NOAA’s Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary (GRNMS) Advisory Council will hold its fall meeting on Oct. 9, 2024, from 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (ET). The meeting will be held at the South Carolina Aquarium, James L. Ferguson Executive Conference Room, 100 Aquarium Wharf, Charleston, South Carolina.
The public is invited to attend virtually through a GoToWebinar web link.
The council will approve its planned meeting schedule for 2025 and receive a presentation about marine conservation efforts of the South Carolina Aquarium. The GRNMS science team will brief the council about its recent seafloor mapping and characterization of live bottom habitats beyond sanctuary boundaries. The science team will also brief the council on the results of the inaugural annual GRNMS Science Symposium held in October 2023 and its relevance to future scientific investigation and exploration in and around Gray’s Reef. The council will respond to the Citizen Science Working Group July 2024 final report about potential citizen support opportunities at GRNMS and determine next steps, including future disposition of the working group. The Public Engagement Working Group will provide an update on its deliberations about specific actions the advisory council can take to promote enhanced public engagement in sanctuary conservation and management activities.
A public comment period is scheduled for 5:25 p.m. Anyone wishing to address the council should join the meeting no later than 3:30 p.m. in case the meeting progresses quickly and the public comment agenda item occurs earlier than scheduled. All agenda times are estimates and subject to adjustment. The public is encouraged to review the meeting agenda and contact any council member to discuss or provide comments on agenda items, or any other subject of interest concerning the marine sanctuary. For any major action by the council, the chair may offer, at their discretion, an opportunity for public comment prior to any final council vote or general consent motion.
Please note, the meeting will be audio recorded (including the public comment section) to aid preparation of a meeting summary. All public comments received will be included in the meeting summary, will be public, and will be maintained by the sanctuary as part of its administrative record. If you are providing a public comment, please do not include any personal identifiable information beyond your name. If you do not want to be recorded, please contact Elliott.Lam@noaa.gov.
For meeting updates, including a final agenda with remote participation instructions, visit: https://graysreef.noaa.gov/
For web or smartphone access to the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council meeting on Oct. 9, 2024, 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. (ET), register at: https://register.gotowebinar.
After registering on-line, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about how to join the virtual meeting by webinar. For more details about attending the meeting via computer or smartphone or by phoning in with a landline telephone, see the notes at the bottom of the meeting agenda.
