Stornetta lands may soon be monument

Supporters of a two-year campaign to extend national monument status to a breathtaking stretch of southern Mendocino coastline are abuzz with speculation that President Barack Obama might use his executive authority to make it happen, and that he might do so soon. A key reason for the anticipation is the president's pledge two weeks ago during his State of the Union address to use his office “to protect more of our pristine federal lands.” A Washington Post story five days later added to the speculation when it named the Stornetta Public Lands near Point Arena as one of two areas Obama was preparing to designate national monuments. The Feb. 2 story cited unnamed sources not authorized to speak on the record because a final decision had not been made. The news comes after assurances from Interior Secretary Sally Jewell, who toured the Stornetta lands last fall and said the president was prepared to preserve unique, sensitive landscapes if Congress failed to act. The convergence of administrative support and possible presidential action has left Stornetta advocates more optimistic than ever that the landmark property will soon be part of the California Coastal National Monument. “I do have a sense of confidence,” Scott Schneider, president and chief executive of Visit Mendocino Inc., said from Washington, D.C., last week, after a meeting with representatives from the White House Council on Environmental Quality and Department of Interior staff...more