About California Coastal
The islands, rocks, and pinnacles of the California Coastal National Monument overwhelm the viewer, as white-capped waves crash into the vertical cliffs or deeply crevassed surge channels and frothy water empties back into the ocean. Amidst that beauty lies irreplaceable scientific values vital to protecting the fragile ecosystems of the California coastline. At land's end, the islands, rocks, exposed reefs, and pinnacles off the coast above mean high tide provide havens for significant populations of sea mammals and birds. They are part of a narrow and important flight lane in the Pacific Flyway, providing essential habitat for feeding, perching, nesting, and shelter.
The California Coastal National Monument is a biological treasure. The thousands of islands, rocks, exposed reefs, and pinnacles are part of the nearshore ocean zone that begins just off shore and ends at the boundary between the continental shelf and continental slope. Waters of this zone are rich in nutrients from upwelling currents and freshwater inflows, supporting a rich array of habitats and organisms. Productive oceanographic factors, such as major ocean currents, stimulate critical biological productivity and diversity in both nearshore and offshore ocean waters.
Threats to the Existence and Protection of California Coastal
While the threat to the monument from the Bush administration's energy policy is real, fortunately there is strong, bipartisan opposition to increased drilling off the California coast. Nonetheless, the administration's energy proposals consider drilling in recently created national monuments, including those in California, a state that is facing an energy shortage. In addition, although there is currently a moratorium on new oil-drilling leases in federal waters off the coast of California, the Bush administration's energy plan recommends the review of all laws related to off-shore drilling. That would include the moratorium that protects waters off the California coast.
California Coastal Facts
- Size: Runs the entire length of the California coast (840-miles) between Oregon and Mexico, extends 12 nautical miles from the shoreline
- Date: The Monument was created on January 11, 2001
- Managing Agency: The Bureau of Land Management
