Media Advisory, April 14, 2014
Contact: Richard Charter
Senior Fellow, Coastal Coordination Program, The Ocean Foundation
707 875-2345, 707 875-3482, waterway@monitor.net
The long-awaited expansion of the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries northward from Bodega Bay to Pt. Arena, a decision that will add 2700 square miles of protected waters, has been announced today, accompanied by the dates and locations of upcoming public hearings in the affected communities and the release of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement.
“Three decades of bipartisan pressure from mayors, county officials, fishing interests, state legislators, congressional representatives, U.S. Senators, and every sitting California governor have finally led us to today’s historic announcement”, said Richard Charter, Senior Fellow with The Ocean Foundation, “The people have spoken, and the White House is apparently listening.”
The Northern California coast between Bodega Bay and Pt. Arena attracts millions of visitors and is the centerpiece of the region’s economy, hosting one of the planet’s four most productive ocean upwelling systems, in which nutrient-rich waters rise from the depths to provide the base of the marine food chain which embraces a globally significant, extraordinarily diverse, and productive marine ecosystem that supports abundant wildlife and valuable fisheries.
Upcoming Public Hearings:
May 22, 2014, Sausalito, 6 pm-U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Bay Model Visitor Center, 2100 Bridgeway Blvd., Sausalito, CA 95465
June 16, 2014, Point Arena, 6 pm-Point Arena City Hall, 451 School Street, Point Arena, CA 95468
June 17, 2014, Gualala, 6 pm-Gualala Community Center, 47950 Center Street, Gualala, CA 95445
June 18, 2014, Bodega Bay, 6 pm-Grange Hall, 1370 Bodega Avenue, Bodega Bay, CA 94923
To comment online go to: https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/04/14/2014-08061/proposed-expansion-and-regulatory-revision-of-gulf-of-the-farallones-and-cordell-bank-national
Written comments will be accepted until June 30, 2014, and should be sent to: Maria Brown, Superintendent, Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, 991 Marine Drive-The Presidio, San Francisco, CA 94129.
More details can be found at: http://SanctuaryExpansion.org
Special thanks to Richard Charter