E-LETTER #6 FROM The Coalition of Organizations for Ocean Life:
Increasing Pressure to Restart the Marine Life Protection Act

Dear Friend of Ocean Life,
Thank you to everyone who wrote to the Governor urging him to restart the process for implementing the Marine Life Protection Act. We're keeping up the pressure, and its working!

KEEPING THE PRESSURE ON
The Department of Fish and Game announced in January 2004 that it had put the MLPA on "indefinite hold." That was extremely bad news for anyone who cares about the health and sustainability of the ocean. As you know, the MLPA became law in 1999, with the goals of sustaining, conserving, and protecting California's diverse and abundant marine life. MLPA will do this by creating a network of marine reserves, as well as areas where only recreational fishing is permitted, plus other conservation areas. But the law will accomplish its goals only if it is implemented.

The good news is that the Governor, and the Department of Fish and Game, have been hearing loud and clear from Californians who want to see the ocean protected. Over the past month there has been a groundswell of support for restarting the MLPA process. The Governor has received thousands of emails and letters on the subject--many of them from you--and coastal newspapers have been full of letters to the editor, opinion pieces, and editorials supporting the MLPA (see below). Public support for marine reserves has never been greater. Now there are clear indications that the pressure is working! At a hearing last week, Resources Secretary Mike Chrisman pledged to legislators that state officials will "recommit our efforts" to implement the MLPA. All indications are that an announcement will come soon. A few key quotes from that hearing are available on our website. 

But we need to keep the pressure on. If you have not yet written to the Governor, please take a minute to send an email to him and the Secretary of the California Resources Agency, and insist that they resume work on MLPA and obey the law. You can do this in a couple of minutes, right now, via a convenient form. We will be sure to keep you posted as this issue progresses.

AREA BUSINESSES JOINING THE EFFORT
In order to increase the pressure, COOL is enlisting the help of local retail businesses. We're placing petitions in support of marine reserves in California in these stores. Thanks to New Leaf Community Markets in Santa Cruz County for being the first sponsors of the COOL petition at all of their stores. Many other businesses have also joined the campaign, and more are coming on each week. Next time you are shopping at New Leaf, or any of the stores listed below, keep an eye out for the petition and be sure and encourage your friends and family members to sign up. Petitions can be found at:
New Leaf Community Markets in Santa Cruz, Capitola, Felton and Boulder Creek
Diver Dan's in Santa Clara 
Aquarius Dive Shop-Monterey
Glenn's Aquarius II-Monterey Breakwater
Monterey Bay Kayaks-Monterey
Kayak Connection-Moss Landing
Adventures by the Sea-Monterey
Manta Ray Dive Shop-Monterey
Monterey Bay Dive Center-Monterey
Backscatter Underwater Photo Center-Monterey
Adventure Sports-Santa Cruz
Aqua Safaris-Santa Cruz

Rather show your support online? New supporters can also sign online.

We're expanding the petition drive, and we'd appreciate your help. If you know of a business that might be willing to sponsor the COOL Marine Reserve petition, please send an email to COOL.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We're getting a lot of names on our petitions. More importantly we'd like to expand the petition drive even further. We need help with data entry, and especially with placing and picking up petitions. Could you or someone you know help with either aspect of the project? You'd be making a very substantial contribution to marine conservation by doing so. Please send email to COOL if you can help.
Thanks for taking some of your valuable time to protect central coast marine life.

Very Gratefully,

Everyone at COOL

P.S. We've gotten a lot of media attention focused on MLPA in the last couple months, and we know that it's having an effect in Sacramento.

P.P.S. We've added links to a great deal of information on political paths to new marine reserves and MLPA to our website.

Now more than ever, we need support in large numbers. Please refer friends to the COOL supporters sign-on and ask them to use the quick form to email the Governor.

"The mission of the Coalition of Organizations for Ocean Life is to foster the creation of a network of marine reserves that will help restore, enhance and protect the diversity and abundance of California's marine life and underwater habitats, and to educate the public on the value of marine reserves and healthy oceans."

A partial list of our members and supporting businesses is available here.