Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee

MPA Federal Advisory Committee Delivers Recommendations to NOAA and DOI

Nominations are sought for a tribal representative to the Marine Protected Areas Federal Advisory Committee.
The Committee meets at least twice a year at coastal locations around the country, and members serve for a four-year term. Nominees will be evaluated based on the following factors: marine policy experience, leadership and organizational skills, region of country represented, and diversity characteristics. The membership reflects the Department of Commerce's commitment to attaining balance and diversity. More details are available in the Committee's charter. Each nomination should include the proposed Committee member's name and organizational affiliation, a cover letter describing the nominee's qualifications and interest in serving on the Committee, a curriculum vitae or resume, and no more than three supporting letters describing the nominee's qualifications and interest in serving on the Committee. Self nominations are acceptable. The following contact information should be included: name, address, phone number, fax number, and email address if available. Nominations should be sent by June 30, 2008 to: Lauren Wenzel, Marine Protected Areas Center, NOAA, N/ORM, 1305 East West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910 or Lauren.Wenzel@noaa.gov.

Current MPA Federal Advisory Committee
The Marine Protected Areas (MPA) Federal Advisory Committee is supported by the National Marine Protected Areas Center. It is made up of individuals with diverse backgrounds and experience, who represent parties interested in the use of MPAs as a management tool. Committee members, 30 in all, are appointed by the Secretary of Commerce, and serve for four-year terms. They represent a broad stakeholder community, including scientists, academia, commercial fishermen, anglers, divers, state and tribal resource managers, the energy and tourism industries, and environmentalists.

In addition, nine federal agencies are represented by non-voting ex-officio members of the committee.

The committee's role is to provide expert advice and recommendations to the Secretaries of Commerce and the Interior on implementation of aspects of Section 4 of Executive Order 13158, the heart of the national MPA initiative.

The committee functions solely as an advisory body, complying fully with the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) of 1972 (5 U.S.C. App. 2).

Charter
The MPA Federal Advisory Committee's charter is renewed every two years. It details the committee's objectives, duties, terms and other requirements for members and the chairperson, and administrative provisions.

In-Depth Information about Current and Past Committees
You can find more details about the committee, recent and upcoming meetings, as well as an archive of previous committee documents on the following pages:

Committee Membership
Review the list and contact information of the 30 members, plus the nine federal (non-voting) ex-officio members.

2008 Products

• Committee Recommendations on MPA Compliance and Enforcement and Comments on Revised Draft Framework (May 2008)
• "Toward a National System of Marine Protected Areas: A Report by the MPA Federal Advisory Committee, Recommendations from 2006-2007" (February 2008)

October 2007 Products

• Process for Determining Which Existing MPA Sites will Constitute the Initial National System of MPAs
• Developing Plans for Effective MPA Management: A Model
• Incentives for Participation in the National System of MPAs
• Regional Approaches to Planning and Coordination of MPAs

Other Products

• Management Criteria, Priority Objectives, and Categories for the National System of MPAs (April 2007)
• Committee comments on the Draft MPA Framework (Feb 2007)
• "Marine Protected Areas: A Fundamental Tool for Ecosystem-Based Management" (Nov 2006)
• "Protecting America's Marine Environment: A Report of the MPA FAC on Establishing and Managing A National System of MPAs" (June 2005)

Biographies
Read brief biographies of each of the committee members.

Committee Structure
Learn about committee leadership, as well as the organization and membership of subcommittees. (To be updated Spring 2008)

Committee Meetings
All the details from meetings are found here: agendas, complete transcripts, minutes, presentations, and supporting documents.

Public Comment
Find links to oral and written comments from meetings, as well as guidelines for submitting public comments, for the public record, to the committee.

MPA Federal Advisory Committee History
You can learn about past activities and actions of the MPA Federal Advisory Committee here.

• MPA Federal Advisory Committee 2003-2005
  
  • Recommendations submitted to the Department of Commerce and the Department of the Interior in June 2005.
    
    
  • Complete links to meetings from the 2003-2005 committee: agendas, transcripts, minutes, presentations, and other documents.
    
    

For More Information
Lauren Wenzel
Designated Federal Official
National MPA Center
1305 East-West Highway
Silver Spring, MD 20910-3281
(301) 713-3100, ext. 136
Fax: (301) 713-3110
Lauren.Wenzel@noaa.gov