1 / 3

MPA Watch, A Statewide Program That Collects Data on Human Uses of Marine Resources, Launches New Website, Social Media

MPA Watch, a network of programs that collect human-use data in marine protected areas in order to keep our oceans clean and healthy, has launched a new, revamped website http://mpawatch.org and social media pages.

straightlinepr
Download Presentation

MPA Watch, A Statewide Program That Collects Data on Human Uses of Marine Resources, Launches New Website, Social Media

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. MPA Watch, A Statewide Program That Collects Data on Human Uses of Marine Resources, Launches New Website, Social Media Sites MPA Watch, a network of programs that collect human-use data in marine protected areas in order to keep our oceans clean and healthy, has launched a new, revamped website http://mpawatch.organd social mediapages. San Diego, CA, February 20, 2019 — MPA Watch, a network of programs that collect human-use data in marine protected areas in order to keep our oceans clean and healthy, has launched a new, revamped website http://mpawatch.org and social mediapages. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are marine or estuarine waters set aside primarily to protect or conserve marine life and its associated habitat. Just as parks on land protect special lands and wildlife from overdevelopment and poaching, these ocean parks preserve California's stunning marine ecosystems for future generations to observe and enjoy. MPA Watch is a community science program that trains volunteers to observe and collect data on human uses of coastal and marine resources both inside and outside of marine protected areas (MPAs). Volunteers use standardized methods to collectdata. The data collected are used to help the management, enforcement, and science of California's marine protected areas, and allows MPA Watch’s network of programs and organizations to track how the public uses coastalareas. By involving local communities in this collection of data, MPA Watch programs inspire andempower stewardship, and educate the public about California’s oceanecosystems. People interested in learning more are encouraged to follow MPA Watch on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mpawatch/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MPAWatch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mpawatchorg/ MPA Watch volunteers observe California's beaches and bluffs inside and outside MPAs, recording all offshore and onshore coastal activities from recreational activities such as swimming and surfingto

  2. commercial activities such as fishing. Volunteers are trained to recognize different types of activities, using binoculars to view activities offshore, and to record their observations on datasheets. Volunteers record consumptive activities such as commercial fishing, shore fishing, and clamming, and non-consumptive activities such as swimming, SCUBA diving, and tidepooling. All data collected by volunteers undergo rigorous quality assurance and quality control protocols by coordinating organizations before being accepted and shared with users such as state coastal managers and environmentalresearchers. Data from community science projects like MPA Watch complements data collected by other monitoring groups, resource managers, scientists and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Ecological, economic, and social factors are just a few types of data that will be collected to provide a comprehensive picture on how the MPAs are functioning. This data will also help us to understand where there may be a need for enhanced education and outreach, signage, and law enforcement. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is the agency charged with management and enforcement of MPAregulations. You can help support MPAs by joining a MPA Watch program as a volunteer. Local volunteers have submitted more than 22,000 surveys to date. The groups of volunteer organizations below monitors the use of coastal and ocean MPAs, providing a valuable look at how people are using these conservation areas. Heal the Bay - Los Angeles County Grace Young,gyoung@healthebay.org Los Angeles Waterkeeper - Los AngelesCounty Michael Quill,mquill@lawaterkeeper.org Orange County Coastkeeper - Orange County Ray Hiemstra,ray@coastkeeper.org West Marin Environmental Action Committee - Marin County Morgan Patton,morgan@eacmarin.org California Academy of Sciences Rebecca Johnson,rjohnson@calacademy.org Santa Barbara Channelkeeper - Santa Barbara County Penny Owens,penny@sbck.org

  3. WILDCOAST - San Diego County Angela Kemsley,angela@wildcoast.org Greater Farallones Association - San Francisco County Kirsten Lindquist,klindquist@farallones.org Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History - Monterey County Erika Delemarre,delemarre@pgmuseum.org Eagle Eyes of False Klamath Cove - Del Norte County Ruthie Maloney,ruthiemaloney@gmail.com John Corbett,williammlpa@gmail.com Tolowa Dee-ni' Nation, Del NorteCounty Rosa Laucci, rosa.laucci@tolowa.com Outdoor Schools Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (AEOE) Kat Montgomery,kat@aeoe.org For more information on volunteering for MPA Watch, go to mpawatch.org or email angela@wildcoast.org. To access various resources, go the MPA Watch Resources page at http://www.mpawatch.org/site/startyourown. Contact: Marci BraccoCain Chatterbox PR Salinas, CA93901 (831)747-7455 http://www.mpawatch.org

More Related