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.

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. To prevent wildlife disturbance, motorized personal watercraft are prohibited.

1992
The sanctuary initiates long-term assessment and monitoring of rocky intertidal habitats. 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. The sanctuary begins monitoring offshore intertidal sites on the South Farallon Islands. Abalone tagging monitoring programs are established. The Sanctuary participates in an interagency cruise to sample sediment and long-lived fish at a shallow radioactive waste dumpsite.

1993
Gulf of the Farallones sanctuary establishes Beach Watch, the first formal volunteer program within the National Marine Sanctuary Program and later receives 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 breed on the Farallon Islands.

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 Farallones. Interagency project begins to re-establish abandoned Common Murre colony at Devil's Slide Rock following the Apex Houston oil spill. The first murre chicks fledge in over many years. The Beach Watch Program wins congressional recognition as a significant volunteer program of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Manager Ed Ueber receives commendations from Congresswoman Pelosi and the California State Assembly. He also is named an "Ocean Hero" in association with the Smithsonian's Ocean Planet Exhibit. In October, an oil spill from the drydocked tanker Cape Mohican leaks oil into San Francisco Bay and the sanctuary. Beach Watchers participate in incident response. 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 to be traced to the Luckenbach shipwreck.

1998
The sanctuary opens the first visitor center in the National Marine Sanctuary Program at the San Francisco Presidio. The sanctuary’s Beach Watch monitors collect evidence of seabird and habitat impacts from the T/V Command oil spill. Funds totalling $4.05 million in penalties 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.

1999
The sanctuary eliminates disturbance by clam diggers to harbor seals at Tomales Bay during pupping season. By 2005, the program reverses the seals’ 15-year decline in pup survival. The Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association initiates a Responsible Wildlife Viewing program to educate boaters how to view wildlife without disturbing them. The National Marine Sanctuary System and National Geographic Society start the Sustainable Seas Expedition (SSE) at Sanctuary. The major thrust of the program is education and testing submersible research methods at all the National Marine Sanctuaries. The Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association, National Marine Fisheries Service and Sanctuary staff train to become submersible pilots. Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association sponsors the first marine sanctuary outreach fair, Ocean Fest. The sanctuary's emergency response plan is developed by Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association. The sanctuary coordinates Northern and Central California harbor seal census.

2000s

2000
The Draft Management Plan Review begins, addressing issues such as wildlife disturbance, research, water quality, fisheries and other issues. The National Park Service acquired the 562-acre Waldo Giacomini Ranch for the purpose of restoring Tomales Bay wetlands. Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association institutes Visitor Center school programs. Farallones Marine Sanctuary 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 Teacher-at-Sea Kathy Soave and Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association.

2002
The Sanctuary Advisory Council, comprised of constituents in education, commerce, 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, having collected evidence identifying the source of "mystery" oil spills as the S/S Jacob Luckenbach, 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 for all except water quality programs. The Sharkmobile program is launched to educate 4-6th grade students about shark biology and conservation issues.

2005-06
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.

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 Oil Spill dumps over 53,000 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay, and into the Gulf of the Farallones and Monterey Bay national marine sanctuaries.

2008
The California Academy of Sciences/Steinhart Aquarium unveils a major exhibit on the region's sanctuaries.

2009
The sanctuary releases its revised Management Plan. The U.S. Department of Commerce awards the regional marine sanctuaries a Bronze Medal for the Cosco Busan oil spill response.

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