World Spirit Reflections and Updates

Speak out now for California’s sea otters and other coastal wildlife! Support the best plan to protect our Central Coast. The deadline for comments is Wednesday, January 31, 2007. Be sure to personalize your comments. Here are some ideas to start with... Share an experience you've had with coastal wildlife. Tell officials how you use coastal waters. Personalizing your comments makes them more effective! Multiply your impact -- forward this message on to others in California.

With a rich diversity of wildlife and spectacular vistas, California’s coast is a true treasure.

You can speak out to ensure that our coastal waters -- home to sea otters, whales and other wildlife -- are protected for future generations.

Take action now. Write the California Fish and Game Commission and urge them to protect our coasts.

Our Central Coast has some of the most pristine and beautiful waters in the world. But overfishing, pollution and coastal development threaten these unique and special areas.

The 1999 Marine Life Protection Act -- the first such law passed in the country -- creates a set of marine reserves along California’s coast. Now, the state’s Fish and Game Commission must decide on how best to set the law in motion for the Central Coast.

Here's where you come in: Urge state officials to protect our Central Coast by selecting the "Preferred Alternative."

The “Preferred Alternative” is the best way forward to protect our ocean legacy. This plan links together a network of marine protected areas covering more than 200 square miles between Half Moon Bay and Point Conception.

It is a balanced plan to restore marine life that leaves more than 80% of coastal waters open to fishing. That’s why the “Preferred Alternative” is supported by diverse stakeholders including conservationists, fishers, divers and residents.

But the plan needs your support -- industry special interests are pressuring the Commission to weaken protections.

Speak out now for the “Preferred Alternative,” the best plan to protect California’s Central Coast. The deadline for written comments is this Wednesday, January 31.

Thank you for all you do to protect California’s oceans and the rich and diverse marine life that inhabit this remarkable area.

Sincerely, Jim Curland Marine Program Associate Defenders of Wildlife

"God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that creeps, so that the water swarmed with all kinds of them, and there was every kind of winged bird; and God saw that it was good." [Genesis 1:21]


"God made each kind of wild beast, each kind of livestock and every kind of animal that crawls along the ground and God saw that it was good." [Genesis 1:25]


"For all forest creatures are mine already, as are the animals on a thousand hills; I know all the birds in the mountains; whatever moves in the fields is mine." [Psalms 50:10­11]

Labels: California coast, conservation, January 31 2007 deadline, overfishing, sea otters