California Marine Life Protection Act Initiative Announcement
Who: All interested members of the public

What: Invitation to provide new information and/or comments on the Regional Profile of the North Coast Study Region (California-Oregon Border to Alder Creek in Mendocino County) for discussion during the MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force meeting on May 3-4, 2010

When: Submissions are requested no later than April 19, 2010 for compilation and distribution to the MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force. Members of the public submitting information and/or comments in writing will also have the opportunity to provide verbal comments directly to the MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force during special public comment periods at the May 3-4 meeting.

Where: The regional profile is available to view in two ways:

1. Immediately available for download on the MLPA website at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/ncprofile.asp
2. On CD by contacting the MLPA Initiative office ([email protected] or 916.654.1885)

How: The public is encouraged to review the regional profile and submit written comments. Key information to include when submitting comments:

 ? Identify the specific section(s) on which you are commenting and/or providing supplemental information
 ? If you wish to provide verbal, in-person comments at the May 3-4 meeting

Written comments should be submitted by April 19, 2010 in one of three ways:
1. Email to [email protected]
2. Fax to 916.653.8102 (Attention: MLPA Initiative)
3. Postal service to MLPA Initiative
c/o California Natural Resources Agency
1416 Ninth Street, Suite 1311
Sacramento, CA 95814

Additional Details
The California Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative has published the Regional Profile of the North Coast Study Region (Alder Creek to the California-Oregon Border) at http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/ncprofile.asp, which provides background information to be used during the MLPA Initiative's marine protected area planning process. The MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force (BRTF) has allocated part of its May 3-4 meeting to receive feedback from the public on the content of the regional profile.

North coast communities and members of the public are invited to review the regional profile and provide new information and/or comments that would help inform marine protected area planning, address inaccurate data or statements, and/or highlight important information already included within the regional profile. The BRTF will receive comment on the regional profile by section; therefore, commentators should clearly state to which section of the profile their comments relate, so the information can accurately be brought into the discussion at the appropriate time during the meeting.

All new information and/or comments provided for the May 3-4 meeting will not be incorporated into the regional profile, but rather will be compiled into a "regional profile pubic comments" document. This information will be distributed to the BRTF, MLPA North Coast Regional Stakeholder Group, and the public through the MLPA website. Content of submissions will not be edited, so please be sure to submit information as you would like to see it printed in the compilation; clearly define any terms, abbreviations or acronyms with which the general public may not be familiar. Please provide references to support statements whenever possible.

Members of the public who submit written comments will also have the opportunity to provide verbal comments during the May 3-4 BRTF meeting. Speakers will be identified in advance of the meeting, and spokespeople for common topics will be identified. When submitting comments by April 19, please indicate whether you would also like to provide verbal comments to the BRTF during its May 3-4 meeting. There will be a general comment period for members of the public who did not submit written comments; their speaking time may be less than that allocated for scheduled speakers.