A Letter from Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey

Lynn Woolsey with Map of Sanctuary Expansion

Friends,

We did it! Last week the US House of Representatives unanimously passed H.R. 1187, the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries Protection and Modification Act. 

As you may know, this vital legislation would expand the current Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries by over 2,000 square miles, an area roughly the size of Delaware.  Not only will it extend the Sanctuaries’ boundaries into deeper water, but it will also expand the sanctuaries northward, covering the entire Sonoma County Coast, as well as the southern coast of Mendocino County. 

This would provide enough protected area to guard the region’s abundant marine life, including endangered salmon, from pollution by industries such as oil exploration and drilling, while helping protect thousands of local jobs that depend on a clean and healthy environment.

As you all are well aware, the incredible beauty and bio-diversity of this coast makes it a special body of water that truly deserves sanctuary designation.  While the proposed expansion is a relatively small area of our coast, it’s a uniquely important area, filled with the richness of the sea.  As a matter of fact, this coastline is within one of only four coastal areas in the world that comprise 1 percent of the ocean's surface, but 20 percent of its fish! 

And we can never forget that this legislation is about more than preserving our region’s beauty, it’s also about protecting our region’s jobs.  Whether it’s the commercial fishing, or tourism industries, thousands of jobs depend on these waters, and these jobs will be protected once this legislation becomes law.

But I didn’t write this letter so that we could pat ourselves on the back, or to remind you all of what you already know – that this is an area worth fighting for.  No, I’ve come to you in this forum to thank you for the support that you have already shown, and to ask for your continued support as H.R. 1187 now heads to the Senate, and hopefully gets sent to President Bush for his signature.

There’s a lot going on between now and November.  However, what you might not realize is that we are approaching a narrow window for the Senate to pass this legislation before the Congress adjourns for the fall election.  If we don’t get it through before then, we’ll have to start all over from the beginning next Congress. 

It has been a long fight over the past few years, but I am now more confident than ever that we will achieve our goal to protect this vital marine habitat, and the hugely diverse ecosystem that it encompasses.  Thank you all for your help getting us this far, and thank you for all that you will do to help make this dream a reality.

Thanks again for your continued support.

-Lynn Woolsey