MBNMS Ecosystem Observations 2006

Photo by MBNMS/NOAA

This was an incredible year for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary—one in which many major longplanned projects led by our staff and community partners became a reality. Major projects that came to fruition in 2006 include the opening of a new visitor center near our southern boundary, the Coastal Discovery Center at San Simeon Bay and our first archeological cruise to map one of the many historic sites in the sanctuary, the submerged wreck of the USS Macon. We also welcomed the arrival and dedication of our new 67-foot research vessel, the Fulmar, which will greatly expand our capabilities for doing research in the sanctuary's offshore waters. In addition, at long last, the Draft Joint Management Plan for the three central coast sanctuaries was released and public hearings completed. All of these projects herald major new initiatives and directions for the Monterey Bay sanctuary in the coming decade; you can read more about them in the following articles. This year also brought some internal changes. William Douros, superintendent since 1998, moved on to a new position as regional superintendent of West Coast Sanctuaries, overseeing the five sanctuaries on the west coast. We had the privilege of each taking a six-month turn at the sanctuary's helm during this transition period of 2006. It has been an exciting ride, and we look forward to continued successes by the program staff and their many partners in the coming year.

Holly Price and Karen Grimmer, Acting Superintendents
NOAA 's Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

		A PDF version of this report is available here: ecoobs2006.pdf (2.1 MB)