|
Along the central California coast, the Chumash tribes and a local coalition have been working for decades to establish the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary to protect 140 miles of vulnerable coastline and close the gap between the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Today, the Center for Western Priorities released its latest short film in the Road to 30: Postcards multimedia series, which travels to the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. There, Violet Sage Walker, Chairwoman of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, and Margaret (P.J.) Webb, a public interest attorney with the coalition, discuss the efforts to protect this sacred and ecologically important area and the many wildlife species that would benefit from a sanctuary designation.
This is the country's first tribally-led and nominated marine sanctuary, and it would ban offshore oil, natural gas extraction, seismic testing and pollution off California’s central coast. The area plays a critical role in a delicate marine ecosystem and holds deep cultural and spiritual significance for the Chumash people.
The Biden administration has the opportunity to honor the Chumash people and protect California’s central coast. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has published a Notice of Intent advancing the public process to designate the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. To learn more about the status of the proposal and how to support the effort, please visit www.chumashsanctuary.org.
Watch all the videos to learn more about the many landscapes that are important to communities across the country and which can help America reach the goal of protecting 30% of its land and waters by 2030.
Biden signs order to make federal government carbon neutral by 2050
Yesterday, President Biden signed an executive order compelling the United States government to become carbon neutral by 2050. The order directs the government to utilize its billions of dollars of purchasing power to upgrade federal buildings, create a fleet of electric vehicles, and change the government's electricity buying practices.
“By transforming how the federal government builds, buys, and manages its assets and operations, the federal government will support the growth of America’s clean energy and clean technology industries, while accelerating America’s progress toward achieving a carbon pollution-free electricity sector by 2035,” the White House said in a release.
|
[Areas of Critical Environmental Concern] can be an important tool for the [BLM] to advance conservation on public lands, but only if this designation is applied consistently, meaningfully, and with durability."
