For immediate release:  July 27, 2010
Contact:    Christine Brammer
(808) 397-2651 ext. 252

Management plan review for NOAA's Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary is underway, and the public is encouraged to participate.  A series of public scoping meetings will be held from August 10 through August 26, 2010. During these meetings, comments on management considerations will be recorded as input to the management plan process.

Comments on future management priorities will also be accepted through October 16, 2010.  During this period, comments can be sent via post, email, fax or telephone. 

More information on public scoping meetings, ways to submit comments, and copies of the recent Federal Register notice and a variety of documents can be found on Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary web site http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov.

Management Plan Review phone contact:  1-888-55-WHALE ext. 267

Schedule for public scoping meetings:

8/10: Hilo, 6:00 pm NOAA Mokupapapa Discovery Center,
308 Kamehameha Ave., Suite 109, Hilo, HI 96720

8/11: Kona, 6:00 pm: Outrigger Keauhou Beach Hotel,
78-6740 Ali‘i Drive, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740

8/12: Oahu (Honolulu), 5:30 pm: Central Union Church,
1660 South Beretania St., Honolulu, HI 96826

8/14: Kauai: 9:00 am: Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School Cafeteria,
4431 Nuhou Street, Lihue, HI 96766

8/14: Kauai: 4:00 pm: Kilauea Neighborhood Center,
2460 Keneke Street, Kilauea, HI 96754

8/16: Maui: 6:00 pm: Lokelani Middle School,
1401 Liloa Drive, Kihei, HI 96753-8176

8/17: Maui: 6:00 pm: Lahaina Civic Center,
1840 Honoapiilani Highway, Lahaina, Maui, HI 96761

8/18: Molokai: 6:00 pm: Mitchell Pauole Center,
90 Ainoa Street, Kaunakakai, HI 96748

8/23: Oahu (N. Shore): 6:00 pm: Sunset Beach Elementary School Cafeteria,
59-360 Kamehameha Highway, Haleiwa, HI 96712-9623

8/26: Lanai: 6:00 pm: Lanai High & Elementary School,
Lanai City, HI 96763

The sanctuary is seeking input on a proposal to expand its scope and direction to protect and conserve other living marine resources, in addition to humpback whales and submerged cultural heritage resources within the sanctuary.  This proposal is detailed in the State of the Sanctuary Report Special Management Plan Review Edition and is available to the public online.

NOAA also recently released Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary Condition Report, which serves as a supporting document for the management plan review process and provides a summary of resources with a specific focus on humpback whales in the sanctuary.   This report can be accessed online at:  http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/science/condition/welcome.html.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Visit us at http://www.noaa.gov or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/usnoaa.

On the Web:

Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary

NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

Download pdf version of press release

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