NOAA’s Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, part of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, is seeking applicants for two seats on its advisory council. The council ensures public participation in reserve management and provides advice and recommendations to NOAA’s Office
NOAA’s Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, part of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, is seeking applicants for two seats on its advisory council. The council ensures public participation in reserve management and provides advice and recommendations to NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries regarding the reserve.
“Community representatives on our advisory council are an extremely important part of our team,” said David Swatland, NOAA’s acting superintendent for the marine monument. “Their input is an integral part of managing this special place.”
The reserve is accepting applications for a Native Hawaiian elder and another Native Hawaiian to serve as alternates.
Candidates are selected based on their expertise and experience in relation to the seat for which they are applying, community and professional affiliations, and views regarding the protection and management of marine resources. Applicants who are chosen as members or alternates should expect to serve a two-year term or until a different advisory body is created pursuant to the monument’s management plan.
The advisory council consists of 15 primary members, and their alternates, who represent a variety of public interest groups, including conservation, education, research, and ocean-related commercial and recreational activities, as well as the Native Hawaiian community. It also includes 10 governmental seats.
Applications are due Dec. 31. To receive an application kit, or for further information, please contact Katie Gentry, Reserve Advisory Council coordinator, via email at katie.gentry@noaa.gov; by phone at 808-694-3936; or by mail at Katie Gentry, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, 6600 Kalanianaole Hwy, No. 300, Honolulu, HI 96825. Application kits can also be downloaded at: http://www.papahanaumokuakea.gov/council/welcome.html.
The reserve encompasses an area of the marine waters and submerged lands of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, extending approximately 1200 nautical miles long and 100 nautical miles wide. The reserve is managed by the Secretary of Commerce pursuant to the National Marine Sanctuaries Act and the Executive Orders that established the reserve in 2000. The reserve is within Papahanaumokuakea, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2010.
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