Sanctuary Advisory Council Meeting to Open to Public, Hosted at Ocean Reef Club
Oct. 06, 2009
The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) will meet Tuesday, October 20, 2009, at the Ocean Reef Club Cultural Center, 35 Ocean Reef Drive, Key Largo beginning at 9:00 a.m.
Members of the public are encouraged to attend; there will be opportunities for public comment at 10:10 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Chantal Collier, Florida Department of Environmental Protection, will present at 11:15 a.m. on Florida’s Coral Reef Conservation Program and management strategies to protect the coral reefs of southeast Florida.
Representatives from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of Law Enforcement will speak at 1:00 p.m. on current issues in the sanctuary and region.
At 2:15 p.m., Everglades National Park representatives will present upon the implementation of pole and troll zones within the park. These zones, the location of which is to be determined, are intended to protect sensitive submerged aquatic vegetation damaged from prop scars.
A discussion at 3:00 p.m. will focus on the potential of involving youth with the Sanctuary Advisory Council. The meeting is scheduled to conclude at approximately 4:00 p.m.
The SAC was established to provide the sanctuary, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the State of Florida advice on implementation of the sanctuary’s final management plan. SAC members also serve as liaisons to the community regarding sanctuary issues. SAC members relay the community’s interests, concerns, and management needs to the sanctuary.
The sanctuary was established in 1990 in recognition of the special resources found in and around the waters of the Florida Keys. NOAA and the State of Florida jointly developed a comprehensive plan to protect and manage sanctuary resources. For more information, visit the Sanctuary’s web site at http://floridakeys.noaa.gov. A current list of SAC members may be found at http://floridakeys.noaa.gov/sac/members.html.
