America’s newest national marine sanctuary has been created off the Central and South Coasts. The federal government finalized the creation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.
The Biden-Harris Administration’s approval of the plan became official November 30th.
It provides new protections for more than 4500 square miles of coastline, and coastal water from Gaviota to southern San Luis Obispo County. It includes 116 miles of coastline.
The Northern Chumash Tribal Council was the driving force behind the sanctuary’s creation.
The southeastern edge of the sanctuary connects with the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. The plan is to eventually expand the northern boundary of the sanctuary to connect with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Proponents of the sanctuary worked out a deal with leaseholders of some proposed offshore wind power site off of Morro Bay. It calls for allowing the wind projects to lay underwater power line from offshore sites to the shore. Once those are in place, the sanctuary would then be extended north.