Sanctuary Advisory Council
					  Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
							      299 Foam Street
							  Monterey, California 93940

Contact: Karin Strasser Kauffman
(831) 659-2733
	OR
Scott Kathey							IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(831) 647-4251 or 4201					February 23, 1996


SANCTUARY ADVISORY COUNCIL 
TO DISCUSS ELEPHANT SEAL SITUATION 
AT PIEDRAS BLANCAS


The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council will hold its next meeting 
on Friday, March 1, 1996 from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. in the Monterey City 
Council Chambers.  The Council Chambers are located at the corner of Madison and 
Pacific Streets in Monterey.

A highlight of the agenda will be a presentation on the elephant seal situation at Piedras 
Blancas.  –The Sanctuary Advisory Council is concerned about the many safety issues 
inherent in the situation at Piedras Blancas, not only for the marine mammals, but also for 
the people who are stopping to view them.”  commented Karin Strasser Kauffman, Chair 
of the Advisory Council.  She continued, –CALTRANS is proposing a realignment of 
Highway One near the area and will present their environmental analysis of the situation at 
Fridayęs meeting.”  Also scheduled to discuss the topic are representatives from the 
California Coastal Commission and the National Marine Fisheries Service.

The Sanctuary Advisory Council will hold a public meeting on the subject of cruise ships in 
Monterey Bay from 2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. following the Advisory Council meeting.  
–Response to the subject at a previous Advisory Council meeting was so great that we 
decided to have a more in-depth session.” explained Strasser Kauffman.  –In general, there 
is tremendous support for the idea.” she added.  Representatives of the cruise lines have 
been invited along with the city representatives from the communities surrounding the 
Sanctuary.

Another item of interest on the agenda includes approval of a 1996 Sanctuary Advisory 
Council Meeting Schedule.  The calendar will contain Sanctuary Advisory Council meeting 
dates and locations for the year and will be available for public distribution.  –Given the 
increasing public interest in Sanctuary Advisory Council meetings, and the importance of 
public participation, we feel a calendar will help the public plan in advance to attend 
meetings.” stated Terry Jackson, Monterey Bay Sanctuary Manager.  –Moreover, the 
Advisory Council realizes the need to meet more regularly in the northern and southern 
extremes of the Sanctuary in order to involve those communities more actively.  The 
meeting schedule will reflect that.” added Strasser Kauffman.

Page 2


The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council was established by 
Federal law to assure continued public participation in the management of the Sanctuary.  
Its twenty voting members represent a variety of local user groups, as well as the general 
public, plus eight State and Federal governmental jurisdictions.  In addition, the respective 
managers for the four California National Marine Sanctuaries (Channel Islands NMS, 
Cordell Bank/Gulf of the Farallones NMS, and the Monterey Bay NMS) and the Elkhorn 
Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve sit as non-voting members.  The Advisory 
Council meets monthly and is based at the Sanctuary office at 299 Foam Street in 
Monterey.

The meeting is open to the public.