The proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary has officially been declared a marine sanctuary.
On Friday, the Biden-Harris Administration announced that the Chumash Sanctuary would be officially designated as the United States’ 17th marine sanctuary.
The sanctuary will stretch from Gaviota to Pismo Beach and southern San Luis Obispo County, covering 4,543 square miles of ocean and 116 miles of California’s central coast.
The area will be the third-largest sanctuary in the National Marine Sanctuary System and the fifth sanctuary in California. It is also the first to be nominated by an indigenous group, the Northern Chumash Tribal Council.
Congressman Salud Carbajal praised the move, saying it was “a twinkle in the eye of the Central Coast for more than a generation.”
The project received approval from the California Coastal Commission’s approval in August.
“I am grateful to the Indigenous and community leaders who have helped advocate for these protections over the past decade and more. The historic designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary comes not a moment too soon,” Carbajal said in a statement.
He continued by saying that the designation comes at a critical time as the oceans face critical challenges and that designating the area as a sanctuary will allow the state to protect the ecosystem.
The decision came after the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration (NOAA) submitted its final rule and management plan.
The plan issued by NOAA also lays the groundwork to expand the sanctuary to include Avila Beach and Morro Bay. If the sanctuary is expanded, it will connect to the southern border of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
“After the decades-long push for this federal designation, the sanctuary designation will take effect after a statutorily-required final review by the State of California, which is estimated to be completed by December 2024,” according to Carbajal.
To mark the designation, federal representatives and members of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council and Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians are holding an event Monday in Pismo Beach. It starts at 11:15 a.m. at Dinosaur Caves Park.