Sign our petition today to advocate for permanent protections within the Blake Plateau.
The Blake Plateau—a remarkable underwater plateau off the coast of Georgia, the Carolinas, and Florida—supports a wide array of ocean life, but currently lacks strong safeguards and is facing numerous industrial threats, including oil and gas leasing restrictions that will expire in the next decade. As people of faith who share a commitment to care for Sacred Earth and her waters, it is up to us to show support for strong protections for this unique and holy place.
What is Blake Plateau?
Blake Plateau is roughly 100 miles off Georgia's coast. It is a hidden underwater plateau of more than 200 species of spectacular cold-water coral that, together with the powerful Gulf Stream, fuel the region's vast ocean biodiversity. The plateau includes several amazing structures, including the 200-mile-long dense coral highway made up of thousands of ancient coral mounds—some towering hundreds of feet above the sea floor– which is commonly known as Million Mounds. The Blake Plateau provides important habitat and nutrients for the area's marine life, including nearly 100 deep-sea fish species, invertebrates like octopus, at least 22 seabird species, six of the world's seven species of sea turtles–including the endangered Loggerhead turtle, and colossal sperm whales. As our ocean warms, some of the plateau's coral areas, like the Central Blake Knolls that are in colder, deeper areas, will become important refuges for deep-sea corals and all the marine species that rely on them. All in all, this dynamic area is critical to the health of the entire region's wildlife. The powerful Gulf Stream and the deep-water corals it supports work together to feed an amazing diversity of marine life all along the Southeastern Atlantic shelf.
Please sign below in support of long-lasting safeguards to secure the treasures of the Blake Plateau ecosystem for current and future generations.