Oct
12

Celebrating 50 Years of National Marine Sanctuaries

Oct 12

Celebrating 50 Years of National Marine Sanctuaries

Come celebrate the 50th anniversary of National Marine Sanctuaries at Georgia Aquarium! 50 years ago, the U.S. ushered in a new era of ocean conservation by creating the National Marine Sanctuary System. Since then, they’ve grown into a nationwide network of 15 national marine sanctuaries and two marine national monuments that conserve more than 620,000 square miles of spectacular ocean and Great Lakes waters. We even have one located off the coast of Georgia – Gray’s Reef National Marine Sanctuary.

In conjunction with this celebration we are debuting a new exhibit highlighting National Marine Sanctuaries and hosting a special event on Wednesday, October 12th featuring John Armor, Director of NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries.

Meet Our Speaker

John Armor is the Director of NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), our nation’s system of underwater parks.  In this capacity, he provides strategic vision for the program and overall policy direction.

Mr. Armor has been with NOAA since 2000, serving as the ONMS national permitting coordinator, chief of the Conservation Policy and Planning Division, and deputy director overseeing personnel, policy and administrative matters for the program.

Prior to coming to NOAA, Mr. Armor worked for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in the Fort Myers regional office.  There, he worked to implement the State of Florida's wetland and estuarine protection and sovereign submerged lands programs.

Mr. Armor is a native of Portsmouth, Rhode Island, along the shores of Narragansett Bay where his passion for protecting special ocean places was born.  He has a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Science from the University of South Carolina, and a Master of Science degree in environmental science and policy from Johns Hopkins University.  He is also a graduate of NOAA’s Leadership Competencies Development Program.

Mr. Armor lives in Columbia, Maryland, with his wife Trish, and their three children Ian, Collin and Katelyn.

Things to Know

  • Event Details

    This event includes a cocktail reception in our 4D Theater space with heavy hors d’oeuvres from 6:00pm-7:00pm followed by a presentation at 7:00pm with an open Q&A format as well as time to explore the new exhibit.

  • Parking

    Your parking is included with your ticket. however, it does not permit full access to the Aquarium.

  • Support

    The full cost of your ticket goes directly to support Georgia Aquarium's Research and Conservation initiatives.

Celebrating 50 Years of National Marine Sanctuaries
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