California Coastal National Monument

The California Coastal National Monument is located along the entire coastline of the U.S. state of California. This monument ensures the protection of all islets, reefs and rock outcroppings along the coast of California within 12 nautical miles of shore along the entire 840-mile long coastline. Conservative estimates are for at least 20,000 such outcroppings. The monument was created from Bill Clinton by Presidential proclamation on January 11, 2000 with the authority in section two of the Antiquities Act of 1906. As of 2014, the monument has expanded to 2,272 acres . The U.S. Bureau of Land Management, an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages the monument, has developed gateways in cooperation with other agencies along the California coast to introduce the monument to the public. These include the Trinidad Gateway, Point Arena Gateway, Fort Bragg-Mendocino Gateway, Pigeon Point Gateway, Piedras Blancas-San Simeon Gateway, and Palos Verdes Peninsula Gateway. The California Coastal National Monument is one of the most-viewed national monuments in California although people are usually not aware that they are viewing a national monument.
On March 11, 2014, President Barack Obama used a presidential proclamation to add the Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands to the monument. The proclamation added 1,665 acres of onshore areas to the existing monument, comprising the estuary of the Garcia River. The Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands is located on the Mendocino County Coast, north of the small town of Point Arena. Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands will receive full federal protection and will be open to the public. The Point Arena-Stornetta Public Land is the only land based segment of the national monument visitors are allowed on. Under federal protection the public is allowed to use the land for bird watching, fishing, picnicking, nature photography, and wildlife observation. Overnight camping and parking is prohibited. Along the coastal area there are numerous sink holes and unsteady cliffs.

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