A proposal to create a new marine sanctuary along parts of the Central and South Coasts has received an extension. The plan to create the ocean sanctuary along the Northern Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County coastlines faced a key deadline this month.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had to act by October 5th to move forward with the sanctuary designation, or remove it from the list. The Department of Commerce granted a five year extension of review of the plan, keeping the proposal for the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary alive.
The Northern Chumash Tribal Council is sponsoring the sanctuary effort, which is being backed by a number of environmental groups. It would add protections for a wide variety of sea life in the region, as well as cultural artifacts.