U.S. President Joe Biden has designated 4,543 square miles of waters off the central coast of California as Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, making it the country’s third-largest national marine sanctuary.
“There is a deep sense of pride, joy, and accomplishment that comes with this designation,” NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries West Coast Region Policy Coordinator Paul Michel said. “This will propel us forward in bringing meaningful, comprehensive ecosystem-based and community-based management to the nationally significant natural, historical, and cultural resources of this amazing coast and ocean.”
Abutting 116 miles of California coast, the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary will help link together other protected areas to form ecological connectivity and protected corridors for wildlife. The sanctuary’s proposed boundaries were adjusted this year to exclude areas where subsea electrical transmission cables may be laid to support offshore wind energy production. NOAA said it could expand the sanctuary after those cables are installed.
“This sanctuary designation marks a hard-fought victory for the Chumash people, our conservation priorities, and the responsible development of offshore wind as California strives to meet its ambitious clean energy goals," U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-California) said, noting that the changes will support California’s goal of producing 25 gigawatts of offshore wind power by 2045.
The Northern Chumash Tribal Council (NCTC) has been pushing for the designation for decades, but the project finally gained traction in 2015 when the council proposed the nomination. NOAA began the designation process in 2021, and Biden officially proposed it as the first tribally nominated national marine sanctuary in 2023.
“This recognition is a crucial moment for our community,” Northern Chumash Tribal Council Chairwoman Violet Sage Walker said. “It will not only raise awareness of the Chumash People around the world, but also honor the legacy of my late father and affirm our commitment to the stewardship of our land. I hope we will be remembered for our dedication to actively protecting and nurturing Mother Earth and Grandmother Ocean.”
NOAA plans to share management of America’s 16th national marine sanctuary with the Chumash and Salinan Tribes in a “collaborative, co-stewardship framework.”
“NOAA recognizes and celebrates this unique area’s modern day and historic cultural connections to Indigenous peoples. Tribal and Indigenous communities will be co-stewards, as informed by their values, knowledge and traditions,” NOAA Administrator Richard Spinrad said. “The sanctuary designation will support and conserve the area’s rich biodiversity, create new opportunities for research and economic development, including recreation and tourism, and coexist with renewable energy, fisheries, and other sustainable ocean uses.”
In April, NOAA recommended USD 266,000 (EUR 243,000) in funding for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Mission Indians to help the Chumash Tribe partner with the West Coast Ocean Alliance and work with offshore wind energy development.
The Biden administration hailed the sanctuary as a success story in its America the Beautiful Initiative, with its goal of conserving and protecting 30 percent percent of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. With the Chumash designation, the administration claims to have conserved 45 million acres of land and waters already.
“This historic Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary designation, made possible thanks to President Biden’s America the Beautiful Initiative, will help provide critical environmental protections and allow tribal and Indigenous community management of the new sanctuary,” U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said. “This milestone in our commitment to Indigenous communities and natural lands will boost recreation, tourism, and other local industries along California’s central coast.”