Kelp Condo Crisis

Looking over the ocean, and in some  spots in the estuary, you are sure to find areas of brownish plants clustered together floating near the water’s surface. While these masses may look like a sea-based compost pile, the clumps are actually the tip of a vibrant community below – that of the Giant Kelp, the world’s largest marine plant.

The newest offering from local children’s book author Evelyn Dabritz, The Kelp Condo Crisis, examines the interconnected world of the Giant Kelp and its many residents – from the impressive sheephead and garibaldi fish, to the often missed sea hare and nudibranch, to the ever popular sea otter. Dabritz’ entertaining writing style, combined with colorful illustrations by Isobel Hoffman, brings the kelp ecosystem to life for children and adults alike.

Dabritz, a retired teacher and a California State Parks docent at the Morro Bay State Park Museum of Natural History, has teamed with Hoffman to create three books on marine species including The Kelp Condo Crisis,  How the Innkeeper Worm Got a Full House and Bonnie Barnacle Finds a Home.

Funds for this project came in part from a grant awarded to Mrs. Dabritz by the Estuary Program. How the Innkeeper Worm Got a Full House, was also produced in part by an Estuary Program grant.