Core Areas 2, 3, and 4 of the Proposed Marine Sanctuary Expansion

by Carol Georgi and Karl Kempton
former Energy Planner for San Luis Obispo County 
and Lead Author of "Proposed Central Coast National Marine Sanctuary, 1990"  
Unless otherwise credited, underwater photos are by Terry Lilley with Sue Sloan doing the lighting.

Introduction and Overview

Our coastal veiwsheds offer magnificent views and vistas that are enjoyed by millions of visitors. The following are internationally and nationally significant features, some that are seen, and others that are unseen, hidden below the surface in the nearshore environment.

*Significant California kelp forests
*Significant portion of the California sea otter range
*World-class fish diversity and densities in rocky intertidal regions 
*Large numbers of pinnipeds which include a significant percentage of harbor seals
*Marine life spawning areas and rookeries
*Nurseries of marine life
*Whale migration lanes and foraging areas
*Chumash archaeological sites continuously occupied for 9,000 or more years

These and other features clearly illustrate the significance of the area. At the time of the writing of the 1990 Marine Sanctuary document with proposed coastal boundaries between Point Sal and Mill Creek in Big Sur, five shore to nearshore core areas were identified as being internationally and nationally significant. When the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary was created with its south boundary at Santa Rosa Creek in San Luis Obispo County, the two northern most core areas were protected. With the new proposed extension plans for sanctuary protection reaching southward to Point Conception, a new shore to nearshore core area has been identified. Also, with new available information, the northern core area has been extended from Cayucos Pier to Santa Rosa Creek. Both of these, as the others, are bounded by the two hundred meter bathymeteric line (measuring the ocean bottom terrain). This core area, now numbered 6, and the Point San Luis to Morro Rock and including the inner waters of the Morro Bay National Estuary will be discussed next month.

From south to north, the three shore to nearshore core areas are:

2) Point Conception to Point Honda
3) Point Sal to Nipomo Dunes Complex
4) Northern San Luis Bay Rocky Intertidal Zone

Sea Otter Atop Kelp Forest
Photo by Carol Georgi

General features

General features of the shore to nearshore core areas (2 & 4) with kelp forests:

Much of the coastline is dominated by rocky intertidal zones lush with large and significant kelp forests. Kelp generally requires rocky hard-bottom for attachment and growth, but physical factors such as light availability and amount and type of rocky substrata affect the range of each species. In this environment, kelp, fed by the rich nutrient broth carried by upwellings and their associated currents, can grow 10 inches or more a day, forming a lush underwater habitat.

While we only see the top of the kelp forest floating on the water's surface, kelp canopies can reach depths of 200 feet. Different types of kelp and algae form under-stories which provide numerous benthic (bottom communities), mid-water, and surface habitats, nursery areas, protective covers and food items important for invertebrates, fishes, and sea mammals. Seabirds roost and maintain rookeries on large exposed rocks close by or within the forests. Several endangered marine mammals, sea otters, northern elephant seals, harbor seals, and sea lions inhabit these areas and haul out on the rocks. Gray and humpback whales feed nearshore. Approximately 300 algae species are present.

Rocky intertidal areas host an assortment of invertebrates and fish. Species such as blue rockfish and abalone use cracks and crevices for protection against predators and for breeding. 

Kelp forests, the rain forests of the ocean, are found along the coasts of Argentina, through the Straits of Magellan to Chile, off South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and many sub-Antarctic islands, and from central Baja California to Sitka, Alaska. The most developed of all these kelp forests are found off of the California coast, from San Diego to Santa Cruz. 

The kelp forests south of Point Conception are under stress. Some disappeared for a number of years before regrowing. Others are greatly stressed by an over abundance of kelp grazing sea urchins that no longer are threatened by predators. Even the Channel Islands kelp forests are impacted by pollution carried by the Southern California Bite Circulation System. Such stress and impacts on these kelp forests greatly increases the international importance of the unprotected kelp forests between Point Conception and Santa Rosa Creek.

Despite over fifty years of research, the complex dynamics of California kelp forests are not fully understood. The least understood dynamic is that of the nutrient cycle associated with nutrient-rich upwelling waters, seasonal or persistent. The food web is another dynamic needing greater study. Thirdly, the dynamic of kelp forest health and its foragers, the kelp eaters, and their predators is not fully understood. Lastly, winter storms break off the top canopy of the forests, carrying kelp either to the beach or into deeper waters. Exported kelp, slowly moving across the bottom into deeper zones, creates rich habitat for a variety of life forms not yet thoroughly investigated. Ecosystem effects of the drift exceed that of a terrestrial forest because of uses for the kelp far beyond the forest. Marine Sanctuary protection status would set the stage for needed research efforts. For more detailed information, see Chapter 8 Diversity and Dynamics of California Subtidal Kelp Forests by M. Graham.

Details of Core Areas

CORE AREA 2: POINT CONCEPTION to POINT HONDA
 Kelp Forests, Wetlands, Endemic Flora, Birds and Sea Mammals, Haulouts,
Significant Chumash Archaeological Sites and Historic Major Ship Wrecks, and a County Beach

The permanent upwelling which flows from Arguello Canyon provides nutrients for the abundant biota of the Point Conception to Point Sal region.

Between Points Conception and Arguello the southern most extensive kelp forests hosts great densities and diversities of flora and fauna. To the north of Core Area 2, the Santa Ynez River forms an estuary at the river and ocean meeting area. It is a site of the endangered Snowy Plover nesting area.

A few miles north of Point Conception is the Jalama County Beach that yearly draws thousands of visitors and campers who enjoy surfing, fishing, and beach combing and its beautiful vistas and long sandy beach and rocky intertidal areas. Jalama Creek forms a wetland area. It is also is the site of a Chumash village. Point Conception is an extremely important Chumash spiritual site. Other significant Chumash sites are associated with the ocean ecology are found in the adjacent coastal terrain.

Arguello Point is the site of several historic ship wrecks. Two miles north of Point Arguello at Point Honda, seven US Navy destroyers sank in 1923. It the country’s worst navigational tragedy.

CORE AREA 3: POINT SAL to NIPOMO DUNES COAST (MAP-Core Area 3)
 National Natural Landmark, Largest California Coastal Dunes Complex, Wetlands, Endemic Flora, Birds and Sea Mammals, Haulouts

Further north, during migration periods (December through May), large numbers of gray whales stack off Point Sal waiting for guide whales to navigate open water. Lion Rock, 200 yards offshore, is a nesting place for cormorants and endangered Brown Pelicans and a haulout for pinnipeds. Six-hundred sea lions have been counted at one time. The mouth of the Santa Maria River, one of the largest coastal drainages in California, is a Brown Pelican feeding area. Productive stocks of salmon, halibut, shrimp, and other species are harvested by commercial and sport fishermen. Intertidal invertebrate life is abundant on the rocky shores around Point Sal. 

The Nipomo Dune complex from Pismo State Park Beach to Point Sal became a National Natural Landmark in 1980. The landmark consists of two contiguous areas: 1) The Guadalupe — Nipomo Dunes, the largest coastal dunes in California, which are fed by sand carried by offshore currents circulating in a littoral cell in San Luis Bay; and, 2) Point Sal, one of the last remaining pristine, rocky coastlines on the South Coast.

The dunes have immeasurable ecological and scenic value along with educational, scientific and recreational importance and represents one of the few coastal areas in the state still in an undisturbed condition. There are beaches, headlands, estuaries, and lakes. Many plants are rare or endangered; a high percentage are endemic to the area. At least 186 species of water and terrestrial birds have been recorded, including the Least Tern, the Peregrine Falcon and the Southern Bald Eagle. 

Geologically, the region is complex due to periods of advancing and declining sea levels and to recent uplifting. The creation of dunes led to the formation of wetlands, which, over the last 150 years of Spanish and American presence, have changed dramatically. The dunes, acting as a barrier to the ocean, had formed a freshwater bay which was drained by farmers in the mid 19th century. The movement of sand from land to sea is now hindered by dams; the dunes are thus dependent on sand already present in the San Luis Bay littoral cell.

The drainages of four separate watersheds contribute to the wetland complex. The 1,880 square mile Santa Maria River drainage is one of California's largest coastal river basins. Extensive, tidally influenced wetlands sit at the river's mouth. The river's historic flood plain holds the Oso Flaco Lakes and their associated coastal wetlands. The 10 existing dunes lakes are likely remainders of the freshwater bay. 

The unique combination of semiarid and aquatic conditions with a climatic and oceanographic transition zone provides a wide variety of habitat and of associated plant and wildlife species. Coastal dunes, freshwater marshes, riparian habitat, coastal salt marsh, woodland, mudflats, beach, open water, and areas of transition between habitats provide a diversity of life uncommon to much of California. 

The wetland and ocean habitat supports an abundance of wildlife. Over 86 species of water-associated birds have been recorded in the wetlands of the Nipomo Dune Complex. Shorebirds, waterfowl, gulls, terns, pelicans, cormorants, coots, rails, loons, gerges, herons, and egrets are among those counted. Least Terns nest and raise fledglings near the Santa Maria River mouth and the Oso Flaco Lakes, Brown Pelicans roost at the shore, and Snowy Plovers inhabit the beaches. Over 100 terrestrial bird species occur among the dunes and related habitats. Among these are the endangered Peregrine Falcon and the Southern Bald Eagle.

Several plant species are found nowhere else. Two species, one aquatic and one terrestrial, reach their extreme limits with the Point Sal - Nipomo Dune complex. At least eight species occurring in the dunes have been listed by the California Native Plant Society as "very rare" and "rare and endangered."

Nearly 50 species of mammals and 33 species of amphibians and reptiles inhabit the dune region. Though not in great numbers, fish are found in the lakes. There is a wide diversity of invertebrates. And the Pismo clam, subject of much recreational and scientific attention, is found along the beaches.

Several significant Chumash village and foraging sites are found in the area. Near the Point Sal area are village sites. A variety of sites are found within the dunes and adjacent to its wetlands. North, the Chumash village site at Pismo Beach has been dated to have been continuously occupied for 9500 years. Extensive shell mounds from thousands of years of clamming have been documented. Other sites line the old Pleistocene era dunes of Nipomo and Arroyo Grande above what was once a large estuary formed by Arroyo Grande Creek and the Price Canyon drainage. Several other sites surround the old estuary on its northern embankment. North, the Chumash village site at Pismo Beach has been dated to have been continuously occupied for 9500 years.

CORE AREA 4: NORTH SAN LUIS BAY INTERTIDAL CORE AREA (MAP-Core Area 4) 
Kelp Forests, Haulouts, Rookeries, Birds and Sea Mammals, Southernmost Major Sea Otter Cluster

The rocky intertidal core area of northern San Luis Bay begins at the northermost end of the 26 miles stretch of sandy beach called Pismo Beach. From this rocky cliff area along the coastline to the southern end of Avila Beach, another high rocky cliff, the boundary arcs offshore to the 200 meter bathymetric line back to the Pismo Beach rocky cliffs in order to protect prominent offshore rock habitat in the San Luis Bay. 

Along this stretch of coast is a major complex of kelp forest; none are found southward until Point Sal. The coastline varies from rocky cliffs with no beaches to cliffs with some beach. Despite the beach areas, the dominant rocky hard bottom offshore provides appropriate habitat for the kelp forest and its lush populations of plant and animal life.

The area is host to the southernmost  population of sea otters in the sea otter southern range. In 1990 it was ranked as the sixth largest population cluster. Since then, the population has fluctuated up and down. The reason for these fluctuations remain under study. Pollution from onshore is considered the most likely cause or causes. High cliffs, intertidal rocky areas, beaches along the feet of the cliffs, and nutrients from a nearby upwelling provide a rich environment supporting otters, other sea mammals such as porpoises and sea lions, and large numbers of other species in the web of life.

Numerous offshore rocks provide bird and pinniped habitat. Hundreds of Brown Pelicans, for example, reside in the area. Their numbers swell in the late spring, and remain high until late fall when most return to the Channel Islands for breeding.

Harbor seals haul out among and on the rocks. A resident population of harbor seals offshore Shell Beach is a source of enjoyment for people living in the area or visiting. Porpoises visit the area often. Gray whales pass southward and northward during their migrations. Giant flocks of Sooty Shearwaters feed here in the summer during their travels around the Pacific basin. Huge schools of anchovies moving through are a food source for a wide variety of bird and mammal populations.

Major Chumash sites are directly associated with the core area. Two are known to have been continuously occupied for between 8000 and 9600 years. Historical records from the SLO mission outline the story of all the families being removed from the village nesteled against the northern hills of Sunset Palisades and relocated to the mission. Upon arrival familes were torn apart. Husbands segregrated from wives, mothers from children. Immediately to the south is the Pismu village site for which the present city of Pismo Beach is named; second is a coastal site in the heart of the core area. North along the coastal bench is a third site, where the Chumash have recently returned to renew their ritual ceremony cycle. Just north of the core area is the old Chumash capital of the area in Avila Beach. Its remains have been partially covered by rises in the level of the sea. Also, other archaelogical Chumash sites have been covered by ocean rise.

Threats

Threats to the kelp forests and their inhabitants are the same as outlined in previous articles for SLO Coast Journal. The threats are onshore and offshore human-caused pollution and extraction of resources.

There are many threats to these core areas. First and foremost is an oil spill. Despite safety assurances, earthquake or human error can cause a spill. There is no existing cleanup technology for the rough, wind-driven seas of the Santa Maria Basin. Drilling operations add toxins to the ocean environment. With rising ocean levels, the nation's largest underground spill by Unocal  (1954-1990's) in the Oceano-Guadalupe Dunes continues to be a threat. 

There is constant chemical run-off into rivers and streams from commercial farming operations in the forms of fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, and pharmaceutical-laced animal and human urine. Sewer treatment plants along the Santa Ynez River need to be upgraded to capture all household chemicals and pharmaceuticals. Urban run-off is an additional problem.

Other threats to the upwelling area north of Point Sal include the Santa Maria River watershed that has tested positive for high levels of human and animal fecal bacteria. "Twenty-eight out of 31 monitoring sites in the Santa Maria watershed—which is spread throughout the Santa Maria Valley, Nipomo, Guadalupe, and a portion of the Los Padres National Forest—were considered "impaired" due to high levels of FIB (E.Coli, Coliform, or Enterococcus).

Within the watershed, high levels of pesticides have been reported in fish in the Oso Flaco Lakes and ocean shore fish south of the Pismo Pier.  Pollutants in ocean currents moving north around Point Conception from the Southern California Bite are a growing threat as populations continue to increase while sewer treatment plants fail to capture industrial and household chemicals and pharmaceuticals.

Additionally, as the Davidson current moves nutrients northward of this area, all sewer outfalls add these chemical cocktails to the ocean waters affecting filter feeders and those who eat them. Recent studies of cancer in gobi fish in Morro Bay National Estuary (MBNE) are linked to the California Men's Colony sewer treatment plant waters flowing into Chorro Creek which empties into the MBNE. The studies underscore that these pollutants affect California waters and the mechanical/traditional treatment plants are probable sources of these chemicals.

Lastly is the threat of toxins moving through the geologic sedimentary formation layers from the closed class 1 Casmalia Dump in Santa Barbara County. It is a super fund cleanup site that may be leaking. The public has not been informed as to how much is leaking, nor if the toxic materials may be migrating towards the ocean upwelling area, given the slant of the sedimentary formation.

Banner Image of Otter & Pup by Cleve Nash