It’s time to speak out for the ocean – you can make a difference
Being near the ocean is unlike other places—it has a magical quality that allows people and families the opportunity to create unforgettable memories. We celebrate our spiritual blessing ceremonies, community gatherings, holidays, weddings, births and memorials to life here. We want it protected by a sanctuary so that our friends, families and communities can continue to connect with Grandmother Oceans in a clean, safe and healthy environment.
Please preserve our Chumash multi-cultural history and values integral to this region and the world’s Indigenous People. The time immemorial story of our Chumash Peoples protecting the interconnectivity of ocean life and health enriches the education, outreach and interpretive work of national marine sanctuaries. Indigenous stories are at risk of disappearing in these times. It is time to have an Indigenous focused sanctuary in our national system.
The ocean is an amazing part of the earth that has not been fully explored and provides us with a lot of the things we take for granted in our daily lives, such as oxygen and a sustainable food source. Climate change is damaging our fisheries on the central coast and this will impact our food supply, our livelihoods and our health.
The ocean is beautiful and mysterious. There is so much we’ve learned from it but much more to be learned. A sanctuary will become an important part of ocean research and protection for future generations.
The underwater world of marine sanctuaries rivals the beauty and diversity of our most cherished national parks, such as Yellowstone, the Everglades, and the Grand Canyon. People who have a stake in protecting these special places—like fishermen, surfers, scientists, tour guides, and historians—work together with elected officials and ocean conservationists to get these areas established as ocean sanctuaries.
Fish of all kinds thrive in these healthy areas, then move out into other parts of the ocean and replenish ocean areas where fish populations are weaker. This not only helps the fish, it helps the people and wildlife that depend on healthy fish for their survival. Studies show that these underwater sanctuaries are stronger and more resilient in the face of threats.
I love to feel the ocean breeze and to hear the waves crash onto the shore. The ocean is a special place that we should protect for future generations in the face of increasing environmental challenges such as acidification, pollution, and climate change.
This ocean sanctuary will not only protect fish, it will protect important moments in our maritime history from Chumash sacred sites to shipwrecks like the WWII Tanker S.S. Montebello that is listed as a national historic place worthy of preservation.
I visit the ocean to find calm; to break away from the normal daily routine and relax. My community depends on the ocean for our recreation, our spiritual well-being, our community connections, our economic health and…
