California’s Aquaculture Action Plan was adopted by the Council at the meeting after years of stakeholder engagement, including from a statewide coalition led by EAC.

When you head to the beach, launch a kayak, explore an estuary, or spend a day on the water in West Marin, you want to know whether that water is safe.

Thanks to support from the Mary A. Crocker Foundation and supporters like you, we help provide the scientific monitoring, volunteer coordination, advocacy, and education necessary to turn water quality data into public information, informed policy, and a healthier watershed for humans and wildlife alike.

The California Coastal Act celebrates its 50th anniversary this year! Learn more about how this landmark environmental law has supported and enhanced coastal access and habitats, and how you can get involved.

The California Department of Fish & Wildlife (Department) has released its long-awaited marine protected area (MPA) petition evaluations.

Last week, we met with Supervisor Rodoni’s office and community representatives and discussed our shared values around the reef and potential ways to move forward. This was a good start to what will become many more conversations, and we plan to continue exploring ways to work together, a desire that has been echoed by Supervisor Rodoni, Marin County Parks, and Congressman Huffman. 

We are open to balanced solutions that could allow for some fishing while still providing greater regulatory protection for this sensitive habitat and special place—a need that has been highlighted by educators, scientists, professors, and environmental groups. 

We would like to provide an update on our petition to increase protections at Duxbury Reef by turning it into a full marine reserve. Duxbury Reef is already an existing state marine conservation area, which is a type of marine protected area (MPA). 

This petition is our recommendation for a proposed regulation change that would better protect Duxbury Reef’s unique and vulnerable intertidal habitat and the amazing creatures that live there, like crabs, turban snails, and octopi. Our request is based on the peer-reviewed science that fully protected reserves are the most effective in preserving and restoring biodiversity and in gaining public understanding of regulations, and based on Marin MPA Watch human use data (collected since 2013 as part of a statewide community science program) which has shown high levels of visitation and unpermitted take at the reef, as well as the recommendations of local agencies and scientists. 

The Environmental Action Committee of West Marin (EAC) recognizes that there are concerns in the Bolinas community regarding our petition to increase protections at the existing Duxbury Reef State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) by designating it as a State Marine Reserve (SMR) and expanding its boundaries north and south to cover the entirety of the reef habitat. We are also aware that there are misconceptions about what the petition would do, and we seek to clarify them.

On June 10th, we spoke at the Ocean Protection Council (OPC) meeting to discuss California’s 30x30 initiative and how its framework will apply to coastal waters, as well as advocating for funding for marine protected area enforcement. In 2020, Governor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order known as the “30x30” initiative, which set the goal of conserving 30% of California’s lands and coastal waters by 2030. 30x30 was designed to foster collaboration among various organizations to conserve and restore biodiversity, expand access to nature, and mitigate and build resilience to climate change. Jointly, we submitted written comment letters and presented oral comments at the June 10th meeting, encouraging a strong conservation standard for the 30x30 framework, or Roadmap to Achieving 30x30 in California’s Coastal Waters.

Sir David Attenborough has released a powerful new film, Ocean, in which he states, “if we save the sea, we save the world.” This comes after California’s MPA network was added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Green List, highlighting its importance as a model for science-based marine conservation.

On July 16th & 17th, we participated in the Fish and Game Commission’s Marine Resources Committee in Sacramento, speaking on multiple topics, including the draft framework to evaluate MPA petitions. We also submitted supplemental comments for our Duxbury petition to increase protections at Duxbury Reef, so this unique and incredibly biodiverse habitat can be maintained and enjoyed by visitors for many years to come.

As attacks on landmark environmental laws like the California Environmental Quality Act and the Coastal Act mount, we continue to champion coastal protection, clean water, and public access. Throughout the spring and summer, we’ve worked with partners across the state, taking a leading role in advocating for strong environmental protections for West Marin and statewide, advocating on issues like coastal resources, water pollution, offshore oil drilling, and environmental review. Learn more about the state bills we are tracking, a recap from California Ocean Day, and how you can get involved in legislative advocacy and opposing offshore oil.

On March 13th, EAC participated in the Fish and Game Commission’s Marine Resources Committee (MRC) in Sacramento. We spoke on multiple topics, including aquaculture, fisheries, and marine protected areas (MPAs). We raised concerns about San Andreas Shellfish Company’s newly proposed aquaculture lease in Tomales Bay, urged the Commission to continue its harvest moratorium on the severely declining red abalone, and learned more about the MPA petition process, which we will continue tracking closely as we advocate for our Duxbury Reef petition. Thanks to your support, we can continue to advocate for marine coastal issues!