Comments to NOAA close 1/30/2022
Chumash Heritage Foundation
Our Mission
Our mission is to preserve, promote, and educate the public about Chumash Heritage.
Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary:
On November 10, 2021, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (“NOAA”) opened the public comment period for the designation of the proposed CHNMS. The proposed CHNMS on the central coast of California is intended to protect the region’s important marine ecosystem, maritime heritage resources, and cultural values of Indigenous communities. The approximately 7,670 square-mile sanctuary, adjacent to San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties and the boundaries of Monterey Bay and Channel Islands national marine sanctuaries, aims to recognize and preserve Chumash tribal history and protect the area’s rich biodiversity, including a world-renowned ecological transition zone where temperate waters from the north meet the subtropics. The area is known for its extensive kelp forests, sandy beaches, coastal dunes, and wetlands, and provides nursery grounds for numerous commercial fish species and important habitat for many threatened and endangered species such as blue whales, southern sea otter, black abalone, snowy plovers, and leatherback sea turtles. The area includes many coastal communities that enjoy commercial and recreational fishing, boating, kayaking, surfing, diving, wildlife watching, beach walking, and research. The Tribe supports the designation of the proposed CHNMS and appreciates the opportunity to provide input in the initial stages of the CHNMS designation process. A new vision of the process to designate, co-manage and implement the proposed CHNMS is warranted today. Tribal stewardship for this site requires a more collaborative, co-management approach that combines Chumash, federal and State governments. To that end, the Tribe offers the following written comments.
Chumash Supports a Government-to-Government Collaborative and Co-Management Approach to the CHNMS
Recent federal initiatives support a government-to-government collaboration and co-management approach that includes the Chumash, State, and federal agencies for a future CHNMS designation.
A more collaborative, co-management approach to the proposed designation, planning, and future management of the CHNMS is supported by recent federal statutes and regulations. Additionally, the scholarly literature of the past twenty years on co- Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians Comments to Proposed Designation of the CHNMS Page 2 management shows that there are benefits to a more formal, collaborative co-management approach, including: • Improved management due to incorporation of better data and local ecological knowledge;
Resolution 1042 to support Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary
Cover Letter to NOAA Sanctuaries, West Coast Region
Support Our Cause
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