GUEST OPINION: Speaking out in defense of our coast

I was gladdened at the overwhelmingly positive response to the proposed expansion of the National Marine Sanctuary to the Sonoma and Mendocino coasts at the first of three scoping hearings last month in Bodega Bay.

On Tuesday, the hearings move to Point Arena, followed by Gualala on Wednesday, where Marine Sanctuary officials will hear from local residents.

Sonoma and Mendocino counties are special places with long histories of coastal protection. Stopping a nuclear power plant at Bodega Bay in the early 1960s signaled the beginning of a new environmental movement. The Reagan administration's push for offshore oil off of our coast resulted in a seaweed rebellion that has become an enduring plank in California environmental policy. Now we are at the brink of a long-sought dream of providing permanent protection against oil extraction and ocean dumping from Bodega Bay to just beyond Point Arena.

National marine sanctuaries are only designated in areas that have special biological significance. The Sonoma and Mendocino coast fits that category perfectly. They are within one of four powerful coastal upwelling zones on the planet, together comprising only 1 percent of the ocean but historically producing 20 percent of the world's fish. When you have an area that supports 33 species of marine mammals including whales, elephant seals, sea lions and seals - all at the top of the food chain, you know it's biologically abundant.

I also have long recognized the importance of a clean coast to the economies of the North Coast. No amount of bright press releases can paper over formerly pristine beaches blackened with oil or dead fish washed ashore in brown surf. Tourist destinations such as Monterey, Santa Cruz and Point Reyes all benefit from their clean beaches and their connection to national marine sanctuaries. In addition, their commercial and recreational fisheries are protected in perpetuity.

National marine sanctuaries are not the same as the state's marine protected areas. They do not ban fishing or set limits or seasons. But they do protect fish from the threat of pollution, and, in doing so, they protect the livelihoods of fishermen and the sport of recreational anglers. Point Arena, with its powerful winds and cold waters, has the strongest upwelling in North America. Because of the strength of upwelling and seasonal southerly currents, a natural conveyor belt of food runs through the expansion area to the south as far as Monterey Bay. Unfortunately, if there was an oil spill, those same strong currents would convey a lethal stream of oil to this amazingly beautiful and abundant coastline.

Those of you who speak up in support of the national marine sanctuary protection will ensure that heartbreaking despoilment will never happen. We will also be protecting our investment in the national marine sanctuaries to the south.

Supporters, including Gov. Jerry Brown, the California Legislature, the counties of Sonoma, Mendocino and San Francisco, the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, the Sonoma County Economic Development Board, the Ocean Conservancy and the Sierra Club all agree that our coast is special and must be protected.

Please join me in Point Arena and Gualala this week to comment on the expansion plan and to celebrate the coast that unites us.

Lynn Woolsey, who recently retired after serving 20 years in Congress representing Marin and Sonoma counties, was the author of the marine sanctuary expansion legislation. Hearings for the expansion of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Point Arena High School and at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Gualala Community Center.