Calif. ocean sanctuaries to be doubled CONSERVATION

The Jenner coast north of Bodega Bay is one of the spots along the California coast that has been studied for potential oil and gas exploration. The Jenner coast north of Bodega Bay is one of the spots along the California coast that has been studied for potential oil and gas exploration. Photo: Brian L Frank, Special To The Chronicle Photo: Brian L Frank, Special To The Chronicle Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Calif. ocean sanctuaries to be doubled 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

President Obama is poised to protect 2,093 square nautical miles of ocean habitat off the coast of Sonoma and Mendocino counties, a move that would more than double the area covered by two national sanctuaries off the West Coast and permanently ban offshore oil drilling there.

The decision, expected Thursday, would create an enormous preserve stretching some 50 miles along the California coast and extending some 30 miles out to sea. It would also fulfill the long-held dream of Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma, who has tried repeatedly since 2004 to pass legislation protecting the coastal ecosystem.

Woolsey announced that she will be joined by Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and a host of other dignitaries Thursday "to announce developments regarding the expansion of the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries."

End-around by Obama

The proposed expansion from Bodega Bay north to Point Arena in Mendocino County has been blocked repeatedly by congressional Republicans. The only foolproof way to accomplish it now in the face of a Republican majority in the House of Representatives is for President Obama to proclaim it a protected area by executive order, experts say.

"We've been leaning on the door to get this coast protected for a very long time, and I think the door is about to open," said Richard Charter, a senior fellow at the Ocean Foundation who has been working for 35 years trying to create the sanctuary. "This is a historic and globally significant piece of protection. It would be the best possible Christmas present I could imagine, but not just for me. This would protect our coastal economy and our coastal ecosystem for future generations and be a legacy not only for Congresswoman Woolsey, but for President Obama."

The expanded sanctuaries would cover a total of 3,458 square nautical miles - an area about the size of Delaware - and would create a continuous zone of protected ocean from southern Mendocino County all the way to Monterey Bay, which falls within a separate sanctuary. The ban on drilling, oil exploration and other industrial uses within the existing sanctuaries would be expanded, but fishing would be allowed.

Green energy, like wind or wave farms, would not necessarily be banned, but the sanctuary designation would offer an extra level of protection from potential environmental damage.

'Yosemites of the sea'

The proposal would protect what marine biologists say is one of the most abundant ecological regions in the world, "Yosemites of the sea," say environmentalists - all within view of some of California's most picturesque and historic communities, including Jenner, Sea Ranch and Fort Ross.

The nutrient-rich waters from deep ocean upwellings in the Cordell and Farallones regions support about 20 percent of the world's fish, including salmon. Birds and marine mammals, including sea lions, orcas and gray, blue and humpback whales, also thrive in the area.

It is important, Woolsey and others argue, because oil companies have had their eyes on the region for decades. Oil rigs were proposed in the 1970s, provoking widespread opposition. James Watt, interior secretary under President Ronald Reagan, diligently pursued oil exploration there in the 1980s.

After four years of trying, Woolsey finally managed to get a bill through Congress in 2008, but companion legislation introduced by Boxer and Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., stalled in the Senate. Woolsey's latest effort, HR192, has been blocked by House Republican leaders, primarily because it might limit future oil and gas production.

Network of preserves

The expected ruling would come a day after the California Fish and Game Commission finalized a network of undersea state reserves, called Marine Protected Areas, extending from Mexico to Oregon. The interconnected series of protected marine environments, most of which do not allow fishing, go 3 miles out from shore. The proposed national sanctuaries would extend 10 times farther out to sea.

Woolsey, who is retiring from Congress on Jan. 3, said the sanctuary designation is supported by environmentalists, fishing interests, state and local governments, university scientists and business leaders.

"The only meaningful opposition comes from national oil interests and their allies in Congress, outsiders who want to drill at any cost," she wrote in support of her bill. "This is more than just a matter of environmental urgency; thousands of jobs hang in the balance too. The local fishermen support my sanctuary bill because their livelihoods depend on a rich harvest that's only possible in a thriving marine ecosystem."