A Rare Chance to Protect Our North Coast

By Richard Charter
Published: June 2007

Sonoma harbor seal. Credit: Bob Garrison

As residents of the Redwood Empire, our spectacular coastline is among our most valued natural treasures. Our region's vibrant quality of life, our important visitor-serving business sector and a substantial part of the California economy depend on the lure of our rugged coves and pristine sandy beaches.

Whether you picnic on our beaches with your families, dine at local waterfront bistros or surf and dive in these waters, the places where the Pacific Ocean meets the North Coast inspire our art and culture and enhance each of our lives.

In 1981, local officials, the fishing industry and our congressional representatives were able to establish the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, extending permanent protection for our ocean environment from just outside the Golden Gate northward all the way to Bodega Bay.

In 1989, the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary was created, to similarly protect an undersea island rich in marine life. These nearby national parks of the sea currently extend permanent protection from toxic discharges and oil spills associated with offshore drilling throughout a broad swath of ocean as far north as Bodega Bay.

Within each of our National Marine Sanctuaries, virtually all forms of public use continue -- including fishing, boating and diving -- under already-existing laws. The priority in a sanctuary is that our marine wildlife and their habitats will at last be sheltered from the high spill risks, serious water pollution and damage to fragile ecosystems that would inevitably result from the risky pursuit of what is estimated to only be a marginal offshore hydrocarbon potential at best.

The change in Congress offers the promise of new environmental protection and puts the permanent stewardship of new coastal areas, including Sonoma, suddenly within reach. Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma, joined by Maryland Republican Wayne Gilchrest, and supported by Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena, are carrying a bipartisan bill, HR 1187, which would for the first time extend the boundaries of our present National Marine Sanctuaries northward to just beyond Point Arena in Mendocino County.

Strong local support for enactment of HR 1187 has come from the counties of Mendocino, Sonoma, Marin, and San Francisco, as well as from commercial fishermen, marine scientists, conservation groups, the California State Lands Commission and the Coastal Commission.

Only last-minute intervention by last year's lame duck chairman of the House Resources Committee, Richard Pombo, stopped a similar bill from moving in December, but now the time is ripe for passage.

Marine scientists tell us that the unique oceanic upwelling system that lifts nutrient-rich waters from the deep ocean off of Point Arena provides the marine food source supporting the lush web of undersea life extending southward to the massive undersea Monterey Canyon and beyond.

We now have the congressional window of opportunity to protect the source of all life in our oceans along a very large portion of the California coast. The voices of those from all over the world who watch the whales from our headlands, enjoy our sunsets and fish our waters will be the key to success in this venture.

If you are inspired by our fragile coastline, please join us now in likewise inspiring Congress to enact HR 1187, The Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Boundary Modification and Protection Act. This opportunity will not likely come again in our time. On our coast, we need to save what we can, when we can -- which is right now.