Introduction to this Web Site
The objective of
this Web Site is to provide the public with up-to-date, reliable and
official information on the resources, history, research activities,
education programs and management of the Stellwagen Bank National Marine
Sanctuary. The site will be a flexible outreach tool that will provide
materials in a timely fashion to sanctuary users, technical audiences,
and the general public. We appreciate your comments. Please e-mail them
to: SBNMScomments@noaa.gov.
Description
of Content Sections
Home Page
- this section provides a variety of changing features including "Pictures
of the Month," daily meteorological and sea conditions, and guidance
to new items within the site. The Sanctuary's mission statement is provided.
About the Sanctuary
- provides background information about the people, office, setting,
resources, history, and uses of the sanctuary. Electronic versions of
general interest sanctuary publications (new and archival) are available
here, as is a bibliography of publications about the sanctuary and its
resources.
Sanctuary Management
- includes the full text of the present management plan and documents
pertaining to the management plan review process. Sections cover sanctuary
and related regulations and enforcement programs.
Research & Monitoring
- provides a review of the recently completed and ongoing research in
the sanctuary, data from monitoring projects, cruise reports from the
field, and technical publications.
Education &
Outreach - covers a wide range of programs, from exhibits for the
public, to special educational offerings and publications. Online courses
are in development. Programs are designed for various audiences ranging
from K-12, post-secondary, teachers, and general public.
Wildlife Watching
- offers information on the living resources seen in the sanctuary and
tips on how to safely go about responsible wildlife viewing. Sections
include a guide to the most commonly seen whales in the sanctuary, and
guides to species and behaviors.
Image Galleries
- provides a location to access photographs of the species, habitats,
and users found in the sanctuary. Additional sections include fine art,
maps, and children's contributions. Each year's newly named humpback
whales (fluke photos) will also be posted here.
Editorial
Policies
Tales from Middle
Bank (an essay series): Entries should be less than 1,500 words.
The essays may either be first person accounts based on personal experiences
or third person accounts based on historical research. The views expressed
in the essays are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect
the views of NOAA or any of its sub-agencies. The sanctuary reserves
the right to edit the essays for length, language, and grammar. The
author(s) will be consulted before any edited copy is posted on the
web page.
Content Areas:
In areas where expertise must come from outside the Sanctuary, the webmaster
will determine the appropriate contributor. All materials for which
the Sanctuary contracts, are in the public domain. Materials donated
to the web page are available for downloading for educational purposes,
but some restrictions may apply for other uses. Photos and written materials
with copyrights will be so noted on the web page.
Logos
and Links
The sanctuary will
not use any logos other than the NMS and NOAA logos on our home page.
Links to non-NOAA sites will be made on the Affiliates page. Links may
be made on content pages to appropriate sites for organizations that
are sanctuary partners on education, research, management, enforcement,
and/or resource conservation programs. By law, these organizations cannot
be for-profit institutions; non-governmental, educational, and research
institutions qualify. The partnership arrangement may be formal or informal,
but the recognition/web link must be two-way in nature. All links to
non-government sites will be prefaced with a "You are leaving a government
site" window.
Technical
Information
Browsers
- This site is designed to be completely compatible with Netscape Navigator
(v4.0 and above, recommended) or Microsoft Internet Explorer (v4.0 and
above, recommended); however, other browsers can also be used.
Access Time
- Many pages on this site contain several photographs. The purpose of
these photographs is to enhance the visual appeal of the page and provide
supplemental information. Images have been provided with captions that
allow those readers who do not load images immediately, to select specific
images for viewing.
Fonts and Type
Sizes - Verdana, Arial, Helvetica are the default fonts for this
site; 12 point is the default size. All browsers allow users to select
specific fonts and type sizes for display. Some users select large type
sizes for ease of reading, or specific fonts for personal tastes. The
text and layout should not be adversely affected by a user's selection
of alternative fonts and type sizes.
Printing Pages
- This site has been designed to ensure simple printing. We recommend
printing in portrait format.
Downloadable
Documents - A number of large, complex documents will be made available
on this site as downloadable files in Portable Document Format (pdf).
These files can be viewed on microcomputers equipped with recent versions
of the (free) Adobe Acrobat Reader. Some documents may also have either
thumbnail views or bookmarks within the Acrobat document; these additional
navigation features may remain hidden without first activating an optional
menu selection. Adobe has a large collection of support resources if
you have problems installing or using the Acrobat Reader software.
Navigation
- Navigation through the site is straightforward. There are three levels
of hierarchy, most of which are always visible to the user. The first
level is in the navigation bar at the top of the page. The second level
is in the left column, as text links. The third level is either in the
left column, or occasionally, within the text block in the center of
the page.
Site Index and
Search - These two pages provide additional access assistance. Site
index is a complete listing of the higher levels of the site. Search
is a standard word/phrase search through all text on the site's pages.
Advanced Features
- Several special features are planned. Streaming audio will be offered
as RealAudio; streaming video as QuickTime.
RealAudio can be
downloaded from: http://www.real.com/products/player/index.html
QuickTime can be
downloaded from: http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/index.html
For Further Technical
Information - If you would like information about any technical
aspects of this site, please send an e-mail to the Webmaster at stellwagen@noaa.gov.
