SAC Citizen At-Large Application

November 8, 2002

Dear Applicant:

Thank you for your interest in serving as a representative on the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council. Enclosed, please find an application form, the Advisory Council Charter, and general information about the Sanctuary. We are currently recruiting a primary and alternate representative for a Citizen At-Large seat which is currently vacant.

The Sanctuary Advisory Council was established by the Secretary of Commerce to:

• help strengthen and provide support for the growth of the Sanctuary;
• assist in the protection of sanctuary resources by helping identify needed research to rebuild or protect sanctuary resources; and
• assist in building community support through problem solving, consensus building, new constituency development, increasing opportunities for revenue enhancement and increasing understanding about the Sanctuary.

Since its establishment in March 1994, the Advisory Council has played a vital role in the decisions affecting the Sanctuary along the central California Coast.

The Council’s twenty voting members represent a variety of local user groups, the general public, and eight local, state and federal governmental jurisdictions. In addition, the respective managers for the California National Marine Sanctuaries (Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, Cordell Bank/Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary) and the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve sit as non-voting members. Members are appointed competitively by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Candidates selected for the currently advertised At-Large seat should expect to serve until February 2005.

Advisory Council representatives are expected to attend full Council meetings held every other month in full-day open sessions located at various locations along the Sanctuary’s 300-mile shoreline. Advisory Council members are also required to attend a one-day retreat to help set annual priorities. Individual members may also participate in working groups, subcommittees, or special taskforces. The Advisory Council has identified the following issue as the main priority for the next two years:

• Management plan review process for the Sanctuary.

Your completed application, addressing all of the nine elements in the application guidelines, must be received at our office no later than Wednesday, December 11, 2002. Please send or fax your application to:

Nicole Capps, Advisory Council Coordinator
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
299 Foam Street
Monterey, CA 93940
Fax: 831-647-4250

Thank you for your interest in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. If you have any questions, please contact Nicole Capps at (831) 647-4201.

Sincerely,

William J. Douros
Superintendent