[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 19 (Wednesday, January 29, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4449-4450]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-2022]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Meeting of the Chairs of the National Marine Sanctuary Program's 
Sanctuary Advisory Councils

AGENCY: National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP), National Ocean 
Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 
Department of Commerce (DOC).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) is holding a 
meeting of the Chairs of its eleven site-specific Sanctuary Advisory 
Councils (Councils). The purpose of the meeting is to obtain 
recommendations from the Chairs on the prioritization of a list of 
policy topics that should be addressed on a programmatic basis and, if 
time

[[Page 4450]]

permits, to obtain advice on what actions could be taken to address the 
most important policy topics. The meeting will be open to the public. 
Opportunities for public comment will be provided at 9 and 4 on a 
first-come, first-serve basis. Members of the public wishing to provide 
comments will be asked to sign up upon arrival and will likely be 
limited in how much time they will be allotted for comments (depending 
upon how many people have signed up). A maximum of fifteen minutes will 
be allotted at 9 and again at 4 for public comments.

DATES: The meeting will be held on Thursday, February 20, 2003, from 
8:30 to 4:15. Opportunities for public comment will be provided at 9 
and 4.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at Chase Palm Park Center, 236 East 
Cabrillo Boulevard, Santa Barbara, California.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elizabeth Moore at (301) 713-3125 ext. 
170 ([email protected]) or Karen Brubeck at (206) 842-9074 
([email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA) 
authorizes the Secretary of Commerce to establish one or more Advisory 
Councils to provide advice to the Secretary regarding the designation 
and management of National Marine Sanctuaries. Eleven Councils exist, 
for the Channel Islands, Cordell Bank, Florida Keys, Gray's Reef, Gulf 
of the Farallones, Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale, Monterey Bay, 
Olympic Coast, Stellwagen Bank, and Thunder Bay Sanctuaries and the 
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve and proposed 
Sanctuary. Councils represent a wide variety of community interests and 
are active in various projects and issues affecting the management of 
their local Sanctuaries; Councils generally meet on a monthly or 
bimonthly basis.
    Each year, the NMSP hosts a meeting for all the Council Chairs and 
Coordinators to discuss projects and topics of mutual interest (2003's 
meeting will be the third such meeting). This year, for the first time, 
the Chairs are being asked to provide advice to the national program 
leadership on policy topics important on a programmatic rather than a 
site-specific level. The Chairs will provide this advice only during 
the meeting announced by this notice, and will not become a permanent 
national advisory body.

    Authority: 16 U.S.C. section 1431 et seq.

(Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog Number 11.429 Marine Sanctuary 
Program)

    Dated: January 21, 2003.
Jamison S. Hawkins,
Acting Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal Zone 
Management.
[FR Doc. 03-2022 Filed 1-28-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-08-M