NEW Monthly Newsletter – California Coast and Ocean News – September 2024
What’s Happening
Ocean Protection Council Meeting – September 10, 2024 – Teleconference and Public Forum
The next Council meeting is on Tuesday, September 10, 2024, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the California Natural Resources Agency Headquarters Auditorium (715 P Street, Sacramento, California 95814) The agenda and meeting documents are available
… Continue reading
30×30 Draft Decision-Making Framework for Coastal Waters: Public Comment Period and Regional Workshops
Share your feedback on the draft 30×30 Decision-Making Framework for Coastal Waters! The next regional workshop is on Thursday, September 12, 2024, in Arcata… Continue reading
Senate Bill 1 Sea Level Rise Adaptation Planning Grant Program – Next Submission Deadline is October 4, 2024
The Senate Bill 1 Sea Level Rise Adaptation Planning Grant Program (SB 1 Grant Program) Track 1 proposals are accepted on a rolling, quarterly, non-competitive basis. The next submission deadline is Friday, October 4, 2024 for consideration at the December Council meeting… Continue reading
Blue Carbon Ecosystem Data and Model Assessment Report Now Available
The Blue Carbon Ecosystem Data and Model Assessment Report is now available. This report is a helpful resource for anyone working on developing models or inventories for blue carbon ecosystems, and it guides investment decisions in these vital areas. Watch the informational webinar held in August with OPC and CARB staff, along with Dr. Melissa Ward… Continue reading
Dive In
California Biodiversity Day: Celebrating Our Coast and Ocean Heritage
California Biodiversity Day is coming up on Saturday, September 7, 2024, offering a fantastic opportunity to celebrate and protect the incredible amount of life that thrives along the California coastline.… Read the full article
Data Bite
Public Access to California’s Coast
Currently, 39% of California’s coastline is within a quarter mile of a public beach access point. Of those access points, 86% have parking, 56% have restrooms, and 45% are wheelchair accessible. Only 40.6% of these access points provide all three of these amenities. While there have been increases in public access to beaches, sea level rise is expected to decrease public beach access and overall coastal access in California without further intervention.
For more detailed information about this California coast and ocean health indicator and others, see pages 39-43 of the Annual State of the Coast and Ocean Report 2023.
Staff Spotlight
Ella McDougall, Climate Change Program Manager
Ella joined OPC in May 2021 after completing a Sea Grant Fellowship with the Climate Ready Program at the State Coastal Conservancy. She is passionate about solving complex climate change and sea level rise problems, putting solutions on the ground, and ensuring an equitable future for all Californians. Ella is from Pennsylvania, holds a B.S. from the University of Delaware, and an M.A. from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies. She is also a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer, having served in northern Peru from 2015 to 2017, where she planted thousands of trees and coached girls soccer. Find Ella in Tahoe, exploring all the trails, mountains, rivers, and lakes have to offer with her teeny family.
“As OPC’s Climate Change Program Manager, I am currently working on a project that involves collaborating with the State Water Resources Control Board and the Department of Toxic Substance Control to update their contaminated site inventories. We aim to create a statewide prioritization of sites at risk from sea level rise (SLR) and groundwater shoaling. This work is deeply personal to me because I believe that understanding the vulnerability of these contaminated sites to SLR is essential for developing effective climate adaptation strategies that safeguard public health and the environment. I am especially committed to protecting underserved and under-resourced communities that often bear the brunt of these environmental hazards. With climate change potentially impacting over 300 active cleanup sites, and up to 1,500 of the 10,000 sites historically managed, addressing these risks has never been more urgent.”
Project Highlight
Looking for Leatherbacks
In June 2021, the Ocean Protection Council approved $1,649,459 to the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) to fund projects to reduce the risk of whale and sea turtle entanglement in fishing gear. Among the funded grantees is Upwell Turtles, which received up to $550,342 to support the monitoring of leatherback turtle distribution and migration to mitigate entanglement risks. As part of that ongoing effort, Upwell Turtles recently launched a YouTube series titled Looking for Leatherbacks, which explores the fascinating journey of these endangered turtles. The series, released between August and September of this year, offers insight into leatherback migration patterns and their critical habitats. You can watch the first two episodes on YouTube, with more episodes on the way. For additional background and the project summary, view the Staff Recommendation.
Calendar
Upcoming coast and ocean-related meetings and events hosted by OPC and our California agency partners.
10/3
30×30 Partnership 2024 Summit – Register by 9/26
Photo of the Month
Have a stunning shot of California’s coast or ocean? Submit a photo to be featured as the Photo of the Month! Whether it’s a serene shoreline, vibrant marine life, or a captivating coastal sunset, share the beauty of our state’s coast through your lens! Submit your photo.
Photo: Wayne Kotow / Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) canopy off San Clemente, the southernmost of the Channel Islands.
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