Stepping Closer to Protecting Our Precious Central Coast Wildlife
November 9, 2011
On October 20, nearly a dozen San Luis Obispo residents turned out at the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC) meeting in Cambria, CA and spoke in favor of national marine sanctuary status for the central coast, an outstanding turnout for a meeting of this type.
The comments were well-expressed and persuasive, offering strong guidance for a mostly new SAC to consider the issue. Councilmembers asked questions about the procedure for expanding sanctuaries, in order to understand the process for extending boundaries of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS).
As decided in the meeting, MBNMS staff will contact the National Marine Sanctuaries Program and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration about the status of the Site Evaluation List in order to provide more information about Sanctuary Expansion for the SAC at their next meeting in December.
With strong qualifying information, SAC could decide to provide a letter of support for the Central Coast’s national marine sanctuary status. Take action to send your own letter of support for a national marine sanctuary on the central coast!
–Sierra Club Santa Lucia Chapter
Stars are Aligning to Win National Marine Sanctuary Status for CA Central Coast
Updated November 9, 2011
14 National Marine Sanctuaries in the United States celebrate and safe-guard the nation’s richest aquatic environments with notable biodiversity and cultural history. This protection ensures proper management of activities like fishing, whale watching, beachcombing, and tide pooling, in order to maintain these habitats as part of our country’s wild legacy.
In 1992, Congress created the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, but the boundaries, which cut off at Point Conception, do not include hundreds of miles of precious habitat along the Central Coast.
From the rocky inter-tidal zones, rich with sea otter and coral communities, to the landmark coastal dunes, breathtaking geography, and spectacular whale watching areas, California’s central coast is a natural choice for National Marine Sanctuary status. Find out more!
Now is the time to extend the protections of National Marine Sanctuary status to California’s central coast; this irreplaceable habitat is the continuous target of efforts to expand oil drilling off of California’s coast and dump toxic wastewater from San Joaquin Valley agricultural operations.
The California Coast Resilient Habitats Campaign is joining Sierra Club’s Santa Lucia Chapter in getting the central coast the classification it deserves. The central coast will benefit greatly from expanding the Monterey Bay NMS. The CCRHC wants to finish the unfinished business of 1992, help us win rights for this remarkable region. Take Action!
For donations and inquiries, please contact California Coast Resilient Habitats Campaign Organizer Amanda Wallner at Amanda.Wallner@sierraclub.org or (916) 557-1100x106 at the Sierra Club California 801 K Street, Suite 2700 Sacramento, CA 95814
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