Mission

With the final Environmental Impact Statement complete, we flew members of the Chumash Tribe and local media over the beautiful Central Coast to celebrate the coming protection of this stunning shoreline. Days after our overflights, the Chumash Sanctuary was protected!

The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary safeguards the ocean and coastline from further offshore drilling, and provides protections for the marine wildlife that thrive in California’s waters. It is a major win for the Central Coast and Chumash Tribe.

Our overflight covered the then-proposed sanctuary that runs from from Gaviota Creek in Santa Barbara to Santa Rosa Creek in Cambria, and boasts immense cultural, ecological, and historical resources. The Chumash people, an ocean-going band of the First People of the Pacific Coast, treasure these waters and the region remains important to many Central Coast Tribes and Pacific Ocean voyaging Tribes.

Chumash is our nation’s 17th national marine sanctuary, and the third largest! It protects 4,543 square miles of ocean along 116 miles of the south Central California Coast. The designation add protections against harmful offshore oil expansion, acoustic testing, and toxic waste dumping. The CHNMS supports locally-led efforts and Indigenous collaborative co-stewardship.

From above, the coastline is breathtaking, and holds secrets that have yet to be discovered! 200 known shipwrecks scatter the coastline - a sanctuary designation has allowed the wrecks to be preserved and studied. This Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary preserves sacred sites, aesthetic values, historical heritage, and diverse ecosystems and species.

Click for aerial photos from 9/17 and 9/18, geo-referenced photos from 9/17 and 9/18 (download and open in Google Earth), and aerial GoPro footage.