Coral restoration, research among topics to be covered at advisory council meeting

August 5, 2008

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) will meet August 19, 2008, at the Marathon Garden Club, 5270 Overseas Highway, Marathon, beginning at 9:00 a.m. There will be opportunities for public comment at 10:15 a.m. and 2:15 p.m.

Presenters include SAC’s Ken Nedimyer and the Sanctuary’s Lauri MacLaughlin who will speak to the coral restoration project begun during the June mission on the Aquarius habitat. The research includes the transplant, monitoring and comparison of corals cultured in laboratories, with those collected in the wild and those from different locations, in order to determine the most effective coral restoration techniques. The Aquarius Coral Restoration and Research Experiments mission was led by Margaret Miller of the NOAA’s National Marine Fisheries Service.

Fred Herling of the National Park Service will present on the status of updating the Everglades National Park General Management Plan. Continuing with education and outreach presentations, this month’s featured speaker is Judy Gregoire who will discuss the outreach programs offered at Seacamp Association, Inc. and the Newfound Harbor Marine Institute.

Other highlights include updates from the sanctuary superintendent and both the Ecosystem Restoration and Education and Outreach working groups.

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.