Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee meets Nov. 2-3 in Santa Barbara

The Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee (FAC), which advises the Department of Commerce, NOAA, and the Department of the Interior on issues related to Executive Order 13158 and the national system of MPAs, will hold its 16th meeting, Nov. 2-3, 2010 in Santa Barbara, Calif.

The Committee will focus on developing draft recommendations based on the Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning and Communities and Land/Sea Interactions Subcommittees, as well as the Cultural Heritage Resources Workgroup. The Committee will also hear from two panels of MPA experts discussing how MPAs can help support healthy and resilient coastal communities, and how MPAs and its national system relate to the National Ocean Policy and Coastal and Marine Spatial Planning Initiatives. Efforts to integrate the national system of MPAs with the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), including using MPAs as ocean monitoring platforms, will also be discussed.

WHAT:

16th Meeting of the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee

(Agenda is available on the MPA Web site: http://mpa.gov/fac/meetings

The meeting is open to the public and there will be one public comment session)

WHEN:

Tuesday, Nov. 2, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 3, 8:30 to 5:00 p.m.

WHERE:
Fess Parker's Doubletree Resort, 633 East Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara, Calif. 93103

WHO:

• Dr. Joseph Uravitch, director, NOAA's National Marine Protected Areas Center
  
• Eugenio Pineiro-Soler, chair, MPA Federal Advisory Committee
  
• 30 members of the FAC, 10 additional members of the FAC's Cultural Heritage Resources Workgroup, and 10 representatives of other federal agencies
  

Provided by NOAA