2017-01932. Availability of Seats for National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Councils

AGENCY:

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

ACTION:

Notice and request for applications.

SUMMARY:

ONMS is seeking applications for vacant seats for six of its 13 national marine sanctuary advisory councils and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Advisory Council (advisory councils). Vacant seats, including positions (i.e., primary and alternate), for each of the advisory councils are listed in this notice under Supplementary Information. 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 sanctuary. 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.

DATES:

Applications are due before or by Tuesday, February 28, 2017.

ADDRESSES:

Application kits are specific to each advisory council. As such, application kits must be obtained from and returned to the council-specific addresses noted below.

• Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: Kelly Drinnen, Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, 4700 Avenue U, Building 216, Galveston, TX 77551; 409-621-5151 extension 105; email [e-mail]; or download applications from http://flowergarden.noaa.gov/​advisorycouncil/​councilnews.html.
• Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: Chris Hines, NOAA Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary, 10 Ocean Science Circle, Savannah, GA 31411; 912-598-2397; email [e-mail]; or download applications from http://graysreef.noaa.gov/​management/​sac/​council_​news.html.
• Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: Jenn Gamurot, Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, 991 Marine Drive, The Presidio, San Francisco, CA 94129; 415-970-5252; email [e-mail]; or download applications from http://farallones.noaa.gov/​manage/​sac.html.
• Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: Shannon Ruseborn, NOAA Inouye Regional Center, NOS/ONMS/HIHWNMS/Shannon Ruseborn, 1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, HI 96818; 808-725-5905; email [e-mail]; or download applications from http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/​council/​council_​app_​accepting.html.
• Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: Kristen Hart, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, 99 Pacific Street, Building 455A, Monterey, CA 93940; 831-647-4206; email [e-mail]; or download applications from http://montereybay.noaa.gov/​welcome.html.
• Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Advisory Council: Nicole Evans, NOAA Inouye Regional Center, NOS/ONMS/PMNM/Nicole Evans, 1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, HI 96818; 808-725-5818; email [e-mail]; or download applications from www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/​council/​.
• Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: Elizabeth Stokes, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, 175 Edward Foster Road, Scituate, MA 02066; 781-545-8026 extension 201; email [e-mail]; or download applications from http://stellwagen.noaa.gov/​.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For further information on a particular national marine sanctuary advisory council, please contact the individual identified in the Addresses section of this notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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 Papahānaumokuākea 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. National marine sanctuary advisory councils are community-based advisory groups established to provide advice and recommendations to the superintendents of national marine sanctuaries on issues including management, science, service, and stewardship; and to serve as liaisons between their constituents in the community and the sanctuary. Additional information on ONMS and its advisory councils can be found at http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov. 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).

The following is a list of the vacant seats, including positions (i.e., primary or alternate), for each of the advisory councils currently seeking applications for primary members and alternates:

Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: Commercial Fishing (Primary); Conservation (Primary); Oil and Gas Production (Primary).

Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: Citizen-at-Large (Primary).

Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: Conservation (Primary); Education (Primary); Education (Alternate); Mendocino/Sonoma County Community-at-Large (Alternate).

Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: Business/Commerce (Primary); Molokai Island (Primary); Molokai Island (Alternate); Native Hawaiian (Primary); Oahu Island (Primary); Oahu Island (Alternate); Tourism (Primary).

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: Citizen-at-Large (Primary); Citizen-at-Large (Alternate); Diving (Primary); Diving (Alternate); Education (Alternate); Tourism (Primary); Tourism (Alternate).

Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve Advisory Council: Conservation (Primary); Research (Alternate).

Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council: At-Large (Primary); Conservation (Alternate); Mobile Gear Commercial Fishing (Primary); Research (Primary).

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

(Federal Domestic Assistance Catalog Number 11.429 Marine Sanctuary Program)

Dated: January 24, 2017.

Christopher Cartwright,

Chief Financial Officer, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.