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Fall 1997 |
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Page 3 |
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Inside |
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Monterey Bay Sanctuary --Our Treasure |
pg. 3 |
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We're All In This Together |
pg. 3 |
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Thought About Clean Water Lately? The Water Quality Protection Program Has |
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by Leon E. Panetta
On this fifth anniversary of the designation of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, we join in celebrating this national treasure as our legacy to future generations.
The Sanctuary represents not only the protection of the beauty we now know as our Bay and coastline, but our continuing responsibility to all those who follow to preserve forever this crown jewel in our National Marine Sanctuary system.
For those of us born and raised along the Central Coast of California, the Bay has always been very special to the beauty, culture, economy, recreation, and history of this magnificent area.
Long
before its first explorers, nature blessed the Bay with a
deep underwater canyon, a rugged coastline, white beaches,
and a remarkable beauty that has long attracted life to it
waters and its shores.
It was on the morning of November 6, 1542, that Captain Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo noted in his ship's log that he had just passed Point Pinos and was stopping in the "Noble Harbor."
From its earliest Indian inhabitants, to Cabrillo, to Sir Francis Drake; to Sebastian Vizcaíno, to Don Gaspar de Portola, to Father Junipero Serra, to Commodore John Drake Sloat, to the settlers, soldiers, and fishermen, the "Noble Harbor" has always been a place of security, serenity, protection, livelihood, and beauty.
Today, as we stand on the brink of a new century, history passes the torch to all of us who have inherited the rich beauty and history of this area. Our solemn obligation to our children and their children is to do everything possible to protect the quality of life that is our Bay and our coastline.
It was the threat of offshore drilling that mobilized the great citizen effort that produced the largest Marine Sanctuary in the nation. It will always remain one of my proudest moments in Congress to have authored and successfully passed the legislation establishing the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
But the job of protecting the Sanctuary from the Gulf of the Farallones to Cambria Rock is never over. The national designation has given us the tools to protect this area, but only day to day vigilance will give us the reality. The officials and citizens associated with the Sanctuary have already proven its value in the successes of the last few years making it a center for education, research, recreation, and conservation. I congratulate you for your work.
On this fifth anniversary, we pause to recognize again that the Sanctuary is a national treasure but, more importantly, it is our treasure. The long and wonderful story of the Monterey Bay and coastline is but an introduction.
The next chapters belong to us and our
children.
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The National Marine Sanctuaries Program's vision is to demonstrate global leadership in managing marine protected areas for the benefit of future generations. MBNMS has had the opportunity, in the last several years, to take concrete steps towards that goal. By hosting delegations of resource managers, government officials and scientists from China, the Philippines, and other countries, MBNMS staff have shared their knowledge and experience with colleagues who are developing new marine protected areas, or seeking ways to improve existing programs, around the globe. Locally, MBNMS is cooperating with a wide range of institutions in this area to apply for international funding through the World Bank for purposes of assisting India develop strategies to deal with its coastal development issues. Through that program, the MBNMS, the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and many other local institutions would participate in an international exchange/training program with visiting Indians. "The area encompassed by the MBNMS has rapidly become, over the past ten years or so, an international Mecca for marine research and education," says Program Specialist Aaron King. "The synergy created by the many educational and research institutions around the Monterey Bay has put this area on the world map when it comes to marine sciences." By acting as an example to other nations as they begin to pave the way for the creation of marine protected areas or research ways to improve existing programs, the Sanctuary multiplies its own efforts exponentially. |
MBNMS as part of a National--and International--Strategy for Ocean Protection
by Stephanie Thornton
Chief, National Marine Sanctuaries Program
This year marks not only the 5th anniversary of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS), but the 25th anniversary of the National Marine Sanctuaries Program. Monterey Bay, the largest of twelve sanctuaries established since 1972, is part of a national network of marine protected areas.
Despite its brief history, the Sanctuary program can celebrate many accomplishments &emdash; aiding in the recovery of endangered marine species (such as the California gray whale), helping to lessen the threat of oil spills, and benefiting coastal economies by helping to protect and preserve healthy oceans.
No legal protection existed for our nation's waters before 1972. That year, however, was a watershed year, witnessing the passage of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act, the Coastal Zone Management Act, the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the Clean Water Act, and other legislation that would then benefit our marine heritage. These laws finally brought protection to our ocean and coastal waters - about one hundred years after similar protections had been initiated for land-based parks, forests, and wildlife refuges.
More recently, communities have turned to sanctuary designation for long-term protection of the ocean. Grassroots efforts around the nation have led to six new Sanctuaries (including Monterey Bay) in the 1990s. Central Coast citizens, who fought long and hard for a sanctuary, now have an effective vehicle through which to participate in the protection of their beloved coast.
The National Marine Sanctuaries Program created a new approach to natural resource management: balancing recreational and commercial use of the oceans with long-term protection strategies. It strives to work with local citizens and governments to enhance public awareness and understanding of the marine environment and to create innovative ways to manage its precious resources. For example, the Sanctuary Advisory Council (SAC), composed of appointed volunteers, connects the Sanctuary to the larger community. The SAC's public meetings allow community members to voice their concerns and to keep up-to-date on issues as diverse as kelp harvesting or agricultural operations.
We've learned that a sanctuary's work just begins with
designation. The waters of California's Central Coast are,
thankfully, relatively pristine. Nonetheless, the continued
threat of oil spills, the need for protection of local
endangered and threatened marine species, and issues of
long-term water quality all demonstrate that there is still
much to be done in the next twenty-five years, and beyond.
This double anniversary provides us with an opportunity to
celebrate our successes to date, and to acknowledge the hard
work ahead as we all work together to protect the waters of
Monterey Bay, the nation, and the globe.
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Last modified on: June 14,
1999