More of California’s majestic coast will become part of a national monument, thanks to President Obama, Senators Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, and Congressmen Jared Huffman and Mike Thompson, among other wilderness and coastal advocates.
During a signing ceremony in Washington D.C. today, President Obama designated Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands as part of the California Coastal National Monument, permanently protecting 1,665 acres of federal lands on the Mendocino County coast in Northern California, just north of Point Arena.
The designation expands a national monument created in 2000 by President Bill Clinton to include the mouth and estuary of the Garcia River along with coastal bluffs, onshore dunes, tidal pools and meadows. The biologically-rich area provides habitat for migratory waterfowl, shore birds and raptors as well as several fish species, including chinook and coho salmon.
President Obama described the area that would be protected:
We are talking about over 1,600 acres of incredible coastline in California that reflects the incredible diversity of flora and fauna. It is a place where scientists do research; where people who just want to experience the great outdoors can take advantage of it. It is a huge economic boost for the region. California tourism obviously is important, and the California coastline I think is as big of an attraction as there is.
And so for us to make sure that this is going to be properly preserved, that it is going to be cherished, that the federal protections will be available I think is going to make all the difference.
The President’s action is made possible under the 1906 Antiquities Act, which presidents from both parties have used to set aside significant natural, cultural, and historical resources from the Grand Canyon to the Statue of Liberty.
In a joint statement from Sarah Rose, CEO of the California League of Conservation Voters and Gene Karpinski, President of the national League of Conservation Voters, the conservation leaders applauded the move to protect the breathtaking stretch of the California coast:
This designation is a win for the local economy and our environment. President Obama and Secretary Jewell’s leadership is a recognition of the broad public support across Mendocino County to permanently protect this slice of California’s majestic coastline and put it on the tourist map. Their leadership, together with Representatives Huffman and Thompson and Senators Boxer and Feinstein, will ensure that our children and grandchildren can enjoy this priceless landscape for generations to come.
According to the Washington Post:
While Congress officially designates protection categories such as wilderness areas, national parks and wildlife refuges, the president can impose similar land-use restrictions through the creation of a national monument. Obama’s proclamation will require the federal government to develop a management plan with public input within three years, according to a White House official, and will require the protection of objects of national significance such as the area’s natural resources.
In July, the House unanimously approved a measure by Rep. Jared Huffman (D-Calif.) to add the area to the California Coastal National Monument, a 1,100-mile marine preserve adjacent to the site that President Clinton declared in 2000. While the project received $2 million in the recently passed omnibus budget bill, a measure authored by Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) has not yet passed the Senate.
The sponsors of the measure in both chambers have urged Obama to use his authority under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to protect the area…
“If we wait for Congress, it’s never going to happen,” said Scott Schneider, chief executive of Visit Mendocino County.
As reported by the Associated Press, the area “is a significant economic engine for the local community, driving tourism and outdoor recreation.” A federal Bureau of Land Management report estimated that outdoor recreation on public lands across California contributed nearly $900 million to the economy in 2012.
The San Francisco Chronicle noted that the area formally known as the Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands was “cobbled together from several parcels over the course of years” including property called Cypress Abbey which was once the proposed site of a Pacific Gas and Electric Co. nuclear power plant in the early 1970s. The power plant faced powerful local resistance, partly due to site’s proximity to the San Andreas Fault, and the project was abandoned in 1973.
Rep. Jared Huffman, who represents the area and whose first bill as a freshman congressman sought the designation, was thrilled by the designation:
“This is now going to be part of the national monument — the only land-based gateway to the coastal monument. I think that’s a big deal.”
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, who held a public listening session in Point Arena last fall to hear from the community about conserving the lands, will visit the area tomorrow to celebrate the designation.
