Save Point Arena Cove

The Surfrider Foundation Mendocino Chapter is strongly urging the City of Point Arena to consider elements of a managed retreat in their proposed parking lot repair project instead of hard armoring. Repairing the jetty with large boulders and replacing the concrete seawall, will only cause more erosion in the future, block access to the beach, and could forever damage the wave Point Arena is known for. 

Although this proposed repair does not increase the footprint or go beyond the bounds of the original construction permit filed in 1985, it's time to not look back 30+ years into the past, but look to the future at how we can do things better.  Our winter storms and sea levels have changed dynamically in the last 30 years and we need to employ new methods for responsible coastal management.

Managed retreat is the only sustainable way we can preserve our beaches for future generations. The chapter stands with Representative Huffman, the California Coastal Commission, and Bierman HydroGeologic in their recommendations and allowances to explore alternative methods for protecting and preserving the Cove.

Surfrider Foundation would like the City of Point Arena to consider the following options:

• A retreat of the seaward-most portions of the parking lot in accordance with the California Coastal Commission’s Sea-Level Rise policy guidance. There may be sufficient parking for the general public access even with the potential loss of a few spaces, and there may be a way to restructure parking flow to create more spaces on the eastern side of the entrance to the Cove.
• Removal of imported jetty rock originally permitted in 1985 that has been displaced below the high-water line. We understand that this rock is not an ideal size to relocate and key-in to new armoring material, but disregarding its existence and importing new material is negligent to the stewardship of the beach and intertidal zone.
• Accept the Coastal Commission’s invitation to review conceptual plans for Arena Creek restoration that would allow for stream alterations where the primary purpose is for fish and wildlife habitat improvement. At a time when our fish population is facing grave threats from habitat loss, we see the need to consider habitat improvement in this project.
• We see the future repair of the Point Arena Cove parking lot as a golden opportunity to employ a new direction of humankind’s interaction with our natural environment, one that looks to sustainable stewardship and long-range planning that takes into account the enjoyment of nature for future generations.  

For more information contact: Nicole Paisley Martensen chair@mendocino.surfrider.org