Christina McGinnis

Blue Heron

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We need to protect Naples Reef and the intertidal area. For the past 10 years, there has been a concerted effort to protect the Gaviota Coast from further coastal development. Yet too few citizens or activists express a similar concern about the biodiversity of the marine life off Gaviota.

This community is provided with a rare opportunity to participate in the South Coast Marine Life Protection Act process, which will likely come to a head soon. While there has been some media attention on this effort across southern California, we are often left with mere opinion for or against marine reserves. This has left us with a rather poor understanding of the ecological context in which the political debate is taking place.

The ecosystem has been fished for thousands of years. This region also is one of the most studied marine ecosystems in the world. The fact that fishers respond unfavorably to scientific information should not be a surprise: They receive the burden of the cost when reserves are designated, and they should be treated with equity and fairness.

Christina McGinnis

Egret

Yet, there is a greater public trust issue at stake today. Scientists have documented a steady decline in the productivity of our marine waters since 1958. While several species, such as sardines, appear to have recovered from once low numbers, the decline in species across the food web has also been well-documented. Climate change, in the long term, will likely exacerbate the inability of a range of species to adapt to what scientists refer to as the current "low nutrient regime." In the short term, the pending El Ni±o will also contribute to substantive change in existing bird and pinniped populations.

We need a deeper vision across time. The fact is that our human use of coastal marine resources, plus climate change, will continue to threaten the "return" we get from the channel. The basic ecosystem goods and services that we depend on from the sea and our maritime place is in jeopardy today. While you may support continued commercial and recreational access to fishing areas, the question is whether you truly support the use of these resources for the next generation.

With respect to the political context, we have a small window of opportunity to begin to set aside some of the most important areas for marine life as special protected areas (marine-protected areas). If large enough, these special areas should be considered as insurance against the major environmental changes that lie ahead. We need to set aside special habitat areas as marine reserves so that species can adapt to a dynamic era of climate change.

One important area that warrants special protection is the Naples Reef and intertidal area. It is a very productive ecosystem, with a long history of use. But it is still one of the more pristine marine areas along the South Coast. It includes a unique intertidal wetland system. There is evidence in the historical record that the mouth of Dos Pueblos Creek included a coastal wetland, and that the creek was an important southern steelhead area. In many ways, the intertidal area serves as a wetland to shorebirds, invertebrates, and a wide diversity of habitats. The Naples intertidal and marine area includes the highest diversity of invertebrate species in southern California. The protection of biodiversity is irrevocably connected to the protection of unique cultures, such as our maritime heritage. We cannot be satisfied with the mere memory of these unique places, with the fading story of the big fish from the channel.

Protecting the ecological relationship between the coastal watersheds, bluffs, beach, the intertidal area, and the marine area is essential if we are to protect this nationally significant place. The Naples marine area, or reef, includes sandy beaches, boulder fields, and rocky outcroppings including associated kelp beds and sandy bottoms. The Naples Reef is home to a rich diversity of benthic invertebrates, fish, and seaweeds that form a nursery for the Gaviota. There are a series of three ridges that extend like fingers roughly parallel to shore. The Naples Reef is one of the two most thoroughly studied rocky reefs in southern California. Its benthic algae communities are considered some of the best examples on the region.

A marine-protected area at the Naples Reef and intertidal area will not limit public access to these unique environments-you'll be able to surf Naples, walk the beach, kayak, and experience the beautiful reef structure. The area remains one of the last wild coastal marine remnants of our cultural heritage. Yet, the value of protecting this unique system seems to fall on deaf ears. This was certainly the case in terms of the majority's opinion in the South Coast Regional Stakeholders group several months ago, when they removed one of only two alternative reserve designs that included Naples.

I encourage you to participate in the marine designation process, and to take a stand for our shared future-one that supports the life-giving values of our marine environment, and intergenerational equity, and that celebrates a more-than-human community that includes the great circle of animals, plants, and insects.

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