Your Conservation Chair and Committee have two basic responsibilities to the Chair of MCAS and to you, the members. First is to watch for opportunities to protect, enhance, diversify and expand the bird habitat in our area. Our second task is to be aware of any and all issues that would improve bird habitat or bird life, and attempt to insure that MCAS did all it possibly could to insure the successful fruition of that issue or those issues; the corollary, of course, is to be aware of issues that would damage bird life or bird habitat and insure that MCAS does all in its power to prevent these from occurring. None of this can happen successfully unless we have maximum cooperation from all our members and from our fellow conservation organizations.
This means you. If you are aware of any issues that MCAS should be active in pursuing, please email Dave Tyra at dave@morrocoastaudubon.org. If you have a few hours per month to spend on such issues please join our Conservation Committee. The tasks may include attending meetings, writing letters to decision-makers, or actually working in the field on bird habitat.
Current & Past Conservation Issues
For more information, on the issues that Morro Coast Audubon Society is pursuing or has pursued, click on the links below (letters are PDFs).LOCAL & STATE (most recent first)
April 2024: MCAS letter (dated 04/03/2024; 2 pgs) Letter to Toxic Safety and Environmental Materials Committee regarding Strong Support of CA AB 2552 Restricting use of Anticoagulant rodenticides.
February 2024: MCAS with 12 other environmental groups (dated 02/20/2024; 47 pgs) Letter to BOEM regarding Notice of Intent to Prepare a PEIS for Future Floating Offshore Wind Energy Development.
February 2024: MCAS Letter (dated 02/14/2024; 1 pg) Letter to CA State Coastal Conservancy regarding Support for the Conservation of the Diable Canyon Lands.
October 2023: MCAS Letter (Undated; 1 pg) Letter to NOAA regarding Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.
August 2023: MCAS Statement (Undated; 1 pg) Public comments read by Conservation Chair Dave Tyra during a California Coastal Commission meeting on 08-09-2023 asking the Commission to appeal a court decision to continue to allow off-road vehicle access to Oceano Dunes.
March 2023: MCAS Letter (dated 03-01-2023; 2 pgs) Comments regarding SB846 Land Conservation and Economic Development Plan For Diablo Canyon Lands. This is another important issue about which we should be aware.
February 2023: MCAS Letter (dated 02-11-2023; 2 pgs) Comments regarding EPA’s proposed new mitigation measures for first and second generation (SGAR) anticoagulant rodenticides. This is an important issue about which we should be aware.
May 2022: National, Morro Coast, Santa Barbara, and Ventura Audubon Societies (dated 05-16-2022; 5 pgs) Submitted to Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Comments in Response to Draft Environmental Assessment for Commercial Wind Lease and Grant Issuance and Site Assessment Activities on the Pacific Outer Continental Shelf, Morro Bay Wind Energy Area, California
January 2022: MCAS and 13 other environmental groups listed on pg 19 (dated 01-31-2022; 19 pgs) to NOAA Sanctuaries West Coast Regional Office, Notice of Intent To Conduct Scoping and To Prepare a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary
January 2022: MCAS and 9 other environmental groups listed on pg 23 (dated 01-11-2022; 23 pgs) to Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Office of Strategic Resources, Comments of Outer Continental Shelf Offshore Morro Bay, California Wind Energy Area, Environmental Assessment Scoping [Docket No. BOEM-2021-0044-0061]
October 2021: MCAS & 15 friends letter (dated 10-18-2021; 3 pgs) to SLO County Board of Supervisors, regarding Arroyo Grande Oil Field Extension Request Appeal
September 2021: MCAS letter dated 09-28-2021; 1 pg) to PG&E, regarding 2021 NDCTP (Nuclear Decommissioning Cost Triennial Proceeding) and to promote a sustainable managed public access program.
September 2021: MCAS letter (dated 09-16-2021; 2 pgs) to Port San Luis Harbor Commission, regarding Hartford Pier Site Plan and its Fish Cleaning Station
March 2021: Audubon CA letter (dated 03-17-2021; 4 pgs) to California State Parks, regading Pismo State Beach and Oceano Dunes SVRA Draft Public Works Plan and Draft Environmental Impact Report Available for Review
March 2021: MCAS-Audubon CA letter (dated 03-11-2021; 4 pgs) to California Coastal Commission, regarding Oceano Dunes CDP review [Coastal Development Permit (CDP) 4-82-300]
2020: National Audubon, Audubon CA and MCAS (undated; 3 pgs) to ONMS (Office of National Marine Sanctuaries) West Coast Region regarding Review of Nomination for Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary (Docket Number NOAA-NOS-2020-0063)
June 2020: Audubon CA letter (dated 06-01-2020; 5 pgs) to California Department of Parks and Recreation, Oceano Dunes District, regarding draft Environmental Impact Report for the draft Habitat Conservation Plan for Pismo State Beach and Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area
June 2020: MCAS letter (dated 06-01-2020; 6 pgs) to California Department of Parks and Recreation regarding Oceano Dunes District Draft Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR)
March 2020: Coalition Letter (dated 04-10-2020; 7 pgs) from 89 organizations to California Fish & Game Commission regarding Petition to list Southern California and Central Coast mountain lions as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act
January 2020: MCAS Letter (dated 01-23-2020; 3 pgs) to California State Parks Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division regarding Pismo State Beach and Oceano Dunes SVRA Public Works Plan
July 2019: MCAS-Audubon CA Letter (dated 07-04-2019; 5 pgs), to California Coastal Commission regarding Coastal Development Permit for the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area
July 2019: MCAS letter (dated 07-01-2019; 2 pgs) to Department of Army-U.S. Army Corps of Engineers regarding SLP-2019-00102-EBR, Morro Bay Oyster Company Farm expansion
June 2019: MCAS letter (dated 06-18-2019; 2 pgs; previous versions in May 2018 & June 2015) to San Luis Obispo County Integrated Waste Management Authority regarding Support of Ban of Polystyrene Foam.
March 2019: MCAS Letter (dated 03-13-2019; 4 pgs) to California State Parks re: California State Parks Public Works Plan (PWP) for the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area, specifically Project A: Oso Flaco Campground and Public Access Project.
January 2019: MCAS and 6 other environmental groups (dated 01-28-2019; 44 pgs) to BOEM from multiple NGOs including National Audubon Society & Sierra Club re: "Comments on the Call for Information and Nominations for Commercial Leasing for Wind Power Development on the Outer Continental Shelf Offshore California [Docket No. BOEM- 2019-0045]."
April 2017: MCAS letter (dated 04-05-2017; 2 pgs) to San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors regarding Permanent Oak Woodlands Protection Ordinance
August 2016: MCAS letter (dated 08-14-2016; 4 pgs) to San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors regarding Interim Urgency Ordinance / Permanent Oak Woodlands Protection Ordinance
February 2016: MCAS letter (dated 02-02-2016; 4 pgs) to San Luis Obispo County Planning Commission regarding the Phillips 66 Development Plan / Coastal Development Permit
September 2015: MCAS letter (dated 09-21-2015; 4 pgs) to Morro Bay City Council regarding Support of National Marine Sanctuary Designation (undated PDF, with five attached letters dated, as they appear: 12-03-2014, 01-06-2015, 12-15-2014, 07-28-2014, and 01-27-2015)
November 2014: MCAS & PWC letter (dated 11-20-2014; 2 pgs) to Port San Luis Harbor Commission regarding the Wildlife Improvements at Port San Luis (The Tribune website - updated 07-18-2015)
May 2014: MCAS letter (dated 05-16-2014; 2 pgs) to San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors regarding The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County acquisition of the Pismo Preserve (Land Conservancy website dated 08/28/2014)
October 2012: MCAS letter (dated 10-16-2012; 2 pgs) to the California Coastal Commission Regarding PG&E Seismic Imaging Survey
NATIONAL (most recent first)
February 2021: MCAS letter (dated 02-09-2021; 1 pg) to US Fish and Wildlife Service, expressing support of the hallowed interpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act
April 2016: MCAS letter (dated 04-15-2016; 1 pg) to U.S. Department of the Interior: Fish & Wildlife Service, Pacific Southwest Region regarding the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes NWR Draft Comprehensive Conservation Plan (National Archives website dated 03-02-2016)
March 2014: MCAS letter (dated 03-05-2014; 7 pgs) to Secretary John Kerry: Comments on the National Interest Determination of the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline Project
September 2013: MCAS letter (dated 09-26-2013; 1 pg) urges Governor Jerry Brown to sign AB711 and stop the needless poisoning of humans and wildlife with lead ammunition
May 2013: MCAS comments (no paper copy available) on Proposed Keystone XL Pipeline Project Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement
