2023-31MPA

Submitted by: Ashley Eagle-Gibbs, Environmental Action Committee of West Marin

Summary: Reclassify Drakes Estero SMCA as an SMR and merge with Estero de Limantour SMR into a single SMR.

Commission Decision: Grant

  • Drakes Estero was designated as an SMCA to allow the continuation of existing aquaculture activities, but the North Central Coast Regional Stakeholder Group recommended changing the classification to SMR when feasible
  • Aquaculture activities ceased in 2014
  • Reclassification to SMR could help protect biodiversity in recovering eelgrass beds
  • Merging with Estero de Limantour SMR into a single SMR would eliminate the confusing boundary between the two MPAs
A legend for the maps that follow, where State Marine Reserves are shown in red, no-take State Marine Conservation Areas or SMCAs are shown in purple, SMCAs are shown in blue, State Marine Recreational Management Areas are shown in green, and Special Closures are shown in pink.

Use the slider in the image below to visualize the proposed change.

A slider-controlled map showing the existing MPA network on the left and the proposed change on the right. The map is centered around the Point Reyes peninsula in coastal Marin County in northern California. On the left, existing MPAs are shown with Drakes Estero SMCA in blue and Estero de Limantour SMR in red. On the right, the image is the same, except Drakes Estero SMCA is shown with a red hatched fill to signify the proposal to change the designation to SMR.
A slider-controlled map showing the existing MPA network on the left and the proposed change on the right. The map is centered around the Point Reyes peninsula in coastal Marin County in northern California. On the left, existing MPAs are shown with Drakes Estero SMCA in blue and Estero de Limantour SMR in red. On the right, the image is the same, except Drakes Estero SMCA is shown with a red hatched fill to signify the proposal to change the designation to SMR.