Advisory council to meet in Marathon
February 5, 2008
The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) will meet Tuesday, February 19, 2008, at the Marathon Garden Center, 5270 Overseas Highway, Marathon, beginning at 9:00 a.m. There will be opportunities for public comment at 10:10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
One highlight of the meeting in the morning is a short overview presentation about coral reef biological criteria (biocriteria) as applied under the Clean Water Act, given by Patricia Bradley, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development. Biocriteria are narrative descriptions or numeric values representing the biological condition of aquatic communities.
Alison Higgins will also inform the council about Florida Keys Green Living & Energy Education's (GLEE) outreach and education activities in the morning. Ms. Higgins is the President of GLEE's Board of Directors. The council intends to feature one organization involved in environmental education and outreach at each council meeting, and this will be the third presentation in this series.
The afternoon session features updates from the sanctuary superintendent and staff on upcoming sanctuary activities, along with SAC business reports.
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.
