MONTEREY BAY NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY
ADVISORY COUNCIL

CONSERVATION WORKING GROUP

Meeting Minutes
Tuesday, July 30, 1996
Moss Landing Harbor District Office

Conservation Working Group members in attendance were: Rachel Saunders, Chair 
(Center for Marine Conservation); Korie Johnson (SEA GRANT/MLML); Ellen Faurot-
Daniels (Friends of the Sea Otter); Daphne White (League of Women Voters/Pacific Grove 
Natural History Museum); Jack Wickham (Sierra Club - Ventana Chapter); David Iverson 
(Save Our Shores); Melissa Hippard (Save Our Shores); and Lisa Ziobro (MBNMS).

I.	CWG ADMINISTRATION

1) The June 18, 1996 meeting minutes were approved as presented.

2) Review Agenda; New Items for Discussion:

Daphne White brought up the issue of the Pacific Grove Museum and its special exhibit on 
the Del Monte Forest put together by the Pebble Beach Corporation.  The exhibit has been 
criticized by members of the community as being biased and promoting the Pebble Beach 
Corporation.  As a result, the museum director is advising cancellation of future 
collaborative, temporary exhibits.  This issue will be an agenda topic at the Pacific Grove 
City Council meeting on August 7.   

Rachel recommended that CWG members attend the council meeting as representatives of 
their individual organizations, and support the belief that the Museum director is being too 
drastic and to recommend guidelines for future exhibits.

3) Announcements and Other Meeting Dates:

 Sept. 21 - Half Moon Bay Birthday celebration; the event will probably be held at 
Francis Beach from 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
 SOS is starting a second tier stewards program - Ocean Education Volunteers - Half 
Moon Bay/San Mateo County; the idea is to increase presentations to the community.  It 
will involve three training sessions in October at $20 SOS members, $45 non - 
members.  The first session will be three hours; the second session will be six hours; 
and the third session will be three hours.
 Daphne White suggested putting a trip together to go up to see the Ocean Planet exhibit 
now open through November at the Presidio in San Francisco.
 Studies on man-made noise update -- Jack Wickham raised this issue and asked that it 
be brought up again to the Sanctuary Advisory Council at their next meeting.  Rachel 
Saunders agreed to mention it during her report on the CWG and suggested that Jack 
draft a letter to the Research Activity Panel (RAP) requesting follow-up on the issue.  
The letter should also recommend specific people with expertise in underwater 
acoustics.
 Rachel mentioned a Federal Register notice by the U.S. Navy involving high volume 
energy sound.  This might be a good time to get a sound acoustic specialist on the RAP; 
Rachel will bring a copy of the notice to Andrew DeVogelaere, MBNMS Research 
Coordinator.
 Daphne White announced a Conference from Oct. 29 - 30 at UC Davis.  The focus of 
the conference will be on how research affects policy-making.  Contact Daphne White 
for more information.

II.	SANCTUARY OFFICE REPORT

Highlights of the report included: Announcement of John Robinson as the new Public 
Relations Coordinator for the Sanctuary; publication of the Water Quality Protection 
Program (WQPP) newsletter; Sanctuary diver education course taught by MBNMS 
Education Outreach Coordinator, Kip Evans, on August 10-11 and August 24-25; 
Sanctuary proposal to the Monterey Institute of International Studies for Project India; 
Santa Cruz is moving forward with a Sanctuary Interpretive Center at the Wharf; and the 
Secretary of Commerce may be in Monterey for the Sanctuary birthday celebration.

Business & Tourism Activity Panel - The first meeting of the new Sanctuary 
Advisory Councils activity panel will be on Thursday, August 15 from 3:00 - 5:00 PM in 
Half Moon Bay.  The Sanctuary office will provide the CWG with a list of participants.  
The CWG recommended that David Iverson be involved as much as possible with the new 
working group.  CWG members also suggested that the focus of the business & tourism 
group be on the educational benefits rather than on promotion of economic improvement.

III.	CWG MEETINGS IN NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN PART OF 
	MBNMS   

CWG members have decided that it would be appropriate to meet in the northern and 
southern part of the Sanctuary on a regular basis.

THE NEXT MEETING OF THE CWG WILL BE ON SEPTEMBER 10, 
1996 FROM 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM AT THE PT. MONTARA LIGHTHOUSE 
IN MONTARA, CA.  Agenda topics will include: a presentation on the Water Quality 
Protection Program (WQPP) by Dr. Holly Price, WQPP Director; a discussion of personal 
watercraft and its use; a report on Sanctuary office activities; and an overview of the 
Sanctuary program.  The meeting will also be an opportunity to encourage new 
membership to the working group.

The CWG will try to meet in San Luis Obispo County in November.

IV.	ISSUE UPDATES & DISCUSSION

Discussion Topic:  Sea Otters -- 

Ellen Faurot-Daniels gave an overview of a recently released draft revised Sea Otter 
Recovery Plan.  A hearing on the plan was held in Monterey on July 18; comments on the 
hearing are due by the end of September.  Focus of the comments should be on: 1) the pre-
mature de-listing of the endangered marine mammals; and, 2) concern that the plan doesnt 
address oil spill prevention, a key threat to the sea otter.  There is still a need to weigh in 
with tangible oil spill prevention measures and to investigate new information suggesting 
increased mortality due to disease infection 


Discussion Topic: Volunteer Stewardship Guide --

Rachel gave an overview of the Guide  being prepared by the Center for Marine 
Conservation and the MBNMS.  The Guide will list organizations offering practical, hand-
on volunteer opportunities to help the Sanctuary.  CWG members wishing to make 
additional comments should get them to Rachel or Donna Meyers by August 12.  The 
Guide  should be completed by the end of September.   

Discussion Topic: Marine Park Proposal (No-take Zone) --

There have been numerous hearings on this proposal before the Pacific Grove and 
Monterey Recreational commissions.  More recently in July, the commissions voted to 
prohibit commercial fishing with a provision to allow drifting purse seines without penalty 
(must set outside boundaries).  The Commissioners also voted to ban spear fishing and 
recreational hook and line (NOTE: Monterey voted to ban it all; Pacific Grove voted to 
allow it off shoreline)  Kelp harvesting was not voted upon.  Other issues addressed by the 
Council included: 1) scientific collection -- Monterey voted to allow it with permits; Pacific 
Grove voted against allowing any kind of scientific collection;  2) voted to name it the Doc 
Ricketts Marine Reserve; 3) enforcement would be the jurisdiction of the California 
Department of Fish and Game.  The next hearing will be Sept. 19, at 7:00 PM; the main 
focus will be on kelp harvesting.  CWG members were reminded that the Parks and 
Recreation Commissions recommendations are only advisory. The issue will be taken up 
by the City Councils.

The Center for Marine Conservation will spearhead efforts to develop a more detailed 
proposal.  

Discussion Topic: Sanctuary Currents Conference -- 

The Sanctuary Currents Conference will be in March 1997.  The Coconut Grove in Santa 
Cruz is the first choice as a venue.  The consensus among conference organizers is to make 
it a one-day seminar; suggested speakers at the moment are mostly scientists; the suggested 
focus is biodiversity issues.  CWG members need to consider candidates for the 
conservation award; the nomination of individuals will be a CWG agenda topic. 
The next Sanctuary Currents planning meeting is August 27, at 3:00 PM at AMBAG.

Discussion Topic: Sanctuary License Plate --

Three organizations have agreed to sell plates: Elkhorn Slough Foundation; Surfrider 
Foundation, Santa Cruz; and Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks.

Discussion Topic:  Water Quality Protection Program (WQPP) -- 

The WQPP met recently with representatives from the agricultural community for a 
workshop.  The turn-out was good and the meeting was productive in generating goodwill. 
Dr. Holly Price will talk about it at the next CWG meeting.

V.	ANNOUNCEMENTS 

1) Rachel reviewed the recent battles over the California Coastal Commission and 
encouraged CWG members to continue their vigilance and strong attendance at upcoming 
hearings.

2)  BAYNET will be working on an abbreviated BAYNET program in coordination with 
the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal management plan.


Meeting adjourned 12:55 PM.


Respectfully Submitted,




Jane DeLay
MBNMS Advisory Council Coordinator
CWG July 30, 1996 Meeting Minutes
DRAFT  - 8/30/96

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