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At the onset of a management plan review, the National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) holds public meetings to "scope out" or get input from resource users, interest groups, government agencies, and other members of the public on resource management issues. This input will help define the range of issues that the program needs to address during the management plan review. What kind of comments are we looking for? Scoping meetings provide an opportunity for people to make direct comments to the NMSP and the local sanctuary on issues related to management of the sanctuary's natural and cultural resources and overall administration. We encourage interested members of the public to participate in the management plan review and welcome any comments related to the sanctuary. In particular, we are interested in hearing about the public's view on : effectiveness of the existing management plan in protecting sanctuary resources How can you provide input? The NMSP and the local sanctuaries encourage interested members of the public to participate and provide comments at one of the 20 scoping meetings held in communities throughout the three-sanctuary region, from Gualala in Sonoma County to Cambria in San Luis Obispo County, and one each in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. (see reverse side for meeting dates, times, and locations). Each meeting is equally important. At each venue, participants may comment on issues related to each of the three individual sanctuaries or all three together. Those unable to attend the scoping meetings in person can mail or fax written comments directly to one of the management plan review coordinators. Comments may also be submitted via e-mail directly on the project website at http://sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov/jointplan/. The public comment period remains open until January 31, 2002. What can I expect at the scoping meetings? Scoping meetings provide a forum for the public to provide comments to sanctuary staff on one or all of the three sanctuaries. They are not decision making meetings. Meetings will generally follow a similar format, but they will be flexible enough to accomodate the number of people in attendance and the physical constraints of each location. At the beginning of each scoping meeting, sanctuary staff will provide all the participants with a summary of the Joint Management Plan Review, detail the scoping meeting format, and answer any questions. Following the introduction, the group will breakup into discussion groups consisting of 10 to 12 people. A group leader will help guide the discussion and ensure everyone has the opportunity to talk and provide comments. Each group will have a recorder who will summarize each of the comments on a chart so the group can see their comments are being recorded. What's next after scoping? Comments from each of the scoping meetings, as well as written comments and e-mail, will be summarized and posted on the NMSP website. The individual sanctuaries will work with their respective Sanctuary Advisory Councils and other members of the public to help prioritize issues to be addressed during this management plan review and later to develop a draft management plan.
Note, the public comment period remained open until January 31, 2002
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