LWV

February 9, 2004

Board of Directors
Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments
445 Reservation Road, Suite G
Marina, CA 93933

Subject: SAC Governance

February 9, 2004

Dear Board Members:

We wish to address the study of governance issues regarding the Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS) which are currently before AMBAG.

The League of Women Voters of the Monterey Peninsula (LWVMP) supported formation of the Sanctuary with its mission as trustee of this marine coastal area to conserve and protect its biodiversity, ecological integrity, and cultural legacy through:

The tasks are monumental, but since dedication in 1992 a great deal has been accomplished with impressive educational programs, most recently the Sanctuary Integrated Monitoring Network (SIMoN) and the Multicultural Education for Resource Issues Threatening Oceans (MERITO) programs. In fact, next month AMBAG is co-sponsoring Sanctuary Currents 2004, a Clean Waters, Healthy Oceans conference at CSUMB, free and open to all.

SAC, as its name indicates, is an advisory body representing diverse issues of the bordering coastal communities. It provides a venue for public input and has often engaged in vigorous debate over Sanctuary issues.

However, responsibility for the programs, many of which are very well presented on web sites and in attractive publications, remains with the Sanctuary.

The LWVMP thinks that the Sanctuary should continue to provide maximum resource protection to reduce detrimental human impact at least within its borders. We trust the SAC and AMBAG will continue to support Sanctuary staff in such efforts.

Sincerely,

Beverly G. Bean, VMD
President, the League of Women Voters of the Monterey Peninsula