FLOWER GARDEN BANKS NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY
ADVISORY COUNCIL TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETING

The Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council will meet 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Feb. 8 in Galveston, Texas. All meetings are open to the public, with an opportunity for comments during the public forum period. The meeting will be held at the NOAA Fisheries Service Laboratory, 4700 Ave. U, Bldg. 216. More information and the meeting agenda are available at the sanctuary’s office at (979) 846-5942 or at http://flowergarden.noaa.gov.

“Sanctuary advisory council members help us balance protection of our coral reef ecosystem with the concerns of the local community,” said George P. Schmahl, the sanctuary’s manager.

The 11-member Flower Garden Banks Sanctuary Advisory Council consists of eight voting non-governmental members and three non-voting federal government agency members. The advisory council includes representatives from the recreational diving, diving operation, oil and gas industry, recreational fishing, commercial fishing, research, education and conservation communities.

Located in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico, Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, designated in 1992, includes three separate areas: East Flower Garden, West Flower Garden and Stetson Banks, which was added in 1996. The sanctuary harbors the northernmost coral reefs in the continental United States and serve as regional reservoirs of shallow-water reef fishes and invertebrates.

The NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program seeks to increase the public awareness of America’s marine resources and maritime heritage by conducting scientific research, monitoring, exploration and educational programs. Today, the sanctuary program manages 13 national marine sanctuaries and one coral reef ecosystem reserve that together encompass more than 150,000 square miles of America’s ocean and Great Lakes natural and cultural resources.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and providing environmental stewardship of our nation’s coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners and nearly 60 countries to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes.

On the Web:

NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov

National Ocean Service: http://oceanservice.noaa.gov

National Marine Sanctuary Program: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov