APPROVED MINUTES SIXTH NOAA SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD MEETING JULY 19-21, 2000 FAIRBANKS, AK Wednesday, July 19, 2000 Official Call to Order and Review of Meeting Format Michael Uhart, Executive Director, NOAA Science Advisory Board (SAB) opened the meeting. As the Science Advisory Board is a Federal Advisory Committee, Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA) rules and procedures for public input were presented. Introduction of the NOAA SAB Board Members and Opening Statement of the Chair Al Beeton, Chair, NOAA Science Advisory Board welcomed the members and NOAA officials to the sixth NOAA SAB meeting. He noted Dr. Baker's regrets at not being able to attend and relayed his thoughts on the April meeting and the Board's recommendations. Dr. Baker was pleased with the outcome of the April meeting. NOAA feedback regarding SAB involvement was presented along with the FY 2001 budget and some late information on the Senate passback. Dr. Baker supports another NOAA-Universities Partnership workshop and the process is underway to conduct a workshop. A status report on the action items and motions from the April 2000 SAB meeting was also presented. During the review of motions and action items discussion on the status of "Treasures at Risk" report ensued. Brief Overview of NOAA Offices, Facilities and Major Activities in the Alaskan and Northern Pacific Region Michael Uhart, Executive Director, NOAA Science Advisory Board gave a brief overview of NOAA offices, facilities and major activities of the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and National Weather Service (NWS) in the Alaskan Region. Presentation on NOAA Scientific Integrity Policy Dave Evans, Assistant Administrator for OAR, presented NOAA's draft policy with some background information. The Office of Science Technology and Policy (OSTP) decided to coordinate government wide, agency policies on scientific integrity. NOAA is drafting a document that will be consistent with the general principals outlined in the OSTP document. He invited comments and input. SAB discussion on the policy included some comments. Individual comments on the draft policy should be submitted to the Chair or the Assistant Administrator of OAR via the Executive Director of the Science Advisory Board. ACTION: Board members are to provide individual comments on the draft NOAA Scientific Integrity Policy to OAR via the Chair or Executive Director. Individual comments will be distributed to the Board for discussion and consensus. Status Report on the Establishment if an Oceans Exploration Strategy Panel and the Development of its Report to the President Dave Evans provided a status report on the establishment of an Oceans Exploration Strategy panel and the development of a Report to the President. On June 12, 2000 the President directed the Secretary of Commerce to convene a panel which would meet and offer up plans for how the country should proceed with developing a program in ocean exploration. A list of nominees was distributed to the Board. The role of the SAB was clarified. The Panel will be a working group of the SAB, with its members selected by the SAB. The Panel's report will be submitted to the SAB at an SAB meeting currently scheduled for September 29, 2000 in Washington, D.C. There was some SAB discussion on logistics and involvement of the public and other federal agencies. This included meeting location and format. The Board suggested that the panel set parameters, objectives and goals, including specific content areas of ocean exploration. The strategy should specifically include a clearing house for distribution of information and incorporation of international ocean exploration initiatives. Discussion of the inclusion of a satellite oceanographer on the list nominees ensued. West Coast and Polar Regions Undersea Research Center Programs Barbara Moore provided a brief introduction to the National Undersea Research Program (NURP). Ray Highsmith, Director, West Coast and Polar Region Undersea Research Programs briefed the SAB on the West Coast and Polar Region Undersea Research Program, including a description of its mission, staff, programmatic themes, current activities and future directions. The SAB had some follow-up questions and discussion followed, including current and future funding and marine protected areas. A motion relating to the NURP budget would also be presented later in the meeting. OAR Presentation of Proposal for Lab and Joint Institute Reviews Dave Evans, Assistant Administrator of OAR, presented a background and details of OAR's proposal for SAB reviews of NOAA Research labs and joint institutes. There were some follow-up questions and requests for clarification by the SAB. Discussion followed regarding the inclusion of social science as part of the terms of reference. Suggested Change in the Terms of Reference were as follows: in item 9, ensure that a SAB member will review the draft report before the report is submitted to the Assistant Administrator or Lab Director; in item 10, the chair and panel must agree to the suggested changes; and in item 11, use the words "taking into account" or "for consideration." Dave concurred with suggested changes. The issue of incorporating social science into the review process was still open to discussion. Board members discussed methods of incorporating social science into the review process. The following motion was passed unanimously. RECOMMENDATION: The Board recommends that a social science category be added to the categories of OAR Laboratory and Joint Institute reviewers. The Board reminded OAR that this endorsement is not an acceptance by the SAB to conduct all future reviews. This refers only to those reviews that the SAB agrees to participate in. After incorporating said changes and clarifying the role of the SAB in the review process the Board made unanimously passed a motion to accept the proposal. RESOLUTION: The SAB accepts the OAR proposal for review of OAR research laboratories and joint institutes with minor changes. Minor changes will be made by the SAB and then submitted to OAR via Dave Evans. Sub-Committee and Working Group Reports Sub-Committee on Coastal Science Peter Douglas, Chair, reported that the committee had no new information at this time, but will provide an update at the Hawaii meeting. Sub-Committee on Data Issues Soroosh Sorooshian, Chair, reported that the Sub-Committee has been working with NOAA on the report "Nation's Treasures at Risk" and reiterated the need for the report. In a letter sent to Drs. Sorooshian and Beeton, NESDIS stated that the report is scheduled for July 14, 2000. Once the report is submitted, the Sub-Committee will develop recommendations for consideration by the SAB. ACTION: NESDIS will provide a copy of the 7/14/00 draft of the "Nation's Treasures at Risk" to the Board when it is available. Sub-Committee on Synthesis Pat Gober, Chair, is happy to announce Dr. Baker's support of the Synthesis Sub-Committee's April 2000 motion that NOAA convene a panel of experts to examine how NOAA can extend and improve its social science research. The Sub-Committee will be soliciting names for a panel of about 8 people. Sub-Committee on Education Denise Stephenson-Hawk, chair, is reviewing the NOAA Education committee white paper on the status of NOAA's educational effort. The committee is working on a motion to adopt the NOAA committee as a working group of the SAB. NOAA-Universities Administrative Efficiencies Working Group Al Beeton, chair presented background information on the predecessor of the Working Group, including activities related to the Fly America Act and the Federal Demonstration Partnership. The Working Group proposes that NOAA join the Federal Demonstration Partnership. The following motion was passed unanimously. RECOMMENDATION: The SAB endorses the recommendation of the Working Group that NOAA and DOC consider joining the Federal Demonstration Partnership. SAB Science Review Working Groups Michael Uhart reported on the three science review panels that the Board oversees. The OAR/Global Change Program panel has been selected and is meeting in September. Panelists for the NESDIS Office of Research and Applications review have been selected, questions have been formulated, and there is a review set for September. Denise Stevenson-Hawk is working with NESDIS and is Chair of the review panel. NOS has developed a panel for the geodesy program. A volunteer is requested from the Board to help NOS develop a roster and review team. ACTION: The Executive Director will ask the SAB members of their desire to be involved in the science review of the NOS geodesy program. Presentation on NOAA Involvement in National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) Dave Evans, Assistant Administrator, OAR briefed the SAB on NOAA's involvement in the NOPP. No written input was provided by Dr. Evans. There were some questions by the SAB. Clarifications were provided by OAR, SAB Members, and NOS. Clarifications of NOPP and the relationship to the recent Executive Order on marine protected areas were presented by Al Beeton. Public Input Session Michael Uhart, Executive Director, NOAA Science Advisory Board, opened the public input session. Mike De Luca, Senior Associate Director for the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences at Rutgers University, presented information on NURP. No written input was provided. Based on the information presented, a resolution in support of NURP was presented as a motion. RESOLUTION: The NOAA Science Advisory Board urges NOAA to take appropriate steps to ensure that the National Undersea Research Program becomes the primary undersea research program for the nation, and that it is given effective and adequate support to carry out its mission. Toward that end, NOAA should require completion of strategic planning for the NURP program and should ensure that in doing so and strengthening support for NURP, that the role of the regional centers is preserved. After discussion, the motion was tabled until the November SAB meeting. ACTION: OAR will provide a status report on the development of a NURP strategic plan for the November SAB meeting. NMFS Presentation on Alaskan, Arctic, and Northern Pacific Science Issues Jim Coe, Acting Director, NMFS Alaska Fisheries Science Center, gave an overview of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center mission, science challenges, and NMFS statutory highlights and mission drivers. Ocean Carrying Capacity Program Jack Helle, NMFS Auke Bay Laboratory, briefed the SAB on pacific salmon ocean carrying capacity. The three major areas of study are monitoring studies of trends in age and size at maturity, retrospective studies of salmon growth and abundance, and assessments of the distribution and growth of salmon and associated marine species. He included some selected research results and described the use of new monitoring technologies. Stellar Seal Lion/Fisheries Interactions Doug Demaster, Director, National Marine Mammal Laboratory, presented background and research challenges in studying Steller Sea Lion decline. Included in his briefing were population trends of eastern and western stocks, causes of the decline, designations of critical habitat, Steller Sea Lion protection zones, the preliminary 3-year research plan, and research challenges. The hypothesis is that the decline is caused by reduced prey availability caused by oceanographic changes or indirect effects of fisheries. Socio-Economics Program Dan Holland, Resource Ecology & Fisheries Management Division, briefed the Board on the Alaska Fisheries Science Center economic program. The objective of the program is to improve the economic information available for the management of fisheries in Alaska. It is not clear that we know the net value of Alaska's off-shore fisheries. The net value is affected quite a bit by the management actions we take. An estimate of the ex-vessel value is around one billion dollars. He described management issues, the mandates that drive the economic research and analyses, and the obstacles in doing the analyses. The obstacles are the inability to acquire the necessary economic data from producers, etc. and the resources to analyze the data if they had it. SAB questions and discussion about these topics ensued. Thursday, July 20, 2000 [Note: SAB Meeting on Thursday, July 20, was held at the International Arctic Research Center (IARC), University of Alaska, Fairbanks.] Official Call to Order and Review of Meeting Format Michael Uhart, Executive Director, NOAA Science Advisory Board reconvened the meeting. As the Science Advisory Board is a Federal Advisory Committee, Federal Advisory Committee Act rules and procedures for public input were presented. Welcoming Remarks Paul Reichardt, Provost of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks (UAF), offered welcoming remarks. He welcomed the SAB to UAF and described the importance of the NOAA-UAF partnerships and the scientific and environmental contributions of the UAF to Alaska and the Nation. Prof. Syun Ichi Akasofu, Director of International Arctic Research Counsel made a statement of welcome to the SAB from IARC. He described the tasks at IARC, its mission, some projects and programs. Introduction to The Cooperative Institute for Arctic Research (CIFAR) and Brief Overview of Major NOAA Activities Gunter Weller, Director, Cooperative Institute for Arctic Research, briefed the SAB on the CIFAR, its research themes, its components and its partners, arctic research priorities, the arctic research initiative, the CIFAR budget, and the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA). The components of CIFAR are the Geophysical Institute at UAF, the Institutes of Arctic Biology, the Alaska quaternary Center, the Center for Global Change and Arctic System Research, the Institute of Marine Sciences, the School of Agriculture and Land Resource Management, the Arctic Region Supercomputing Center and the Arctic System Science Land-Atmosphere-Ice Interaction Science Management Office. There are three NOAA programs at CIFAR designed to facilitate joint research between NOAA and UAF. Research Topics include fisheries oceanography, sea ice dynamics, tsunami research, and broad scale environmental prediction and assessment. CIFAR Presentations: Arctic Climate Impacts Dr. Weller described the current research on climate impacts within the Arctic region. He described the annual distribution of costs of the ACIA, ACIA membership and management structure. Assessments of arctic climate and UV radiation will revolve past and present indicators of changes, possible changes in the future, and the potential impacts due to those changes. CIFAR Presentations: Arctic Oscillation Andrey Proshutinsky, UAF Institute of Marine Science, briefed the SAB on arctic oscillations, including data sources and data reconstruction, climate states of the 20th century, the arctic atmosphere and ocean oscillations, and model simulation results. SAB discussion centered around questions of salinity. CIFAR Presentations: Arctic Haze/Aerosols Glenn Shaw, UAF Geophysical Institute, briefed the SAB on the arctic haze phenomenon and air pollution. The presentation centered around the extent of, the composition of, and possible sources of arctic haze and the annual distribution of atmospheric trace elements. He concluded that an increase in emissions in the high latitudes will cause an above normal increase in particles with large optical thickness and high residence times. CIFAR Presentations: Gulf of Alaska/Bering Sea Ecosystem Alan Springer, UAF Institute of Marine Science, briefed the SAB on ecosystem switches and inertia. Descriptions of switches and the outcomes of a switch in the eastern Bering Sea in the summers of 1997-1999 were also given. Included in his discussion was the abrupt step in the mean states of many variates in the mid 1970's and time series of populations and atmospheric and oceanic variables. Terry Whitledge provided some information on the biology of the Bering Sea. NESDIS Presentation on Alaskan, Arctic, and Northern Pacific Science Issues Greg Withee, Assistant Administrator, NESDIS, briefed the SAB on NESDIS activities in high latitude regions and NESDIS facilities in the Alaska region. He provided short descriptions of the many activities, including, but not limited to, the Alaska SAR (synthetic aperture radar) demo and its partners, SHEBA. He described NOAA's remote sensing services in the Alaska region and two NESDIS facilities in Alaska, the Fairbanks Command and Data Acquisition Station and the Alaskan SAR facility and their missions. OAR Presentation on Alaskan, Arctic, and Northern Pacific Science Issues Dave Evans, Assistant Administrator, OAR, provided a brief overview of OAR activities. There is an increase in Alaska and arctic research in OAR including the establishment of a small Arctic research office at OAR headquarters. Status Report on Oceans Exploration Strategy Working Group The Board convened a private, non-FACA session to approve panel members of the Ocean Exploration Working Group. In an open session, Dr. Beeton presented the list of SAB selections to the Oceans Explorations Strategy Working Group. Two motions passed clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the Panel and the SAB. RESOLUTION: The SAB delegates authority to its Chair to select, in consultation with appropriate NOAA administrators, additional members to serve on the Ocean Exploration Panel in the event an insufficient number of SAB nominees agree to serve. RESOLUTION: The SAB hereby delegates authority to the Chair and such of its members as are able to attend the next SAB meeting in Washington, D.C., on September 29 to take any action they deem appropriate relative to the adoption of the SAB report on a national agenda for Ocean Exploration called for by the President's June 12, 2000 memorandum to the Secretary of Commerce. The SAB's report shall, after its adoption, be transmitted to NOAA Administrator, Dr. James Baker. Status Report on Marine Protected Areas Executive Order Al Beeton, Chair of the NOAA SAB briefed the Board on the status of the implementation of Executive Order 13158, Marine Protected Areas. He read relevant sections of the Executive Order to the SAB. A web site has been established. NOAA is the lead agency coordinating efforts and options for developing a marine protected area center. The SAB discussed the need for independent evaluation of MPA objectives and "protection criteria." NOS presentation on Ecological Forecasting Don Scavia, NOS Senior Scientist, briefed the SAB on ecological forecasting, asking for advice from the SAB. An ecological forecast predicts the impact of physical, chemical and biological changes on ecosystems, ecosystem components and people. Ecological forecasting will provide mechanisms for extending NOAA's prediction and assessment mission to coastal ecosystems. He presented some examples of ecological forecasting and assessments and what NOS's plans are to undertake these forecasts. He is requesting SAB help with the establishment and development of ecological forecasting within NOAA. There was a general positive reaction to the proposal from the SAB members. There is a piece in the NOAA FY 2002 budget proposal. Many parts of NOAA, including the PREWICS (Predict and Reduce Watershed Impact of Coastal Storms), are labeled as partners for this project. ACTION: NOS will provide the Board with the name of a contact for sea level rise forecasts. Friday, July 21, 2000 Official Call to Order and Review of Meeting Format Michael Uhart, Executive Director, NOAA Science Advisory Board reconvened the meeting. As the Science Advisory Board is a Federal Advisory Committee, Federal Advisory Committee Act rules and procedures for public input were presented. SAB Debriefing of NOAA Response to SAB Recommendations on Northwest Salmon Jake Rice, NOAA Science Advisory Board member, feels that NOAA has acted on SAB recommendations concerning the Endangered Species Act related to salmon (July SAB meeting, Seattle, Washington). In general, NMFS is networking and there are nine research initiatives, but no NOAA money went into these initiatives. The Bonneville Power Authority provided funds. NMFS Seattle has no money for salmon rehabilitation work. However, the labs are being utilized to help devise science plans and evaluation. We got a budget breakdown a year ago, in the briefing book. Jake said that Congress earmarked the $167 million for their constituents and not for NMFS. The SAB should communicate with the advisory boards that are involved with the northwest salmon fisheries. The SAB discussed the availability of research vessels to the northwest lab. It's the agency itself who holds the accountability, but it's the partners who hld the resources to do the work. If the SAB is to make specific further recommendations, we would need more documentation. With the NMFS science plan, we could compare objectives to what has been funded. NMFS is being asked to support science done by partners who don't have the science capacity. RESOLUTION: The SAB requests that NMFS provide the science plan for salmon recovery and an analysis of how funding and initiatives and projects support the plan. ACTION: The Executive Director will investigate what SAB salmon recovery recommendations were communicated to the Northwest fisheries advisory board and report his findings to the Board. Briefing on Gulf Ecosystem Monitoring (GEM) and Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Damage Assessment and Restoration Bruce Wright, NMFS Habitat Conservation Division, briefed the SAB on the damage assessment and restoration following the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989. His presentation included a description of the data bases that were required, a time line of the response actions, some of the prominent adverse effects, and a biomass mass balance model. The council has decided to set aside funds for a long term monitoring program, GEM. GEM's scientific goals are to detect, understand and predict annual and long-term changes in the marine ecosystem, from coastal watersheds to the central gulf. PICES AND GLOBEC were presented as partners. The North Pacific Research Board and Pew Oceans Commission were also discussed. SAB questions and clarifications centered around the assessment techniques and involvement of partners. Phil Mundy, Science Coordinator of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council, briefed on the Gulf Ecosystem Monitoring program. His presentation included the GEM mission statement, funding, an implementation plan (i.e., schedule), the geographical scope of the monitoring, the programmatic goals, and the roles that GEM will play. The SAB asked questions about the role of human activities in the monitoring and explanation of population changes. NOS Presentations on Alaskan, Arctic, and Northern Pacific Science Issues Long-term Studies in Prince William Sound Gary Shigenaka, NOS Office of Response and Restoration, described NOAA HAZMAT's Prince William Sound long-term intertidal monitoring, including background, approach and components, early findings, recent approaches, and current conditions and activities. He distributed four copies of a technical memorandum on parallelism ("Monitoring of Biological Recovery of Prince William Sound Intertidal Sites Impacted by the Exxon Valdez oil Spill," NOAA Technical Memorandum NOS OR&R 1, February 1999). Research Associated with the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Kasitsna Bay Laboratory Carl Schoch, NOS Kasitsna Bay Laboratory, described a research project on the spatial and temporal scales of variability for intertidal communities from the San Juan Islands to the outer coast of Washington in the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. The overall objective of the monitoring of these near-shore communities is to improve our understanding of this linkage between the near-shore community structure and the biophysical processes of the ocean, and ultimately to identify and monitor the structural patterns of these communities and how they change over space and time. Report on Status of Draft Report to Next Administrator Jake Rice, NOAA Science Advisory Board member, led the discussion on the current draft Report to the Next Administrator. There were some changes made to the draft Report. Pat Gober led the SAB discussion of the current list of the 10 issues facing NOAA. Some changes were made. A motion to adopt the Report was unanimously approved. RESOLUTION: The Board adopts the report to the next Administrator as revised today, with appreciation to the writing committee, and authorizing the writing committee to make nonsubstantive changes to the document. Alaska Sea Grant Program and SAB Discussion Ron Dearborn, Director, Alaska Sea Grant, was unable to present. Sub-Committee on Education Report Denise Stevenson-Hawk, Chair of the Sub-Committee reported. The report is attached to the original of these minutes. This report highlights the white paper developed by the NOAA Education Committee. The Chair entered a motion to endorse, followed by a discussion of the 3 statements and how the document would be transmitted. The motion was unanimously approved. RESOLUTION: The NOAA Science Advisory Board endorses the report of the SAB Sub-Committee on Education and adopts the NOAA Education Committee as a Working Group of the NOAA Science Advisory Board Education Sub-Committee. ACTION: The Executive Director will distribute the Sub-Committee Report to the Board. SAB Discussion of the 8 Themes Al Beeton, Chair, NOAA Science Advisory Board, led the discussion on the 8 Themes. Incorporation of OAR comments were accepted. However, the Board would like to remove ancillary text not relevant to the themes. Some minor changes were made. A motion to adopt the 8 themes was unanimously approved. RESOLUTION: The SAB adopts the 8 Themes as they are before us with the understanding that any proposed substantive revisions be submitted to the SAB at its November meeting. ACTION: SAB members should send comments and nonsubstantive changes to the 8 Themes to the Chair. Summary of new SAB Recommendations, Motions, and Action Items Mike Uhart, Executive Director, NOAA Science Advisory Board, recalled all the motions and action items of the meeting. Discussion and clarification of those items ensued. The Board discussed the motion regarding the acceptance of the OAR proposal for a lab/joint institute review process. Reclarification of the Board's role in the review process lead to the following motion being passed. RESOLUTION: The SAB wishes to add a line to item 3 of the OAR Lab/Joint Institute review process, reading "the SAB reserves the right to accept or decline the invitation." Final Adjournment   REPORT FROM THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION (NOAA)SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD (SAB) SUBCOMMITTEE ON EDUCATION 21 JULY 2000 The NOAA Science Advisory Board (SAB) Subcommittee on Education met to discuss education and outreach plans, goals and objectives within NOAA. As part of the discussions, the Subcommittee received and reviewed the attached NOAA Education "White Paper" Draft dated July 10, 2000. This Paper, drafted by the Education Committee of NOAA, chaired by Joyce Gross, Office of Public Affairs, NOAA Headquarters, provides a background of and recommendations for education and outreach initiatives within the agency. The Education Committee of NOAA is comprised of individuals selected by the Assistant Administrators (AAs) of the NOAA line offices and by the Directors of program and staff offices within NOAA. [A list of members and their affiliations is attached.] This Committee, convened by Dr. Al Beeton, Chair of the SAB, at the direction of the Undersecretary for Oceans and Atmosphere, Dr. D. James Baker was charged with "researching NOAA's current education and outreach practices, assessing them, and making recommendations for improvement, with implementation options." The members of the SAB Subcommittee on Education commend the work of the Education Committee of NOAA and their commitment to education initiatives throughout the agency. The SAB Subcommittee on Education has adopted the following working definition of education [and outreach] for NOAA: NOAA education is a proactive communication that imparts the knowledge and value of NOAA science, products and services to K-12, college, graduate and postgraduate students and to educators and citizens of the nation and world; promotes environmental stewardship and public safety; and fosters a sustainable economy." Education allows the agency to expand its constituent base by broadening knowledge of and familiarity with NOAA. Education-directed initiatives are essential to attract future scientists, researchers and managers, to inform a broad spectrum of policy and decision-makers and to ensure the existence of an informed public cognizant of the mission, goals, objectives, products, services and outcomes of the agency. With these as guiding statements on NOAA education and outreach, the SAB Subcommittee on Education places before the SAB, for consideration, the following statements for endorsement and a motion regarding the acceptance of the Education Committee of NOAA as a Working Group of the SAB Subcommittee on Education. Statements for Endorsement NOAA-wide commitment to education and outreach should exist and be documented and communicated to the AAs of all line offices and to the Directors of program and staff offices. Commitment must be reinforced with accountability. Include education and outreach in each of NOAA's seven interrelated strategic planning themes and in the strategic plan for each line office. Integrate the developed strategic plans into a NOAA Strategic Plan for Education that crosses the organizational, disciplinary and geographical boundaries that exist within the agency. Establish a centralized education office within NOAA to serve as an interface with NOAA leadership, to add visibility to NOAA's education and outreach activities, and to allow interaction within and outside of the organization. This centralized office would ensure that the components of NOAA's current educational outreach activities are focused and coordinated, and it would ensure that educational and outreach facilities are utilized more fully.