Last Chance to Speak Up on South Coast Marine Protected Areas--Attend Commission Hearing on Dec 9 in LA

The 'end of the line' for South Coast Marine Protected Areas has arrived!  Dec 9th marks the final meeting in a 'yearlong process', and we need you to attend.  As you know, the Blue Ribbon Task Force unanimously voted to forward a final map to the Fish and Game Commission. The map, called the Integrated Preferred Alternative (IPA), is a hybrid map representing diverse Stakeholder views.

The MLPA, as a law, was designed and written to ensure diverse views were incorporated into the final map. Surfrider fully supports the IPA because we believe it contains a balance of conservation and fishing interests--and perspectives from all ocean users. The Commission will base its decision on public support--and that’s why they need to hear from you on Dec 9th! 

Please attend the hearing and express that you are concerned about preserving ocean resources and that you support a 'balanced' proposal that provides strong protection while incorporating diverse stakeholder perspectives.

If you would like help with talking points for the Dec 9^th meeting, please contact Stefanie at:  Ssekich@surfrider.org   To stay updated about Surfrider MLPA efforts and to send an action alert to the Commission here: http://mlpasurfrider.blogspot.com/

Dec 9th  Meeting Information:

Radisson Hotel--LAX 
ABC Ballroom 


6225 W. Century Blvd. 


Los Angeles, CA

**PUBLIC SPEAKER CARDS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT 9:00 AM AND MUST BE TURNED IN TO COMMISSION STAFF BY 10:10 AM FOR CONSIDERATION.  PUBLIC TESTIMONY WILL  BE HEARD FROM APPROXIMATELY 10:15 AM -12:30 PM TODAY.  THE TIME ALLOTTED  PER INDIVIDUAL WILL BE DETERMINED BASED ON THE NUMBER OF SPEAKER CARDS RECEIVED, AND ANNOUNCED AT THE START OF THE MEETING.**

Please take the time to fill out this action alert that will be sent to the Commission. http://action.surfrider.org/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=428

Thanks and hope to see you at the Dec 9th hearing!

Final BRTF Map Posted

The Integrated Preferred Alternative (IPA) as seen above (click to enlarge) has been posted on the MLPA website here: and is also available in Marine Map here: The name of the array for the IPA in Marine Map is: "MLPA South Coast Integrated Preferred Alternative (IPA)". You will want to use Marine Map if you are interested in seeing the regulations for each protected area.

As our post says below, Surfrider is supportive of the IPA because we feel it contains a balance of diverse perspectives from all ocean uses. Plus it contains important areas of habitat that will be critical for the longevity of MPAs in So Cal. Furthermore, the unanimous BRTF vote makes it clear that the IPA is getting the strongest possible recommendation to move forward to the DFG.

It is very important that people attend the Fish and Game Commission hearing on Dec 9th to voice support for the IPA. Surfrider will be creating talking points; and if you are interested in testifying in support of the IPA, please contact Stefanie at: Ssekich@surfrider.org

We are going to post an "action alert" next week so that you can personally write to the Fish and Game urging them to adopt the IPA.

Stay tuned....

Final MLPA map (finally) goes to Fish and Game Commission.

This week, the Blue Ribbon Task Force unanimously voted to forward the Integrated Preferred Alternative (IPA) map to the Fish and Game Commission.

The IPA is a hybrid map containing shapes from all the Regional Stakeholder Group maps. Surfrider is pleased with the map because we believe some of our recommendations were considered and incorporated into the final map. While it's not perfect, we believe the IPA contains a balance of conservation and fishing interests--and perspectives from all ocean users.

The BRTF will present the IPA to the Fish and Game Commission on Dec 9 and the Commission will make a final decision early in 2010.

Decision makers will be publishing the map on Wed, Nov 18 here.

The IPA is being viewed by decision makers as a compromise proposal. And we agree. In fact, we unequivocally agree because for the past year we have been working with "both sides of the isle"; so we know exactly what that compromise should look like.

The MLPA, as a law, was designed and written to ensure compromise is 'struck in the end'. Surfrider believes we were able to help find that balance. During this process, we made some great friends, encountered some lively debate, and spent a lot of time listening and mulling over the maps. We support the IPA and believe, in the end, it is balanced and includes Marine Protected Areas that will work for years to come.

Stay tuned as we will have further action to take before the Commission hearing on Dec 9th.

Here is some recent news coverage on the issue:

SD Union Tribune:

LA Times:

North County Times:

Orange County Register:

Updated Surfrider Map Recommendations

We decided to change our Laguna map shape so that the lines are facing perpendicular to the coast (as we mentioned in our memo that we submitted on Oct 11 to the BRTF).

In addition, we know there is support from other RSG members to have the lines moved perpendicular. So now it's reflected here:

Attend the Next MLPA Meeting to Support Surfrider Recommendations.

The time has finally come!

After a year of community outreach, "one-on-one" meetings, and working with Chapter Leaders, Surfrider is proposing recommendations to the final maps.

See our recommendations here: http://www.surfrider.org/files/SurfriderBRTFMemoFINAL.pdf

Now, we need you to attend the Blue Ribbon Taskforce on Oct 21 and say you support the balanced and creative solutions Surfrider proposes (meeting location info below)!

If you would like help drafting talking points, please email Stefanie: Ssekich@surfrider.org

Meeting Information:

Wed, Oct 21, 2009

MLPA Blue Ribbon Task Force (BRTF) meeting

Hilton Long Beach & Executive Meeting Center

701 West Ocean Blvd.

Long Beach, CA 90831

Public comment regarding the maps starts at 1:30pm and will go to approximately 4:30pm. Arrive before 1pm to fill out our speaker slip.

We hope you can make it on Oct 21 to support the map recommendations Surfrider is purposing!

Surfrider's Map Recommendations

The Surfrider Foundation sent the following map recommendations to the BRTF for consideration before their Oct 21 meeting .

View our recommendations here:

The meeting in Long Beach on Oct 21 is a very important meeting to attend. We hope Surfrider supporters will agree our recommendations and come to testify in support.

If you like some sample talking points about what to say when referencing Surf'rider's recommendations, please email Stefanie: Ssekich@surfrider.org

You can view all the current maps here:

Recap on Surfrider Forums and What's next.

Thanks to everyone who attended our community forums over the past two weeks and everyone who has participated with us during our other outreach efforts. We greatly appreciate your feedback and specific comments about the proposed maps.

We have received some inquires about what's next in the process, as well as Surfrider Foundation’s role in the next steps

As we have said from the beginning, we will be representing our 10 chapters in the region and will make recommendations that reflect the will of our chapters and members.

Here's a break down of the timeline and activities:

What’s next for Surfrider and the MLPA?

Surfrider is compiling a comment letter that will go to the Blue Ribbon Taskforce (BRTF) by Oct 11. The letter will contain recommendations about the current maps based on the feedback we received from our community forums, our Chapter leaders, the outreach we conducted over the past year and the results of the Science Advisory Team’s analysis.

The BRTF will meet in Long Beach on Oct 20-22 where they will identify a 'preferred map' that will then be sent to the Fish and Game Commission for a final vote.

In December, the Fish and Game Commission has the final say and will vote to implement one map.

What does Surfrider Support?

The Surfrider Foundation is chapter member-driven organization. We listen to, and rely on, our chapter leaders, paid members, and supporters to make decisions; hence the reason we held community forums around Southern California.

At this point we are compiling all the information we have gathered to make recommendations to the Blue Ribbon Task Force for amending the current proposals. Why? Based on past experiences, there is a chance the BRTF could make amendments to the three proposed maps of the region.

We are taking this opportunity to make recommendations to the current proposals to more accurately reflect the concerns and recommendations we have received from our outreach efforts. We will have to wait and see the outcome of that process and what alternatives the BRTF will forward for final approval by the Fish and Game Commission.

In the meantime, here is a quick break down of what we heard from our members at our community forums and other outreach efforts. In general there is support for a proposal that includes as much protected area as possible, but with a "balanced" approach that takes into account the concerns of our members who fish. This is not surprising given the diversity in our membership. This "balance" is reflected in the message we are hearing from members in the areas below:

• Santa Barbara Area--There was support for Map 3 and Map 1. That general support was balanced with the following recommendations: 1) Naples should be a Conservation Area that allows spearfishing for pelagic finfish; 2) there should be a small conservation area within the reserve at Devereaux (specifically at "Jailhouse Point") that allows spearfishing for pelagic finfish. We understand any modification at Devereaux will require flexibility in the Department of Fish and Game's "feasibility" guidelines – something we have been requesting all along.

• LA Area--There was support for Map 3 and Map 1 -- especially in the Pt Dume area. Again, there was a mix of support for the larger area in a reserve (Map 3) as well as support for the "balance" member saw in Map 1. There was no support for the Map 2 proposal at Point Dume.

• Laguna Area--There was support for Maps 2 and 1. A lot of our members in the area are concerned about how the proposed marine reserves will impact local fishing. There is also support for the larger reserve. Finally, there is some discussion about the need for a large reserve in Laguna when this area is looked at in the context of surrounding areas (Palos Verdes to the north and Encinitas to the south).

• San Diego--A large percentage of audience members at this forum supported Map 3 as long as the conservation area north of Scripps is removed. Several attendees at the forum who expressed support for Map 2, after further discussion, appeared to support a reserve between Windansea and the Crystal Pier, but could not support Map 3 because of the conservation area north of Scripps. Interestingly, this sounds like two different ways to support for the same proposal.

Again, we will be taking this local input into consideration and awaiting the report from the Science Advisory Team to finalize our recommendations to the Blue Ribbon Task Force. We will post our written comments to the Blue Ribbon Task Force on October 11.

Once the Blue Ribbon Task Force has forwarded their recommendations to the Fish and Game Commission, we will re-evaluate all of this information, engage our members once again, and make a decision on the map that best represents our members’ diverse interests.

Thanks again for your support and awareness. Stay tuned!