- Details
- By Jenna Kunze
A 7,500 square mile area off the central coast of California that includes ancestral Chumash sites and unique biodiversity was recognized this week as a Mission Blue Hope Spot.
The “Hope Spot” title, given by International marine conservation non-profit Mission Blue, is meant to identify “special places that are scientifically identified as critical to the health of the ocean.” They are often given to places that need protection, according to Mission Blue.
Which is why the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary was chosen.The designation comes as The North Chumash tribe awaits a decision from the federal government about its bid to designate that same area as a marine sanctuary.
The Chumash people have occupied the central coast of California for more than 20,000 years, according to the Northern Chumash tribal records. The proposed sanctuary site—adjacent to San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties and situated between two previously designated marine sanctuaries, Channel Islands and Monterey— would protect submerged villages of tribal ancestors.
Additionally, the area’s confluence of warm and cool waters make it a feeding ground for several threatened or engaged species, including blue whales, southern sea otters, black abalone, snowy plovers, and leatherback sea turtles. Notably, more than 40 historic shipwrecks have taken place within the proposed boundaries.
All of these are listed as reasons why the late Northern Chumash tribal chairman, Fred Collins, fought for this designation for many years. He penned the original sanctuary request in 2015.
Now, his successor and daughter, Tribal Council Chairwoman Violet Sage Walker, has taken on the decades-long fight. She previously told Native News Online that a successful sanctuary designation would be a step towards environmental justice.
Mission Blue has named the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary a Hope Spot in support of the pending permanent federal designation that will safeguard the area’s marine habitats indefinitely from destructive activities, such as seabed mining and oil drilling, according to their website.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is currently in the designation process for the Chumash Heritage Sanctuary, with a decision slated for mid-2024. NOAA held a public comment period that ended October 2023, where they received more than 110,000 comments from the public, 99% in support of the sanctuary designation.
More Stories Like This
Sault Tribe Joins the Fight for Mother Nature’s Legal Rights with New ResolutionFormer NCAI President Fawn Sharp Appointed to Nature Conservancy Board
New Interagency Agreement Supports Water Tribal Water and Sanitation Projects
Biden Unrolls Multi-Million Dollar Solar Grant on Earth Day, More to Come Throughout Week
Native American Rights Fund Gets $100K For Tribal Eco-Stewardship Legal Support
Native Perspective. Native Voices. Native News.
We launched Native News Online because the mainstream media often overlooks news that is important is Native people. We believe that everyone in Indian Country deserves equal access to news and commentary pertaining to them, their relatives and their communities. That's why the story you’ve just finished was free — and we want to keep it that way, for all readers. We hope you'll consider making a donation to support our efforts so that we can continue publishing more stories that make a difference to Native people, whether they live on or off the reservation. Your donation will help us keep producing quality journalism and elevating Indigenous voices. Any contribution of any amount — big or small — gives us a better, stronger future and allows us to remain a force for change. Donate to Native News Online today and support independent Indigenous-centered journalism. Thank you.
