Marine sanctuaries are topic of free MAPS presentation
The Modesto Area Partners in Science (MAPS) will offer a presentation on “How America Protects its ‘Yosemites in the Sea’ - the National Marine Sanctuary System” by William Douros, west coast regional director for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.The free public MAPS event will be held on Friday, February 27, at 7:30 p.m. in Sierra Hall 132 on the Modesto Junior College West Campus, and is intended for people over 12 years of age.
Managing special protected places in the ocean has considerable challenges not experienced in the management of national parks on land. Douros will discuss how managers address those challenges and ensure that some of America's most productive fisheries and the world's most abundant marine wildlife remain that way. He will also explain how life in the Central Valley is intricately connected to the ocean 150 miles to the west.
NOAA understands and predicts changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and conserves and manages the United States’ coastal and marine resources. The west coast region for NOAA includes five national marine sanctuaries covering nearly 13,000 square miles of coastal and marine waters within the California Current.
Prior to his current position, Douros was superintendent of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and before that regulated offshore oil and gas development in Santa Barbara County. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in environmental biology and Master’s degree in marine biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
For more information about the MAPS program visit the website http://maps.events.mjc.edu/, the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Modesto-Area-Partners-in-Science/244618054801 or contact MJC Professor Noah Hughes at 575-6800 or hughesn@mjc.edu.