About
The Orange County Marine Protected Area Council (OCMPAC) is the state’s oldest MPA Collaborative, started in 1999. OCMPAC is a collaboration of city and county officials, institutional representatives, environmental advocates, academic faculty and nonprofit organization members. OCMPAC’s accomplishments have included county-wide signage, enforcement trainings, education programs, research & monitoring, and teacher workshops. Based on their success, OCMPAC was used as a model for the development of the statewide network of Collaboratives. In addition to establishing programs for docent education, public outreach, and consistent enforcement, OCMPAC is actively engaged in a range of citizen science projects that monitor the health of Orange County’s MPAs.
Upcoming Orange County Events
| Date & Time | Event Details | |
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Thursday, October 22, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm |
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Orange County Marine Protected Area Council Meeting |
Join the OCMPAC Mailing List
Publications
Diving in Crystal Cove State Marine Conservation Area
Time to make some bubbles and dive into Crystal Cove State Marine Conservation Area! In this story from Todd Shanklin, Orange Coast District, California State Parks, he describes SCUBA diving in the marine protected area (MPA) adjacent to Crystal Cove State Park. On...
A Model of Collaboration: The Orange County Marine Protected Area Council
In order to provide continued protection within those now historical MPAs, a partnership of city and county officials, institutional representatives, environmental consultants, academic faculty, and nonprofit organization members formed what is known as the Orange...
Evaluation of two outreach tools, an educator program and a mobile tidepool exhibit, in reducing deleterious visitor activities and rasiing marine protected area awareness in rocky intertidal ecosystems of southern California, USA
Rocky intertidal habitats in urbanized settings, such as in southern California, USA, are heavily perturbed by human visitors (tidepoolers) through the deleterious activities of collecting, handling, and trampling. To protect rocky intertidal biota, certain locations...
In-kind contributions to Orange County marine protected area management
Blue Earth Consultants conducted a valuation of in-kind contributions made by non-State members of Orange County Marine Protected Area Council (OCMPAC) to marine protected area (MPA) management activities in Orange County. OCMPAC is a leading Community Collaborative...
Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve and State Marine Conservation Area
The idyllic shoreline of Laguna Beach is made up of rocky headlands with towering cliffs, sandy beaches and a myriad of tide pools teeming with life. It is also home to one of the largest coastal “no-take” marine protected areas (MPAs) in southern California. Located...
Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: Bolsa Chica Wetlands
One of the last remaining wetland ecosystems in Southern California, the Bolsa Chica Wetlands form the largest saltwater marsh south of Point Conception, Santa Barbara County. Approximately 1,300 acres in size with an intricate five-mile trail system, the wetlands are...
Projects
In-Kind Contributions Evaluation
A project to quantify the value of services added by their MPA Collaborative. Completed in 2016. Published in 2019.
“This study illuminates the estimated contributions that entities are providing, without the requirement of a legal mandate, to further management of Orange County’s MPAs. This in-kind support enhances many aspects of effective MPA functioning, including scientific monitoring and research; outreach, education, and building compliance with MPA regulations; fundraising; and more.”
Guide to Tidepool Exploration in Orange County MPAs Brochure
This handy guide highlights some of the species that can be spotted within tidepools around Orange County. The guide also highlights best practices for tidepooling in order to have the lowest impact on this fragile and important habitat.
Guide to Orange County MPAs Brochure
This brochure provides general information on marine protected areas, allowed take, a map of Orange County MPAs and more.
OCMPAC Leadership Team
Ray Hiemstra
OCMPAC Co-Chair
Associate Director of Programs, Orange County Coastkeeper
ray@coastkeeper.org
Lana Nguyen
OCMPAC Co-Chair
Environmental Scientist, CA State Parks Orange Coast District
lana.nguyen@parks.ca.gov