Stewarts Point State Marine Reserve/State Marine Conservation Area

The two MPAs at Stewarts Point protect a complex mix of rocky intertidal areas and reefs, kelp forests, and sandy seafloor. Coves, wash rocks, cobble and boulder beaches, and the rocky intertidal zone offer habitat for encrusting coralline algae, chitons, barnacles, limpets, and mussels, as well as mobile species like snails, gobies, and sculpins. Offshore, kelp forests are anchored to submerged rocks and reefs. Blue rockfish, black rockfish, kelp greenling, and striped perch are found throughout the MPA. On the reef, red sea urchins, purple sea urchins, crabs, gumboot chitons, and sea stars move slowly amongst sedentary anemones and sponges.

Fragments of kelp plants can wash ashore creating piles of wrack in the small, sandy beach coves. The kelp wrack provides an important source of nutrients for these isolated beaches. Clams, sand crabs, and worms buried in the sediment feed on plankton that washes over them with each incoming wave. Shorebirds probe the sand in search of a meal. Beyond the nearshore beaches and rocky reefs, both MPAs encompass extensive, deep sandy seafloors. Here, species such as sea whips, sea pens, and anemones protrude from the ever-changing sands, while flatfish, smelt, and Dungeness crab navigate amongst occasional three-dimensional rocky structures that protrude from the sand.

For centuries, Native American Tribes in California have relied on marine and coastal resources. Many Native American Tribes in California continue to regularly harvest marine resources within their ancestral territories and maintain relationships with the coast for ongoing customary uses.

Today, the federally recognized Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of the Stewarts Point Rancheria continues to maintain their traditional relationship with the coast. Located within the Stewarts Point SMCA is Stewarts Point, traditionally called Danága by the Kashia. The Tribe holds ceremonies and engages in traditional cultural practices such as gathering, fishing, and prayer at Danága throughout the year. The reservation of Stewarts Point Rancheria, Su’ Nu’ Nu’ Shinal, is located near the MPAs.

This area was frequented by Russians and native Alaskan hunters as early as 1812 and settled by Mexican landowners in the 1840s. By the 1850s, coastal towns developed as the fur trade grew and cattle ranching expanded. After the Gold Rush of 1849, many former miners established ranches in the area, and lumberjacks came from New England for the region’s abundant timber resources. Established in the mid-1800s, the town of Stewarts Point remains a small community along the Sonoma County coast, with a general store and post office. Timber and cattle ranching remain major economic drivers in the area.

Visitors to Stewarts Point SMR and SMCA can expect extensive tidepools, frequent whale, seal, and sea lion sightings, and good vantage points for birdwatching. While no take is allowed in the SMR, recreational fishing activities are allowed from shore within the SMCA, and fishermen can try for rockfish and lingcod from shore using a hook-and-line .

Snorkeling, freediving, and scuba diving on the rocky reefs is also possible. Black Point has public beach access via a short trail and nearby Salt Point State Park offers easy access and a wealth of options for recreation. Fisk Mill Cove is a popular shore-based entry location for divers. It has a day use area that offers ocean views from Sentinel Rock and provides visitors with paved parking, picnic tables, barbecues, restrooms, and drinking water.

Stewarts Point SMR

This area is bounded by the mean high tide line and straight lines connecting the following points in the order listed except where noted:

38° 40.500' N. lat. 123° 25.345' W. long.;
38° 40.500' N. lat. 123° 30.243' W. long.; thence southward along the three nautical mile offshore boundary to
38° 35.600' N. lat. 123° 26.018' W. long.; and
38° 35.600' N. lat. 123° 20.800' W. long., except that Stewarts Point SMCA as described in subsection 632(b)(33)(A) is excluded.

California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 632(b)(34)

Stewarts Point SMCA

This area is bounded by the mean high tide line and straight lines connecting the following points in the order listed:

38° 39.527' N. lat. 123° 24.483' W. long.;
38° 39.527' N. lat. 123° 24.851' W. long.;
38° 36.958' N. lat. 123° 23.139' W. long.;
38° 36.958' N. lat. 123° 22.468' W. long.

California Code of Regulations Title 14, Section 632(b)(33)