Guidelines for Providing Public Comment to the
Marine Life Protection Act South Coast Project
Who: Members of the public

What: Guidelines for Providing Public Comment to the Marine Life Protection Act South Coast Project

Where:

MLPA South Coast Regional Stakeholder Group (SCRSG) meeting
Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles
6101 West Century Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90045
Meeting Agenda

When: Public comment will be taken for approximately 120 minutes beginning at approximately 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 10, 2009

How: The public is encouraged to provide comments directly related to developing Round 3 draft final* marine protected area (MPA) proposals.

* Feedback on specific shape boundaries, types of MPAs and location of proposed MPAs is valuable. Do you support what is being proposed? If not, can you offer a specific change in shape, classification and/or location?

* Are there specific geographies that either merit protection or where the socioeconomic impacts are too great?

Opportunities for the public to learn the status of Round 3 draft final proposals include:

* Attend as an observer the three work group work sessions on Wednesday, September 9 beginning at 8:30 a.m. During the work sessions the work groups will be completing their draft final proposals.

* View the live webcast of the Wednesday, September 9, 2009 meeting beginning at 7:00 p.m. During this meeting, the three SCRSG work groups will present each draft final proposal.

* View an archive of Wednesday, September 9, 2009 meeting. It is anticipated that the meeting will be ready for viewing online approximately 1-2 hours after the end of the meeting.

* Between 7:00 - 7:45 a.m. on Thursday, September 10, 2009 each draft final proposal will be available for public viewing on large screens in the hotel lobby outside of the general meeting room.

* MPA proposals available for viewing on September 9 & 10 are interim work products that are not yet final proposals.

Please refer to the below and attached document, "Guidelines for Providing Public Comment to the Marine Life Protection Act South Coast Project" for additional information.

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Guidelines for Providing Public Comment to the
Marine Life Protection Act South Coast Project
The Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative is designed as a transparent, science-based and stakeholder-driven process. As such, public comment is important to the success of the marine protected area (MPA) planning process. There are different methods available for public comment (see below) and ways to make it most effective (see attached).

Verbal Comments at Meetings
All meetings of the MLPA Initiative process will offer a minimum of one opportunity for public comment. Guidelines for general public comment at meetings include:

* Comment cards are requested to be submitted 15 minutes before the start of a general public comment period. No new comment cards will be accepted once the comment period has begun. Speakers must be present and turn in their own cards (this also applies to all individual speakers who wish to cede their time to other speakers)

* Comment cards will be counted and, at the discretion of staff or the chair, the time allocated to each speaker will be based on the total allocated time and number of speakers wishing to speak. Time allotments will be enforced.

* Speakers with a shared message or from the same organization are encouraged to combine speaking points. Additional time for comment will be given to these 'spokespeople' and those who have ceded their time can stand to show support.

* Speakers are welcome to distribute written material to the audience. Other media presentations, such as slides and videos, are only permitted by prior arrangement (contact Kelly Sayce at 310-738-2665 or kelly@strategicoceansolutions.com) and may be limited depending on time availability. Please arrive early and let staff know if you have a media presentation. An alternate space in the venue will be provided for displaying any additional media information, as needed and as space is available.

* The time for public comment will be noticed in the agenda for each meeting.

o For the upcoming MLPA South Coast Regional Stakeholder Group meeting:

+ On September 10, 2009 public comment will be taken for approximately 120 minutes beginning at approximately 9:00 a.m.

* An atmosphere of respect and consideration among the public is essential for a productive comment period. Verbal threats, hostile comments, clapping, jeering and the like will not be tolerated and will lead to immediate dismissal.

Written Comments
Written comments are accepted on an ongoing basis via email, fax or mail. All written comments are collated on a weekly basis and distributed to the south coast regional stakeholder group (SCRSG), blue ribbon task force, and staff, as well as the science advisory team if the comments are science related. In addition to formal public comments, members of the public can send comments directly to members of the SCRSG. Comments sent directly to SCRSG members are not distributed in the same manner as comments submitted to the MLPA Initiative. Comments to the MLPA Initiative can be submitted:

Email

MLPAComments@resources.ca.gov

Mail

Marine Life Protection Act Initiative
c/o California Natural Resources Agency
1416 Ninth Street, Suite 1311
Sacramento, CA 95814

FAX

916.653.8102

Contact information for SCRSG members: http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/pdfs/agenda_111808a.pdf