Finalization of Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary

For Immediate Release

Pismo Beach/Pismú, CA — The Biden-Harris Administration rule designating the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary (CHNMS) became effective on Saturday, November 30, the final day of Native American Heritage Month, nearly ten years since the sanctuary was first proposed at the federal level. The decades-long campaign to designate the first Indigenous-nominated national marine sanctuary, led by the Northern Chumash Tribal Council (NCTC) and allied organizations finally came to fruition.

CHNMS is the third largest national marine sanctuary in the United States, the first Indigenous-nominated sanctuary, and the first new sanctuary designated in ocean waters in over 30 years. The sanctuary covers 4,543 square miles off the Central Coast from Gaviota and Point Conception to Pismo Beach and southern San Luis Obispo County, making it the third-largest marine sanctuary in U.S. history.

It will prohibit new oil drilling and mining within its boundaries and support climate solutions by promoting the health of kelp forests and other ocean habitats that serve a host of vital ecosystem functions, including carbon storage. It will protect a globally significant ecological transition zone that is home to a wide variety of wildlife, including many at-risk species such as snowy plovers, southern sea otters, leatherback sea turtles, abalone, and blue whales. The sanctuary will also provide opportunities to advance cultural and environmental education and outreach.

The management plan for the sanctuary lays the groundwork for a later expansion of the marine sanctuary boundaries to cover Avila Beach and Morro Bay, connecting the new sanctuary with the southernmost border of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This framework mirrors the approach endorsed earlier this year by local Indigenous communities and the leaseholders of the proposed offshore wind sites off Morro Bay, as well as Rep. Carbajal and other local leaders.

The Northern Chumash Tribal Council and Chumash Sanctuary campaign partners extend our thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration for prioritizing federal ocean protection and for championing the designation of this groundbreaking sanctuary. We hope this is the first of many more Indigenous-nominated and Indigenous co-stewarded national marine sanctuaries.

The success of our collective efforts is a testament to the lifelong vision and dedication of Fred Collins, the late Northern Chumash Tribal Council Chair, who originally nominated the Sanctuary in 2015. “Grandmother Ocean has been providing life to the Chumash Peoples for over ten thousand years, now is the time for all communities to work together and assist her in rebuilding her Vibrant Thrivability for all future generations,” said Collins before he passed into spirit on October 1, 2021.

Violet Sage Walker, Chairwoman, Northern Chumash Tribal Council said: “Each step we’ve taken in this determined campaign to fulfill the dream of my late father, Chief Fred Collins, has been sweeter and more poignant. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all who have helped bring to life the vision of a Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. The significance of our collective effort will make history, begin to heal centuries of wounds to our People, and bring all of us closer together.”

“It is most appropriate that the bedrock of all Indigenous and Native values, namely our love for Hutash/Mother Earth and compassionate stewardship of our natural world be marked with the acclimation of a new national marine sanctuary, something that the Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation members have sought since the 1980s," said Gabriel Frausto, Chairman, Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation. “We are grateful to the Biden Administration, our elected officials, our many thousands of supporters, NOAA and the dedicated local and national environmental and national ocean protection organizations that have worked so hard for so many years to make the designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary finally happen!”

“Nearly a decade after the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary was first proposed to the federal government, the Biden-Harris Administration has now officially taken what began as a twinkle in the eye of the Central Coast and made it a reality,” said Representative Salud Carbajal (D-Santa Barbara). I’m proud to have stood with a generation of advocates and Indigenous leaders to see this critical protection implemented for the Central Coast. I am grateful to the Indigenous and community leaders who have helped advocate for these protections over the past decade and more. The historic designation of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary comes not a moment too soon. As our oceans and communities face unprecedented challenges from a changing marine environment, this new sanctuary comes at a critical time for our region. I look forward to continuing to work with our local stakeholders and federal partners to implement this sanctuary – which will nearly double the amount of coastline protected along the Central Coast – and build on them to protect every coastal community and ecosystem in our region."

“Our Central Coast community has worked for forty years to protect our coast and it is the power of local community engagement that finally made it happen,” said Gianna Patchen, Chapter Coordinator of the Santa Lucia Sierra Club Chapter. “The Sierra Club is honored to be a longtime partner with the NCTC and our local communities, who made this sanctuary possible. Generations of Central Coast residents from Tribal Elders to college students have tabled at the farmer’s market, knocked on doors, sent postcards and emails, circulated petitions, organized and attended meetings, addressed local governments and community groups, and held fundraisers on behalf of the marine sanctuary. Now that our community’s hard work has come to fruition, we’re elated to help make this sanctuary the best it can be.”

"We celebrate the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary designation, the result of a 40-year campaign by Tribal and community leaders to protect significant ocean habitats and sacred Chumash sites,” said  Maite Arce, President and CEO of Hispanic Access Foundation. “My deepest gratitude goes to Chairwoman Violet Sage Walker, the late Chairman Fred Collins, and the Northern Chumash Tribal Council for their community-driven effort, which sets a powerful precedent for future ocean protections. I’m grateful to all who stood with the Chumash people, including our Latino communities." 

“The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary will be a jewel of California’s coastline,” said Alex Katz, Executive Director of the Environmental Defense Center. “It protects one of the most biodiverse and ecologically important marine regions in the world from exploitation by oil companies and industry, and it keeps this sacred place wild for future generations to enjoy and explore. Thanks to the Northern Chumash Tribal Council for the vision and perseverance to move this project forward over many hurdles.”

"Protecting these submerged ancient villages from future industrial encroachment will ensure the resting places of their ancestors remain undisturbed,” said Dr. Sylvia Earle, founder of Mission Blue. “The cultural significance of Chumash heritage makes this National Marine Sanctuary the only one of its kind. Bravo to the Northern Chumash Tribal Council for leading this very important nomination as a National Marine Sanctuary and as a key part of the international network of Hope Spots."

“The designation of Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary by the Biden-Harris administration is a transformational moment for America’s coastal California waters,” said Joel R. Johnson, president and CEO of the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. “Truly, the first Indigenous-focused sanctuary is an historic achievement, benefiting the natural wonders of these waters as well as the people and communities that are at the heart of its story. Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary will now advance ocean justice and equity by protecting ancestral waters, uphold the Central Coast Tribes’ traditional knowledge and ways, and promote co-stewardship of vast cultural and marine resources.”

“This stunning stretch of coast has long been a central part of life for Indigenous people,” said Dr. Steve Palumbi from Stanford University’s Hopkins Marine Station. “Their efforts to designate the Chumash Heritage National marine sanctuary is a gift to us all. It’s a celebration of a place that has always had a sanctuary in their hearts and now they are sharing that with everyone,” Dr. Palumbi is currently collaborating with the Northern Chumash Tribal Council to combine Indigenous and Western science in the proposed Chumash Heritage Sanctuary waters.

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Media Contacts:

Violet Sage Walker - reach out to Shirley at (Shirley@northernchumash.org, 805-558-2671)

Gabriel Frausto - reach out to Gabriel, Chairman, Coastal Band of the Chumash Nation at (805-568-8063, cbcntribalchair@gmail.com)

Gianna Patchen - reach out to Gianna at (805-543-8717, Santa.lucia@sierraclub.org) 

Rachel Kondor - reach out to Betsy Weber at Environmental Defense Center (307-200-1661)

Maite Arce - reach out to Karina Meza, Chief of Communications at Hispanic Access Foundation (240-778-3695, karina@hispanicaccess.org)

Dr. Steven Palumbi - reach out to Dr. Palumbi at (831-601-7002, spalumbi@stanford.edu)

Joel Johnson - reach out to Chip Weiskotten, Director of Communications at the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation (518-669-3936, chip@marinesanctuary.org)

Dr. Sylvia Earle - reach out to Huntley Penniman, Director of Communications for Mission Blue for press inquiries (hpenniman@missionblue.org) and Shannon Rake, Hope Spots Program Manager for Mission Blue for Hope Spot Inquiries (srake@missionblue.org) 

Northern Chumash Tribal Council

Established in 2006, the Northern Chumash Tribal Council (NCTC) is a California non-profit corporation 501(c)(3) and a State Recognized Tribal Government under the guidelines of the state of California Senate Bill 18. Our mission is to offer a foundation for Chumash people to bring our Culture and Heritage back to life, to create dignity with the people, and to educate the public that the Chumash have always been here, we have not gone anywhere, and we will always be here, one continuum. We are Chumash, by our cultural understanding we have lived on the Central Coast of California since time immemorial.

Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary Campaign The Campaign supports the Northern Chumash Tribal Council’s efforts to secure designation of the Sanctuary. The Campaign is supported by dozens of conservation, Tribal, community, environmental justice, science, education, business, and other partners.