Information About Scoping Meetings

• About Scoping Meetings
• Meeting Schedule & Locations
• Download Scoping Meetings Brochure (pdf 36K)

What are scoping meetings?

At the onset of a management plan review, the National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) holds public meetings to "scope out" or get input from resource users, interest groups, government agencies, and other members of the public on resource management issues. This input helps to define the range of issues that the program needs to address during the management plan review.

What kind of comments were welooking for?

Scoping meetings provide an opportunity for people to make direct comments to the NMSP and the local sanctuary on issues related to management of the sanctuary's natural and cultural resources and overall administration. Interested members of the public are encouraged to participate in the management plan review and provide any comments related to the sanctuary. In particular, we were interested in hearing about the public's view on :

• effectiveness of the existing management plan in protecting sanctuary resources
• emerging sanctuary resource management issues
• implementation of regulations and permits
• resource protection programs (such as water quality and enforcement)
• research and monitoring programs
• education, volunteer, and outreach programs
• adequacy of existing boundaries, including zones, to protect sanctuary resources
• assessment of the existing operational and administrative framework (staffing, offices, vessels, etc.). (top)

How is input provided?

The NMSP and the local sanctuaries encouraged interested members of the public to participate and provide comments at one of the 20 scoping meetings held in communities throughout the three-sanctuary region, from Gualala in Sonoma County to Cambria in San Luis Obispo County, and one each in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. (see reverse side for meeting dates, times, and locations). Each meeting was equally important. At each venue, participants commented on issues related to each of the three individual sanctuaries or all three together. Those unable to attend the scoping meetings in person could mail or fax written comments directly to one of the management plan review coordinators. Comments were also submitted via e-mail directly on the project website at http://sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov/jointplan/. The public comment period remained open until January 31, 2002.

What happens at the scoping meetings?

Scoping meetings provide a forum for the public to provide comments to sanctuary staff on one or all of the three sanctuaries. They are not decision making meetings. Meetings generally follow a similar format, but they are flexible enough to accomodate the number of people in attendance and the physical constraints of each location. At the beginning of each scoping meeting, sanctuary staff provided all the participants with a summary of the Joint Management Plan Review, detail the scoping meeting format, and answer any questions. Following the introduction, the group broke up into discussion groups consisting of 10 to 12 people. A group leader helped guide the discussion and ensure everyone has the opportunity to talk and provide comments. Each group had a recorder who summarized each of the comments on a chart so the group can see their comments are being recorded.

What's next after scoping?

Comments from each of the scoping meetings, as well as written comments and e-mail, were summarized and posted on the NMSP website. The individual sanctuaries worked with their respective Sanctuary Advisory Councils and other members of the public to help prioritize issues to be addressed during this management plan review and later to develop a draft management plan.

Note, the public comment period remained open until January 31, 2002

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