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Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary and its advisory council<http://beta2.w1.floridakeys.woc.noaa.gov/sac/welcome.html> are seeking public comment on issues related to sanctuary boundaries, marine zones <http://beta2.w1.floridakeys.woc.noaa.gov/zones/welcoe.html?s=zones>, Key West and Great White Heron National Wildlife Refuge’s Backcountry Management Plan <http://www.fws.gov/nationalkeydeer/backcountry.html>, and associated regulations <http://floridakeys.noaa.gov/regs/welcome.html>. The comments received will guide a review of the marine zones<http://beta2.w1.floridakeys.woc.noaa.gov/zones/welcome.html> and regulations<http://beta2.w1. floridakeys.woc.noaa.gov/regs/welcome.html>, and shape Florida Keys marine conservation for decades to come. Public comments are being accepted through June 29, 2012. Comments may be submitted electronically and via mail, and during five meetings in south Florida and the Florida Keys.

June 19: Marathon, FL; Monroe County Government Center; Emergency Operations Center
June 20: Key Largo, FL; Key Largo Library
June 21: Key West, FL; Doubletree Grand Key Resort; Tortuga Ballroom
June 26: Miami, FL; Florida International University; Graham University Center; Room GC243
June 27: Fort Myers, FL; Joseph P. Alessandro Office Complex; Rooms 165 C and D*

*For more information visit: floridakeys.noaa.gov

We also have a new listserve at Marine Zoning and Regulatory Review List Serve <http://floridakeys.noaa.gov/review/email-list.html> where you can receive updates on the marine zoning and regulatory review in your email inbox. This service provides subscribers with recent news and information about public meetings and ways to participate in the review process. Marine zoning and regulatory review email updates are one-way forms of communication, not discussion forums.

We have provided a page on our website detailing the various ways to provide public comment during the scoping period.  This can be found at Public Comment <http://floridakeys.noaa.gov/review/scoping.html>.  I encourage all of you to express your opinions!

Thanks,
–
Sean Morton
Sanctuary Superintendent
Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
33 East Quay Road
Key West, Florida 33040
305-809-4700 x233
http://floridakeys.noaa.gov
http://www.facebook.com/floridakeysnoaagov
______________________________

http://action.biologicaldiversity.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=10080

Protect Corals, Fish and Whales From Ocean Acidification

Your beach may be more polluted than you think. Each hour we dump one ton of invisible pollution into the ocean; if it were a visible, tangible substance like oil, we would demand that the spill be halted. Even though you can’t see it, this pollution threatens our sea life — from the smallest of plankton to the greatest of whales.

The pollution is carbon dioxide, and it’s making our oceans more acidic. Ocean acidification is linked to global warming in that both are caused by CO2 buildup and both threaten to cause unprecedented devastation to the planet’s biome. The early effects are already here: Baby oysters cannot survive in waters off the Pacific Northwest, coral growth has been stunted in Florida, and polar waters have eroded the shells of prey that sustain Alaska’s salmon and whales.

Sign the petition at link above and tell the President and EPA we must act now to end ocean acidification. The science is in, and there’s no debate: Ocean acidification threatens our marine life and coastal communities. The EPA has the tools to prevent ocean acidification from hurting corals, sea otters, salmon and whales, but it must act swiftly.