Spring is a busy time for the Estuary Program, and this includes our Education & Outreach staff. During the next few months, our program will be hosting and attending a variety of events throughout the county. Continue reading to learn more about exciting community science opportunities, science talks, Earth Month events, and more!
City Nature Challenge 2025
We are excited to announce that the Estuary Program in partnership with the San Luis Obispo chapters of The Wildlife Society and the California Native Plant Society will be hosting the 2025 City Nature Challenge in SLO County! The City Nature Challenge (CNC) is a worldwide community science event that takes place over a four-day period every April, hosted by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the California Academy of Sciences. From April 25-28, participants are encouraged to go outside and make observations using the iNaturalist app or website. An observation can be a photo of a plant, animal, mushroom, or nearly any other living creature. Another option is to record wildlife sounds such as frogs, birds, or insects. Once observations are uploaded and confirmed by another user, they become research-grade, meaning that they can be used by scientists and other researchers around the globe.
The CNC is an important event because it creates a massive global dataset of species diversity and distribution during a time when biodiversity is diminishing around the world. During last year’s CNC, over 83,000 people worldwide made 2.4 million observations in four days! This will be the first year that SLO County is officially participating in CNC. We are excited to contribute to this historic and impactful community science opportunity.
How to Join the City Nature Challenge
There are multiple ways to get involved with City Nature Challenge. There will be multiple “bioblitz” events happening throughout SLO County during CNC weekend (April 25-28). A bioblitz is “a communal effort to record as many species within a designated location and time period as possible.” They are being hosted by local partners including California State Parks, Creek Lands Conservation, The Wildlife Society, and more. During a bioblitz, staff and volunteers will be present to assist attendees with making quality observations and using the iNaturalist platform. These events are a great way to explore natural areas around the county and participate in community science. All local bioblitz events will be listed on the SLO County CNC iNaturalist page. If you are outside of SLO County, you can look for local bioblitz opportunities by searching for your town or county on iNaturalist.org.
If you can’t make it to a bioblitz, you are welcome to make observations independently! Just go outside anytime between April 25-28 and take photos or audio recordings of wild organisms (humans and domesticated cats/dogs do not count), then upload them to iNaturalist before May 4 so they can be counted in the challenge total.
Earth Month Events
In addition to helping with CNC, the Estuary Program will be hosting and attending a variety of events throughout SLO County during Earth Month (April). You can come see us at the downtown Morro Bay farmer’s market on Saturday, April 5 and the downtown SLO farmer’s market on Thursday, April 10. We will also be tabling at the 3rd annual Beaver Festival hosted by the SLO Beaver Brigade at the Mission Plaza on Saturday, April 12.
We will be hosting our annual Earth Day cleanup on Saturday, April 19 in Morro Bay. This year’s cleanup will start at the Centennial Parkway, and participants will pick up trash around the harbor, Embarcadero, and surrounding neighborhoods. To learn more and to register, visit the Eventbrite page here.
30th Anniversary Celebration
Did you know that this year is the 30th anniversary of the Morro Bay National Estuary Program? To celebrate, we will be hosting a Science on Tap event with a focus on our restoration and monitoring efforts since our establishment in 1995. Join us on Thursday, April 24 from 6 to 7:30 pm at Oak & Otter Brewing in SLO. Attendees can chat with Estuary Program staff about current and upcoming projects. To register for this event, visit the Eventbrite page. As April’s Oak & Otter “Giving Thursday” partner, a portion of the profits from the day will go towards the Estuary Program. So even if you can’t make it to the event, you can still support by going in and having a drink or meal any time from 11:30 am to 8:00 pm.
That’s all for April, but we have even more events coming up this spring and summer. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on Eventbrite to keep up with all our programming!
Help us protect and restore the Morro Bay estuary!
- Donate to the Estuary Program today and support our work in the field, the lab, and beyond.
The Estuary Program is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. We depend on funding from grants and generous donors to continue our work. - Support us by purchasing estuary-themed gear from ESTERO. This locally owned and operated company donates 20% of proceeds from its Estuary clothing line and 100% of Estuary decal proceeds to the Estuary Program. Thank you, ESTERO!
- Purchase items from the Estuary Program’s store on Zazzle. Zazzle prints and ships your items, and the Estuary Program receives 10% of the proceeds.
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- We want to hear from you! Please take a few minutes to fill out this short survey about what type of events you’d like to see from the Estuary Program. We appreciate your input!