National marine sanctuary offices and visitor centers closed to the public; waters remain open

NOAA's national marine sanctuary offices and visitor centers are currently closed to the public, and in accordance with Executive Order 13991 - Protecting the Federal Workforce and Requiring Mask Wearing, all individuals in NOAA-managed areas are required to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance on mask-wearing and maintaining social distances. Sanctuary waters remain open for responsible use in accordance with CDC guidance, U.S. Coast Guard requirements, and local regulations. More information on the response from NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries can be found on sanctuaries.noaa.gov/coronavirus/.

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Team OCEAN in the MBNMS

kayak in water
Team OCEAN
(Ocean Conservation Education Action Network)

 

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary's Team OCEAN Program puts trained, knowledgeable Volunteer Naturalists out on the water in sanctuary kayaks, to greet and interact with fellow ocean users and protect sensitive marine wildlife such as harbor seals, sea otters, sea lions and birds. Team OCEAN and its sister, land-based program Bay Net, are engaged in fostering wise environmental stewards through actions on-the-water and on-the-trail. A large percentage of ocean kayakers are visitors to the area and unaware of or undereducated about the sanctuary's existence and wildlife regulations. Team OCEAN volunteer naturalists serve as docents for the marine sanctuary, promote respectful wildlife viewing and protect marine mammals from disturbance. Team OCEAN has proven to be a successful program with thousands of contacts per year, over 100,000 since the program's inception in 2000, and countless marine mammal and bird disturbances prevented. Team OCEAN volunteers can be found in Elkhorn Slough, Moss Landing and along the kelp beds off Cannery Row, Monterey.

If you are interested in donating equipment, funds, or your time to become a Team OCEAN Volunteer, please visit our calendar of events or contact Lisa Emanuelson, Team OCEAN Coordinator, at lisa.emanuelson@noaa.gov, or by phone at (831) 647-4227.

  • 2020 Team OCEAN and Bay Net Flyer (K PDF)

 

teamOCEAN volunteer

MBNMS Team OCEAN Reports:

Team OCEAN & Bay Net 2019 Report
Click here to download and view the report (971K PDF)

Team OCEAN Wildlife Cards
 
seal wildlife card
Seal Card
(click on image or text for full size-569KB)		 otter wildlife card
Otter Card
(click on image or text for full size-618KB)

 

team ocean memebers in kayaks

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