Sanctuary Advisory Council Update

Elections: At the April 26th meeting, Karin Strasser Kauffman was re-elected to a second two-year term as Chair and David Iverson was elected as the new Council Secretary. The SAC thanks Steve Abbott for his conscientious work as Secretary during the last term.

1996 Calendar: Scheduled meetings for the remainder of the year include:

October 25 - Big Sur; November 22 - Marin/San Francisco. Contact Jane DeLay, SAC Coordinator, at (408) 647-4246 for time and exact location.

Proposed Edward F. Ricketts Underwater Park:

The Council sent a letter to the Mayors of Pacific Grove and Monterey stating that the marine park is consistent with the mission of the Sanctuary and pointing out that the SAC recognizes the importance of continued research activities in the area that are not detrimental to the environment.

Kelp harvesting:
Members of commercial kelp harvesting companies provided the council with a general overview of commercial kelp harvesting, and local

Monterey harvesters introduced a new cooperative effortto develop harvesting solutions in that area that are supportive of both the marine resource and economic needs.

Working group summaries:
Conservation Working Group (CWG): The CWG is taking the lead in planning the first in a series of workshops that will bring together volunteer monitoring groups, agencies and scientists to develop a more effective regional approach to monitoring water quality in the MBNMS and its watersheds. The group also plans to extend its outreach to the northern and southern parts of the Sanctuary over the next year. (Contact Rachel Saunders at (408) 375-4509 to get involved.)

Sanctuary Education Panel (SEP): A subcommittee is formulating plans for teacher education during the next school year, including a series of workshops and in-service trainings. Also, plans are underway for next year's Sanctuary Currents Symposium.

Research Activity Panel (RAP): Recent work includes completing the final reviews of the Site Characterization, forming a subcommittee to study the effects of artificial light sources on deep sea life, providing input for a new deep sea Monterey Bay Initiative funding program, and planning the next Symposium. The RAP has decided that a portion of the MBNMS research budget should be set aside for students focusing on Sanctuary resource management issues in their last year of graduate programs. The group's newest at-large member is Caroline Pomeroy (of UCSC and CSUMB), representing the Social Sciences.

Profile of the Sanctuary Education Panel (SEP) In the Winter 1996 issue, the SAC was profiled. This is the first in a series of articles that will profile the SAC's working groups. The Sanctuary Education Panel is one of the Sanctuary Advisory Council's (SAC) working groups. These groups (the SEP and its Research and Conservation counterparts) meet monthly to discuss Sanctuary issues within their purview. "The SEP's role is primarily to be a group of expert advisors on Sanctuary education matters," says Dorris Welch, who chairs the SEP. "We run the gamut: advise on proposals, make suggestions, set education priorities, brainstorm strategies." Welch sees the strength of the SEP as offering all the members' individual areas of expertise and synthesizing that to provide a regional perspective to the Sanctuary staff. Welch is also Education Representative to the SAC. "That group has a lot of diversity and a wide range of perspectives," says Welch. "It is really valuable that at each meeting someone is there to provide the education perspective. I can provide a reminder of the interpretive opportunities on every issue that comes up." The SEP plays an important role in developing the Sanctuary's education programs. It provides guidance to Sanctuary staff on which education priorities to set and pursue; and from that, the Sanctuary has created a wide range of programs for schools and for the public. For example, Long Marine Lab's Education Program recently produced Sanctuary Science curriculum units for grades K to 12 as part of its "Windows to Discovery" program. The Sanctuary provided funding for the curriculum, and SEP members participated in the evolution of the curriculum units. They helped with the initial concept, set it as a priority, reviewed drafts, developed themes, and have helped implement teacher workshops to disseminate the material. It is common for the Panel to facilitate a program like this from its inception through to completion. SEP members &emdash; many of whom are school teachers &emdash; help to integrate Sanctuary materials into local school curricula. They have also worked to create a stronger presence for the Sanctuary and marine science in the area's schools by encouraging the use of MARE (Marine Activities, Resources and Education), an interdisciplinary ocean studies program coordinated by the Lawrence Hall of Science. The Panel's efforts don't stop with schools. Through the SEP, the Sanctuary also works with other organizations and agencies who share similar marine education goals, such as the Center for Marine Conservation (CMC), the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Pacific Grove Natural History Museum. By networking with, and providing support to, these organizations, the SEP strengthens the effectiveness of its own education programs as well as those of the other groups. Before the Sanctuary existed, there was no format for people with an interest in the marine environment or marine science education to get together on a regular, formalized basis. Interpretive displays, publications and public events are all part of the Sanctuary's education efforts throughout the area. The SEP is active in these public education programs, also. For example, it continues to host events such as the recent Sanctuary Symposium, where educators had the opportunity, with the research and conservation communities, to come and learn more about the Sanctuary.