BBS Students Raising Money for New Orleans School

by Carolyn Connors

April 5, 2007 -------- Bodega Bay School students have learned the value of giving. After the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, 39 BBS students raised $2,000 for a school in Slidell, Louisiana. This was in addition to sending new and used books to the students there.

This year they have the opportunity to help again. And again, they said, “Yes, let’s do it.” Their spring book fair, April 23-27, offers a chance to Buy One, Get One Free. For every book the students purchase, they can choose to give their free book to a school in St. Bernard Parish in New Orleans.

The students have learned that this part of New Orleans is one of the poorest sections of the city, and the slowest to recover. They have one elementary school reopened and are hoping to open 2 more by August 2007. The new schools have no libraries.

The BBS students have made collection jars and are putting them in local businesses to buy even more books for the students of the lower ninth ward. The public can help by filling the collection jars or by sending donations to Bodega Bay School (BBS-PTA), P.O. Box 155, BB. Remember, every dollar is doubled at the Scholastic Book Fair. (Scholastic will also match the money collected and donate to one of their charities.)

The public is also invited to attend the school Open House on Thursday April 26, 6:30 – 8:30 pm and buy books directly from the book fair. These are good, affordable books that make great presents for children or grandchildren.

Luz Aguilera, a fifth grader at Bodega Bay School, was awarded the Shoreline School District Student of the Month at the March meeting. Luz is a very caring individual who has shown growth in academics and socially. (Pictured with Luz is her teacher, Mr. Paul Olson.)

Bodega Bay Students show off their awarded medals after completing the reading program, "Champions Are Readers" March 21. They were challenged to read at home for 20 days for 20 minutes per day. 24 students met this goal. The total minutes read were 14,281. The program was sponsored by PI BETA PHI.

California Marine Life Protection Act Initiative

Meetings on MLPA scheduled

Posted March 8, 2007 -------- The California Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative has scheduled five public workshops in the MLPA North Central Coast Study Region. The workshops are to introduce and discuss the second phase of the MLPA Initiative and invite public questions and input on the initiative process. The study region is bounded in the north at Alder Creek (Mendocino County) and in the south at Pigeon Point (San Mateo County).

The MLPA Initiative is a public-private partnership designed to help the State of California implement the Marine Life Protection Act, using the best readily available science as well as the advice and assistance of scientists, resource managers, experts, stakeholders and members of the public. The first phase of the initiative focused on the central coast, from Pigeon Point in the north to Point Conception in the south.

The Marine Life Protection Act directs the state to redesign California ’s system of marine protected areas to increase its coherence and effectiveness in protecting the state’s marine life and habitats, marine ecosystems, and marine natural heritage, as well as to improve recreational, educational and study opportunities provided by marine ecosystems. Marine protected areas (MPAs) are discrete geographic marine or estuarine areas designed to protect or conserve marine life and habitat. There are three types of MPAs: state marine reserve, state marine park, and state marine conservation area, each with different rules about what activities can or cannot be done within each.

Each workshop will begin with a brief presentation to describe the second phase of the MLPA Initiative, followed by discussions about the challenges, opportunities, and expectations of the upcoming process. The workshop format will create opportunities for small group discussion. Dates and locations for the workshops are listed below. Questions may be directed to Melissa Miller-Henson at 916.654.2506 or Melissa@resources.ca.gov.

All workshops are scheduled from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Tuesday, March 20

Marin Civic Center

Manzanita Room

10 Avenue of the Flags, San Rafael

Wednesday, March 21

Grange Hall

Main Hall

1370 Bodega Avenue, Bodega Bay

Monday, March 26

Harbor House Conference Center

107 Broadway Avenue, Half Moon Bay

Tuesday, March 27

Golden Gate National Recreation Area Headquarters

Fort Mason, Building 201

(use main entrance at Franklin and Bay streets) San Francisco

NOAA Sanctuaries report on Gulf of the Farallones, Cordell Bank progress

25th Anniversary report

Posted March 8, 2007 -------- The 25th anniversary of Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and a monthly marine debris monitoring program in Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary were among the items highlighted in the 2006 State of the Sanctuaries Report, an annual summary of the NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program’s most significant achievements.

“Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary celebrated 25 years of ocean stewardship in 2006,” said Farallones sanctuary Superintendent Maria Brown. “Congressional resolutions recognized past sanctuary accomplishments, including endangered whale research, volunteer programs, and removal of 100,000 gallons of oil from the S/S Jacob Luckenbach shipwreck outside the Golden Gate.”

Other Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary accomplishments highlighted in the report include research cruises in the Farallones sanctuary and nearby waters. Research in 2006 documented characteristics of the water such as salinity and temperature, and investigated the relationship between physical features and the presence or absence of krill, which forms the base of the food web for seabirds, whales and other marine life. Round-the-clock plankton tows and the noted absence of plankton-eating animals such as giant blue whales during daylight hours demonstrated that ocean productivity was unusually low for the second year in a row, resulting in failure to breed among certain species of seabirds. Further research is planned for 2007.

The staff of nearby Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary added the documentation of marine debris to their monthly monitoring of offshore waters.

“Animals come from all over the Pacific to feed in this region and could potentially be ingesting marine debris or risk entanglement while here,” said Cordell Bank sanctuary Superintendent Dan Howard. “With the aid of NOAA’s Marine Debris Program, the sanctuary’s monitoring program provides information that helps managers make necessary decisions to safeguard sanctuary waters.”

Other Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary accomplishments included a new sanctuary-produced local radio program, high-resolution bathymetric mapping and work on a new visitor center exhibit, opening soon at Point Reyes National Seashore.

The 2006 State of the Sanctuaries Report also details science, education, and resource protection accomplishments throughout the sanctuary system, including establishing the world’s largest area of marine protection in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands and shifting shipping lanes to reduce the risks of ship strikes to endangered whales in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

“Our 2006 accomplishments reflect the significant progress being made by the National Marine Sanctuary Program to develop results-oriented resource protection, science, management and educational programs,” said sanctuary program Director Daniel J. Basta. “I am especially proud of our program’s five years of hard work with our partners that resulted in the president establishing the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument.”

Information on the Farallones and Cordell Bank sanctuary accomplishments and more across the sanctuary system, including in-depth features, stunning images and videos, are available on the sanctuary program Web site at http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov.

The NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program, which manages Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries, seeks to increase the public awareness of America’s marine resources and maritime heritage by conducting scientific research, monitoring, exploration and educational programs. Today, the sanctuary program manages 13 national marine sanctuaries and one marine national monument that together encompass more than 150,000 square miles of America’s ocean and Great Lakes natural and cultural resources.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, an agency of the U.S. Commerce Department, is celebrating 200 years of science and service to the nation. From the establishment of the Survey of the Coast in 1807 by Thomas Jefferson to the formation of the Weather Bureau and the Commission of Fish and Fisheries in the 1870s, much of America's scientific heritage is rooted in NOAA.

NOAA is dedicated to enhancing economic security and national safety through the prediction and research of weather and climate-related events and information service delivery for transportation, and by providing environmental stewardship of our nation's coastal and marine resources. Through the emerging Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), NOAA is working with its federal partners, more than 60 countries and the European Commission to develop a global monitoring network that is as integrated as the planet it observes, predicts and protects.

On the Web:
NOAA: http://www.noaa.gov
NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov
NOAA Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary: http://farallones.noaa.gov
NOAA Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary: http://cordellbank.noaa.gov

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Klamath River issues & missing sailor flyer.