NOAA’s Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary will host a meeting of the Sanctuary Advisory Council from 9:50 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Friday, July 25.

The meeting is open to the public, in Room 160 in the Clallam County Courthouse, with public comment at 2:45 p.m.

The agenda includes an update and interim report from the Science Working Group, a presentation on the Elwha River Dam removal and restoration by Olympic National Park, a briefing on the National Advisory Council Chair’s Summit, a presentation on OCNMS marine debris monitoring efforts, a briefing on mercury levels in highland lakes of ONP and a presentation on sea kelp communities and marine health.

For more information, contact Karlyn Langjahr at karlyn.langjahr@noaa.gov or visit the Advisory Council website http://olympiccoast.noaa.gov/involved/sac/sac_welcome.html where a draft meeting agenda will be posted.

The advisory council provides advice and recommendations on managing and protecting the sanctuary. The council is composed of 22 seats representing various local and regional organizations and agencies serving in a volunteer capacity.

Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary is administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and was designated in 1994 as the first national marine sanctuary in the Pacific Northwest. It encompasses about 3,189 square miles off the Washington coast, extending from Cape Flattery to the Copalis River.

Significant natural and cultural resources include 29 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises, large populations of nesting seabirds, shipwrecks and some of the most spectacular wilderness coastline in the lower 48 states.

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 coastal and marine resources. See www.noaa.gov or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/usnoaagov.