[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 16 (Wednesday, January 24, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3302-3303]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-01271]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Solicitation for Applications for Advisory Councils Established 
Pursuant to the National Marine Sanctuaries Act and Executive Orders

AGENCY: Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), National Ocean 
Service (NOS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Department of Commerce (DOC).

ACTION: Notice of Solicitation.

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SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that ONMS will solicit applications to 
fill seats on its 13 national marine sanctuary advisory councils and 
the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Advisory 
Council (advisory councils), under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act 
and the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve 
Executive Order, respectively. Vacant seats, including positions (i.e., 
primary and alternate), for each of the advisory councils will be 
advertised differently at each site in accordance with the information 
provided in this notice. This notice contains web page links and 
contact information for each site, as well as additional resources on 
advisory council vacancies and the application process.

DATES: Please visit individual site web pages, or reach out to a site 
as identified in this notice's SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section on 
Contact Information for Each Site, regarding the timing and 
advertisement of vacant seats, including positions (i.e., primary or 
alternate), for each of the advisory councils.
    Applications will only be accepted in response to current, open 
vacancies and in accordance with the deadlines and instructions 
included on each site's website.

ADDRESSES: Vacancies and applications are specific to each site's 
advisory council. As such, questions about a specific council or 
vacancy, including applications, should be directed to a site. Contact 
Information for Each Site is contained in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information on a 
particular advisory council or available seats, please contact the site 
as identified in this notice's SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section on 
Contact Information for Each Site, below. For general inquiries related 
to this notice or ONMS advisory councils established pursuant to the 
National Marine Sanctuaries Act or Executive Order 13178, contact Kate 
Spidalieri, National Advisory Council Specialist 
([email protected]; 240-533-0679).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 315 of the National Marine 
Sanctuaries Act (NMSA) (16 U.S.C. 1445A) allows the Secretary of 
Commerce to establish advisory councils to advise and make 
recommendations regarding the designation and management of national 
marine sanctuaries. Executive Order 13178 similarly established a Coral 
Reef Ecosystem Reserve Council pursuant to the NMSA for the 
Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve. In this 
Supplementary Information section, NOAA provides details regarding the 
Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, the role of advisory councils, 
and contact information for each site.

Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS)

    ONMS serves as the trustee for a network of underwater parks 
encompassing more than 600,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes 
waters from Washington state to the Florida Keys, and from Lake Huron 
to American Samoa. The network includes a system of 13 national marine 
sanctuaries and Papah[amacr]naumoku[amacr]kea and Rose Atoll marine 
national monuments. National marine sanctuaries protect our nation's 
most vital coastal and marine natural and cultural resources, and 
through active research, management, and public engagement, sustain 
healthy environments that are the foundation for thriving communities 
and stable economies.
    One of the many ways ONMS ensures public participation in the 
designation and management of national marine sanctuaries is through 
the formation of advisory councils. Advisory councils are community-
based advisory groups established to provide advice and recommendations 
to ONMS on issues including management, science, service, and 
stewardship; and to serve as liaisons between their constituents in the 
community and the site. Additional information on ONMS and its advisory 
councils can be found at http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov.

Advisory Council Membership

    Under Section 315 of the NMSA, advisory council members may be 
appointed from among: (1.) Persons employed by federal or state 
agencies with expertise in management of natural resources; (2.) 
members of relevant regional fishery management councils; and (3.) 
representatives of local user groups, conservation and other public 
interest organizations, scientific organizations, educational 
organizations, or others interested in the protection and multiple use 
management of sanctuary resources. For the Northwestern Hawaiian 
Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Advisory Council, Executive Order 
13178 Section 5(f) specifically identifies member and representative 
categories.
    The charter for each advisory council defines the number and type 
of seats and positions on the council; however, as a general matter, 
available seats could include: Conservation, education, research, 
fishing, whale watching, diving and other recreational activities, 
boating and shipping, tourism, harbors and ports, maritime business, 
agriculture, maritime heritage, and citizen-at-large.
    For each of the 14 advisory councils, applicants are chosen based 
upon their particular expertise and experience in relation to the seat 
for which they are applying; community and professional affiliations; 
views regarding the protection and management of marine or Great Lakes 
resources; and possibly the length of residence in the area affected by 
the site. Applicants chosen as members or alternates should expect to 
serve two or three-year terms, pursuant to the charter of the specific 
national marine sanctuary advisory council or Northwestern Hawaiian 
Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Advisory Council.
    More information on advisory council membership and processes, and 
materials related to the purpose, policies, and operational 
requirements for advisory councils can be found in the charter for a 
particular advisory council (http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/management/ac/council_charters.html) and the National Marine Sanctuary Advisory 
Council Implementation Handbook (http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/management/ac/acref.html).

Contact Information for Each Site

     Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Advisory 
Council: Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary,

[[Page 3303]]

University of California, Santa Barbara, Ocean Science Education 
Building 514, MC 6155, Santa Barbara, CA 93106; 805-893-6437; http://channelislands.noaa.gov/sac/council_news.html.
     Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: 
Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, P.O. Box 159, Olema, CA 94950; 
415-464-5260; http://cordellbank.noaa.gov/council/applicants.html.
     Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: 
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary, 33 East Quay Road, Key West, FL 
33040; 305-809-4700; http://floridakeys.noaa.gov/sac/apps.html.
     Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Advisory 
Council: Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, 4700 Avenue U, 
Building 216, Galveston, TX 77551; 409-621-5151; http://flowergarden.noaa.gov/advisorycouncil/recruitment.html.
     Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: 
Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary, 10 Ocean Science Circle, 
Savannah, GA 31411; 912-598-2345; http://graysreef.noaa.gov/management/sac/council_news.html.
     Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Advisory 
Council: Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, 991 Marine 
Drive, The Presidio, San Francisco, CA 94129; 415-561-6622; http://farallones.noaa.gov/manage/sac_recruitment.html.
     Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary 
Advisory Council: Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine 
Sanctuary, NOAA Inouye Regional Center, NOS/ONMS/HIHWNMS, 1845 Wasp 
Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, HI 96818; 808-879-2818; http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/council/council_app_accepting.html.
     Monitor National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: 
Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, 100 Museum Drive, Newport News, VA 
23606; 757-599-3122; http://monitor.noaa.gov/advisory/news.html.
     Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: 
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, 99 Pacific Street, Building 
455A, Monterey, CA 93940; 831-647-4201; http://montereybay.noaa.gov/sac/recruit.html.
     National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa Advisory 
Council: National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa, Tauese P.F. Sunia 
Ocean Center, P.O. Box 4318, Pago Pago, AS 96799; 684-633-6500; http://americansamoa.noaa.gov/council/recruitment.
     Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve 
Advisory Council: NOAA Inouye Regional Center, NOS/ONMS/PMNM, 1845 Wasp 
Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, HI 96818; 808-725-5800; http://www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/new-about/council/apply/.
     Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: 
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, 115 East Railroad Avenue, 
Suite 301, Port Angeles, WA 98362; 360-457-6622; http://olympiccoast.noaa.gov/involved/sac/recruitment.html.
     Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory 
Council: Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, 175 Edward Foster 
Road, Scituate, MA 02066; 781-545-8026; http://stellwagen.noaa.gov/management/sac/recruitment.html.
     Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: 
Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary, 500 West Fletcher Street, 
Alpena, MI 49707; 989-356-8805; http://thunderbay.noaa.gov/management/advisory_council_recruitment.html.

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

(Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog Number 11.429 Marine Sanctuary 
Program)

    Dated: July 21, 2017.
John Armor,
Director, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, National Ocean 
Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

    Editorial Note: The Office of the Federal Register received this 
document on January 19, 2018.

[FR Doc. 2018-01271 Filed 1-23-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-22-P