With the stroke of a pen, President Barack Obama could save 2,800 square miles of vital ocean habitat off the Sonoma and Mendocino coastline from Bodega Bay to Point Arena. Designating a new marine national monument would enhance existing sanctuaries -- the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary.
Democrats Sen. Barbara Boxer and Rep. Lynn Woolsey of Petaluma are asking the president to sign an executive order establishing a new marine national monument.
The Pacific Ocean is a national treasure and a pillar of California's success -- a conduit of our commerce, an invaluable fishery and a vital engine for tourism. However, more than 95 percent of California's ocean heritage, including some of the most biologically important habitats on our coast, remains vulnerable to spoliation.
Let's do the right thing for California.
-- Nathan Weaver, Rancho Cordova
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