Protect
the Channel Islands -
"The American Galapagos"
BlueVoice.org, on behalf of Environmental Defense, invites
you to take action on this important issue.
 The waters around the Channel Islands,
off the coast of central California, support a lush
diversity of marine life, including giant kelp forests,
migrating blue and humpback whales, southern sea otters,
Guadalupe fur seals, dolphins, sharks and more. California
brown pelicans and the California least tern ply the
skies, while once-abundant fish populations include
giant sea bass, sheephead and rockfish. The islands
of San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa and
Santa Barbara rise majestically from the sea, enticing
millions of visitors to nearby coastal communities
each year.
TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT THE CHANNEL ISLANDS:
The
State of California just recently decided to fully
protect portions of the state's waters that surround
the Channel Islands in a network of marine reserves.
However, other portions of Channel Islands waters
under federal control don't yet enjoy the same protections.
Take action and send a message to the Pacific Fishery
Management Council. Urge them to follow California's
lead and fully protect portions of the federal waters
that surround the Channel Islands. Timing is critical.
Take action now!
Send a letter to the following
decision maker(s): Pacific Fishery
Management Council
Below is the sample letter:
Subject: Support for Preferred Alternative Marine
Reserve Network at the Channel Islands
Dear [decision maker name automatically inserted
here],
I write to encourage your support for the establishment
of a network of fully protected marine reserves within
the federal waters of the Channel Islands National
Marine Sanctuary. The preferred alternative is fully
supported by the CEQA document and by the California
Fish and Game Commission.
Fully protecting
portions of the waters around the Channel Islands within
a network of marine reserves is the only real way to
help the once thriving marine life around the Islands
rebound and thrive. The islands receive important protections
as a National Marine Sanctuary, however new measures
are needed to restore declining fisheries and preserve
habitat.
There is now compelling scientific
evidence that an appropriately designed system of marine
reserves can help restore damaged rockfish and invertebrate
populations. To ignore these problems at this time
simply invites a more severe crisis in the future.
Our Channel Islands support diverse marine habitats
and a unique ocean ecosystem. I strongly urge that
you support a configuration of fully protected marine
reserves, which protects the Islands' many habitats,
including rocky reefs, sandy seafloor, and subsea canyons.
By leaving a portion of our coastal waters undisturbed,
marine reserves can restore biological diversity and
prevent the extinction of individual species. The resulting
protected areas can also provide tangible, long-term
benefits to commercial and recreational fishermen.
Please
finish the marine reserve network recently approved
by the California State Fish and Game Commission, by
completing the federal portion of this carefully-negotiated,
science-based protection for key ecosystems at the
Channel Islands.
Thank you for your attention
to this pressing matter.
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Take Action!
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Instructions:
Click here to take action on this
issue.
What's At Stake:
CHANNEL ISLANDS AT RISK:
The diverse marine ecosystems around these islands are at risk. While Franklin D. Roosevelt recognized the Channel Islands as a national monument in 1938, and the area later achieved designation as the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, in the decades since, legions of white abalone, Guadalupe fur seals, and a number of rockfish have been disappearing. We are now witnessing what could become a wave of extinction.
New measures are needed to preserve this unique ecosystem. Scientists agree that an appropriately designed network of fully protected marine reserves would help to restore marine life in the waters around the Channel Islands. Marine "no-take" reserves, special ocean areas losed to all extractive activities, including fishing, have proven successful in other parts of the world at helping damaged ecosystems to recover. Other activities that are compatible with protecting habitat - like recreational diving, pleasure boating and cientific research – can continue. Currently,
only 0.2% of California's coastal waters are withinfully protected marine ecological reserves.
By leaving a portion of the ocean undisturbed, marine reserves can restore biological diversity and prevent the extinction of individual species within the ecosystem. These protected areas can also provide tangible, long-term benefits to commercial and recreational fishermen. Reserves that maintain intact habitat where fish can feed, grow and spawn effectively help to increase fish populations elsewhere. The larger, older fish, more typically found in marine reserves, produce more young and provide the best opportunity for achieving successful species recovery.
Visit Environmental Defense on the web for more information about efforts to strengthen protections for the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.
Campaign Expiration Date:
February 28, 2003
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