Residents and visitors of Santa Barbara and Ventura counties now can explore Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary without getting their feet wet through new state-of-the-art touch-screen NOAA kiosks at four sites along the coast.

“The new kiosks are a visual and auditory showcase of what the sanctuary has to offer,” said Chris Mobley, superintendent of the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. “With the touch of a button, users can learn about marine life and habitats, and get the latest information about our education and outreach programs, research projects and resource protection efforts.”

Developed by the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries in partnership with the NOAA National Weather Service, the kiosks also provide real-time weather and ocean condition reports and information about the sanctuary’s partners, including museums and visitor centers.

The kiosks have been installed at the California Welcome Center in Oxnard, the Ventura Visitors and Convention Bureau, the Ty Warner Sea Center in Santa Barbara and the Harbor Patrol office at Santa Barbara Harbor.

There also are units at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum and Channel Islands Harbor. Three more units are slated for installation in early 2009.

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The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary was designated in 1980 to protect marine resources surrounding San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa and Santa Barbara islands. The sanctuary spans more than 1,456 square miles extending from island shorelines to six miles offshore, encompassing a rich diversity of marine life and habitats, as well as rich historic and cultural resources.

Shauna Bingham is the volunteer and outreach coordinator for the NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.