Introduction

Manta rays. Shipwrecks. Coral reefs. Underwater archaeological sites. All of these can be found within the waters of the U.S. national marine sanctuary system. Each of the system's 14 marine protected areas is an underwater national park that protects a unique combination of living things and cultural resources. One of these marine protected areas is the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary (FGBNMS).

Stetson Bank, West Flower Garden Bank, and East Flower Garden Bank are the three salt domes that make up the FGBNMS. Credit: Todd Viola

The FGBNMS protects three underwater salt domes in the Gulf of Mexico. These domes support a huge variety of living creatures, which in turn attract many people to the site. Fishermen are lured by the snapper and grouper around the banks. Scuba divers come to get an up-close look at the colorful corals, sponges, and hundreds of other animal and plant species that call the sanctuary home. And scientists come to conduct research and learn more about the sanctuary's amazing community of life.

Sanctuary staff members work on land and under water to protect the life in the sanctuary. And although protecting this life is their first priority, they also try to meet the needs of the many groups who use the sanctuary. Every so often, the staff conducts a review of the sanctuary's management plan. Reviewing the plan helps staff members find out how well they are managing the sanctuary and how they can improve. As part of the review process, staff members gather comments from key stakeholder communities as well as the general public. These comments play an important role as the management plan is updated and finalized.

This is where you come in. In late 2006, the FGBNMS staff began the management plan review process. The work will continue throughout 2007 and might last another year or more. The public - and that includes you! - can give input to the sanctuary staff during the entire review period.

In this WebQuest, you'll learn about the incredible resources of the FGBNMS. Then you'll come up with ideas for how to best protect those resources. You'll wrap things up by submitting the best ideas directly to the FGBNMS staff. By the time you complete the WebQuest, you will have made an important contribution to the management plan review process.

Go on to the Task section to find out how to get started!