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Press Releases |
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December 16, 2002--The NOAA Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary today released the first image of historic shipwrecks, the schooners Frank A. Palmer and Louise B. Crary. The two vessels were bringing coal to Boston when they collided and sank together 100 years ago this week. Side scan sonar images clearly show the hulls of the two large sailing vessels still locked at their bows. The wrecks are off the Massachusetts coast located within the boundaries of the sanctuary managed by the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
December 10, 2002--New nautical charts delivered after December 1 will depict the waters of the NOAA Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary as an area to be voluntarily avoided by ships greater than 1,600 tons, said National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) sanctuary officials. Although voluntary, the measure is expected to keep large commercial ships further offshore to reduce the threat of oil spills at the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and for the outer Washington Coast. NOAA is an agency of the Commerce Department.
November 26, 2002--The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary has released three new side-scan sonar images of the coastal steam ship Portland, which rests on the sea floor of the sanctuary. The ship sank November 27, 1898, during the infamous "Portland Gale of 1898" with the loss of all 192 passengers and crew.
November 13, 2002--Deputy Secretary of Commerce Sam Bodman joined with shipping industry representatives today to announce that the department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has taken historic steps through the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to create the first U.S. zone to protect coral from anchors, groundings and collisions from large international ships. The zone, known as the Florida Keys' Particularly Sensitive Sea Area, is more than 3,000 square nautical miles and is one of only five such areas in the world.
November 7, 2002--In an effort to determine the amount of pollution the heavy rains wash into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, more than 24 volunteers worked with sanctuary staff and the Coastal Watershed Council early this morning to collect water samples from the rain's "First Flush" at Capitola and Santa Cruz, Calif. An additional 31 volunteers stand ready in Monterey and Pacific Grove to collect samples once the rains hit Monterey County later today. Based on the findings from 19 collection sites, education programs can then be designed and prioritized to reduce the pollution flowing into the sanctuary. The Monterey Bay Sanctuary is managed by Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
November 4, 2002--The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is seeking applicants for a Citizen At-Large representative on the Sanctuary's Advisory Council. One member and one alternate will be chosen for the council position. The general public is welcome to apply and candidates selected should expect to serve until February 2005. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
October 17, 2002--Archaeologists and conservators from Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and The Mariners' Museum have recovered a wide array of artifacts that range from clothing to cannon parts after weeks of digging through more than four feet of 140-year-old silt that filled the USS Monitor gun turret. The Civil War gun turret was recovered from the bottom of NOAA's Monitor National Marine Sanctuary on Aug. 5, 2002, during a 41-day expedition that brought the turret to The Mariners' Museum for further excavation and conservation.
September 12, 2002-- The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced today that Hawaii Governor Benjamin J. Cayetano has approved a revised final management plan that guides the operation of NOAA's Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary in state waters for the next five years.
September 9, 2002--The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) today announced Christopher T. Mobley will become the manager of NOAA's Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary on Nov. 1, 2002.
September 5, 2002--The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is celebrating its 10th anniversary with a series of free weekend community events focused on promoting coastal awareness, ocean exploration and environmental stewardship throughout the month of September.
August 29, 2002--The U.S. Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) today confirmed the final resting place of New England's most sought after and mysterious wreck, the steamship Portland. All 192 passengers and crew were lost in the Nov. 27, 1898 storm. The wreck is located within NOAA's Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, off the coast of Massachusetts.
August 28, 2002--Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Michigan Department of History, Arts and Libraries (HAL) will continue a unique collaboration with Dr. Robert Ballard (discoverer of the Titanic, PT109) and his scientific team from the Institute for Exploration (IFE) in a mission to explore and document the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve off the coast of Alpena, Mich.
August 5, 2002--Today, at 5:55 p.m., the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Navy succeeded in raising the world's first armored revolving gun turret from the wreck of the famous Civil War ironclad USS Monitor, which rests below 240 feet of water 16 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., in the "Graveyard of the Atlantic." Also recovered today were the vessel's two large Dahlgren cannons.
July 19, 2002--Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary will celebrate its 10th anniversary at Stage Fort Park in Gloucester, Mass., on Saturday with a free festival of exhibits and family activities. The 842-square-mile sanctuary of the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is home to many species of marine mammals, seabirds and fish, including the endangered northern right whale.
July 15, 2002-- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) researchers revealed initial findings today from a recent expedition to a shipwreck [Pac Baroness] near NOAA's Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary off Point Conception, Calif. NOAA is an agency of the Commerce Department.
July 10, 2002--Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, managed by the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is seeking applicants for nine Sanctuary Advisory Council seats. The seats available are for non-governmental members and include business/commerce, citizen-at-large, commercial shipping, conservation, fishing, native Hawaiian, ocean recreation, tourism and whale watching positions.
July 8, 2002--Wreckage was completely cleared today from the USS Monitor's famous and historic gun turret for the first time in 140 years. A team of U.S. Navy divers and scientists from the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration succeeded in removing a section of hull and armor belt that has covered the turret since the warship sank on New Year's Eve 1862 off Cape Hatteras, N.C.
July 3, 2002--Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary, managed by the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), is seeking applicants for eight Sanctuary Advisory Council seats. The seats available include the conservation, sport diving, sport fishing, education and research positions.
July 2, 2002--Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary has invited educators from around the country to get out of their classroom and into the Gulf of Mexico for a week-long educators' underwater exploration workshop, "Down Under, Out Yonder." The Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) manages the Flower Garden Bank Sanctuary, which organizes this popular annual event.
June 28, 2002--The Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary is opening its management plan review for public comment July 1 - October 18. The plan is found on the sanctuary's Web site and a public meeting schedule will soon be posted.
June 27, 2002--The Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Navy and The Mariners' Museum have begun the process of recovering the USS Monitor's revolving gun turret and cannons from the wreck of the famous Civil War ironclad that rests below 240 feet of water in the Atlantic off Cape Hatteras, N.C. The site is designated a NOAA national marine sanctuary.
June 25, 2002-- One of the most famous coral reefs in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, severely damaged in 1984 when a ship ran aground, is getting a helping hand toward recovery. The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has begun the restoration of the freighter Wellwood grounding site at Molasses Reef off Key Largo.
June 24, 2002--The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary has contracted with AMS Planning & Research of Petaluma, Calif., to conduct a comparative feasibility study of potential locations for a new marine sanctuary visitor education center. Funding for the $150,000 contract comes from the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which manages the sanctuary.
JUNE 6, 2002--On June 11th scientists and resource managers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will start probing the depths of Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary as the final leg of a two month excursion into new underwater environments. The program is called Sanctuary Quest: West Coast Expedition 2002, and is run by the sanctuary program of NOAA's National Ocean Service. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department.
JUNE 4, 2002-- Sailor, educator and marine mammal researcher Carol Keiper of Benicia, Calif., has been named Chair of the Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) for Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, and Joe Smith, Board member with the West Marin Chamber of Commerce from Marshall, Calif., has been named Vice Chair. The council is composed of private sector and government representatives who provide advice and recommendations to the Sanctuary Manager for the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), on issues affecting the 398-square nautical mile Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
JUNE 4, 2002 --Commercial fisher Barbara Emley of San Francisco has been named Chair of the Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) for Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, and Bob Breen, a marine reserve naturalist from Montara, has been named Vice Chair. The council is composed of private sector and government representatives who provide advice and recommendations to the Sanctuary Manager for the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), on issues affecting the 937 square nautical mile Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
MAY 23, 2002--The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the state of Michigan announced the hiring of Jefferson J. Gray as manager of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve in Lake Huron. Gray begins his work with the Sanctuary in Alpena, Mich., on July 15, 2002. As manager for the nation's first Great Lakes Sanctuary, Gray will oversee monitoring and preservation of the shipwrecks and other significant cultural resources in Thunder Bay.
MAY 22, 2002-- State waters of the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary reach a higher level of protection on June 19, 2002, when a No Discharge Zone (NDZ) designation takes effect. Under rules published today by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), boaters must pump out their sewage or make sure their marine sanitation devices (MSDs) cannot discharge overboard while in state waters.
MAY 20, 2002-- The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve took a great leap forward in its ability to explore and preserve our nation's maritime history with a new partnership with the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL) to share use of GLERL's research vessel, the R/V Shenehon. Both the Sanctuary and Underwater Preserve and GLERL are managed by the Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
APRIL 23, 2002--On April 24th, a group of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists and resource managers will start probing the depths of five Pacific Coast national marine sanctuaries on a 60-day excursion into new underwater environments. The program, called Sanctuary Quest: West Coast Expedition 2002, is run by the sanctuary program of NOAA's National Ocean Service. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department.
APRIL 22, 2002--The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced today that a team of divers led by a NOAA archaeologist has identified a mystery wreck in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary as a former Canadian warship. NOAA's National Marine Sanctuary Program officials plan to nominate the site to the National Register of Historic Places.
APRIL 21, 2002-- Three Florida Keys residents were honored today as "Environmental Heroes" by Scott B. Gudes, Deputy Under Secretary with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), at the annual Earth Day celebration at Cheeca Lodge. George Hommell, Jr., Fran Ford, and Dr. Steve Dimse were recognized for their continuing efforts to protect the environment in the Florida Keys. NOAA is an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department.
APRIL 18, 2002-- More than 120 trained volunteers will spend Saturday, April 20 testing the quality of stream water in 11 major watersheds that run into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary as part of the third annual "Snapshot Day" event sponsored by the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
APRIL 4, 2002-- The Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Georgia will sponsor the 4th annual Gray's Reef Ocean Fest on April 13, on Savannah's River Street at Rousakis Plaza. The Ocean Fest mixes educational activities and family entertainment to raise awareness of the sanctuary's ecosystem and the ocean environment of Georgia's Low Country.
MARCH 15, 2002-- The Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is announcing today four interrelated actions to protect marine life and the pristine condition of the ecosystem of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The agency's aim is to maintain strong protections for the nation's largest coral reef area and begin the process for designating the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve as a National Marine Sanctuary.
FEBRUARY 19, 2002--The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminis-tration's (NOAA) Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary dedicated their new research vessel R/V Joe Ferguson in a ceremony today at the University of Georgia's Marine Education Center and Aquarium dock on Skidaway Island, Ga. National Geographic Society Expeditions Leader Joe Ferguson perished along with four students, their teachers and National Geographic Society staff on the aircraft that struck the Pentagon on Sept..
JANUARY 2, 2002--The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council will meet in a special workshop Thursday, January 17th, 2001 to address concerns about dolphin and whale strandings in the Keys. The public is encouraged to attend the workshop, scheduled for 1 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. at the Marathon Garden Club, 5270 Overseas Highway, Gulfside.
