component of the county's coastal ecosystem, provide nesting and roost- 

 ing areas for numerous bird species. In 1970 a California Department 

 of Fish and Game census accounted for 2,900 elephant seals, Mirounga 

 angustirostris , and 9,800 California sea lions, along with breeding 

 pairs of other marine mammals. 



Impacts from accelerated OCS oil and gas development include 

 increased potential for oil spills along the Point Conception to 

 Naples coastline (because of the development of the Santa Ynez Unit) 

 and spill damage to the Naples/Santa Barbara coast (because of acceler- 

 ated development of the Ellwood offshore fields and new tracts leased 

 in Sales 35 and 48). The Naples/Santa Barbara sale area includes leases 

 seaward from the Goleta Slough and Devereaux Slough, and the reefs at 

 Naples and Coal Oil Point. According to the County Plan, the Goleta 

 Slough is one of perhaps ten tidal marshes on the California coast 

 that is relatively unaltered by man's activities. The Slough supports 

 a diverse population of birds and marine organisms including several 

 rare and endangered species. The Goleta Slough, on the campus of the 

 University of California at Santa Barbara, is the home of the rare 

 legless lizard. An i ell a pulchra , and several unusual and endangered 

 species. 



There are direct threats to the Naples Reef by a proposal from 

 AMINOIL to build a marine terminal on the reef, and by ARCO's request 

 to expand operations from Platform Holly and possibly construct a new 

 platform off Coal Oil Point. 



El Estero contains 200 acres of freshwater marsh habitat and pro- 

 vides over 170,000 bird days of use per year. El Estero lies just north 



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