SANCTUARY NEWS &
NOTES
SANCTUARY CELEBRATION
All kinds of creatures attended last year's
Sanctuary celebration!
Mark your calendars for the Sanctuary's Fourth
Anniversary celebration in Monterey, at Shoreline Park on
Sunday, September 15th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The
festivities are being organized by the Sanctuary office, the
Center for Marine Conservation, the Monterey Bay Aquarium,
the City of Monterey, AMBAG and volunteers. The event will
feature an environmental fair with exhibitors from local
conservation and education organizations and a center stage
with entertainment from a variety of performers, including
local school children.
For more information or to volunteer, please contact Liz
Love at the Sanctuary office, (408) 647-4255.
New SRD Chief
The Sanctuaries and Reserves Division (SRD) of NOAA has a
new Chief. Stephanie Revesz Thornton, whose career has
focused on Pacific Coast research and management issues,
came on board effective May 20, 1996.
Ms. Thornton's life-long relationship with the sea began
as a child, when she lived for ten years on board a research
vessel off San Diego skippered by her father. That initial
taste of ocean life has blossomed into more than thirty
years' experience working in the marine environment. Ms.
Thornton has worked as a fisheries biologist with the
California Department of Fish and Game and the National
Marine Fisheries Service and as manager of the Humboldt
Fisherman's Marketing Association. She participated in the
development of the Salmon Management Plan for the Pacific
Fishery Management Council, and served four years as a
Commissioner to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries
Commission. Most recently, Ms. Thornton was Executive
Director of the Coastal Resources Center, and she is
currently a National Research Council Marine Board Member.
Coastal Cleanup Day is Saturday, September 21st
Join a team at your favorite coastal spot and help pick
up trash and recyclables, recording the data on what you
find. The data collected is a powerful voice in
conservation, and it's fun! This is the 12th annual
shoreline cleanup, sponsored by the California Coastal
Commission's "Adopt-a-Beach" program.
To help out, see the contact numbers in the Calendar,
page 8.
Field Guide to the Sanctuary
The Sanctuary Education Panel has created a
newspaper-style "field guide" to the Sanctuary (still
unnamed at press time) that will be available from San
Francisco to Cambria this fall. One of the guide's main
features is a map of the Sanctuary that points out
vistapoints and wildlife viewing spots, coastal walks/hikes,
scenic drives, beaches, tidepool locations, etc. Other
highlights include a year-round "wildlife viewing" calendar,
articles describing the creatures andhabitats of the
Sanctuary, a guide to recreational activities and asection
on "eco-etiquette."
(Note: the Sanctuary needs help distributing these
guides; if you can help, please call Liz Love, Sanctuary
Education Coordinator, at
(408) 647-4255.)
Last chance to drive with the otter on your car!
The DMV requires 5,000 paid orders for Sanctuary
commemorative license plates by December 31, 1996, if these
plates are to become a reality. Don't wait any longer to
send in your order! Commemorative plates cost $50.00 above
the normal registration fee for the first year and $40.00
for each year thereafter. Applications are available at all
DMV and California State Automobile Association offices,
from AMBAG (Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments,
408/883-3750) or on the plate's Web page
(http://www.montereynet.com/otterplate.html). Offer the
otter to a friend or family member as an innovative present!
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SANTA CRUZ AREA TASK
FORCE STUDIES LINKAGES WITH THE SANCTUARY
The Sanctuary is working with local business and
tourism communities to explore ways to work
together for mutual benefit. The last issue of the
newsletter discussed emerging developments in
Monterey, Half Moon Bay and Cambria. This article
looks at Santa Cruz County's efforts.
Spearheaded by the Santa Cruz Port District,
various agencies in Santa Cruz County began two
years ago to look for ways to forge links between
economic opportunities and educational awareness
about the Sanctuary. The "Santa Cruz County
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Inter-Agency
Task Force" was formed to pursue these goals.
Members represent the Sanctuary, the City and
County of Santa Cruz, Capitola, California State
Parks, the Santa Cruz County Conference and
Visitors Council, UCSC, the Santa Cruz Seaside
Company, Save Our Shores and other local groups.
"The Task Force brought a very interesting and
diverse group of agencies together to focus on
economic development for the local region, and to
focus on how we can develop Santa Cruz County into
a gateway to the Monterey Sanctuary," explains
Stephanie Harlan, the group's Chair. A grant from
the U.S. Dept. of Commerce Economic Development
Administration enabled the group to seek the
assistance of experts in assessing the economic
benefit the Sanctuary designation might have for
the region.
The Task Force worked with R.S. Hunter and
Associates to produce a 75-page report entitled,
"Santa Cruz County Opportunities Study: Linkages
with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary."
Published in October, 1995, the study offers an
initial assessment of educational and interpretive,
tourism and business opportunities, and provides an
implementation plan including potential
public/private partners and funding resources. Some
of the report's proposals include developing a
county-wide coastal interpretive trail, improving
water access to waterfront areas and creating an
educational and interpretive Sanctuary visitor
center in the county. It suggests ways for the
business community to create linkages with the
Sanctuary, such as a business seal program, in
which participating businesses learn more about the
Sanctuary and then become part of a "Sanctuary
passport" program for residents and visitors. Other
suggestions include increasing efforts to
disseminate Sanctuary information to businesses and
encouraging stronger ties between businesses and
the area's research institutions. The
implementation plan provides a detailed guide for
the Task Force in establishing an organizational
structure and timeline, setting priorities and
implementing the projects outlined in the report.
The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors
approved the "Opportunities Study" in early 1996.
Since then, working committees have begun
developing a strategic plan to realize various
parts of the plan, such as the marine interpretive
center and the county-wide scenic trail system.
The Task Force's plan is an ambitious project
with a time line spanning fifteen years. The work
to be done is not only infrastructural, it is also
educational, according to Harlan. "We have a lot to
accomplish in the coming years to educate local
communities about the benefits of the Sanctuary,"
says Harlan. "We also need to educate local
businesses about the economic benefits of the
Sanctuary, and develop plans for the local
communities; in an environmentally
sensitive way; to bring tourists here to
learn about the Sanctuary."
For further information on the Santa Cruz County
Task Force, please contact Susan Pearlman, Santa
Cruz County Economic Development Coordinator, at
(408) 454-3412.
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