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NOAA News || NOAA Home Page || Back to Story INSTITUTE FOR MARINE PROTECTED AREAS TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE December 21, 2000 — FACT SHEET Coastal Services Center, Charleston,
South Carolina ** Providing information, tools and strategies for the design and effective management of marine protected areas ** THE NATIONAL INITIATIVE ON MARINE PROTECTED AREAS On May 26, 2000, President Clinton signed Executive Order #13158 on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to strengthen the protection of U.S. ocean and coastal resources. The Order begins an historic new endeavor, calling upon federal, state, local and tribal governments and the private sector to work together to strengthen and expand the national system of MPAs. This is an ambitious and unprecedented task "protecting our nation's most valuable and treasured ocean habitats. Its ultimate success requires a new collaborative approach to ocean conservation" both within and outside of the government. To help fulfill this task, the Order directs the Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to establish a new Marine Protected Areas Center to provide the science, tools and strategies to help build a national system of MPAs. Located in Washington, DC, and in cooperation with the Department of the Interior and other governmental and non-governmental partners, the MPA Center will help build and support nationwide partnerships to develop a national MPA system and implement Executive Order 13158. Supporting the MPA Center will be two MPA institutes:
THE INSTITUTE FOR MPA TRAINING AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE Mission. The Institute for MPA Training and Technical Assistance will improve the skills and effectiveness of federal, state, local, tribal, and non-governmental coastal resource managers, strengthening their ability to protect and enhance the nation's MPAs. Where. Building upon the recognized ability of NOAA's Coastal Services Center (CSC) to train and support coastal managers, the Institute for MPA Training and Technical Assistance has been established as part of the CSC, building upon established relationships with state and federal partners in the region, as well as partnerships nation-wide. Services The Institute Will Provide. The Institute for MPA Training and Technical Assistance will focus initially on the following types of training and technical assistance:
Starting the Institute. To ensure that the Institute for MPA Training and Technical Assistance meets customer needs, the Institute will use the following process:
Working with Partners. The Institute will work with other NOAA programs, such as the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, Sea Grant Extension Service, and others, to provide for field-based delivery of training and technical assistance. Staff. The Center will have a small core staff of technical specialists, scientists, trainers and educators with experience related to MPA's. This institute will take advantage of other staff within the networks around the U.S. to deliver specific services. We invite inquiries from students and professionals interested in collaborating with the Center staff and its partners. FOR MORE INFORMATION Visit the Web site MPA.GOV for more information or contact us at: Paul
M. Scholz |