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<p><font face="Arial"><font size="4">REMINDER: Please Join Us for a
Special Training Session for CINC Volunteers*<br>
</font></font></p>
<p align="left"><font face="Arial"><b><font size="4">"Your Navy and
Marine Mammal Resources"<br>
Wednesday, May 14, 2008<br>
6:30 p.m., Chase Palm Park Building, Santa Barbara<br>
</font></b></font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">The director of the Chief of Naval
Operations Environmental Readiness Division will speak to the Channel
Islands Naturalist Corps volunteers at 6:30 p.m. on 14 May 2008 at the
Chase Palm Park Auditorium in Santa Barbara, Calif.<br>
Rear Admiral Lawrence Rice will discuss
the Navy’s commitment to environmental stewardship, especially marine
mammal protection, and how it is directly tied to mission readiness.
He will also share the Navy’s lessons learned from past use of active
sonar and how those lessons impact the Navy’s use of sonar today,
describe why the Navy is considered to be a world leader in marine
mammal research, and explain the numerous protective measures taken to
minimize risk to marine mammals.</font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">The Navy's Environmental Readiness
Division shapes and leads the Navy's environmental programs to enable
and sustain Navy readiness while protecting the environment. </font></p>
<p><font face="Arial">Below are some key points to consider:</font>
</p>
<ul>
<li><font face="Arial">Approximately 15,000 large ships make
use of the world’s oceans daily. In contrast, only about 125 U.S. Navy
ships are presently underway,<i> which is less than 1 percent of ships
at sea</i>.</font></li>
<li><font face="Arial">About 60 percent of U.S. Navy ships
and all subs are equipped with active sonar, which is used sparingly
because it reveals the sending ship’s position. Navy vessels prefer to
use passive sonar the majority of the time.</font></li>
<li><font face="Arial">The U.S Navy recognizes that active
sonar may affect marine mammals under certain conditions. Worldwide
naval use of active sonar for all countries has been correlated with
the stranding deaths of approximately 40 marine mammals during the
10-year period from 1996-2006. </font></li>
<li><font face="Arial">More than 3,500 strandings occur each
year on U.S. shores. In most cases, the causes of such strandings are
unknown. However, the most common causes have been identified as
pollution, disease, parasite infestation, ship strikes, trauma, and
starvation.</font></li>
<li><font color="#000000" face="Arial">The U.S. Navy
exercises caution when operating in areas likely to contain marine
mammals. Efforts to minimize potential effects on mammals include
posting lookouts, listening for marine mammals, and reducing or ceasing
use of active sonar when a marine mammal is detected at prescribed
distances.</font></li>
<li><font color="#000000" face="Arial">The U.S. Navy is a world
leader in marine mammal research – funding over</font><font face="Arial"><b>
$18 million</b> </font><font color="#000000" face="Arial">on
such research in FY07 alone. Such research is designed to determine
the distribution and abundance of protected marine species and their
habitats, improve understanding of effects of sound on marine mammals,
and help improve marine mammal protection measures to lessen such
effects, among other things.</font></li>
</ul>
<p><font face="Arial">A question and answer session will follow Rice’s
presentation. Additional information can be found at <a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="http://www.navy.mil/oceans"><u><font
color="#0000ff">www.navy.mil/oceans</font></u></a></font><font
face="Times New Roman"><font face="Arial">. <br>
</font></font></p>
<p><b><font face="Arial">*Note this meeting is <u>in addition</u> to
our regularly
scheduled CINC meeting on Tuesday, May 20 and is <u>separate</u> from
the May 14 <i>From Shore to Sea Lecture</i> which will take place in
Ventura the same evening as the Navy talk. If you wish to attend the May<i>
>From Shore to Sea Lecture</i>, it will also be offered on Tuesday,
May
13 at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum.</font></b></p>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Shauna Bingham
Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator
NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
3600 S. Harbor Blvd. #111
Oxnard, CA 93035
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated"
href="mailto:Shauna.Bingham@noaa.gov">Shauna.Bingham@noaa.gov</a>
(805) 382-6149 ext. 102
Fax (805) 382-9791
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://channelislands.noaa.gov">http://channelislands.noaa.gov</a>
´¯`·.¸¸..><((((º>·´¯`·.¸¸..><((((º>·´¯`·.¸¸..><((((º>·´¯`·.¸¸..
</pre>
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