Although a state law establishing MPAs was enacted in California in 1999, a network of these areas has not been established to protect our ocean.  A number of environmental organizations are working together to get the law implemented, including WiLDCOAST/COSTASALVAjE, a grassroots environmental non-profit based next to the U.S.-Mexico border in Imperial Beach, California. In a campaign called “Defiende el Mar” or “Defend the Ocean,” WiLDCOAST is rallying Hispanic men, women and children in support of establishing MPAs. The campaign has reached 15 million people in California through broadcast media and resulted in thousands of original letters and e-mail petitions sent to Governor Schwarzenegger. The letters ask the governor to persuade the Fish and Game Commission to implement a network of marine protected areas on the coast of California. By September 2007, 29 MPAs had been established along California’s central coast and the effort is continuing.

Join the campaign by sending an e-mail to Governor Schwarzenegger at http://gov.ca.gov/interact#email. You can learn more about Marine Protected Areas and WiLDCOAST’s other efforts to save our coast and ocean by visiting their website www.wildcoast.net.