The mission of the Mendocino MPA Collaborative is to enhance effectiveness and increase awareness of Mendocino County’s marine protected areas.  

The Mendocino Collaborative brings together researchers, fishers, indigenous peoples and tribal representatives, local elected officials, environmental NGOs, and agencies.  

The collaborative recently partnered with the Sonoma Collaborative on a pilot project testing the effectiveness of LED highway signs at gaining compliance. Three pilot signs were placed at various locations near MPAs with distinct and locally-relevant messages and an evaluation was completed to determine impact.  

Past projects include conducting marine protected area outreach and education to schools, councils, clubs and associations in Mendocino and Lake Counties and creating teacher toolkits to empower local elementary school teachers to provide MPA lessons to their classes. The outreach team consisted of representatives from the tribal, fishing, and conservation communities that provided balanced information on MPAs to the community, increased partnerships, and built social capital for more effective ocean health and marine protected area related activities.  

The Mendocino Collaborative is reflecting on how to address serious issues impacting local MPAs, such as climate change and kelp forest decline.  

CA State Parks MPA Training

Mendocino Collaborative members developed and delivered a training on MPAs to California State Parks employees to aid them in understanding and sharing information on MPAs in their jurisdiction.