| A Personal Perspective
By Denise Naguib
My personal introduction to the California Biodiversity Council occurred in November when I had the opportunity to attend the statewide meeting in Santa Barbara. The two–day conference, packed with lively discussions, a field trip, and a dinner at the Santa Barbara Zoological Gardens, focused on the important process of making decisions about marine protected areas, coastal management, and clean water. At midday, the group divided into two. While some participants headed for the Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve, I took the bus to Coal Oil Point Reserve, just north of the Santa Barbara airport on UC Santa Barbara's West campus. The Reserve Director, Cristina Sandoval (University of California), presented an overview of the Reserve as we ate our picnic lunches and looked out onto the Pacific Ocean. Kevin Lafferty (U.S. Geological Survey), who co–directs the Reserve with Ms. Sandoval, began the CBC's tour of Coal Oil Point. This 117–acre property known for its natural oil seeps has a multitude of habitats including the coastal lagoon, sandy beach, rocky intertidal, and Monterey cypress groves. And as one would imagine, each of these habitats hosts an extraordinary number of species. One especially threatened species, the snowy plover, had our undivided attention for the majority of the afternoon. Exposed to record numbers of disturbances by humans and dogs, these plovers no longer breed on the beaches of Coal Oil Point, a perfect example of how simple human activities like walking on the beach can alter the habitat of an entire species. Our tour continued as we learned more and more about this special piece of paradise nestled in our own back yard. Thanks to the Biodiversity Council meeting, dozens more are thinking about what they can do in their respective agencies, non–government organizations, and individual homes to make California a role model for the protection of biodiversity. Please visit the Ocean Futures website at www.oceanfutures.org. |