Best spring hikes around the Morro Bay estuary

This year, the hills and valleys that surround the Morro Bay estuary are alive with green grasses and golden poppies just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. If you take a closer look, you’ll also see the deep pinks and purples of hummingbird sage, the dawn-sky blue and light purple hues of wild hyacinth, and the bright colors of many more wildflowers. Today, we’re sharing some of our favorite springtime hikes in the Morro Bay watershed. Family-friendly hikes We’re lucky to have quite a few hikes for the whole family around Morro Bay. Here are a few that will …

Field Updates February 2019: Wet weather, eelgrass restoration, and creek monitoring

March 1, 2019 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program creek stage eelgrass eelgrass restoration eelgrass transplant estuary ISCO sampler MBNEP morro bay morro bay national estuary program Morro Bay rain totals sediment SLO rain totals stage height stream gage stream stage Watershed Stewards Program wet weather SLO Blog Posts Field Updates

A picture from the bridge at our monitoring site on Canet Road, overlooking Chorro Creek. What a difference a week and some good rain storms will do!

Fulfilling our mission to protect and restore the Morro Bay estuary for people and wildlife requires a lot of hard work in the field. At the Estuary Program, that often entails doing research, restoration, and monitoring work out on the estuary and along the creeks that feed into it. Read on to see what we’ve been up to during the past month during this wet weather. Eelgrass February eelgrass restoration details This past month, we have been busy taking advantage of some of the year’s lowest tides to replant eelgrass throughout the estuary. The weather didn’t want to …

Director’s Desk: #IHeartEstuaries 2019 in Morro Bay

February 15, 2019 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program #iheartestuaries bait fish climate change coastal resilience economic value of estuaries estuary fisheries fishing kayaking lexie bell MBNEP morro bay morro bay recreation national estuary program paddleboard paddling sea level rise things to do in Morro Bay Blog Posts Directors Desk

Locals and visitors alike enjoy walking along the estuary at sunset.

This week we are celebrating #IHeartEstuaries to highlight the value that estuaries play in our lives. How do you value our very own estuary, Morro Bay? Maybe you cherish early morning bird walks along the shore, evening paddles as the tide shifts underneath your oar, or the satisfaction of landing a fish off the T-pier. These personal moments are precious and palpable and drive much of our local community’s support for a clean and healthy bay. We also think beyond our watershed here at the Estuary Program—how important is our bay to our whole community? To our state …

Field Updates January 2019: Eelgrass, Stormy Monitoring, Wildlife

February 1, 2019 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program ca central coast california central coast eelgrass estuary estuary art field notes field updates MBNEP morro bay national estuary program S.L.O.P.E.storm water storms stormwater weather Field Updates

Once the water levels dropped to safe wading levels, we went out to check on equipment and measure stream flow on Pennington Creek. This is at the site that previously had a fish passage barrier. The barrier was removed over the fall, opening up miles of Pennington Creek for migrating steelhead trout. Partners at other organizations have seen returning adult steelhead in a few other creeks in the county, so we are keeping our eyes open for ones in our watershed as well.

Fulfilling our mission to protect and restore the Morro Bay estuary for people and wildlife requires a lot of hard work in the field. At the Estuary Program, that often entails doing research, restoration, and monitoring work out on the estuary and along the creeks that feed into it. Read on to see what we’ve been up to during the past month. (Don’t miss the pictures of the creeks during our recent stormy weather!) Eelgrass January was a busy month for field staff. We started by completing our eelgrass permanent transect monitoring. We were excited to see a …

Local painters celebrate the Central Coast and give back to Morro Bay

January 25, 2019 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program ccspa central coast central coast state parks association estuary MBNEP morro bay Morro Bay Art morro bay natural history museum national estuary program painter painting Plein Air Painting S.L.O.P.E.San Luis Outdoor Painters Art and writing Blog Posts

Bernie Kurtz's painting, Morro Bay Estuary, was inspired by the view of the sun reflecting off the water and backlighting the brush. She painted it at the corner of Main St. and South Bay Boulevard in Morro Bay.

California’s Central Coast is full of beauty. Splashing and crashing back and forth, waves wear down rock formations along waterlines. Pelicans fly low, their wings still, gliding gracefully in line. Silvery morning light reflects off the back bay, illuminating the undersides of leaves and glowing through fog. The estuary channels snake through the salt marsh, appearing deep brown at low tide and shining white or blue when the water is high. The fiery red tips of pickleweed plants contrast with the cool green that surrounds them. A group of local artists called San Luis Outdoor Painters for the Environment (S.L.O.P.E.) …

Factors That Affect Eelgrass Growth in Morro Bay #4: Sediment and Light Part 2

January 18, 2019 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program eelgrass factors that affect eelgrass growth guest post light levels MBNEP morro bay national estuary program restoration sediment soil chemistry soil composition Blog Posts

Erin Aiello, guest author. Photograph courtesy of Kyle Nessen. Light and soil chemistry study

In the first two blog posts of the Factors that Affect Eelgrass Growth in Morro Bay series, we learned that there are many factors that influence eelgrass growth in estuaries. In this two-part post, PhD candidate Erin Aiello explores the importance of light levels and sediment properties and how they change across the bay. This is the second half of the post; read the first half here. Erin Aiello, Guest Author Erin Aiello is a native of the central coast, having grown up in Cambria. She spent most of her childhood running barefoot through pine forests, which instilled in her an undying …

Factors that Affect Eelgrass Growth in Morro Bay #3: Sediment & Light Differences Part 1

January 11, 2019 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program cal poly cuesta college eelgrass Erin Aiello estuary MBNEP morro bay mycorrhizae sediment sediment chemistry sediment classification sediment sampling Blog Posts Factors That Affect Eelgrass Growth

The illustration above shows hands holding sand on the left and clay on the right.

In the first two blog posts of the Factors that Affect Eelgrass Growth in Morro Bay series, we learned that there are many factors that influence eelgrass growth in estuaries. In this two-part post, PhD candidate Erin Aiello explores the importance of light and sediment properties and how they change across the bay. Erin Aiello, Guest Author Erin Aiello is a native of the central coast, having grown up in Cambria. She spent most of her childhood running barefoot through pine forests, which instilled in her an undying love of nature. Erin received her BS and MS degrees in …

Field Updates December 2018: Eelgrass, Wildlife Sightings, Creeks, and Rainfall Totals

January 4, 2019 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program bivalve chorro creek creeks eelgrass los osos creek monitoring rainfall total restoration seagrass transect monitoring wildlife Blog Posts Field Updates

Watershed Stewards Program members Melia and Doug work on counting the number of eelgrass shoots within a 0.5m by 0.5m area.

Fulfilling our mission to protect and restore the Morro Bay estuary for people and wildlife requires a lot of hard work in the field. At the Estuary Program, that often entails doing research, restoration, and monitoring work out on the estuary and along the creeks that feed into it. Read on to see what we’ve been up to during the past month. Eelgrass monitoring Each fall, we monitor eelgrass on our permanent transects. These transects are sample areas across the bay where eelgrass has grown historically. We chose the specific locations of the transects to represent different zones in the …

Factors That Affect Eelgrass Growth in Morro Bay #2: Biological Conditions and Human Factors

December 28, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program black brant crabs dredge dredging eelgrass eelgrass mitigation estuary morro bay seagrass zostera marina Blog Posts Factors That Affect Eelgrass Growth

There are a variety of physical, biological, and direct human factors that affect eelgrass growth in estuaries. We have partnered with researchers at Cal Poly and Cuesta College to better understand these conditions in Morro Bay. This blog series, Factors that Affect Eelgrass Growth in Morro Bay, highlights our partners’ research. This second post will introduce you to the biological conditions and human factors that can impact eelgrass in our estuary. You can find the first post on physical conditions that affect eelgrass here. Biological conditions Disturbance caused by crabs Crabs can disturb eelgrass blades by clipping them. However, …

Factors That Affect Eelgrass Growth in Morro Bay #1: Physical Conditions

December 21, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program anoxic soil central coast california eelgrass estuary low oxygen level macroalgae morro bay physical factors seaweed turbidity water quality Blog Posts

There are a variety of physical, biological, and direct human factors that affect eelgrass growth in estuaries. We have partnered with researchers at Cal Poly and Cuesta College to better understand these conditions in Morro Bay. This blog series, Factors that Affect Eelgrass Growth in Morro Bay, highlights our partners’ research. This first post will introduce you to the physical conditions that can impact eelgrass in our estuary. Physical conditions that affect eelgrass growth Turbidity Eelgrass needs sufficient light to grow. Turbidity (a measurement of the cloudiness of water) can reduce the amount of light that is able …