
APPENDIX
C: STATE AND FEDERAL AUTHORITIES APPLICABLE TO THE
MONTEREY BAY AREA
Section IV: Additional Special Areas/Agencies
IV: Additional Special Areas/Agencies
A. Los Padres National Forest
The United States Forest Service is responsible for the management of the Los Padres National Forest. The Forest parallels the coast from Mount Carmel (near Point Sur) in the north to the Monterey County-San Luis Obispo County boundary in the south. The Forest includes two coastal areas, one encompassing Cooper Point and Pfeiffer Point at the northern boundary of the Forest and the other extending from the Lucia vicinity (near Lopez Point) to the Monterey County-San Luis Obispo County boundary.
For management purposes, the Forest is divided into several planning units. Both coastal areas of the Forest are included within the Big Sur Coastal Planning Unit. The unit as a whole is 52 sm (83 km) long and varies from 3 to 9 sm (4.8 to 14.4 km) in width. Both coastal areas also fall within the boundaries of the California Sea Otter Game Refuge. Adjoining the Planning Unit are four State Parks, including the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, which is operated in conjunction with the adjacent under-water park, and two ASBSs at Julia Pfeiffer Burns Underwater Park and the ocean area surrounding the mouth of Salmon Creek (see above).
Management policies for the Big-Sur Coastal Planning Unit are described in a recently issued Land Management Plan. The Forest Service worked closely with many governmental agencies in the formulation of the plan, including, in particular, the CDFG, which manage areas directly adjacent to the unit. It is the intent of the plan that all management policies be implemented in harmony with affected agencies.
Specific management policies of the plan which are relevant to the proposed marine sanctuary include ensuring the protection of the Salmon Creek and Julia Pfeiffer Burns Underwater Park ASBSs prior to proceeding with any resource development, maintaining a high level of water quantity and quality, and ensuring that the management of the Planning Unit is consistent with the California Coastal Plan for the Monterey Coast.