Expansion of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary
Introduction
The expansion of the Gulf of the Farallones and the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries was announced by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in an April 14, 2014 press release. NOAA is accepting public comments through June 30, 2014.
This marine sanctuary expansion is a Project of The Ocean Foundation. Richard Charter, a senior fellow with the Ocean Foundation in Washington, D.C. stated, "This is one of the crowning achievements of the coastal protection movement in California, as reported by Paul Rogers, "President Obama plans to expand national marine sanctuaries up Sonoma and Mendocino coasts," December 20, 2012 in the "Mercury News."
Rogers also reported, "This area is a national treasure. It needs and it deserves permanent protection from oil and gas exploration," said Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-San Rafael, who led efforts to expand the sanctuaries.
Description of Expansion
The Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries currently cover 1,808 square miles from south of the Farallon Islands to Bodega Bay. The expansion will be northward about 60 miles from Bodega Bay to Pt. Arena, adding 2700 square miles of protected waters from oil exploration. Commercial and recreational fishing will not be affected.
The proposed expansion is shown on the map below.
Purpose of the Expansion
NOAA is proposing this sanctuary expansion for the purpose "to extend sanctuary protections to an area that has nationally significant marine resources and habitats and is the source of nutrient-rich upwelled waters for the existing sanctuaries," as stated by the Gulf of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
Also important to the sanctuaries' adjacent communities are the revenues received from millions of visitors who come each year with their tourists' dollars. "The spectacular beauty of our coastline between Bodega Bay and Pt. Arena attracts millions of visitors and is the centerpiece of our regional economy," as stated by the Ocean Foundation.
California's coast is vital to the state's tourism industry which posted: "Our nation leading tourism sector boasts over 200 million visitors in 2012 with direct travel spending of more than 106.4 billion" overall, according to the Governor's Office of Business and Economic Development.
Public Hearings
Also announced are the dates and locations of public hearings in the affected communities and the release of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
The National Ocean Foundation urges the public to comment to protect this regional economy, the sustainable fisheries, and this valued national treasure by attending one on the four upcoming public hearings. Noted, "Your support and any specific comments you might have on ways to improve the details of this plan are critical, and your own participation in extending this vital protection to key new coastal waters is vital at this time."
Upcoming Public Hearings:
May 22, 2014, Sausalito, 6 pm-U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Bay Model Visitor Center, 2100 Bridgeway Blvd., Sausalito, CA 95465
June 16, 2014, Point Arena, 6 pm-Point Arena City Hall, 451 School Street, Point Arena, CA 95468
June 17, 2014, Gualala, 6 pm-Gualala Community Center, 47950 Center Street, Gualala, CA 95445
June 18, 2014, Bodega Bay, 6 pm-Grange Hall, 1370 Bodega Avenue, Bodega Bay, CA 94923
The public can also comment online.
Written comments will be accepted until June 30, 2014, and should be sent to: Maria Brown, Superintendent, Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, 991 Marine Drive-The Presidio, San Francisco, CA 94129.
More details can be found at Sanctuary Expansion.org
History of Proposed Expansion
The 35-year history of the proposed expansion of California's north coast two marine sanctuaries is reported by Paul Rogers, "President Obama plans to expand national marine sanctuaries up Sonoma and Mendocino coasts," December 20, 2012 in the "Mercury News."
Also of importance is a more recent report by Guy Kovner of The Press Democrat in his April 14, 2014 article, "Federal officials release plans to expand North Coast sanctuaries."
Conclusion
While it can be more than a two-year process, NOAA has the authority to enlarge national marine sanctuary boundaries. As stated above, the purpose of this sanctuary extension is to extend sanctuary protections to an area that has nationally significant marine resources and habitats and is the source of nutrient-rich upwelled waters for the existing Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries.
For the same sanctuary extension purpose, NOAA could use the same strategy for the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. The proposed area also contains nationally significant marine resources and habitats and has the source of the nutrient-rich persistent upwelled waters for the existing Channel Islands and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries.
Marine Sanctuary expansion by NOAA could be the method of protecting this equally significant area off the California central coast, including parts of both Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties.
For more information of the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, please go to the Chumash Sanctuary website. |
