Advisory council to meet in Key West
November 25, 2008
The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) will meet December 9, 2008, at the Florida Keys Eco-Discovery Center, 35 East Quay Rd, Key West, beginning at 9:00 a.m.
The day-long meeting will feature reports from various SAC Working Groups in the morning, as well as presentations by the scientific community in the afternoon. Members of the public are encouraged to attend. There will be opportunities for public comment at 10:05 a.m. and 2:45 p.m.
Dr. Vanessa McDonough, of Biscayne National Park, is scheduled to present at 1:00 p.m. on the updated management alternatives being proposed in the Biscayne National Park Fisheries Management Plan.
Ocean acidification, an emerging threat to coral reef health and colonization, will be covered by Dr. Chris Langdon, of the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, at 1:30 p.m.
At 2:00 p.m., SAC chair Bruce Popham and Sanctuary Friends Foundation of the Florida Keys board member Stephen Frink [invited], will revisit the proposal for Sanctuary Preservation Area status for Snapper Ledge.
SAC member and researcher for the Florida Institute of Oceanography, Jon Fajans, will give a presentation at 2:20 p.m. on Florida's involvement with the Ocean Tracking Network, a world wide deployment of acoustic listening devices to detect and record information on tagged aquatic animals.
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.
