More than 4,500 square miles of ocean will soon be protected by the federal government off the Central California coast. The Biden administration is creating a new national marine sanctuary, which will be the third largest in the U.S.
The sanctuary is also the first to be led by Indigenous people. It was nominated by members of the Northern Chumash Tribe, to protect the rugged coastline that is their historical homeland.
Going forward, the new will be managed in partnership with tribes and Indigenous groups in the area, who will advise the federal government. It marks a growing movement under the Biden administration to give tribes a say over the lands and waters that were taken from them.
鈥淲e鈥檙e still here, and so are the Indigenous people wherever you live,鈥� says Violet Sage Walker, chairwoman of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, who led the campaign for the sanctuary. 鈥淏eing able to address climate change, use traditional ecological knowledge, and participate in co-management is Indigenous peoples鈥� contribution to saving the planet.鈥�
The final sanctuary boundaries are due to California鈥檚 burgeoning offshore wind industry. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says it plans to look at expanding the sanctuary in the future.
National marine sanctuaries are similar to a national forest on land. The new sanctuary will be protected from oil and gas drilling, as well as undersea mining, while fishing is still permitted. It also means more public outreach and monitoring for environmental impacts, something NOAA says is vital to understanding how the ecosystem is being affected by climate change.
鈥淧eople will protect what they love and they won鈥檛 love it unless they understand it,鈥� says Paul Michel, regional policy coordinator for NOAA鈥檚 West Coast Office of National Marine Sanctuaries. 鈥淥ne of our challenges is to share this incredible resource with people to encourage their advocacy and support for ocean conservation.鈥�
A vision for protection
The new sanctuary is the of Walker鈥檚 father, Fred Collins. He nominated the area to become a sanctuary in 2015 with NOAA. The proposal languished under the Trump administration, and Collins died several years later.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 all my dad ever wanted, that people would know that we are the stewards of this land,鈥� Walker says. 鈥淥ne of the last conversations we had in the hospital before he passed away, he said the sanctuary was one of the most important things he did and that he wanted me to finish it.鈥�
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The new sanctuary is home to a diverse marine ecosystem, where dense kelp forests support a broad array of life from sea otters to migrating whales. For Walker, the area is also home to many sacred sites dating back thousands of years, like the rocky cliffs known as Point Conception.
鈥淚t鈥檚 where we spiritually believe that all people leave this world into the next life,鈥� she says. 鈥淭hey take their journey 鈥� whatever faith you are, whatever spirituality you have 鈥� and that area will be fully and forever protected. For my father, our ancestors, elders who have passed 鈥� I think they would be the most excited about that.鈥�
The Pacific Ocean has also been hit hard by climate change, like the massive marine heat wave which dramatically altered the food web from 2014-2016, affecting everything from .
鈥淭he historic designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary comes not a moment too soon,鈥� says Congressman Salud Carbajal, who represents the area. 鈥淎s our oceans and communities face unprecedented challenges from a changing marine environment, this new sanctuary comes at a critical time for our region.鈥�
Compromise with the wind industry
In 2022, the federal government held the on the West Coast, opening the door for wind energy. The new floating turbines will be outside the sanctuary, but under the original sanctuary boundary, the undersea cables that bring power to shore would have been within it.
After negotiations, wind energy companies and tribal groups agreed to a smaller boundary for the sanctuary, with a . The current boundary leaves a corridor for wind energy infrastructure to be built. After that, NOAA has said it will begin the process to consider expanding the sanctuary to the original proposed size, something wind companies say they鈥檒l support.
鈥淲e have a commitment to ensuring that infrastructure advances with consideration of the natural environment and species of concern and sensitive natural resources,鈥� says Erin Lieberman, executive vice president of environmental compliance and strategy at Invenergy, one of the wind companies developing a project. 鈥淗ow we incorporate that into our project placement and our project design is a priority. And I hope and believe that we can be a model for that.鈥�
Offshore wind energy could be vital for California to reach its goal of getting 100% of its electricity by 2045 from sources that don鈥檛 emit planet-heating pollution. offshore wind produces power at a vital time for the state 鈥� right as the sun sets and solar farms start turning off.
鈥淐ompromises were made, but I think that's the way we also move forward with addressing climate change,鈥� Walker says. 鈥淒ealing with renewable green energy is not always easy.鈥�
Developing Indigenous co-management
NOAA says it plans to manage the new Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary with input from the . Since only one band of Chumash, the Santa Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians, is federally recognized, the involvement may look different for different groups, something NOAA is still determining.
鈥淩eally what this represents is a starting point because we realize we鈥檝e got a lot of work to do to get to know one another, to build some trust,鈥� Michel says.
The federal government has piloted Indigenous co-management in a handful of places, in Washington state. On land, the government is also working with the Bears Ears National Monument in Utah.
After centuries of displacement and violence, Walker says it will take time for Indigenous peoples to repair the relationship with the federal government.
鈥淭his is a big step for them and we鈥檒l just see how things go,鈥� Walker says. 鈥淎s long as I鈥檓 breathing, we're going to be fighting to protect our Earth, mother Earth. That鈥檚 just who most indigenous people are.鈥�
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