History

1980s

1981
President Jimmy Carter signs the bill creating the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.

1982 – 83
Based at the Point Reyes National Seashore, the sanctuary develops management, research, and education plans and programs.

1984
The ship Puerto Rican spills 1.4 million gallons of oil in the Sanctuary.

1986
The oil barge Apex Houston spills approximately 20,000 gallons of oil between San Francisco and Long Beach Harbor. At least 9,000 seabirds are killed. The sanctuary funds the initial three years of research on endangered humpback and blue whales in the region, now one of the most extensive studies of these endangered species in the Estern North Pacific.

1987
The sanctuary hosts the first biennial symposium on research within the region.

1988
The sanctuary relocates offices to the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco.

1989
The United Nations designates the sanctuary as part of the Golden Gate Biosphere Reserve, an internationally important ecosystem. The Loma Prieta quake causes a slide that closes Highway 1 near Stinson Beach. Road crews dump debris into the Sanctuary. Five years later the southern end of Bolinas Lagoon would be cleared of toxic waste as part of mitigation for the illegal dumping.

1990s

1990
Santa Rosa sewage project to dischage wastewater into the Sanctuary is stopped.

1991
The sanctuary assumes management of recently designated (1989) Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary.

1992
The sanctuary initiates long-term assessment and monitoring of rocky intertidal habitats on the South Farallon Islands. The Sanctuary assists the California Department of Fish and Game with abalone tagging and monitoring.

The sanctuary participate sin an interagency cruise to sample sediment and long-lived fish at a shallow radioactive waste dumpsite.

The sanctuary relocates to the historic Coast Guard Building in the Presidio.

On designation of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, the Farallones staff takes on management of its northern section from Marin County to Ano Nuevo.

1993
Gulf of the Farallones sanctuary establishes Beach Watch, the first formal volunteer program within the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries, and later recieves Congressional recognition.

Using new technology, radioactive barrels are located and photographed on the sea floor in a joint research project.

A population assessment finds that 40% of endangered Ashy Storm-petrel breeds on the Farallon Islands.

1994

Bolinas Lagoon is cleared of toxic waste and landfill.

1995
The non-profit Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association is established.

Rocky intertidal monitoring begins at seven mainland sites.

1996
The first northern fur seal pup birth in over 170 years is recorded at the South Farallon Island.

Interagency project begins to re-establish abandoned Common Murre colony at Devil's Slide Rock following the T/V Apex Houston oil spill. The first murre chicks fledge in over many years.

In October, an oil spill from the drydocked tanker Cape Mohican leaks oil into San Francisco Bay and the Sanctuary. Beach Watch surveyers participate in incident response. The Beach Watch Program wins congressional recognition as a significant volunteer program of the U.S Department of Commerce. Manager Ed Ueber recieves commendations from Congresswoman Pelosi and the California State Assembly. He is also named an "Ocean Hero", in association with the Smithsonian's Ocean Planet Exhibit.

The SEALS program is established to document the impact of human activity on harbor seals in Tomales Bay and Bolinas Lagoon.

1997-1998
“Mystery” tarballs wash ashore at Point Reyes National Seashore, source unknown, but later Beach Watch samples are used to trace tar balls to the Luckenbach shipwreck.

1998
The sanctuary opens the first opens the first Office of National Marine Sanctuaries visitor center on Crissy Field in the Presidio of San Francisco, now reaching over 40,000 people a year.

The sanctuary's Beach Watch surveyors collect tar ball evidence from the T/V Command oil spill. Funds totaling $4.05 million in penalities are secured for seabird restoration.

Bolinas Lagoon, critical habitat for resident and migratory birds, marine mammals, fish and invertebrates, is designated a Ramsar site - a Wetlands of International Importance.

The U.S Geological Survey and the British Geological Survey conduct a follow-up cruise with the sanctuary to investigate radioactive levels at an inactive dump site on the continental shelf.

NOAA Volunteer Recognition Award for Beach Watch volunteers who help protect our marine enviornment.

1999

The sanctuary, through the SEALS program, eliminates disturbance by clam diggers to harbor seals at Tomales Bay during pupping season. The sanctuary coordinates Northern and Central California harbor seal census. By 2005, the seals' 15-year decline in pup survival is reversed. The Farllones Marine Sanctuary Association initiates a Responisble Wildlife Viewing program to educate boaters how to view wildlife without disturbing them.

The National Marine Sanctuary System and The National Geographic Society start te Sustainable Seas Expedition (SSE) at the sanctuary. The major thrust of the program is education and testing submersible research methods at all of the National Marine Sanctuaries.

Farallones Marine Sanctaury Association sponsers the first marine sanctuary outreach fair, Ocean Fest.

The sanctuary's Emergency Reponse Plan is developed by the Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association.

2000s

2000
Management Plan Review begins, addressing issues such as wildlife disturbance, invasive species, water quality, impacts from fishing, and impacts from oil spills. Over 12,000 public comments are received.

The Gulf of the Farallones transfers $4.3 million in settlement funds to the National Park Service to help acquire the 562-acre Waldo Giacomini Ranch for the purpose of restoring Tomales Bay wetlands.

Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association initiates Visitor Center school programs. Farallones Marine Sanctaury Association Executive Director Maria Brown is honored with NOAA's Environmental Hero Award. High school intertidal monitoring program is established at Duxbury Reef by Sanctuary Teahcer-at-Sea Kathy Soave and Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association.

2001

To prevent wildlife disturbance, motorized personal watercraft are prohibited.

2002
The Sanctuary Advisory Council, comprised of constituents in education, maritime activities, research, and conservation is established to provide advice on sanctuary management.

Tomales Bay becomes the second Farallones sanctuary site to be designated a Ramsar Site - a Wetlands of International Importance.

The sanctuary's Beach Watch program collected evidence identifying the source of "mystery" oil spills as the S/S Jacob Luckenbach and assists the U.S. Coast Guard in removing 100,000 gallons of oil from the sunken vessel.

2004
The Farallones sanctuary assumes management of the San Mateo and Marin County portions of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary on all issues except for water quality.

The sanctuary launchs At Your School, with a Sharkmobile program to educate 4th-6th grade students about shark biology and conservation issues. At Your School has now expanded to include the Crab Cab, Seabird Shuttle, and Marine Careers.

2005
Sanctuary Beach Watch monitoring shows a 160% decrease in oil pollution from peak 1997-1998 rates after the 2002 removal of oil from the leaking shipwreck Jacob Luckenbach.

The Seabird Protection Network is established to protect nesting colonies from boater, pilot, and hiker disturbances.

2006
The Farallones Sanctuary took part in one of the largest multi-agency oil spill drills of its kind, "Safe Seas 2006," to evaluate agencies' response readiness and areas for improvement.

2007
Freighter Cosco Busan leaks over 53,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay, and into the Gulf of the Farallones and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuaries. Beach Watch data is used by the sanctuary to secure to cleanup of effected sanctuary beaches. The sanctuary actively enagges in response and damage assesment.

Farallones staff receive a NOAA General Council Award for exceptional performance and significant contributions to the Office of the General Council on the Cosco Busan oil spill.

Sanctuary Superintendent Maria Brown receives Manager of the Year award for outstanding contributions to the protection of our Nation's special ocean places.

Sanctuary received "Thank You Ocean Campaign" Coastal America 2007 Partnership Award.

Sanctuary receives PRBO Conservation Partner Award.

2008
The California Academy of Sciences' Steinhart Aquarium unveils a major exhibit on the region's sanctuaries and hihglights the Gulf of of the Farallones.

The sanctaury releases the Bolinas Lagoon Ecosystem Restoration Plan, which includes recommendations for restoration and management of the Wetlands of International Significance.

2009
The sanctuary releases its revised Management Plan and new regualtions to protect white sharks, water quality, eelgrass, and reduce wildlife disturbance.

Krill harvesting prohibited in the sanctuary.

The sanctuary files a motion to intervene and successfully recommends denial of an inappropriately sited hydrokinetic energy facility in the sanctuary.

Phase One of the Beach Watch online query system goes public, allowing conservation, resource protection, education and management staff, as well as the public, near real-time access to Beach Watch data.

The sanctuary partners with Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary and PRBO Conservation Science in Applied California Current Ecosystem Studies (ACCESS) to document the distribution, abundance, and demography of marine wildlife in the context of underlying physical and oceanographic processes to inform resource managers, policy makers, and conservation partners.

The sanctuary Green Operations Plan is published and distributed nationally as a model for other sanctuaries. The sanctaury Green Team implements 80% of the Green Operations Action Plan Strategies and reduces the sites carbon emissions by 0.83 metric tons carbon dioxide equivalent per person.

With the California Academy of Sciences, the sanctuary trains over 500 volunteers to educate aquarium visitors about rocky intertidal habitats and creatures, and launches the Duvbury Reef Rocky Shore Naturalist Program, a volunteer effort to study and reduce human impacts on Duxbury Reef.

San Francisco Ocean Film Festival Volunteer of the Year is awarded to Mary Jane Schramm for screening films and serving as the wildlife and marine protected areas content expert.

Award of Appreciation for Outreach from EAA Pilots Association is given to Sarah Ratzesberger for her work educating pilots on how to reduce disturbances to seabirds.

The U.S. Department of Commerce awards the regional marine sanctuaries a Bronze Medal for outstanding scientific support, damage assessment, and resource trustee resoponsibilities during the Cosco Busan oil spill.

2010

Climate Change Impacts report for the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries is published. The sanctuary hosts the 2nd Biennial Ocean Climte Summit in partnership with the California Academy of Sciences and the San Francisco Bay National Ocenaic and Atmosspheric Administration. The Ocean Climate Center for the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary opens as a center for projects involving climate chanage solutions and collaborations.

The sanctuary works with the California Department of Fish and Game to establish seven special closures around sensitive coastal and island seabird breeding and rooting sites in the sanctuary.

The sanctuary releases its first comprehensive Condition Report on the status of its bioloigcal and maritime cultural resources.

The Command and Torch Trustee Councils expand the GFNMS led Seabird Protection Network statewide.

Sanctuary funds new interpretive stairway and 17 interpretive trail signs at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in San Mateo County and helps train 25 docents. Docents currently provide personalized tours for over 100,000 students and families.

Funds are acquired to remove invasive species and restore Kent Island in Bolinas Lagoon.

--Compiled by Leslie Grella, Paul Wong, and MJ Schramm