Extension of Public Comment Period for the Proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary
Update by NOAA
January 18, 2022
NOAA seeks public comment on draft management plan for Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary: Two virtual public comment meetings to be held on Jan. 18 and 27, 2022
NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries is revising the management plan for Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. A draft management plan has been released and the public can comment through February 24 on the priorities and strategies described for managing the sanctuary over the next 5-10 years. Comments may be submitted online, by mail, or in person at virtual public comment meetings.
Periodic review of the sanctuary’s management plan ensures that management actions effectively address current and emerging issues and protect sanctuary resources. Public engagement is central to NOAA’s community-based approach to managing national marine sanctuaries, and agency partnerships and collaborations are critical to meeting sanctuary goals.
WHAT: Public comment period through Feb. 24, 2022 to solicit input on the Draft Management Plan and Draft Environmental Assessment for NOAA’s Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.
WHEN and WHERE: How to comment (through Feb 24, 2022)
Be Heard at Virtual Public Comment Meetings:
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Jan. 18, 2022, 6-8 p.m. PDT (Register here)
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Jan. 27, 2022, 6-8 p.m. PDT (Register here)
Submit Written Comments Online:
Go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal, www.regulations.gov. Use docket number NOAA-NOS-2019-0110.
For more information, visit www.channelislands.noaa.gov.
Link to Management Plan Revision webpage: https://channelislands.noaa.gov/manage/plan/revision.html
Source: NOAA
January 6, 2022
On November 10, 2021, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) published a Notice of Intent to conduct scoping and to prepare a draft environmental impact statement for the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. On December 16, 2021, NOAA extended the public comment period by 21 days to January 31, 2022, to provide the public additional time to provide comments on the Notice of Intent.
Comments must be received by January 31, 2022, as specified below. Comments received after this date may not be accepted. NOAA hosted two virtual public scoping meetings on December 8 and December 13, 2021, and will conduct a third meeting at the following date and time:
- Thursday, January 6, 2022, 4 p.m.-7 p.m. Pacific Time.
• Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and enter “NOAA-NOS-2021-0080” in the Search box. Click on the “Comment” icon, complete the required fields, and enter or attach your comments.
• Mail: Send any hard copy public comments by mail to: Paul Michel, NOAA Sanctuaries West Coast Regional Office, 99 Pacific Street, Building 100F, Monterey, CA 93940.
• Public Scoping Meeting: Provide oral comments during the remaining virtual public scoping meeting on January 6, 2022.
Webinar registration details and additional information about the proposed designation of Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary is available at www.sanctuaries.noaa.gov/chumash-heritage.
For further information, contact Paul Michel, (831) 241-4217, paul.michel@noaa.gov, West Coast Region Policy Coordinator.
6 Comments
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Jan 20, 2022 04:38 AMProtecting the archeological artifacts on the bottom, from looting divers would be a good start, assuming that there is anything left on the bottom.
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Jan 20, 2022 07:56 AMArchaeological artifacts????
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Jan 19, 2022 06:50 AMI think it might be more about justifying office space, staff, and patrol craft for NOAA to patrol the Sanctuary and promote stewardship and scientific research. It doesn't do much in terms of actual protection. It fills in the gap between the named Sanctuaries to the North and South. I'd expect the entire West Coast offshore area from Canada to Mexico to be NOAA Sanctuaries in a decade or two.
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Jan 06, 2022 05:45 PMMost sanctuaries are open to recreational fishermen:
https://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/visit/fishing/
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Jan 06, 2022 04:31 PMHUH? So they are hoping to take coastal waters and beaches from south of Lompoc up past Cambria?? No fishing? No go zone aka "sanctuary"?
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Jan 06, 2022 04:36 PMZERO - yeah, I wondered this when they ran an article about it a month ago or so. It's not clear. I really doubt though that they would (or even could) ban offshore (or onshore) fishing on this much of the coast.
Why don't they articulate what "sanctuary" means though?