WE'RE NOT IN BRYAN ANYMORE!

Sanctuary Offices Finally Move to Galveston

June 2006--Yes, the day has finally come.  The official headquarters for the FGBNMS is now located in Galveston, Texas!  Our new home is located just 2 blocks from the Gulf of Mexico at historic Fort Crockett, a Preserve America site that continues to undergo historic renovations.  Fort Crockett is also home to the NOAA Fisheries Galveston Lab, which occupies all of the remaining buildings on site.

So, why haven’t we always had our offices on the coast?  Well, when the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary was first designated, funding was quite limited, so the small sanctuary staff graciously accepted an offer of free office space from the Texas Sea Grant program.  This site happened to be in Bryan, TX, near Texas A&M University.

Over the years, other sites closer to the coast were considered, but none seemed to really fit the bill.  Then, Roger Zimmerman of NOAA Fisheries made the offer of space to the FGBNMS pending the completion of more building renovations.  This site allows us closer access to research vessels and collaborative partners within NOAA.  It also brings us closer to the coastal community and many of the people who regularly access the sanctuary.

We hope you’ll have an opportunity to visit us at our new offices in the near future. 

Here’s all of our new contact information:

Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary
4700 Avenue U, Building 216
Galveston, TX  77551
409-621-5151 (voice)
409-621-1316 (fax)
flowergarden@noaa.gov (email)

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