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Media Room
Press Releases and Public Notices
June, 2009
Department of Ecology awards final contract for publicly-funded Neah Bay tug (link)
May, 2009
Cantwell Report Outlines Plan to Solve Washington Weather Radar Gap (link)
March, 2009
Sanctuary Advisory Council meets March 20, 2009 in Aberdeen (104k pdf)
January, 2009
Sanctuary Advisory Council holds issue prioritization workshop (108k pdf)
December 15, 2008
NOAA Begins Review of Comments on Present and Future of Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (16k pdf)
September, 2008
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary Holds Public Scoping Meetings (56k pdf)
Contact Information
Please direct all media inquiries on the sanctuary's Management Plan Review to:
Robert Steelquist
Education Coordinator
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
115 E. Railroad Ave., Suite 301
Port Angeles, WA 98362
Phone: (360) 457-6622 x19
Fax: (360) 457-8496
E-mail: Robert.Steelquist@noaa.gov
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS) is administered by the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and was designated in 1994 as the first national marine
sanctuary in the Pacific Northwest. OCNMS represents one of North America's most productive
marine ecosystems and spectacular undeveloped shorelines.
The sanctuary covers approximately 3,300 square miles of ocean and extends off the west coast of Washington's
Olympic Peninsula (see map). In size, OCNMS covers an
area that is:
- 1.7 times larger than the entire Puget Sound
- almost two and a half times larger than Olympic National Park
- the same size as Puerto Rico
- the size of Delaware and Rhode Island combined.
Management Plans
Sanctuary management plans are site-specific documents that the National Marine Sanctuary Program
(NMSP) uses to manage individual sanctuaries. Management plans:
- summarize existing programs and regulations
- articulate visions, goals, objectives, and priorities
- guide management decision-making
- guide preparation of annual operating plans
- guide future project planning
- ensure public involvement in management processes
- contribute to the attainment of system goals and objectives.
Management Plan Review
The NMSP is required by the National Marine Sanctuaries Act to review sanctuary management plans
periodically to ensure that each sanctuary site continues to best conserve, protect, and enhance their
nationally significant living and cultural resources. Many plans date back to the site's original
designation and have not been updated. Recent scientific discoveries, advancements in
managing marine resources, and new resource management issues may not be addressed in existing
plans. The current management plan for OCNMS dates back to before site designation in 1994.
OCNMS's Management Plan Review (MPR) will be conducted in several phases, detailed in our
Timeline. The MPR process will begin with the release of the
sanctuary's Condition Report and the initiation of a
60-day public scoping period on September 15, 2008.
Public comments are welcome any time during the scoping period, which ends on November 14, 2008. Additionally,
the sanctuary will host seven public meetings in local communities during the
scoping period.
The National Marine Sanctuary System
The Office of National Marine Sanctuaries
(ONMS) is responsible for identifying, designating, and managing ocean and Great Lake areas of special
national significance as national marine sanctuaries.
ONMS serves as the trustee for a system of fourteen underwater
protected areas ranging in size from less than one square mile to over 137,797 square miles. National marine sanctuaries
are located in marine and Great Lakes waters from Washington state to the Florida Keys, and from Lake Huron to American Samoa.
Sanctuaries are managed to protect and conserve their resources and to allow uses that are compatible with resource protection.
Quick Links
Photo Gallery
All photos credited to Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary
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