Celebrating California’s newest ocean sanctuary

Cliffside, looking out over the Pacific ocean, I was lucky enough to spend Monday at the ocean, celebrating new protections for the California Central Coast!

Joined by Rep. Salud Carbajal, Chair Brenda Mallory from the White House, California Natural Resources Agency Sec. Wade Crowfoot, Northern Chumash Tribal Council chair Violet Sage Walker, NOAA representatives and dozens of organizers and volunteers, we gathered near Pismo beach for the new designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.

This newest sanctuary will not only be the third largest in the country, it will also permanently protect one of the final stretches of California’s coastline from offshore drilling. The sanctuary waters are home to California’s southern sea otters, whales and seabirds, all drawn to the rich feeding grounds created by the confluence of two major ocean currents. Ensuring that we never risk this special place for the sake of a little more oil is a true step forward for the safety of our ocean ecosystem.

A new sanctuary will also mean more resources for scientific research around the unique life off the Central coast—research that can help us better understand the threats posed by climate change and increasing human use, and figure out the best way of protecting California’s ocean moving forward.

Today’s celebration is a long time coming: the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, led first by Fred Collins and now by Chairwoman Violet Sage Walker, have been fighting to bring a sanctuary to this part of the coast for years.

As the movement to create this new ocean refuge grew, we saw outpourings of support, with 100,000 supportive statements submitted during the final round of public comments, including a letter from 181 scientists. 

Check out our photos from the event. It’s clear that everyone was excited to join the celebration.