NOAA has completed another milestone toward achieving U.S. President Joe Biden’s goal of establishing a new national marine sanctuary off the coast of central California, releasing the final Environmental Impact Statement for the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.
“Today, our administration is taking a critical step toward designating the first Indigenous-proposed National Marine Sanctuary,” Vice President Kamala Harris said in a statement. “As a senator, I was proud to support efforts to create the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary off California’s coast to honor our commitments to Indigenous communities and promote natural spaces. President Biden and I will continue to protect, conserve, and restore lands and waters in communities across our nation.”
The Northern Chumash Tribal Council (NCTC) has been leading the campaign to establish the 4,543 square miles of coastal and offshore waters spanning 116 miles of coastline as the 16th national sanctuary in the U.S. since the 1980s. Biden officially proposed designating Chumash as the first Tribally nominated national marine sanctuary in 2023.
“This is a huge moment for the Chumash People and all who have tirelessly supported our campaign over the years,” Northern Chumash Tribal Council Chairwoman Violet Sage Walker said in a statement. “My father, the late Chief Fred Collins, began the journey to protect these sacred waters many years ago and we have been so proud to continue his work. I am delighted to celebrate his vision, today’s success, and the future of our People who will always be connected to past, present, and future by this special stretch of coastline and the true magic its waters hold.”
Located between protected areas, the government claims the sanctuary would establish “ecological connectivity and protected corridors for fish and wildlife.”
“The Biden-Harris administration continues to make unprecedented strides on collaborative conservation and management,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said. “This milestone in Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary’s designation moves us closer to providing critical environmental protections and bolstering recreation, tourism, and other local industries along California’s central coast, which would grow the economy throughout the region.”
The government expects to issue a final sanctuary designation by the end of the year.
