California Coastal National Monument protects California’s offshore islets, reefs, and rock outcroppings along the entire 840-mile coastline, covering at least 20,000 formations within 12 nautical miles of shore. Established in 2000 under the Antiquities Act, it was later expanded to add onshore public lands while keeping its core mission of safeguarding the state’s offshore margin. Major additions in 2014 and 2017 created six onshore units totaling 7,924 acres, including places such as Point Arena-Stornetta and Cotoni-Coast Dairies. Managed by the Bureau of Land Management, the monument links offshore habitat, headlands, estuaries, and cultural sites into a broad but often overlooked protected landscape.

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain

Photo: Wikipedia · Public domain