MBNMS SAC Recruitment Spring 2005: Application Letter

November 29, 2004

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 Protocols, and general information about the Sanctuary.

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 National Marine Sanctuary, 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 Education, Tourism, Diving and At-large seats should expect to serve until February 2008.  Candidates selected for the Research alternate and the Commercial Fishing alternate seats, which were vacated by the previously appointed representatives before their term ended, should expect to serve until February 2007.

Advisory Council representatives are expected to attend full Advisory 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.

Your completed application, addressing all of the seven elements in the application guidelines, must be received at our office no later than Thursday, January 21, 2005.  Please send or fax 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) 647-4206.

Sincerely,

Holly Price
Acting Superintendent

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