It’s been called the world’s “greatest meeting of land and water.” And fortunately, the protections at Point Lobos State Reserve connect land and sea. Visitors that delight in watching brown pelicans and harbor seals offshore will be glad to know the area’s coves and kelp forests are part of an underwater park created in 1973 and expanded in 2007 under the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA).
Resource Media has worked with dozens of ocean and community groups involved in the implementation of this visionary law, which created a system of ocean parks that extends along California’s coast like a string of pearls.
Point Lobos was busy on Sunday, and nature put on quite a show. Seals basked in the sun while cormorants fished for their lunch. Divers in Whaler’s Cove spied Spanish shawls, eels and rockfish among the strands of kelp.
After a glorious day of hiking and tidepooling, I was delighted to come home to see California’s marine protected areas featured in Sunset Magazine, which touted the state’s leadership in ocean conservation, and the wonders that await visitors both above and below the water line. The Santa Cruz Sentinel also ran a story on the topic, focusing on the scientific research happening in these living labs.
This is why I love coming to work–we get to help people conserve the places they treasure, and then tell their stories so others can enjoy the fruits of their labor.
