[CINC] NOAA’s national marine sanctuaries celebrate one million volunteer hours

[Shauna Bingham]

Dear CINC Volunteers:
Thank you again for all you do to support the sanctuary and park -- this
million hour milestone would not be possible without your efforts and the
partnership between Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and Channel
Islands National Park!
Best,
Shauna

NOAA’s national marine sanctuaries celebrate one million volunteer hours

NOAA thanks coastal stewards for 40 years of public service

>From removing trash to counting whales and educating school children,
volunteers across the country performing a variety of critical functions
have donated more than one million hours of community service to help
conserve the country’s ocean and coastal treasures for future generations,
NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries announced today.

“We are incredibly thankful for every single hour volunteers dedicate in
our marine sanctuaries, and we appreciate the way they excite and engage
the next generation of ocean stewards,” said Daniel J. Basta, director,
NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. “We would not be able to
accomplish many of the things we do without the selfless commitment of
citizens in communities all across the country.”

NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries manages 14 marine protected
areas spanning more than 150,000 square miles of ocean and Great Lakes
waters from the Hawaiian Islands to the Florida Keys, and from Lake Huron
to American Samoa. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the sanctuary
system. Since the mid-1990s, sanctuary volunteers have provided more than
$15 million of in-kind support, according to a national value of volunteer
time.

Examples of volunteer opportunities include annual events such as Ocean
Count <http://hawaiihumpbackwhale.noaa.gov/involved/ocwelcome.html> at
Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, where more than
1,000 volunteers monitor humpback whales from the shores of O’ahu, Hawai’i
and Kaua’i during whale season. In Southern California, the Channel Islands
Naturalist Corps
<http://channelislands.noaa.gov/edu/edu_natc.html>volunteer program
teaches the public about the sanctuary's important
ecosystem and the Channel Islands National Park at community events, whale
watching tours, and island hikes. Channel Islands Naturalist Corps was
named the 2011 Take Pride in America
<http://www.takepride.gov/>Outstanding Federal Volunteer Program.

On the other side of the country, volunteers of Team
OCEAN<http://floridakeys.noaa.gov/volunteer_opportunities/welcome.html>in
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary patrol sanctuary waters to
provide boaters with valuable navigational information and report illegal
activity to sanctuary law enforcement officers. Volunteers also represent
their communities through participation in sanctuary advisory
councils<http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/management/ac/welcome.html>,
which provide advice to NOAA on the management and activities at each of
the 14 sites.

“One million hours is a monumental achievement, but we encourage more
people to get involved and help ensure marine sanctuaries remain America’s
underwater treasures for generations to come,” said Tracy Hadjuk, NOAA
national volunteer coordinator for sanctuaries.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's
environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to
conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on
Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/usnoaagov>,
Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/noaa> and our other social media
channels<http://www.noaa.gov/socialmedia>
.

On the Web:
NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/
Sanctuary volunteer opportunities:
http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/involved/volunteer_future.html

##


-- 
Shauna Bingham
NOAA's Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
113 Harbor Way, Suite 150
Santa Barbara, CA 93109
805-884-1460
805-568-1582 (fax)
http://channelislands.noaa.gov/
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