Greater Farallones preserve allotted $2M for projects
The Biden administration has allotted $2 million for projects to enhance the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.
U.S. Rep. Jared Huffman, a Democrat who lives in San Rafael, said the Inflation Reduction Act funding will be used to upgrade the sanctuary’s visitor center campus in San Francisco, among other benefits.
“The Greater Farallones Marine Sanctuary is a treasured part of my district — home to a diverse and productive ecosystem that supports our region and has deep cultural significance to local tribes,” Huffman wrote in a statement. “This funding will help the sanctuary boost tourism and spur educational opportunities and research that will benefit the community and our marine ecosystems for years to come.”
The allocation follows the release of a U.S. Department of Commerce plan this month to use $2.6 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act for coastal climate projects.
The Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary was created in 1981 as the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, which spanned 1,279 square miles to the north and west of San Francisco Bay. In 2015, Congress expanded the sanctuary north into waters off Mendocino County to protect a total area of 3,295 square miles.
National marine sanctuaries were created by Congress and the Nixon administration through the passage of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act in 1972. Similar to national parks, marine sanctuaries are meant to protect special species, ecosystems and historical sites.
The improvements at the visitor center campus in San Francisco will affect the shop and garage buildings, said Jennifer Stock, a spokesperson for the ocean preserve. The campus is at 991 Marine Drive in the Presidio.
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By: WILL HOUSTON
Source: Marin Independent Journal
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