The proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary is approaching the final steps in its designation process. The federal government is expected to hold a public review of the proposal next month.
The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary would conserve more than 150 miles of coastline between the Monterey Bay and the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuaries. It is the first tribally nominated marine sanctuary in the nation.
This area of ocean off the Central Coast is known for its rich biodiversity and history, including its relationship with the different Chumash Tribes on the Central Coast.
Violet Sage Walker is the Chairwoman of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council. In a webinar last month, she said the Chumash have been organizing to conserve this area for generations.
“I am the third generation to work on protecting this area, and not just from my family, this goes all the way back 1969, to the oil spill in the Santa Barbara Channel,” Sage Walker said.
The proposed sanctuary would not just protect the ocean ecosystem from development. It would also protect ancient sacred sites where Chumash tribes practiced traditional rituals.
Right now the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is drafting documents about potential management plans, environment impact, proposed boundaries and more.
The next step is public review, where the public, agency partners, tribes and other stakeholders can provide input. NOAA will then review the input before moving to the final step of the designation process. Sage Walker said she is eager to get to that point.
“The time is now. The urgency is now to get this finished so we can move on to the things that are important, which is addressing all these issues with science and research and saving and protecting our most important resource on the planet which is our ocean,” Sage Walker said.
The documents for public review will be available on noaa.gov once public comment begins, likely next month. To learn more about the ecological diversity and Chumash heritage of the proposed sanctuary, you can visit chumashsanctuary.org.
