Posted by Ken Kurtis on January 18, 2003 at 12:42:29:
As some of you may know, I'm an alternate to one of the regional working groups charged with drawing up reserves under the MLPA. (John Moore, who also posts here, holds one of the three diving seats. the other two are held by Jim Hall - I'm Jim's alternate - and Steve Benevides.) The SoCal panel is composed of various consitutent groups - fisherman, divers, boat owners, environmentalists, and other special-interest groups - and has about 20 members.
Anyhow, thought you might be interested in this notice we received the other day. The budget battle affects everything.
"The Marine Life Protection Act Regional Working Groups are
anticipating their next meetings to be held in late February or
early March. As you know, fulfilling the requirements of the MLPA
necessitates both State and private funding. Given continuing
funding uncertainties, we will not be scheduling the next round of
meetings at this time. There is a chance we may have to pause the
process until we have secured adequate funding to support the entire
process through completion.
"We realize we are providing you with limited information. Please
bear with us as we assess what to do next. We will have more
specific information by mid February."
Ken Kurtis
NAUI Instr. #5936
Co-owner, Reef Seekers Dive Co.
Beverly Hills, CA