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NOAA’S MONTEREY BAY NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY ANNOUNCES ADVISORY COUNCIL MEMBERS

• Agriculture B Primary member: Kirk Schmidt, Watsonville, Calif. Schmidt owns Quail Mountain Herbs and previously served as the agriculture alternate on the advisory council.
• Fishing B Primary member: Tom Canale, Santa Cruz, Calif.; Alternate: Howard Egan, Capitola, Calif. Canale is a commercial fisherman appointed to a second term on the advisory council. Egan is a recreational fisherman and active member of the Coastside Fishing Club and Recreational Fishing Alliance.
• Conservation B Primary member: Kaitilin Gaffney, Santa Cruz, Calif.; Alternate: Steve Shimek, Marina, Calif. Gaffney is the Central Coast Program Manager for The Ocean Conservancy and previously served as the conservation alternate on the advisory council. Shimek is the Executive Director of The Otter Project.
• Research B Primary member: Dr. Christopher Harrold, Carmel Valley, Calif.; Alternate: Dr. Jeffrey Paduan, Monterey, Calif. Both Harrold and Paduan are appointed to second terms on the advisory council. Harrold is the Director of Research and Conservation for the Monterey Bay Aquarium; Paduan is an Associate Professor of Oceanography at the Naval Postgraduate School.
• Recreation B Primary member: Dan Haifley, Santa Cruz, Calif. Haifley is appointed to a second term on the advisory council and is the Executive Director of O'Neill Sea Odyssey.
• At-Large B Primary member: Deborah Streeter, Carmel, Calif. Alternate: Harriet Mitteldorf, Pebble Beach, Calif. Both Streeter and Mitteldorf are appointed to second terms on the Advisory Council. Streeter is a Minister and Director of Upwellings: A Ministry of Environmental Stewardship; Mitteldorf is a retired business executive and active community member.
• At-Large B Primary member: Margaret Webb, Cambria, Calif.; Alternate: Robert Frischmuth, Pacific Grove, Calif. Webb is an attorney-at-law; Frischmuth is a retired engineer and active community member. Sanctuary Advisory Council members and alternatives serve three-year terms. Alternates attend meetings when members are not available and assume a seat if a member resigns. The advisory council meets bi-monthly in daytime public sessions located throughout the 276-mile stretch of coast bordering the sanctuary.
  

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council was established in March 1994 to assure continued public participation in the management of the sanctuary. Serving in a volunteer capacity, the advisory council's 20 voting members represent a variety of local user groups, as well as the general public, plus seven local, state and federal government jurisdictions. Since its establishment, the advisory council has played a vital role in advising the sanctuary and NOAA on critical issues and is currently focused on the sanctuary's development of a new five-year management plan.

The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary stretches along 276 miles of central California coast and encompasses more than 5,300 square miles of ocean area. Renowned for its scenic beauty and remarkable productivity, the sanctuary supports one of the world's most diverse marine ecosystems, including 33 species of marine mammals, 94 species of seabirds, 345 species of fishes and thousands of marine invertebrates and plants.

NOAA 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, the sanctuary program manages 13 national marine sanctuaries and one coral reef ecosystem reserve that encompass more than 150,000 square miles of America's ocean and Great Lakes natural and cultural resources.

NOAA's National Ocean Service manages the NMSP and is dedicated to exploring, understanding, conserving and restoring the nation's coasts and oceans. The 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.

The Commerce Department's NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources.

On the Web:
NOAA - http://www.noaa.gov
National Ocean Service - https://oceanservice.noaa.gov
National Marine Sanctuary Program - http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary - http://montereybay.noaa.gov