Help Advance an Indigenous-Led Marine Sanctuary in California

Update: The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary was officially designated in October 2024, and has now been formally established. This historic achievement — a testament to the dedication of a decades-long campaign led by the Northern Chumash Tribal Council — marks the first Indigenous-nominated national marine sanctuary and the first new addition to the U.S. marine sanctuary system in over 30 years. More than 4,500 square miles of ocean and coastline are now federally protected, providing a safe haven for species like sea otters and migrating blue whales to thrive.

Call on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to create the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.

The coastal region near San Luis Obispo, California is the ancestral home of the Northern Chumash people and one of the world’s most biologically diverse regions. The area also hosts 25 threatened, endangered, or critically endangered species, including humpback whales and leatherback sea turtles, and one of the largest remaining kelp forests on the Western Seaboard. 

This protection would cover feeding grounds for numerous species of whales and dolphins, sea otter populations, kelp forests, and vital fisheries. It would also provide additional resilience to marine ecosystems in the face of climate change, warming oceans, loss of marine biodiversity, and impacts on communities, culture, traditions, and economies. 

At a moment when California has lost more than 90 percent of its kelp to warming waters and a recent oil spill has wreaked havoc on marine life, safeguarding these ecosystems is critical for the future of coastal communities.

The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary would represent a huge step forward for Indigenous-led conservation in the United States and a major milestone for addressing systemic climate inequality. 

The Chumash are one of the few ocean-going tribes among the First People of the Pacific Coast — the island and marine ecosystems co-evolved with the Tribe's culture and traditions. As such, the climate crisis disproportionately affects their way of life and their longstanding historical relationships with the land and sea. 

If the recent oil spill off the California coast has shown us anything, it’s that we cannot afford continued inaction in protecting vulnerable marine ecosystems and the coastal communities that depend on a thriving, healthy ocean. Creating this marine sanctuary will stave off future oil exploration and exploitation of natural resources, enacting critical protections for both people and the planet.  

Add your name to the official sign-on letter urging the NOAA to swiftly designate the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. 

Click here to view the official letter.

Note: 10,672 of the signatures reflected on this page are carried over from a current petition on Only One calling on President Biden to Advance the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.