Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary
Sanctuary Advisory Council Meeting
July 12, 2000
Skidaway Island, Gray's Reef Office, Savannah, GA

Attendance:
SAC Members Present: Anne Lindsay Frick, Jim Henry, George Sedberry, Judy Wright, Doug Rader and Bing Phillips.
SAC Members not present: Matt Gilligan and Patty McIntosh

NOAA Gray's Reef Staff in attendance: Reed Bohne, Marcy Lee, Cathy Sakas and Becky Shortland.

Public in attendance: Gail Krueger, Savannah Morning News

Distributed Materials:
Agenda
May 9, 2000 meeting minutes
example of daily news clips from headquarters
copy of Research Coordinator job announcement/description
draft of "Shaping the Future Together" Report
copy of proposed amendment to SAC Charter concerning the removal of members
draft schedule and agenda for Sapelo retreat
Georgia DNR Comments on the MOU between SAFMC and NMS program, NOS, NOAA and NMFS southeast region, NOAA.
Summary of SAFMC Informal Meetings on Marine Reserves

Previous Meeting Business
Jim Henry convened the meeting and minutes were approved from the May 9, 2000, SAC meeting. Members suggested that we include a list of SAC members not in attendance in minutes of this and future meetings.

Becky Shortland presented sample letterheads for the SAC to consider and approve. Several changes and additions were suggested, including adding the web page link to the letterhead. A suggestion was also made that the website go straight to the SAC page.

Becky presented a sample of the daily news clips the office receives from headquarters. Because there are many items that may be of interest, the question was posed whether or not SAC members would like Becky to forward them on a regular basis. All members agreed to receive the clips on a trial basis.

Reed discussed the Research Coordinator position and what he hopes the person will bring to the position. Jim asked the SAC to read the list of duties for the position. Jim Henry reminded everyone of the physical mapping needs for Gray's Reef done by Side Scan Sonar.

"Shaping the Future Together" State of the Sanctuary Report
Jim Henry moved on to the review of the Gray's Reef report "Shaping the Future Together". Printing should start in mid-August. Bing Phillips mentioned his deep concern that the text seems slanted toward an pre-conceived outcome, possibly for closure to recreational fishing. Anne Lindsay Frick and Judy Wright expressed similar concerns that there seems to be a stronger tone than is appropriate in favor of conservation. Judy expressed concerns that the general public would automatically think that Gray's Reef was so special from the description that it must be closed to protect the resources. Anne Lindsay Frick commented that we may want to consider renaming the report to "State of the Sanctuary" since that is what the public expects to receive.

Other suggestions made were to include a narrative on user groups, add an invitation to everyone to remain involved in the process, and to include a visual timeline of the management plan. Reed and Becky asked SAC members to please send in additional comments and suggestions no later than July 21st. We anticipate NOAA clearance of the document by July 28th, with distribution by mid to late September. Outlets for the report were discussed and all agreed that the current mailing list of approximately 1800 people, the list serve, the web page were all good for distribution.

SAC Membership
The discussion turned to the consideration of adding members to the Sanctuary Advisory Council. Reed Bohne reminded SAC members that they had suggested adding a member from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Coastal Resources Division, Marine Fisheries Section. Other members to consider include agencies with which Gray's Reef has repeated contacts: National Marine Fisheries Service, U.S. Coast Guard and the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. After thorough consideration the SAC decided by consensus to add a representative of GA DNR, Marine Fisheries Section and a voting member, and representatives from NMFS Southeast Regional Office and the U.S. Coast Guard as non-voting members. Becky Shortland will prepare an amendment to the existing SAC Charter for everyone's review and approval, after which, approval will be sought from NMSP Director Dan Basta.

Becky Shortland also asked the SAC to read and consider the proposed language for removal of members to be added to the charter in addition to the new members. Doing this at the same time is recommended since both require the Director's approval. The SAC members agreed to add this language.

SAC/Staff Sapelo Retreat
Becky Shortland then brought up the logistics for the upcoming SAC and staff retreat to be held on Sapelo Island on September 18-20, 2000. SAC members agreed to begin the retreat on Monday at 1:00 p.m. as suggested, which means everyone riding the 8:30 a.m. ferry instead of a later ferry. Reed Bohne went over the proposed schedule, agenda and outcomes expected for the meeting. There were no new suggestions from SAC members at this time.

SAFMC Activities
Reed Bohne raised the status of the Memorandum of Understanding with the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. Doug Rader mentioned concerns over the language as suggested by GA DNR concerning consistency with the GA Coastal Management Program. Reed explained that our general counsel, Ted Beuttler, is currently reviewing this language; NMFS counsel will also approve the language before it goes before the SAFMC, again, for final approval. Becky Shortland also noted that the Marine Reserves Advisory Panel of SAFMC will be meeting in two weeks, and the Habitat and Environmental Protection Advisory Panel at the end of August. Becky serves on both panels for Gray's Reef.

Executive Order on MPAs
Reed Bohne advised the SAC about President Clinton's Executive Order on marine protected areas, announced over Memorial Day. Implications for marine sanctuaries are uncertain, but many headquarters people are involved in teams to outline implementation. He agreed to keep the SAC apprised of movement on the EO's implementation.

Public Comment
No public comment.

Next Meeting and Adjourn
Next meeting tentatively scheduled November 8th from 10:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. at Brunswick, possibly at the GA DNR Coastal Resources Division building.