NOAA’s Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council to meet in Key West
February 4, 2014
NOAA’s Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (FKNMS) will hold a public meeting of the Sanctuary Advisory Council in Key West, Fla., on Tuesday, February 18, 2014.
This meeting features an update on the sanctuary’s marine zoning and regulatory review and several presentations on the sanctuary’s enforcement program. At 9:15 a.m., enforcement representatives from the sanctuary, NOAA Office of Law Enforcement, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, U.S. Coast Guard, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will discuss their organization’s role in protecting sanctuary resources, followed at 2:00 p.m. by a presentation on the civil penalty process by NOAA Office of General Counsel and panel discussion on enforcement opportunities, needs and challenges.
The Advisory Council may take action in offering advice and recommendations for enforcement priorities.
Nominations for the Sanctuary Advisory Council Chair and Vice-Chair Elections to be held in April 2014 will take place at 3:45 p.m.
The general public comment periods are 10:45 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
WHAT: Sanctuary Advisory Council meeting
WHEN: February 18, 2014, 9:00 a.m. - 4:45 p.m.
WHERE: Doubletree Grand Key Resort,
3990 S. Roosevelt Blvd. Key West, FL 33040
WHO: NOAA’s Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
To receive more information, or to request a meeting agenda, please contact Beth Dieveney at 305-809-4700 x228 or Beth.Dieveney@noaa.gov.
Designated by Congress in 1990 and established in 1992, the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council provides advice and recommendations on managing and protecting the sanctuary. The council has 20 representatives and alternates from community constituent groups, and 10 government agencies have non-voting representatives on the council. Serving in a voluntary capacity, the council members represent a variety of local user groups, as well as the general public.
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary protects 2,900 square nautical miles of critical marine habitat, including coral reef, hard bottom, sea grass meadows, mangrove communities and sand flats, as well as shipwrecks and maritime heritage resources. NOAA and the state of Florida manage the sanctuary. Visit us at http://floridakeys.noaa.gov, find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join NOAA on Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels.
