FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 19, 2007

Contact: Karen Grimmer/MBNMS
(831) 647-4206

Rachel Saunders/MBNMS
(831) 647-4237

NOAA’s Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Announces New Advisory Council Members

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Sanctuary Program has announced the appointment of 14 members and alternates to serve on the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council, which represents the public’s interests in sanctuary matters and provides advice to the sanctuary superintendent.

“The Monterey Bay sanctuary will celebrate its 15th anniversary this September and the advisory council has certainly played a critical role in the sanctuary’s development,” said Karen Grimmer, the sanctuary’s acting superintendent. “We are very grateful to our returning advisory council members for their valuable time and input and we look forward to working with them and new members to help us implement our new management plan which will be finalized late this year.”

The following individuals were named to fill open primary and alternate seats representing agriculture, commercial fishing, recreational fishing, recreation, research, conservation, education and at-large:

Agriculture

Primary member: Kirk Schmidt, Watsonville, Calif., the executive director of Central Coast Water Quality Preservation Inc., a non-profit corporation providing environmental monitoring and educational services to the agricultural community. He is appointed to a second term as the agriculture primary member on the advisory council.

Alternate member: Tim Frahm, Half Moon Bay, Calif., director of conservation and water quality for the San Mateo County Farm Bureau, was appointed to a second term as an advisory council alternate.

Commercial Fishing

Primary member: Tom Canale, Santa Cruz, Calif., has been a commercial fisherman for 26 years and is an alternate Board Director of Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations. He is appointed to a third term on the advisory council.

Alternate member: Kathy Fosmark, Pebble Beach, Calif., is co-owner and manager of the F/V Seeadler, based in Moss Landing, is co-chair of the Alliance of Communities for Sustainable Fisheries, and serves on the Pacific Fishery Management Council.

Recreational Fishing

Primary member: Howard Egan, Capitola, Calif., is a board member of the Recreational Fishing Alliance and has fished recreationally for the past 30 years. He is appointed to a second term on the advisory council.

Recreation

Primary member: Gary Pezzi, Watsonville, Calif., is an active member of Surfrider Foundation Santa Cruz Chapter for the last 11 years and previously served as the recreation alternate on the advisory council.

Alternate member: Rexford Keyes, Salinas, Calif., is a retired regional airline pilot, long-time surfer and wildlife enthusiast and has lived in Monterey County for 25 years.

Research

Primary member: Chris Harrold, Carmel Valley, Calif., is the director of conservation research for the Monterey Bay Aquarium appointed to a third term on the advisory council.

Alternate member: Laurence Breaker, Carmel, Calif., is a retired NOAA oceanographer and previously served on the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary advisory council.

Conservation

Primary member: Kaitilin Gaffney, Santa Cruz, Calif., is the central coast program manager for the Ocean Conservancy appointed to a second term as the primary conservation representative on the advisory council.

Alternate member: Steve Shimek, Marina, Calif., is the director of the Otter Project, and has served as the advisory council’s liaison with the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary advisory council. He is appointed to a second term as the alternate conservation member for the advisory council.

Education

Primary member: Shauna Potocky, Santa Cruz, Calif., is the visitor hall and volunteer services manager for the Seymour Marine Discovery Center at the University of California at Santa Cruz Long Marine Lab.

At-large

Primary member: Deborah Streeter, Carmel, Calif., is a minister with the United Church of Christ and is currently the advisory council chair. She is appointed to a third term as an at-large member on the advisory council.

Alternate member: Henry Leinen, Pacific Grove, Calif., is retired from a career in federal law enforcement and is an avid sports fisherman. He is also active in Boy Scouts of America and the Sierra Club.

At-large

Primary: Margaret Webb, Cambria, Calif., is an attorney, an active member of the Marine Mammal Center, and a volunteer with the sanctuary’s BeachCOMBERS program. She is appointed to a second term as an at-large member on the advisory council.

Alternate: Robert Frischmuth, Pacific Grove, Calif., has volunteered for many local organizations including the Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, Bay Net, California State Parks, and Monterey Bay Sanctuary Citizen Watershed Monitoring Network. He is appointed for a second term as an at-large alternate member on the advisory council.

The newly appointed members will be sworn in tomorrow, April 20, at the advisory council’s meeting at the University of California’s Cooperative Extension Building, 1432 Freedom Blvd, Watsonville, Calif. The meeting will begin at 8:30 a.m. and is open to the public. For more information, visit http://montereybay.noaa.gov/intro/advisory/advisory.html.

In May, the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary will be recruiting additional members to fill a vacant recreational alternate seat and primary and alternate business/industry seats on the advisory council.

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 advisory council meets bi-monthly in daytime public sessions at locations throughout the 276-mile stretch of coast bordering the sanctuary.

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.

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

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and service to the nation. From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.

- ### -

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

National Marine Sanctuary Program: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov

NOAA Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary: http://montereybay.noaa.gov