Press Releases

CONTACT:
Krista Trono
Monitor National Marine Sanctuary
(757) 591-7328

The Monitor National Marine Sanctuary (MNMS) Advisory Council will hold its first public advisory council meeting May 12, 2006 at the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary office in Newport News, Va. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a public comment period at 3:45 p.m.  The sanctuary is managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

“Sanctuary advisory councils have proven to be an invaluable source of advice and input by members of the community regarding the management of our national marine sanctuaries, America’s ocean treasures,” said Monitor National Marine Sanctuary Superintendent David Alberg.  “We are thrilled that Monitor National Marine Sanctuary has its own advisory council, and we look forward to working with its members.”

The MNMS Advisory Council will consist of 11 members, including four government agency representatives and seven members from the general public.  Specifically, the council's role will be to provide advice on: (1) protecting cultural resources, and identifying and evaluating emergent or critical issues involving sanctuary use or resources; (2) identifying and realizing the sanctuary's research objectives; (3) identifying and realizing educational opportunities to increase the public knowledge and stewardship of the sanctuary environment; and (4) assisting to develop an informed constituency to increase awareness and understanding of the purpose and value of the sanctuary.

For further information please contact: Krista Trono, communications coordinator, Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, 100 Museum Drive Newport News, VA 23606,  Krista.Trono@noaa.gov, (757) 591-7328.

Monitor National Marine Sanctuary was designated in 1975 to protect the wreck of the famed Civil War ironclad, USS Monitor, which sank during a storm 16 miles off Hatteras, N.C. in 1862.  The sanctuary is managed by NOAA.

The NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program manages 13 national marine sanctuaries and one coral reef ecosystem reserve that together encompass more than 150,000 square miles of America’s ocean and Great Lakes natural and cultural resources.  The sanctuary program seeks to increase public awareness of America’s maritime heritage by conducting scientific research, monitoring, exploration and educational programs.

The NOAA National Ocean Service, which manages the sanctuary program, is dedicated to exploring, understanding, conserving and restoring the nation’s coasts and oceans. It 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, an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, 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 the nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, 61 countries and the European Commission to develop a global network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.

On the Internet:
NOAA - http://www.noaa.gov
National Ocean Service - https://oceanservice.noaa.gov
National Marine Sanctuary Program - http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov
Monitor National Marine Sanctuary - http://monitor.noaa.gov