California Marine Life Protection Act Initiative Announcement

Who: MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force
What: Fifth meeting, draft agenda and tour (see below)
When: Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 9:00 a.m.
Where: Hotel Mar Monte
1111 East Cabrillo Boulevard
Santa Barbara, CA 93103
and via simultaneous webcast on the day of the meeting at
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/meetings_sc.asp

Members of the public are invited to attend the meeting in person or view and listen to the meeting via simultaneous webcasting on the Internet, and may view an archived version approximately two days after the meeting. Please visit the MLPA website at www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/meetings_sc.asp for more information.

Public Participation: The public will be invited by the chair to offer comments on agenda action items. General comments on the MLPA Initiative and work of the MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force, not directed to specific agenda items, will be taken at approximately 11:00 a.m. Speaker cards are requested and may be found at the entrance to the meeting room.

Meeting materials: Please note that meeting materials are posted to the MLPA website as they become available.

Meeting Objectives

??? Receive presentations regarding military use areas from the U.S. Department of Defense and MLPA Master Plan Science Advisory Team and potentially provide guidance to the MLPA South Coast Regional Stakeholder Group (SCRSG) regarding how such areas should be considered when developing marine protected area proposals
????ĆReceive and discuss report regarding the status of federal and state coordination recommendations
????ĆReceive and potentially approve regional goals and objectives and design and implementation considerations as adopted by the SCRSG
??? Receive updates on the work of the MLPA Master Plan Science Advisory Team (SAT), SCRSG, and MLPA Statewide Interests Group (SIG)
????ĆReceive update on the revised draft regional profile
????ĆReceive updated report on contractors to the MLPA Initiative and their scopes of work
??? Receive 2008-2011 budget update

Meeting Agenda

Note: Public comment will be taken at approximately 11:00 a.m. The task force will break for lunch at approximately 12:00 p.m. and then participate in a tour in the Santa Barbara area for the latter half of the day; details regarding public participation in the tour will be available a few days before the meeting.

Welcome, Introductions and Review of Agenda
I. Lessons Learned Project
II. Policy Direction for the MLPA South Coast Study Region
Potential BRTF Action: Approve guidance for the MLPA South Coast Regional Stakeholder Group regarding how military use areas should be considered when developing marine protected area proposals.

III. MLPA Initiative Process Updates
Potential BRTF Action: Approve regional goals and objectives, and design and implementation considerations, for the MLPA South Coast Study Region

IV. MLPA Initiative Operations

Adjourn

Tour in the SantaBarbara area (details forthcoming)

* This facility is accessible to persons with disabilities. To request reasonable accommodations for a disability, please contact California Relay Service (at least two days prior to the meeting) at 800.735.2929 (TT) or 800.735.2922 (voice) or contact the California Marine Life Protection Act Initiative at 916.653.5656.