Barack Obama Names Portion Of Laguna Beach A California Coastal National Monument

LAGUNA BEACH, CA — President Barack Obama Thursday expanded protection to six new sites along the coast of California, including an area in south Orange County known as the Orange County Rocks and Islands. The California Coastal National Monument Expansion totals 6,200 acres of newly protected land.

The monument was originally extablished in 2000, in an effort to protect marine wildlife habitats, which was expanded in 2014 by President Obama. All, rocks near the beaches along south were reserved for lighthouses in the 1930s, but they were never built. Environmentalists wanted the areas protected along with the rest of the coastal areas.

• Trinidad Head, a promontory jutting off the coast of Humboldt County, a historic lighthouse sits atop sheer cliffs overlooking crashing waves and rugged sea stacks.
• Waluplh-Lighthouse Ranch, just south of Trinidad Head, has spectacular panoramic views of the Pacific Ocean, Eel River Delta, and the south spit of Humboldt Bay.
• Thirteen miles south, the Lost Coast Headlands include rolling hills and dramatically eroding bluffs, punctuated by freshwater creeks, ponds, and pockets of forest.
• Cotoni-Coast Dairies in Santa Cruz County extends from the steep slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains to marine terraces overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Approximately 5,800 acres, it encompasses ancient archaeological sites, riparian and wetland habitats, coastal prairie grasslands, and woodlands that include stands of coast redwood.
• Piedras Blancas in San Luis Obispo County provides visitors the opportunity to tour a historic lighthouse overlooking the site’s namesake white coastal rocks, and observe a colony of massive elephant seals loafing in the sun.
• Orange County Rocks and Islands just off the coast of Orange County treat visitors to dramatic crashing waves, unique geology, and an abundance of marine-dependent wildlife including pelicans and seals.

"Over the last 8 years, I have sought to work with local communities, Tribal governments, businesses, sportsmen, members of Congress and others to protect the most important public lands for the benefit of future generations," Obama said in a statement. "Today's actions will help ensure that more of our country's history will be preserved and celebrated, and that more of our outdoors will be protected for all to experience and enjoy."

Obama expanded the California Coastal National Monument to include the rock islands. The president used the Antiquities Act of 1906 to designate the public property as national monuments to protect them.

Other sites expanded under the protection of the Bureau of Land Management include the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in southwestern Oregon and Northern California.

The 48,000-acre expansion builds upon that monument's goal to protect the "extraordinary biodiversity," according to the BLM.

“The BLM manages some of the nation's wildest and most sacred landscapes, including more than 800 areas that have been protected through congressional and presidential action. We're proud to be charged with stewarding these incredible lands for future generations, including today’s additions to the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument and the California Coastal National Monument,” said Bureau of Land Management Director Neil Kornze. “The BLM looks forward to continuing and expanding our work with local communities to ensure successful management of these special places.”

"The monument is an ecological wonder, home to an incredible variety of rare and endemic plant and animal species, and representing a rich mosaic of forests, grasslands, shrub lands, and wet meadows at the convergence of three mountain ranges," they said in release.

"By being part of the California Coastal National Monument, our rocks and our community become part of an extended network of scientists and conservation practitioners that includes not only the (Bureau of Land Management), but many other agencies and (non-governmental organizations)," said Ed Almanza, director of the Laguna Oceans Foundation.

The expansion resulted from California Senator Barbara Boxer's strong commitment to the California coast, along with former state Representative Lois Capps (D-24-CA) and Representatives Anna Eshoo (D-18-CA) and Jared Huffman (D-2-CA), who introduced legislation to protect these areas, according to the BLM.

Both expansions will be managed by the Bureau of Land Management, which also manages the existing monuments.

"We're grateful for President Obama and for the widespread bipartisan support our campaign has received from Congressmen Dana Rohrabacher, R- Huntington Beach, (former Rep.) John Campbell and other local elected officials."

Photo Credit: Laguna Beach, Nikko Hendi, BLM Photos

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