Sample Talking Points (feel free to incorporate in your comment):

• Share your experience with the area and the reef. 
   
• Enhancing access for non-consumptive users, like the thousands of people who visit Duxbury Reef each year to tidepool, take walks, kayak, learn, and study, is important. Non-consumptive users make up the majority of users of Duxbury Reef (an average of 95%), and their recreational and educational experiences will be further enhanced with the protection of the full extent of the reef for the benefit of intertidal health. 
   
• Duxbury Reef’s biodiverse habitat extends far beyond the current marine protected area and should be protected in a State Marine Conservation Area. The north contains relatively pristine habitat that is ecologically connected to that in the existing marine protected area. The Double Point/Stormy Stack Special Closure is at the northern end of the northern proposed expansion and contains crucial seabird nesting areas, and Double Point is also home to one of the largest breeding harbor seal colonies in California. The southern portion of the reef is entirely unprotected but contains many rare and sensitive reef species. It is also an important resting area for marine mammals traveling from the San Francisco Bay to the Farallones and hosts a small but consistent harbor seal colony year-round. Including these areas within the marine protected area will enhance the health of the entire reef by reducing disturbance to reef creatures in these zones.
   
• The unprotected area north of Duxbury Reef is extremely important for the health and biodiversity of the current protected area, as well as other habitats along the coast. Through prevailing currents, it contributes restoratively to disturbed and stressed areas at Duxbury Reef and other parts of the coast through the release of larvae and spores, more so than nearly 90 percent of other sites in the state. This area should be protected by the state’s marine protected area network.
   
• Climate change and warming temperatures are causing rocky intertidal communities to shift north over time. Duxbury Reef and the northern unprotected area may become climate refuges for Central and Southern California’s intertidal communities as temperature gradients shift north. Studies show that protected rocky intertidal zones are more resilient to disturbances from climate change and human activity than non-protected zones.
   
• While making Duxbury Reef a full, no-take State Marine Reserve would afford it the highest level of protection, balancing ecological protection with recreational fishing uses is also important. In lieu of a stronger designation, language clarifications can help to better protect reef creatures from unpermitted take.

Background:

Duxbury Reef State Marine Conservation Area is an existing marine protected area and one of the largest shale reefs in North America. It is home to over 200 different species of invertebrates, seaweeds, marine plants, fish, and seabirds that visit the reef. 

This amazing reef habitat extends far beyond the currently protected area, containing rare and sensitive species, seabird nesting sites, and harbor seal colonies. This unique and magical place is important not just for the many creatures who call it home, but also for the recreational and educational experiences of thousands who visit annually for tidepooling, research, and recreation.  

Unfortunately, over a decade of community science data has shown high visitation and unpermitted injury, damage, and take at Duxbury Reef. Agencies, community scientists, educators, and long-time visitors have noticed a decline in species abundance. And its current boundaries don’t even cover the entirety of the ecologically connected reef habitat—despite these areas containing high biodiversity, rare species, and marine mammal haul-outs. 

In 2023, EAC submitted a petition to the Commission proposing a regulation change that could address these issues. The statewide marine protected area petition process exists to adaptively manage California’s marine protected area network as new science, shifting needs, and climate change impacts emerge. It invites public participation to both submit proposed regulatory changes and provide feedback on submitted petitions. In Spring of 2026, the Department released its long-awaited evaluations of these marine protected area (MPA) petitions.

In a big win for protecting intertidal habitat, the Department has recommended granting “in concept” our petition’s request to expand the boundaries of the existing Duxbury Reef State Marine Conservation Area to encompass the northern and southern reef habitat that are currently unprotected. Their evaluation recognizes the importance of protecting the rare and ecologically connected reef habitat adjacent to Duxbury Reef State Marine Conservation Area’s current boundary. Protecting the full extent of the reef habitat would better protect species by enhancing intertidal health, climate resilience, and the tidepooling and educational experiences for all who visit the reef. This is a huge win for ocean conservation, since nearly all other state petitions were rejected. Learn More: EAC's Statement on the Evaluations

What’s next? Department recommendations are NOT final decisions. The Commission—the final decision-maker—still has to vote on whether to adopt the recommendations or something completely different! A final decision will likely occur in October of 2026. 

We are asking the Commission to accept the Department’s recommendation that the currently unprotected reef habitat be protected in a State Marine Conservation Area, and also advocating for clarified language to better protect fragile intertidal life and clarify to the public that this sensitive rocky intertidal habitat should be strongly protected.