent a variety of local user groups, the general public, and ten local, state and federal governmental jurisdictions. The group typically meets every other month in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Council members are appointed for three-year terms.
Candidates must apply no later than October 11. Application materials and additional information is available on the sanctuary Web site at: http://www.cinms.nos.noaa.gov/sac/main.html. Candidates may also contact Nancy Berenson at (805) 884-1469 or nancy.berenson@noaa.gov. Completed applications should be mailed to: Advisory Council Coordinator, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, 113 Harbor Way, Santa Barbara, CA 93109.
The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary (CINMS) is located approximately five miles off the coast of Oxnard, Calif., and 17 miles off the coast of Santa Barbara. The sanctuary encompasses approximately 1,252 square nautical miles of ocean and nearshore-habitat surrounding San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa and Santa Barbara islands. This protected marine area provides refuge for 28 species of marine mammals and over 60 species of seabirds.
The sanctuary contains a variety of habitats including sandy beaches, rocky reefs, kelp forests, seagrass meadows, open ocean, and deep hard and soft bottom benthic communities that are home to an incredibly diverse array of plant and animal species. Channel Island National Marine Sanctuary has an abundance of historical and cultural resources, including over 200 documented shipwrecks and numerous Chumash Native American sites and artifacts. Designated in September 1980, the sanctuary is the nation's fourth largest marine sanctuary and is administered under NOAA.
The National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) seeks to increase the 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. In addition, the NMSP is now conducting a sanctuary designation process to incorporate the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve into the national sanctuary system. For more information about the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, visit: http://www.cinms.nos.noaa.gov.
NOAA Ocean Service (NOAA Ocean Service) manages the National Marine Sanctuary Program and is dedicated to exploring, understanding, conserving, and restoring the nation's coasts and oceans. NOAA 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. To learn more about NOAA Ocean Service and the National Marine Sanctuary Program, please visit: http://www.nos.noaa.gov.
