Editor,
I read with some interest Victoria Kertz’s article “Marine Protections Show Little Impact,” March 17 edition.
I waited to comment until I attended the MPA Baseline Monitoring community gathering in San Clemente last Thursday. I wanted to hear first hand from the people behind the study as to the intent, results and conclusions.
Since Ms. Kertz’s article was published before these gatherings occurred, it appears she missed the benefits of this expertise. Her article neglects the purpose of the State of the California South Coast, Summary of Findings from Baseline Monitoring of Marine Protected Areas, 2011-2015 report, and the program itself, and focuses on impact, which was not the purpose of the report.
As the title suggests, the purpose of the initial Phase 1 program was to establish a baseline. The Marine Life Protection Act is anchored in sound science based actions and this study provides key data upon which all future study and coastal management decisions will be based. Further, this data will now be the corner stone of Phase 2 of the California Monitoring Program, which is long-term statewide monitoring to begin by 2018 (when all other baseline studies are completed).
The Baseline Monitoring Project is not an analysis of the impact, progress, or lack thereof, of the Marine Protected Areas. It is not intended to be the basis of a “yea” or “nay” vote with regards to the MPA’s existence along the coast.
The baseline monitoring program is the vital benchmark for all future study of the new marine protected areas in South Orange County and the wider California Coast. You cannot have “impact” without documenting what exists to begin with.
Louise Thornton, Laguna Beach
