The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced the launch of a new Marine Protected Area (MPA) Petitions StoryMap to help provide information about 20 petitions for changes to the California MPA Network. These petitions collectively propose more than 80 individual changes to California MPAs.
Each of these proposed changes can be visualized on maps housed in the MPA Petitions StoryMap. Visitors may browse among individual web pages that provide maps and details on each petition.
The MPA Petitions StoryMap overview page includes:
- Up-to-date information on the individual petitions
- An overview of the petition process and timeline
- Status updates on the individual petitions
- Instructions for how to engage in the public process through the California Fish and Game Commission as they consider the petitions
You can easily find petitions proposing changes in certain counties or proposing specific types of change to help pinpoint the petitions most important or relevant to you. An interactive map also allows you to see the locations of key marine habitats in relation to both existing MPAs and proposed changes.
The California Fish and Game Commission received the petitions from Tribes and the public in December 2023, and referred the petitions to CDFW for evaluation in February 2024 as part of the MPA adaptive management process.
The new, publicly available MPA Petitions StoryMap aims to provide information to anyone interested in the MPA petitions and facilitate a transparent petition evaluation process.