National Marine Sanctuary Foundation names Josh Churchman Volunteer of the Year (2009.)

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council announces the opening of the following seats on the Council:

Maritime Activities primary and alternate, and Conservation primary and alternate. Ideal candidates for these seats would reside in a community near the Sanctuary, are well-known and well-connected in the field of marine conservation and in the maritime community, have experience or knowledge regarding marine resource protection issues in the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary, experience or knowledge regarding public use and activities in the Sanctuary, and have the freedom to express views and cast votes without consideration of any expectations held by an employer or other organization with which the member is affiliated.

For further information please read the Press Release (44k pdf).
You may also want to view the SAC Charter.

You can download an application here, (44k pdf)
or contact the Advisory Council Coordinator as listed on the Press Release.

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council would like to announce the opening of the Education Primary position. An ideal candidate for the Education seat would reside in a community near the Sanctuary, is well-known and well-connected in the field of marine education, has experience or knowledge regarding marine resource protection issues in the Sanctuary, experience or knowledge regarding public use and activities in the Sanctuary, and has the freedom to express views and cast votes without consideration of any expectations held by an employer or other organization with which the member is affiliated.

For further information please read the Press Release (124kb PDF).

You may also want to view the SAC Charter.

You can download an application here (32kb PDF), or contact the Advisory Council Coordinator as listed on the Press Release.

The annual National Sanctuary Advisory Council Chairs and Coordinators meeting is just around the corner, set to take place May 12th-15th in Newport News, Virginia, at the site of Monitor National Marine Sanctuary. This annual meeting is a great opportunity for representatives from all 13 National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Councils to share and learn from each other's projects, issues and accomplishments. Case study presentations from all Regions of the National Marine Sanctuary Program will be presented hi-lighting issues effecting the several Councils and Sanctuaries embodied in each Regional system. Representing Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary at the National meeting will be Advisory Council Chair, Lance Morgan, and Advisory Council Coordinator, Rowena Forest.

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary staff would like to send our heartfelt thanks to the several Advisory Council members whose terms were up in March of this year. Departing long-time Council members were: Tom Lambert, Sonoma Community at Large Primary and SAC Chair; Carol Keiper, Research Primary; Daniel Cohen, Research Alternate; Doreen Moser, Education Primary; and Michael Mery, Marin Community at Large Alternate. Their hard work and solid advice to the Sanctuary is very much appreciated, and the many accomplishments of the Advisory Council during their terms has greatly raised the profile and contributions of the Cordell Bank Advisory Council within the National Marine Sanctuary Program.

We would like to welcome Lance Morgan as new Cordell Bank Advisory Council Chair, as well as the several new members of the Advisory Council: Bill McMillon, Brian Mulvey, Jaime Jahncke, Liza Crosse, Susan Anderson, Geogre Clyde, and Edmund Smith. Bill McMillon and Brian Mulvey are returning charter members of the Cordell Bank Advisory Council, first "on-board" at the inception of the Council in 2002. You can read more about each Cordell Bank Advisory Council member on the Council Members web page.

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council would like to announce the opening of four seats on the Council: Research Primary, Research Alternate, Marin County Community at Large Alternate, Sonoma County Community at Large Primary. An ideal candidate for these seats would reside in a community near the Sanctuary, is well-known and well-connected in the fields of marine research, education, and conservation, has experience or knowledge regarding marine resource protection issues in the Sanctuary, experience or knowledge regarding public use and activities in the Sanctuary, and has the freedom to express views and cast votes without consideration of any expectations held by an employer or other organization with which the member is affiliated. The open application period for these seats closes January 30, 2008

At the September 19th Cordell Bank Sanctuary Advisory Council meeting, a resolution was unanimously passed by the Council to encourage the inclusion of the unique submarine feature - Bodega Canyon - within the boundaries of Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Expansion of the Sanctuary's boundary is being addressed in the current National Marine Sanctuary Boundary Expansion Bill, drafted by Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey. To view the Advisory Council resolution regarding this, please download the following pdf file (16k): Sanctuary Boundary Expansion Modification resolution 2007

On September 26th, 2006 the Cordell Bank Sanctuary Advisory Council passed a resolution in support of reinstating the Leatherback Turtle Conservation Zone. Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary waters fall within the Leatherback Conservation Zone, which established in 2001 has successfully reduced observed leatherback interactions with the drift gillnet fishery to zero.

Please click here for a copy of the resolution (16KB PDF);
and click here for a copy of the Conservation Zone boundary. (100KB PDF)

Please click on this link to download Todd Steiner's Drift Gill Net presentation. (2.7MB PDF)

New Resolution Adopted by the Council

On January 26th, 2006 the Cordell Bank Sanctuary Advisory Council passed a resolution in opposition of oil and gas exploration in National Marine Sanctuary waters. This is the fourth such resolution passed by West Coast National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Councils in 2005/2006. The Olympic Coast, Channel Islands, Monterey Bay and Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Councils have drafted other resolutions. Click here: Cordell Bank SAC resolution. (12KB PDF)

At the January 26th SAC meeting, Richard Charter, member of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council, presented on the Federal Energy Bill and a history of oil and gas exploration on the West Coast. This power point presentation may be downloaded here. (648KB PDF)

For the 2005 Cordell Bank Sanctuary Advisory Council Annual Report, click here for 2005 Annual Report. (24KB PDF)