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The National Parks Services (NPS) is seeking public input over whether Los Angeles County’s iconic coastline should be designated as a national park.
The “Los Angeles Coastal Area Special Resource Study,” which was approved by Congress in 2022, will examine a large swath of the Pacific coast stretching from Will Rogers State Beach near the Santa Monica Bay to Torrance Beach.
The study also includes the San Pedro coastline within the city of Los Angeles. It will evaluate four specific factors: significance, suitability, feasibility, and the need for NPS management.
The agency stated that the study’s purpose is to “gather information about select sites along the Los Angeles coast through research and public input, and then to report these findings to Congress,” Fox Los Angeles reported.
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A lifeguard tower at Will Rogers State Beach, north of Santa Monica, California. The National Parks Service is studying whether the coastline from the beach down to San Pedro in Los Angeles could be designated as a national park. (Getty Images)
The public comment period closes on April 6, after which the NPS will analyze the feedback alongside their internal research.
The study will produce a report in 2027, which will provide answers on whether the targeted areas are feasible for either a national park or an NPS unit.
“New national park units are typically added to the National Park Service (NPS) by an Act of Congress,” the NPS website states. “However, before Congress decides to create a new park or add land to an existing park, it needs to know whether the area meets established criteria for designation as a national park unit. This evaluation is conducted through a special resource study. ”
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A distressed seal rests on shore at Will Rogers State Beach. (Christina House / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district includes the San Pedro coastline, told Fox News Digital that she will wait for the report on the study.
“Los Angeles County’s beaches are among our greatest shared treasures and public assets, and any conversation about their future deserves a thoughtful, fact-based approach,” Hahn said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to seeing the pros and cons that come out of this study and what making our beaches a national park could mean for public access, local decision-making, and our responsibility to protect our beaches for generations to come.”
The NPS manages 433 individual units covering more than 85 million acres in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and U.S. territories, according to the NPS website.
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Fox News Digital reached out to the NPS and the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches & Harbors for comment, as well as local environmental groups.