NOAA's Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Seeks Applicants for Advisory Council

Feb. 02 , 2010

The Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) will meet February 16, 2010, at the Marathon Garden Club, 5270 Overseas Highway, Marathon beginning at 9:00 a.m.

The day-long meeting will feature reports from various state and federal agencies, as well as SAC Working Groups. Members of the public are encouraged to attend. There will be opportunities for public comment at 10:05 a.m. and 3:15 p.m.

At 11:20 a.m., Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary superintendent Sean Morton will provide an overview of the NOAA proposed rule regarding marine sanitation device discharge within sanctuary boundaries.

Presentations during afternoon portion of the meeting will focus on proposed Florida legislation to allow oil drilling in state waters in the Gulf of Mexico, and on the status of drilling in federal waters in the Gulf. At 1:00 p.m., a summary of current legislative efforts to open Florida waters to offshore drilling will be provided. At 1:30 p.m. Villy Kourafalou, of the Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, will present upon “Ocean Currents and Circulation of the West Florida Shelf/Gulf of Mexico.” Additional speakers in the afternoon will cover both opposition and support of opening Florida waters to oil drilling.

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.