MPA Collaborative Network

02/27/2026

The California Fish & Game Commission (CFGC) will host Regional Stakeholder Meetings on April 21, May 5-6, and May 19. These meetings, which will be held hybrid via in-person, Zoom, and livestream, are dedicated to a single topic: Marine Protected Area (MPA) petitions. The meetings will cover 15 MPA petitions consisting of multiple actions each. Discussions will be ordered from North to South throughout California (April 21 for northernmost petitions; May 19 for southernmost). Meeting locations (yet to be determined) are aimed to take place near the MPAs and coastal waters under consideration, and the communities closest to those possible changes in the regulations.

More background: Over the past few years, the lead managing agency for MPAs, the , has been reviewing the effectiveness of California’s 124 MPAs (this process is known as adaptive management). One phase of this process has included the public’s submission of MPA petitions suggesting changes to the MPA network.

02/18/2026

2026 INTERNSHIP ALERT! 🚨 

Who you are: A committed graduate student or recent graduate (within 1 year) of UC Santa Barbara () who is interested in civic engagement for a healthy ocean and even healthier communities. Must be based in SB/VC area as this position is hybrid (remote with occasional in-person events).

What & Where: Support the Santa Barbara Channel (SBC) Marine Protected Area (MPA) Collaborative, which includes Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties and Northern Channel Islands. This includes communications with locals, hosting meetings, and professional development/networking. Strong interpersonal skills a must!  asset! Local knowledge an asset.  Maximum and total internship funding is $10,000. 

When: March ‘26-Dec ‘26. Schedule is flexible, part-time.

Who’s funding this? The Coastal Fund (a part of UCSB) is the generous funder! The funding is passed through Santa Barbara Channelkeeper , the fiscal sponsor of the SBC MPA Collaborative

Check out mpacollaborative/santabarbara/ to learn more about our work!

Please apply by emailing Aubrie Fowler (aubrie(at)mpacollaborative.org), the South Coast Specialist at the MPA Collaborative Network, to share a 2-pg max resume, brief statement of interest, and availability by Feb 27 at 5pm.

09/29/2025

‼️ TWO DAYS LEFT to get in on the auction‼️

🪼 Want to get *very* ahead of holiday shopping? Looking too support local and with a positive impact on our environment? Well, we’ve got some items for you and yours while supporting healthy oceans!

🦦 Proceeds from our auction will directly support the people side of California’s network of 124+ marine protected areas by deepening and expanding the 14 people-powered MPA Collaboratives stewarding our MPAs, continuing to turn input into action through our various initiatives and programs such as Climate + MPAs, Pathways Community Groups, outreach and education, and so much more! These efforts are needed to ensure our underwater parks do not become paper parks, and to support healthy oceans for all.

📰 Not yet a member? Join us by signing up on our website to receive local collaborative news, quarterly statewide newsletters, and to participate in events! Fun fact: We will be releasing a new, free digital and print resource developed by our Latine Pathways Group soon to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month very soon! Members will receive early access.

09/26/2025

Our 4-Day Weekend Auction is Now Live! Bid on Patagonia gear, a wine tasting tour, and more to support healthy oceans for all --- Vote on Blue Carbon MPAs for RVAs, and make some art with us! - https://mailchi.mp/mpacollaborative.org/ca-mpa-network-accepted-into-the-iucn-17311077

08/01/2025

Today is ! This year, celebrates “Ocean protection needs human connection,” and we wholeheartedly agree!

We’re highlighting a different kind of protection, one that is focused on haul out sites and rookeries called Special Closures. Haul outs are where marine mammals get out of the ocean to get warm, dry, and to rest. Rookeries are breeding grounds for birds and mammals, or bird nesting sites.

Special Closures are unique. While most don’t define Special Closures as an ‘MPA’ per se, these are important designations that limit disturbances to wildlife during specific seasons or in sensitive habitats. These disturbances include both predator (e.g., a lack of foxes on offshore rocks and islands) and human. ! We encourage you to view and experience wildlife that make use of these Special Closures - with proper wildlife viewing etiquette and distances of course!

FEATURED: Our very own Jamie Blatter - enamored and in awe of the thousands of birds - with a spotting scope at one such Special Closure in Humboldt County: Castle Rock Special Closure!

MPA Day (always the 1st of August) was first started in South Africa. In addition to Underwater Parks Day in January, it is worth celebrating the achievements of the MPA network in California!

- fur seals are in South Africa AND in one of these Special Closures. Pop into the comments and guess which Special Closure pictured has fur seals!

07/15/2025

At the end of June, as the month of community science bioblitz events for wrapped up, three members of MPA Collaborative Network visited Montana de Oro State Park in San Luis Obispo county.

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Lea Graham, our CSU COAST intern for the summer of 2025, shared: “Tidepooling at Hazard Reef was such a fun and rewarding experience! I got to enjoy exploring the different intertidal zones and the marine creatures within them while also making a meaningful contribution to a community science initiative.
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Using the app, each of us uploaded at least 24 different species to help crowdsource information about marine biodiversity.
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To learn more about how Snapshot helps provide over a decade’s worth of ‘snapshot’ data to inform coastal management, especially in the intertidal zone (tidepools), check out: tinyurl.com/tides-2025.

07/11/2025

Strengthen MPA AAPI Engagement with Your Feedback - https://mailchi.mp/mpacollaborative.org/strengthen-mpa-aapi-engagement-with-your-feedback

06/27/2025

The California MPA Network has been accepted into the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)! -

We are so excited to share the recognition of California's MPA Network by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)! The IUCN's Green List of Protected and Conserved Areas serves as a global benchmark for how to meet the environmental challenges of the 21st century, and Californi...

06/19/2025

This Juneteenth, take a moment to read a submission from a member of the MPACN Black Community Group!

“As I wrap up the California Coast In Color Residency, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to reclaim space.

Juneteenth is about freedom, but it’s also about memory. It’s about honoring the stories that have been erased and making space for new ones to be told, especially our stories, in places we’ve been pushed out of for too long.

Black people have always had a relationship with the water. It’s spiritual, ancestral, joyful, and powerful. That connection deserves to be seen, centered, and celebrated.

I’m also proud to be part of the MPA Collaborative Network’s Black Community Group, a space where Black folks in marine science, conservation, and coastal love come together and build community. If you feel connected to the ocean, you belong in this story too.

We’re not just revisiting the coast, we’re actively rewriting what it means to belong here ✨”

06/19/2025

This Juneteenth, we are so excited to announce our latest critter releases from a long-term collaboration with Black-owned art company, Animink LLC (aiclothing.com).

Introducing Cabz and Pan!

Cabz is a cabezon, which is a type of fish that likes to live in kelp forests, jetties, rocky reefs, and tidepools. Cabezons can be up to 39 inches and eat anything that can fit into their mouth (crabs, mollusks, small lobsters and fish, etc.).

Pan is a round stingray, which is a type of ray that is most often found in sandy or muddy bottoms (don’t forget to do the “stingray shuffle” when at the beach!)

These new releases will join our many other critters, such as Opal the opalescent nudibranch and Xlewes the two-spot octopus! We’ll soon have free stickers and postcards of all the MPACN critters to pass out at events.

And don’t forget to check out Animink LLC (aiclothing.com) to get your critter merch that supports Black art and ocean conservation!

06/09/2025

Domoic acid is a naturally occurring neurotoxin produced by the algae Pseudo-nitzschia. While it’s part of marine ecosystems, warming ocean temperatures and increased nutrients are making these blooms more frequent and more severe.

Right now, a widespread bloom is impacting Southern California’s coast, and marine mammals—especially sea lions—are stranding in alarming numbers with signs of domoic acid toxicosis.

Common symptoms include:
🌀 Lethargy
🌀 Disorientation
🌀 “Stargazing” (staring into space)
🌀 Head bobbing/weaving
🌀 Foaming at the mouth
🌀 Erratic behavior
🌀 Inability to move or leave the tidal zone
🌀 Seizures
🌀 And in severe cases, death

Scientists are working hard to understand and respond to this crisis—but your awareness matters too. Stay informed, support marine research, and report distressed wildlife to local rescue organizations.

05/22/2025

🐋 Now recruiting for the 2025–2026 Marine Protected Area Collaborative Network AAPI Affinity Group!

Are you a member of the Asian American Pacific Islander community and passionate about ocean conservation and community engagement? Join our statewide network to build relationships, shape strategy, and elevate AAPI voices in ocean and coastal stewardship.

✅ Quarterly virtual convenings (starting Aug/Sept 2025)
✅ Collaborative research + strategy building
✅ $200 stipend for participating members
✅ Your lived experience matters
*Must be 18 years old and a resident of California.

This is a space for connection and collaboration. Whether you’re returning or joining for the first time, we’d love to have you.

🔗 tinyurl.com/2025AAPI

Questions? Please email [email protected].