Updates from the Field: Monitoring Eelgrass Expansion

Makenzie, Monitoring Coordinator, takes data while monitoring eelgrass in Morro Bay.

The Morro Bay National Estuary Program’s fieldwork has been deemed an essential service by the County of San Luis Obispo. Due to COVID-19 safety precautions, we are not working with volunteers at this time and our field staff are following updated monitoring protocols. We look forward to working with volunteers and other community members again as soon as it is safe for us to do so. Thank you, readers, for staying engaged and supporting the Estuary Program’s work on monitoring eelgrass expansion and other projects during this difficult time. Green, green, everywhere! If you’ve been out on the …

Field Updates February 2021: Post-Storm Monitoring

March 5, 2021 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program Canet road creek flow effects of rain field work fieldwork flow monitoring precipitation steelhead storm storm flow storm monitoring storm water Field Updates

COVID-19 Precautions The Morro Bay National Estuary Program’s fieldwork has been deemed an essential service by the County of San Luis Obispo. Due to COVID-19 safety precautions, we are not working with volunteers at this time and our field staff are following updated monitoring protocols. We look forward to working with volunteers and other community members again as soon as it is safe for us to do so. Thank you, readers, for staying engaged and supporting the Estuary Program’s work on storm monitoring and other fieldwork tasks during this difficult time. Monitoring Sites Post-Storm January brought a substantial amount …

Save Our Bees

February 26, 2021 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program bee decline bee die off Bee hive monitoring network bees chlorpyriphos cypermethrin deltamethrin fipronil nicotinoid Blog Posts

Many bees on a honeycomb. One bee, marked with a yellow dot, is the queen.

Bees are part of the food cycle in one of the most essential ways—they help pollinate our food. Why is this important? In order for plants to produce the fruits, nuts, and vegetables that we eat, bees (more specifically, worker bees) collect nectar and pollen from flowers. When they fly to another flower, they unintentionally rub that pollen onto the new flower, pollinating it [i]. There is more to the science, but basically, by doing this, the bee has fertilized the flower, making it possible for the plant to produce food. The lifeline of the bee Worker bees, which …

Community Scientists Make a Difference for Morro Bay

February 19, 2021 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program Audubon citizen science community science ecoslo estuary hummingbirds iNaturalist marine debris MBNEP morro bay noaa science activities weather Blog Posts

A plastic sand toy left on rocks at the beach.

While not everyone can be a marine biologist, a meteorologist, or a conservation ecologist, anyone can contribute to the wealth of data that these experts use and study. Our own Monitoring program uses data gathered by community scientist volunteers and staff members to keep an eye on long-term trends in water quality, bacteria levels, and other factors that influence stream and bay health. (We are not working with volunteers at this time due to COVID-19 precautions, but we look forward to having our volunteers back in the field as soon as it’s safe to do so.) Today, we’re sharing …

Morro Bay Watershed Native Plant Series: Maritime and Mixed Chaparral

February 12, 2021 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program beauty and bounty of Morro Bay california native plants estuary MBNEP morro bay morro bay national estuary program native plant series native plants plant communities Blog Posts

Where do chaparral plant communities grow? Covering almost nine percent of the state, chaparral is one of the most widespread plant communities in California. Take a look at our introductory post to the Morro Bay Native Plant Series, an exploration of our watershed’s diverse native flora! Where can I find chaparral plant communities in Morro Bay? In the Morro Bay watershed, we see chaparral plant communities occurring in close association with the southern coastal scrub community and on higher, drier slopes. Since they are typically further inland from the immediate coast, chaparral plants experience greater temperature fluctuations (hotter summers …

Field Updates January 2021: Wildlife, Rainfall, and Flow Monitoring

February 5, 2021 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program Canet road eelgrass field updates field work fieldwork flow monitoring lion's mane monitoring nudibranch precipitation rain rainfall rainfall accumulation research san diego dorid sea slug water quality Blog Posts Field Updates

The Morro Bay National Estuary Program’s fieldwork has been deemed an essential service by the County of San Luis Obispo. Due to COVID-19 safety precautions, we are not working with volunteers at this time and our field staff are following updated monitoring protocols. We look forward to working with volunteers and other community members again as soon as it is safe for us to do so. Thank you, readers, for staying engaged and supporting the Estuary Program’s work during this difficult time. What’s Living in the Eelgrass? Estuary Program staff have continued to monitor eelgrass into January 2021, …

First Flush in the Morro Bay Watershed: What goes down the drain?

January 29, 2021 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program central coast clean water first flush MBNEP morro bay morro bay estuary nitrates non-point-source pollution nonpoint source pollution pollution runoff storm water stormwater water pollution Blog Posts

Each fall, many of us busily prepare for the first big rain of the wet season. Homeowners might clean out gutters and put away patio furniture. Cities often run their street sweepers and vacuum out storm drains to prevent flooding. This past fall, the Estuary Program prepared for what is known as First Flush monitoring. What’s the harm in a little runoff? In the course of daily life, pollutants build up on our streets and sidewalks. Things like oil spills from cars, fertilizer from landscaping, pet waste, and trash can gather. When the first big rain arrives, these …

San Luis Obispo County’s Stealth Trees—Our Native Conifers

January 22, 2021 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program bishop pine california conifer conifer coulter pine Cupressus sargentii fire ecology fusarium circinatum gray pine grey pine knobcone pine monterey pine native conifer pinus attenuata pinus coulteri pinus muricata pinus radiata Pinus sabiniana pitch canker sargent's cypress serotinous trees of san luis obispo county Guest post Native Plants

Guest post by Chris Hamma, biography below. San Luis Obispo County’s Stealth Trees—Our Native Conifers Overview of the trees of San Luis Obispo County In many ways, San Luis Obispo County is a throwback to “Old California,” with its beautiful landscapes of oak woodlands, chaparral, and grassland. If asked to describe the county’s flora, many of us might not think to mention… conifer forests? Though our county’s coast ranges are home to a variety of native coniferous trees, for the most part, they’re overshadowed by our more prolific native species. Our iconic oaks—coast live oak, valley oak, blue oak—virtually define …

Western Monarchs Need Our Help: Monarch Migration and Population Decline

January 15, 2021 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program butterfly migration citizen science help monarchs MBNEP monarch butterflies monarch butterfly monarch count monarch decline monarch grove monarch migration monarch population morro bay thanksgiving count Xerces society Blog Posts citizen science Thanksgiving Volunteering

Monarch butterflies cluster on eucalyptus leaves in Sweet Springs Nature Preserve. Photograph courtesy of Michael "Mike" L. Baird, bairdphotos.com by Flickr Creative Commons license.

Central Coast monarch butterfly sightings If you live on the Central Coast or visit during the fall or winter, you’ve likely seen monarch butterflies making their way along the annual migration path. Driving down the freeway, you might catch the bright orange and black flash of monarch wings as they flit as fast as they can across the road, fighting the wind whipped up by traffic. These insect athletes are built for distance rather than speed. The Western monarch’s annual migration of up to 3,000 miles is the longest on record, but their estimated average flight speed of of 5.5 …

Field Updates December 2020: Eelgrass Monitoring and Volunteer Monitoring Update

January 8, 2021 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program bay bacteria COVID-19 eelgrass field updates field work fieldwork MBNEP monitoring morro bay morro bay estuary science seagrass volunteer Field Updates

Monitoring eelgrass at a site near Morro Rock in December 2020.

The Morro Bay National Estuary Program’s fieldwork has been deemed an essential service by the County of San Luis Obispo. Due to COVID-19 safety precautions, we are not working with volunteers at this time and our field staff are following updated monitoring protocols. We look forward to working with volunteers and other community members again as soon as it is safe for us to do so. Thank you, readers, for staying engaged and supporting the Estuary Program’s work during this difficult time. Eelgrass Monitoring Anyone who has spent time on the bay this month may have noticed quite a few …