Eagle Eyes on False Klamath Cove

False Klamath Cove—A Marine Refuge

Located in rural Del Norte County between Klamath and Crescent City, False Klamath Cove (FKC) is a special place that is home to a myriad of marine life. Boulder fields dot the sandy beach that acts as a coastal safe haven despite being located only a few yards from Highway 101, one of the major travel routes in California. Fishers and tourists visiting the beach can witness a frenzied spectacle of birds just offshore on the impressive FKC Smoke Stack Rock, a well-known rookery for nearly 45,000 birds. This small but important rocky sanctuary protects at least eight different bird species, including Double-crested Cormorants, Black Oystercatchers, and Tufted Puffins. Under the Marine Life Protection Act, Smoke Stack Rock was designated as a special closure area with a 300-foot buffer zone from March to August every year.

The location of FKC puts it at the unique intersection of conservation management groups. As part of the Yurok ancestral territory, FKC lies on a stretch of coast with great cultural significance to many indigenous people who have been environmental stewards of this coastal ecosystem for thousands of years. Today multiple agencies, including The National Park Service and California State Parks, also play a role in managing the area.

Yurok tribal members and local community members have a deep understanding of the North Coast’s unique landscape and are willing to contribute their expertise and knowledge for improved management. Within the last couple years, the Yurok tribe started an independent project by a group known as the Eagle Eyes of False Klamath Cove to gather statistical information used to inform marine management initiatives.

Eagle Eyes of False Klamath Cove 

In July 2017, the Eagle Eyes of False Klamath Cove (EEOFKC) began their initial extensive data collection as an observational behavioral study of human activities, from the number of people and the type of activity occurring to the method of entrance to the beach and the type of recreational vehicles present. By identifying patterns of human behavior and beach use, EEOFKC aims to guide management strategies and implement interventions that reduce disturbances to marine life.  Establishing North Coast baseline data is critical, as preliminary research found that there were no visitor use studies or data on this area prior to EEOFKC’s data collection on human activity.

Unlike many community science programs where volunteers only collect data for a couple hours every few weeks, EEOFKC has adopted a considerably more thorough process. Observers are stationed at an overlook for twelve hours at a time, recording all human activity (from the water to the parking lot) during the entire duration of the shift. The consistency and dedication of EEOFKC volunteers is unparalleled, and over one thousand surveys have been completed since the program commenced in 2017.

“Volunteers have appreciated that fact that they are able to preserve the beach while having fun, going as they always have, and gaining invaluable data to protect our oceans for future generations,” remarked John W. Corbett, the founder of EEOFKC.

Joining Forces—EEoFKC and MPA Watch

In 2018, EEOFKC decided to align their impressive data collection methods with MPA Watch, a statewide citizen science program where trained community members contribute observational data on public use along the coast to aid the adaptive management of MPAs.

By adopting similar standardized protocols, EEOFKC has been able to contribute data to the MPA Watch online database which allows their surveys to be accessed on a statewide level. Since February 2018, EEOFKC has submitted over 1,451 surveys to MPA Watch, an extremely impressive collection of data considering most other sites average half that amount.

Importance of California Tribes’ Involvement in Marine Conservation

Indigenous peoples, such as the Yurok Tribe, have an intimate connection with the land and sea which their livelihood has long depended on. As the original environmental stewards, native peoples possess traditional ecological knowledge of not only natural ecosystem processes but also of the imminent threats to both the terrestrial and marine environment. Many tribes have continuously maintained stewardship and subsistence harvesting through the era of European colonization and in the face of today’s coastal development.  Now with many Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) located within tribal ancestral lands throughout California, incorporating Native American stewardship efforts into modern environmental management is essential.

When members of the Yurok and Tolowa Tribes recognized that there was a severe lack of written information regarding human beach use, they devised a plan and took action in order to cultivate better management strategies.  Engaging tribal nations and local communities in statewide programs like MPA Watch is crucial for developing more collaborative adaptive management tactics.  The success of these programs has manifested in establishing strategies for reducing negative human impacts on marine life habitats, including the treasured bird rookery in FKC.

In many rural areas, indigenous peoples are the only consistent presence that contributes to conservation.  Members of native tribes aim to ensure that ocean resources, vital to their culture and way of life, are protected forever.  As conservation efforts become visibly more important for preserving marine life, there is no doubt that the MPA Watch program and other management agencies would benefit from increased tribal involvement throughout California.

Regardless of the many differences that exist between government workers, commercial fishermen, local beachgoers, NGOs, and Indigenous communities, one common purpose that continues to unite them all is conserving California’s unique coastal ecosystems for future generations.