There’s a special place on California’s central coast. Waves wash against 116 miles (186.6 km) of rock and sand there. For centuries, Peoples called the area home and likely stood gazing out over the Pacific Ocean. Now, that part of the ocean is protected as the newest in the United States!
U.S. President Joe Biden officially the area on October 11, creating the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. The protected seas include 4,543 square miles (11,766.3 sq. km.) of ocean both near the coast and offshore. That’s nearly four times the size of California’s Yosemite National Park, with its rocky cliffs and waterfalls!
This is America’s 17th national marine sanctuary, and it’s one of the first protected areas that Indigenous groups will help manage. Indigenous Peoples have lived on California’s coast for at least 10,000 years. Two groups that lived in the area near the sanctuary are the Chumash and the Salinan Peoples. For thousands of years, those groups have cared for the land and their .
It was a Chumash leader, Chief Fred Collins, who first pushed for the location to be protected. In 2015, he nominated the spot as a sanctuary with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Collins died in 2021, but now, his dream is coming true. The ocean area will be protected, and NOAA will work with the Indigenous Peoples to make it happen.
The Indigenous Peoples will guide NOAA’s decisions to align with their knowledge and culture. The groups will work together to make decisions about rules for the sanctuary. The sanctuary will also serve as a place for people to learn about the Indigenous history of the area. Violet Sage Walker, a leader of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, said that her people had long “been going there and praying and doing there.”
Being named a national marine sanctuary will help protect the special area. Now, people cannot drill for oil or gas under the protected waters, and there are extra rules about caring for wildlife. Many kinds of fish, birds, and marine plants live in the sanctuary, including animals at risk, like blue whales, snowy plover birds, and leatherback sea turtles. The area also contains kelp forests, rocky reefs, coral gardens, sandy beaches, and shipwrecks.
NOAA says that the protected area may grow in the future. And government leaders in California say they hope that this new sanctuary will help keep the land and ocean clean and safe. Indigenous Chumash people gathered in Pismo Beach, California, on October 14 to celebrate the accomplishment.
Walker said that the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary comes at an important time. She explained that it will honor the work of her father — Chief Collins — and raise awareness about how Indigenous groups continue to care for their land. Walker added, “I hope we will be remembered for our dedication to actively protecting and Mother Earth and Grandmother Ocean.”
By Hannah Marcum
Updated October 15, 2024, 5:00 P.M. (ET)
