This World Oceans Day (June 8th) was a particularly exciting one for ocean lovers in NY and NJ as Biden announced a proposal to name Hudson Canyon a National Marine Sanctuary! The announcement marked the launch of a 60 day public comment period in which NOAA sought input from stakeholders throughout the region. Our longtime partners at Wildlife Conservation Society nominated Hudson Canyon to be a National Marine Sanctuary over 5 years ago, so we were ready to jump into action to help them power through this next stage!
In 60 days, we garnered our membership to gather nearly 2,000 signatures through newsletters, social media, and tabling. We also testified at 3 NOAA hearings in support of the Canyon and published an op-ed in The Rockaway Wave. Wildlife Conservation Society submitted 8 sign on letters to NOAA, each from a different field or industry that supports the designation. Not only did we sign on to the NGO letter, but we co-organized the Eco-Tourism/Recreation letter as well as the Hospitality letters. We were also fortunate to have WCS present at our July Chapter Meeting and our August Environmental Happy Hour to share the Hudson Canyon campaign with the larger Surfrider NYC community.
It was a short but mighty campaign! We are so grateful to our members and partners for getting fired up to protect this incredible underwater landmark. We look forward to the next stage of this once in a generation opportunity to protect the part of the ocean we call home!