Point Reyes Light - December 27, 2001

Feds want input on sanctuaries

By Daniel Freed

Officials from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration next month will hold a series of public meetings to reevaluate the boundaries and management policies of three federally-managed marine sanctuaries, two of which are located off the West Marin coast.

The meetings will play a key role in shaping the future of Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank national marine sanctuaries, plus that of a neighboring sanctuary to the south, Monterey Bay.

The Marin meetings will be held at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 9, in the Dance Palace, and at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 10, at Civic Center. In Sonoma County, a meeting has been scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8, at the Bodega Marine Lab in Bodega Bay.

The three California sanctuaries under review are all managed by the NOAA as part of the National Marine Sanctuary Program. The program was established in 1972 to protect a network of 13 special marine and freshwater areas nationwide. As part of the US Department of Commerce, the NOAA has aimed to protect resources in important marine areas while making allowances for public and private uses such as fishing, recreation, and scientific research.

Management plans outdated

Each sanctuary is governed under a management plan drafted when the area was originally designated as a sanctuary by the federal government. The plans outline the objectives, policies, and regulations for each sanctuary, and typically define each site’s specific boundaries, staffing and budget needs, and resources.

Because of ongoing scientific discoveries and the development of new techniques in marine resource management, the old management plans are considered outdated. By law the sanctuary plans must be periodically reviewed to reevaluate issues which have changed over time.

The Gulf of the Farallones sanctuary encompasses 1,255 square miles of coastal waters, including a vast region around the Farallon Islands. The region was designated as a sanctuary in 1981.

Sanctuary off Point Reyes

Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary protects 526 square miles of ocean waters 20 miles to the west of Point Reyes. Cordell Bank is an underwater plateau with mountain ridges that supports a lush and healthy community of marine life. The area was designated as a sanctuary in 1989.

The huge Monterey Bay sanctuary stretches along 276 miles of coastline from Muir Beach south to Cambria in San Luis Obispo County. Encompassing 5,328 square miles of coastal and ocean waters, it was designated as a sanctuary in 1992.

After the public scoping meetings, NOAA officials will draft an updated management plan, which will be circulated for additional public review before it is finalized.

Those wanting more information on the meetings can visit the National Marine Sanctuary website at <http://sanctuaries.nos.noaa.gov> on the Internet or call 561-6622.

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