Building Resilient Habitats Map

The Great Costal Campaign: California Coasts

Though the California coastline varies greatly depending on what region of the state it lies in, no matter the location, the spectacular beaches of California remain some of the most beautiful landscapes in the country.

The beaches are great places to play, exercise, spend time with family, or simply get away. Yet the California coast serves another important function, providing a unique and necessary habitat for a plethora of species, many of them endangered.

The Western Snowy Plover is one such species. This small threatened shorebird nests along the shores, peninsulas, offshore islands, bays, and estuaries of the California Coast. Unfortunately, the state's beautiful coastlines remain under constant attack by proposals to develop the land for various purposes - developments that would threaten the delicate coastal ecosystem.

The Sierra Club's Great Coastal Places campaign is a network of 5,000 activists who work collaboratively to protect California's most threatened coastal places. In response to concern about the effects of rising sea levels and climate change on coastal resources, our activists are working to protect, prepare and defend California's fragile coastline.

The campaign continues to educate and mobilize the public to speak out against projects that threaten California's coastline, such as the desalinization plants proposed for the counties of San Diego and Orange. It also seeks to protect California's wetlands from pollution and development - not only because wetlands play a critical role in protecting diverse coastal wildlife, but also because wetlands can help mitigate flooding and other negative effects of coastal sea rise.

California Coastal Commission has already held workshops on the issue of climate change. These workshops have educated the Commissioners and the public about the risks posed to coastal zones due to global warming as well as about how the Commission can best to take a proactive approach to mitigating global warming.

For example, in their recent decision to reject both the Foothill South-Toll Road proposed for South Orange County as well as the Liquefied Natural Gas terminal planned for development off the coast of Ventura/Malibu, the Coastal Commission cited each project's potential contributions to global warming as one reason for why these projects were denied. Actions such as these are important steps towards recognizing the importance and fragility of our coastal ecosystems, and will continue to fight for further protection of California's coasts.

For more information about the Sierra Club's Great Coastal Places campaign and how you can get involved, please visit http://www.sierraclub.org/ca/coasts/