MBNMS SAC Meeting Minutes April 21st, 2011

MONTEREY BAY NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY
ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING

FINAL
April 21st, 2011
Carmel Valey Trail and Saddle Club
Carmel Valley, CA

The following non-voting members were present as indicated:

• Monterey Bay NMS: Paul Michel
• National Marine Fisheries Service: Steven Bograd

Alternates present in audience:

• At-Large: Kortney Leabourne
• At-Large: Kurt Schnebele
• Conservation: Lauren Gilligan
• MBNMS: John Hunt
• Recreation: Robert Chatham

Paul Michel, Superintendent, introduced and swore in Cynthia Mathews, new At-large member.

APPROVAL OF 12/09/10 AND 2/18/11 DRAFT MEETING NOTES

The advisory council approved the December 9, 2010 meeting minutes with the following substantive changes:

Under item VIII (Member Announcements), revise the comment made by PJ Webb regarding San Luis Obispo County.

MOTION: (Passed)

Motion introduced by Richard Ely, seconded by Gary Pezzi.
(Vote: 10 in favor, 0 opposed, 2 abstentions)

The advisory council approved the February 18, 2011 joint GFNMS/MBNMS meeting minutes with the following substantive changes:

Under item II (Public Comment), Steve Scheiblauer proposed modifications to reflect the concerns expressed about the motorized personal watercraft rule and safety considerations.

Under item IV (Enforcement Update), Steve Scheiblauer proposed modifications to reflect that the public was allowed to comment during this item.

MOTION: (Passed)

Motion introduced by Lynn Robinson, seconded by Russ Jeffries
(Vote: 6 in favor, 0 opposed, 8 abstentions)

Paul Michel introduced John Hunt, new MBNMS Deputy Superintendent.

No members of the public were present to provide comments.

Paul Michel provided updates on several important sanctuary related items such as the Sanctuary Currents Symposium, the sanctuary budget situation for the next two years, a State Parks grant for $500,000 for the Sanctuary Exploration Center, the Japan Tsunami, Highway 1/Big Sur closures and working with Caltrans, a successful mission to look at the Med Taipei container, a National Geographic grant to conduct outreach to the recreational boating community, the MBNMS staff retreat focusing on the budget situation and priorities for the next year.

Mark DiOrio, National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Capital Campaign Director, provided a brief presentation on the status of the capital campaign for the Sanctuary Exploration Center. Mr. DiOrio sought the help of the sanctuary advisory council in helping to meet the goal of $3 million for exhibits within the Sanctuary Exploration Center. Mr. DiOrio's powerpoint presentation may be viewed here.

Susan Ashcraft, California Department of Fish and Game, provided a presentation on the status of the California Marine Life Protection Act. Ms. Ashcraft's powerpoint presentation may be viewed here.

Dr. Andrew DeVogelaere, MBNMS Research Coordinator, provided a presentation on the recent trip by MBNMS and the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) to characterize the Med Taipei shipping container that MBARI found within the Sanctuary in 2004. Dr. DeVogelaere's powerpoint presentation may be viewed here.

Josh Adams, United States Geological Survey, provided a presentation on seabirds along the west coast, particularly in the MBNMS. Mr. Adams powerpoint presentation may be viewed here.

Dr. John Hunt, MBNMS Deputy Superintendent, provided a presentation on the West Coast Acidification Task Force action plan. Dr. Hunt's powerpoint presentation may be viewed here.

Lynn Robinson, AMBAG, encouraged everyone to visit the Sanctuary Exploration Center in Santa Cruz to see the work that has been completed so far on the building.

PJ Webb, At-Large, announced that San Luis Obispo County suffered extensive damage from the Japan tsunami damage in the harbors of Morro Bay and Port San Luis. PJ also announced that there had been another landslide on Highway 1, closing down access to Big Sur from the south. The closure was estimated to take a month to clear. PJ announced there was an auto club magazine article highlighting beaches in our area that also highlighted the MBNMS Coastal Discovery Center and proper tidepool etiquette. She thanked Carolyn Skinder, MBNMS Education and Outreach Specialist, for her input on this article. Additionally, PJ announced that there is a Speakers Bureau series presenting sanctuary information and updates to the community in the southern region. This series has provided valuable outreach, education and support for the Coastal Discovery Center. PJ congratulated Chris Harrold, Sanctuary staff, and volunteers for the very successful Sanctuary Currents Symposium. Lastly, the Coastal Discovery Center recently finished a new docent training program, adding fresh new faces to the visitor center.

Simona Bartl, Education, announced that Moss Landing Marine Laboratories will have their open house April 30th and May 1st from 9 am to 5 pm. She encouraged everyone to attend and bring his or her family. As the new chair of the Sanctuary Education Panel (SEP) she wanted to let everyone know that the SEP had not met for a while and they are now meeting again. The SEP talked about changing their website to provide resources to the education community, particularly formal educators. The SEP would like to add calendar of events online. They are also trying to see what other educators they can bring to the SEP.

Paul Michel reminded the advisory council that there would not be a June advisory council meeting due to budget cuts. He announced that World Oceans Day is in early June.

Kortney Leabourne, At-Large, announced that TeamOCEAN, the MBNMS volunteer naturalist kayak group, will be kicking of their season on Memorial Day weekend.

Geoff Shester, Conservation, announced that Oceana is sponsoring the California forage bill AB1299 that was authored by Assemblyman Jared Huffman.

Brad Damitz, MBNMS Environmental Policy Specialist, provided a presentation on existing and proposed desalination projects within the MBNMS. Mr. Damitz's powerpoint presentation may be viewed here.

PJ Webb, At large primary, provided comments from members of the Cambria community regarding the project in Cambria.

Dr. Rikki Dunsmore, MBNMS Resource Protection Specialist, provided an update on the MBNMS EBM Initiative. Dr. Dunsmore's powerpoint presentation may be viewed here.

This item was cancelled because the presenter was unable to attend the meeting.

Geoff Shester, Conservation primary, provided a presentation on single use plastic bags and provided a draft resolution for review and adoption by the advisory council. The draft resolution sought support from the sanctuary advisory council for the ban of single use plastic bags at the local, state, and federal level.

MOTION: (Passed)

Motion introduced by Lynn Robinson, seconded by Cynthia Mathews.
(Vote: 12 in favor, 0 opposed, 0 abstentions)

Nicole Capps, MBNMS Advisory Council Coordinator, reviewed the sanctuary advisory council agenda calendar. At the next meeting Advisory council members are interested in receiving an update on the Sanctuary Exploration Center, a report on the EBM Initiative's Unique and/or Rare Features workshop, information on beach closures and water quality in the nearshore, an update on Santa Cruz Harbor rebounding from the tsunami, and an update on the Alder Creek closure.

NEXT MEETING: August 18th, 2011 in Santa Cruz
The meeting adjourned at 4:30 p.m.
Items for next meeting:

Submitted by
Nicole Capps
Sanctuary Advisory Council Coordinator