Monthly Newsletter – California Coast and Ocean News – November 2024
What’s Happening
Ocean Protection Council Meeting – December 9, 2024 – Teleconference and Public Forum
The next Council Meeting will be Monday, December 9, 2024 from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. This meeting is a hybrid meeting via Zoom and at the California Natural Resources Agency Headquarters Auditorium in Sacramento. The agenda and meeting materials are anticipated to be available on November 27. Visit the Council Meeting webpage for updates.
Virtual Listening Session: OPC 2026-2030 Strategic Plan
Join us for a virtual listening session on Wednesday, November 20, 2024 from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. to share your priorities to protect California’s coastal and marine ecosystems, and the communities that rely on a healthy coast and ocean. Register and learn more.
Request for Public Input: California Coast and Ocean Report Card
OPC and the California Ocean Science Trust (OST) are seeking input on the first California Coast and Ocean Coast Report Card. Please join us for an office hour on Wednesday, November 20, 2024 and complete this short survey (hosted by OST) by Monday, December 9, 2024. Learn more.
SB 1 Sea Level Rise Adaptation Planning Upcoming Deadlines
An office hour will be held for the Senate Bill 1 (SB 1) Sea Level Rise Adaptation Planning Grant Program on Thursday, November 21, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. (register online), and the next proposal due date is Friday, December 20, 2024. Learn more.
OPC, CDFW, and California Sea Grant Request for Proposals: Monitoring MPA Mid-Depth Rocky Reef Habitats
OPC, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and California Sea Grant are now seeking applications for projects that will advance marine protected area (MPA) monitoring priorities for California’s mid-depth habitats. A Proposal Assistance Webinar (Optional) will be held on November 18, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. and the full proposals are due Monday, December 16, 2024. Learn more.
November is Native American Heritage Month
OPC is committed to uplifting Native American tribes and ensuring their perspectives are central to California’s coast and ocean protection efforts. Learn more about OPC’s tribal engagement efforts. For a list of events and resources, visit the California Natural Resources Agency’s Native American Heritage Month webpage.
Job Announcements
OPC is Hiring an Offshore Wind Tribal Affairs and Community Engagement Specialist
We’re hiring an Offshore Wind Tribal Affairs and Community Engagement Specialist to lead and foster tribal affairs and coastal community engagement related to offshore wind development in California. The deadline has been extended to Monday, November 25, 2024. If you previously applied, your application is still under consideration for this position and you do not need to reapply. Learn more.
Partnership Opportunity: California Sea Grant & NOAA Marine Debris Program are Hiring a Marine Debris Extension Fellow
California Sea Grant and the NOAA Marine Debris Program are soliciting applications for a two-year fellowship to support the NOAA Marine Debris Program’s work in California. This position has the opportunity to work closely with OPC in planning and implementing the next iteration of the state’s Ocean Litter Prevention Strategy. Applications are due Monday, December 16, 2024. Learn more.
Dive In
Global Urgency at “the People’s COP”: OPC’s Reflections on the United Nations Biodiversity Summit
Last month, California joined leaders from across the world in Cali, Colombia for the United Nations Biodiversity Summit (known as the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, or COP 16). Coming two years after 196 countries reached a global deal to protect nature – the landmark Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework – this Conference of Parties or COP was focused on action, providing a critical opportunity for the world’s governments to advance progress toward the Framework’s targets as we face the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. Read the full article.
Data Bite
Kelp Canopy Coverage
Kelp forests naturally change from year to year, as shown by satellite data since 1984. However, from 2014 to 2019, more than 95% of the bull kelp on California’s north coast (California-Oregon border to San Francisco Bay) was wiped out. This was due to a marine heatwave, warmer nutrient-poor waters, and the loss of sea stars, which normally control kelp-eating purple sea urchin populations. As of 2023, kelp recovery has been slow, with only approximately 10% of the historical kelp canopy remaining.
This graph shows how kelp canopy coverage in northern, central, and southern California has changed over time compared to the average before the 2014-2015 marine heatwave. The data were obtained from satellite imagery and use a 3-year running average.
Learn more about kelp as an indicator of California’s ocean health in the 2023 State of California Coast and Ocean Annual Report. Also, keep an eye out this month for the release of OPC’s new kelp webpage to stay up-to-date on OPC’s work toward Strategic Objective 3.2: Restore and Protect Kelp Ecosystems!
Project Highlight
San Diego State Parks Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Pilot Project
OPC’s Climate Change Program Manager, Ella McDougall, recently toured vulnerable coastal sites in San Diego County as part of the San Diego State Parks Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Pilot Project, which wraps up at the end of the year. Hosted by Coastal Quest, the tour focused on state beaches like Carlsbad State Beach, where beach access improvements, vernal pool restoration, and a living shoreline experiment are being explored. This pilot project, which received approved funding of up to $607,376 to Coastal Quest, has successfully identified key vulnerabilities and strategies to protect these coastal areas. The project is part of a broader Council initiative approved in February 2021, providing $8,056,761 in Proposition 68 funding for projects that advance coastal resilience through implementation, planning and design, adaptation, and research across the state.
Staff Spotlight
Conner Smith, California Sea Grant Fellow
Conner comes to OPC from the UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science and Management, where his research focused on fisheries, MPAs, and environmental justice, with a focus on indigenous community engagement and tribal co-management. Most recently, Conner has been working on exploring the nexus between MPAs and climate change in California. As a Sea Grant Fellow with OPC’s Biodiversity Program, Conner supports priorities related to MPA management, tribal engagement, and kelp restoration.
“As the current Biodiversity Sea Grant Fellow, I am particularly excited about OPC’s push to identify social science questions and fund research that can help us strengthen adaptive management of the coast and ocean. OPC supports so many exciting projects throughout California, and strategically investing in research that helps us better understand how people are interacting with the marine and coastal environment can support stronger stewardship. The needs of different ocean users are so variable; a California Native American tribe may be working to reclaim traditional practices, while commercial fishers are adapting to changing ocean conditions. I have my own values and relationship with the sea around me as a recreational spearfisher and surfer. Tapping into this space when talking with community partners and watching my teammates do the same as they navigate challenging conversations continues to be an inspiring aspect of my time as a fellow.”
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.
This Month’s Photo: Claire Fackler, NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries / Claire’s teenage daughter swimming through a healthy kelp forest at Anacapa Island Landing Cove in NOAA’s Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and Channel Islands National Park.
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