The designation process for the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary took a major step forward as NOAA announced the release of the final environmental impact statement (FEIS), which outlines the environmental impacts of the proposed sanctuary and is a necessary step toward this final designation. Under NOAA’s preferred alternative, the sanctuary would include 4,543 square miles of coastal and offshore waters along 116 miles of California’s central coast. Upon designation, the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary would become the third largest national marine sanctuary in the National Marine Sanctuary System.
The FEIS follows nearly a decade of work by Tribes, Indigenous Peoples, community leaders, organizations, businesses, state and local officials, and members of Congress, provides an evaluation of the expected environmental, social, and economic effects of the proposed sanctuary and reflects public input from multiple rounds of stakeholder engagement. If designated, the proposed sanctuary would be the 17th in the National Marine Sanctuary System and contribute to the goals of the Biden-Harris Administration’s America the Beautiful initiative, which supports locally-led collaborative conservation efforts with a goal to conserve and restore at least 30 percent of US lands and waters by 2030.
“Our Administration is taking a critical step toward designating the first Indigenous-proposed National Marine Sanctuary,” said Vice President Kamala Harris. “As a Senator, I was proud to support efforts to create the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary off California’s coast to honor our commitments to Indigenous communities and promote natural spaces. President Biden and I will continue to protect, conserve, and restore lands and waters in communities across our nation.”
The sanctuary, as described in the preferred alternative, would recognize and celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ connections to the region and be managed with the active involvement of Tribes and Indigenous communities, inclusive of Indigenous values, knowledge, and traditions. The sanctuary is anticipated to bring comprehensive community- and ecosystem-based management to nationally significant natural, historical, archeological, and cultural resources—including kelp forests, rocky reefs, sandy beaches, underwater mountains, and more than 200 shipwrecks.
“The Biden-Harris Administration continues to make unprecedented strides on collaborative conservation and management,” said US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. “This milestone in Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary’s designation moves us closer to providing critical environmental protections and bolstering recreation, tourism, and other local industries along California’s central coast, which would grow the economy throughout the region.”
As required by the National Environmental Policy Act, NOAA must wait 30 days after publication of the final environmental impact statement before making its final decision on designation. Following the 30 days, should NOAA decide to designate the sanctuary, the agency will release the final regulations and final management plan.
“This milestone marks an important step toward designating the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary and is a testament to the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to honoring Tribal Nations and supporting locally-led conservation of the broad range of landscapes and seascapes that make up America the Beautiful,” said White House Council on Environmental Quality Chair Brenda Mallory. “Efforts to make the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary the first Indigenous-focused sanctuary nomination have spanned many years—and the milestone is the product of committed individuals working together across backgrounds, across sectors, and across governments to advance co-stewardship while respecting Indigenous Knowledge. Under President Biden and Vice President Harris’s leadership, we will achieve a lasting legacy that accounts for a shared and common heritage for all to treasure while also building a clean energy future and combating the climate crisis.”
National marine sanctuaries are vital to the economic health of coastal communities. Sanctuary designations are designed to promote the long-term conservation and protection of natural and cultural resources in the region and support local and regional economies that rely on those resources.
The boundaries for the national marine sanctuary, as outlined in the preferred alternative in the FEIS, would not include areas where offshore wind turbines are currently planned to be built or where wind energy transmission cables are expected to be laid. NOAA would consider a potential expansion of the proposed sanctuary in the coming years, however, after transmission cables have been approved.
NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries serves as the trustee for a network of underwater parks encompassing more than 620,000 square miles of marine and Great Lakes waters. The network includes a system of 16 national marine sanctuaries and Papahānaumokuākea and Rose Atoll marine national monuments. The system works with diverse partners and stakeholders to promote responsible; sustainable ocean uses that ensure the health of our most valued ocean places.
