Celebration to mark expansion of North Coast marine sanctuaries

Federal marine sanctuary officials are rolling out the welcome mat to residents of the Sonoma and Mendocino coasts.

A June 28 festival scheduled at the Gualala Arts Center will celebrate expansion of the newly enlarged Cordell Bank and Gulf of the Farallones sanctuaries and provide North Coast residents “a festive introduction” to the marine reserves and what they stand for, said Mary Jane Schramm, spokeswoman for the Farallones sanctuary.

The free public event will include exhibits about citizen science programs, marine education initiatives and vessel-based research, including recent findings; sea-life print-making and games that help children understand some of the environmental challenges confronted by marine wildlife; ceremonial Indian dancing; and a demonstration of a remotely operated vehicle, or ROV, used to take images and samples of underwater specimens at depths beyond the reach of human divers, Schramm said.

There also will be information about shipwrecks in the region, live music and food vendors.

Festivities begin at 8 a.m. Gualala Point Regional Park with a bird walk.

The celebration comes on the heels of a successful two-year effort to extend federal environmental protections to a swath of coastal waters from Bodega Bay to Point Arena and Manchester Beach in south Mendocino County, more than doubling the combined size of the Farallones and Cordell Bank sanctuaries.

The aim is to conserve and nurture a habitat and wildlife in a coastal zone coastal know for its nutrient-rich upwelling and diverse ecosystem.

The move puts an additional 350 miles of the California coast off-limits to energy exploration and extraction. Together with a sanctuary to the south of the Golden Gate, such protections now extend to northern San Luis Obispo County.

The North Coast expansion was finalized March 12 and is currently under a 45-day congressional review period that is expected to conclude June 8.

The June 28 celebration runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Gualala Arts Center.

You can reach Staff Writer Mary Callahan at 521-5249 or mary.calla?han@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @MaryCallahanB.