Photograph Friday: Wild Names for Wildlife in Morro Bay

Wild names for wildlife A diversity of wildlife populates the Morro Bay estuary and the variety of habitats that surround it, from the low-lying saltmarsh to the rocky tops of the Morros. Each of these species has at least one, typically two, and sometimes a plethora of names. Take the six-legged, many-egged specimen below. Meet the toe-biter (Abedus genus): a bug of many names This is an aquatic bug that lives in the creeks that drain into Morro Bay. It’s a bug with many common names: toe-biter, true bug, giant water bug, and ferocious water bug. Scientifically speaking, it’s a member …

Morro Bay Estuary Poetry Contest 2021: Winning Poems

July 16, 2021 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program Adam Miller Iris Yu Monica Stillman morro bay morro bay estuary morro bay estuary poetry contest morro bay national estuary program morro bay poetry nature poems Norma Wightman poems poetry Sally B. Demarest Shari Crane Fox Blog Posts

This week, we are happy to share the winning poems for our 2021 Morro Bay Estuary Poetry Contest! Many thanks to our winning authors and to everyone who entered this year’s contest. We are grateful to you for sharing your love of words and the Morro Bay estuary. Many thanks to our generous and talented judges, Marnie Parker, Patti Sullivan, and Kevin Patrick Sullivan. Please enjoy. Estuarine 17: Youth Haiku 8-12 First Place By Evelyn Nannie Student at Family Partnership Charter Middle School Balance Like yen and like yang Where two halves become one whole Our estuary …

Field Updates June 2021: Summer Heat and Low Flow Monitoring

July 9, 2021 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program drought estuary field updates field work fieldupdates fieldwork hot weather morro bay morro bay ca morrobay morrow bay Blog Posts

Creek with rocks_Morro Bay National Estuary Program

Things are heating up this summer! According to a local weather station monitored by California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS), the average air temperature increased from about 54°F in April and 57°F in May, to over 62°F during June. In our local creeks, we also have noticed a similar climb in stream temperatures. A water temperature logger on San Luisito Creek recorded a maximum seven-day rolling average of 57.7°F (14.3°C) during May, and a maximum seven-day rolling average of 59.3°F (15.2°C) during the first half of June. For more information on how we track temperature in our local …

Day in the Life of a Marine Chemistry Research Student: Testing Ocean Chemistry in Morro Bay

June 25, 2021 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program alkalinity cal poly chemistry dissolved carbon dioxide dr. emily bockmon how salty is ocean water morro bay morro bay national estuary program ocean acidification ocean chemistry pH of ocean water student research water quality Blog Posts

Guest post by Natalie Dupree Dr. Emily Bockmon’s Ocean Chemistry Research Group As an undergraduate chemistry student at Cal Poly, there were numerous research groups to consider joining. I chose to join Dr. Emily Bockmon’s research group, which is unique because it unites students from many disciplines under one common goal—to better understand the chemistry and impacts of climate change and ocean acidification on our Central Coast. Biologists, marine scientists, and chemists come together to collect data to support the scientific community and the community of Morro Bay to preserve and protect our bay and estuary. This …

Snapshot Cal Coast 2021: Calling All Community Scientists to Document Morro Bay’s Diversity

June 11, 2021 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program bio blitz bioblitz biodiversity cal coast calcoast California Academy of Sciences estuary program heron rookery MBNEP morro bay morro bay estuary morro bay mpa mpa snapshot calcoast snapshot calcoast 2021 Blog Posts

Most of California, and the entire California coast, is identified as a Global Biodiversity Hotspot, called the California Floristic Province. Like the other Global Hotspots, this area has a high number of species that are endemic, meaning that they are native to this area and are found nowhere else. Every year, The California Academy of Sciences (CAS) asks people to document this extreme biodiversity through a bioblitz event called Snapshot Cal Coast. During the bioblitz, citizen scientists use iNaturalist to document all of the flora and fauna that they find in a specific coastal location. This year, the sixth …

Field Updates May 2021: Spring Eelgrass Monitoring

June 4, 2021 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program california sea hare eelgrass field updates field work fieldwork MBNEP monitoring morro bay morro bay estuary morro bay national estuary program scientific monitoring sea hare transect monitoring water quality Field Updates

Makenzie, our Monitoring Projects Coordinator, at our site located on the Sandspit. Staff access the site via stand up paddle boards

A quick introduction… Hi everyone! My name is Bret, and I am the new Monitoring Projects Manager for the Estuary Program. I’m a recent transplant from the Midwest, but the West Coast has been calling to me for quite some time. As I get settled here in Morro Bay, I look forward to learning more about our estuary as well as how to be a steward of our watershed. I arrived in Morro Bay at the beginning of April, just in time for bioassessment (you can read more about bioassessment in our April Field Updates blog post). I really …

Photograph Friday: Wildlife in the Morro Bay Estuary Watershed

May 28, 2021 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program California newt hiking etiquette leave no trace northern pacific rattlesnake trail etiquette watching wildlife wildlife wildlife of Morro Bay wildlife viewing Blog Posts

An adult California newt stands on rocks in a stream in the Morro Bay estuary watershed. It is orange with yellow eyes.

Morro Bay estuary and watershed provide habitat for a wide range of species You never know what amazing wildlife you’ll see in, on, or around the Morro Bay estuary. This area is a biological diversity hot spot, meaning that we have a wide range of species that are native to this area, including some species that are found nowhere else in the world, like the Morro kangaroo rat and the Morro manzanita. Morro Bay Estuary and Watershed Biodiversity Project on iNaturalist To get an idea of the range of species that live in the Morro Bay estuary and surrounding …

MORRO BAY WATERSHED NATIVE PLANT SERIES: Estuarine and Salt Marsh

May 22, 2021 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program birds botany estuary mudflat native plants pickleweed salt marsh sediment state park marina suaeda californica wetland ecology Blog Posts Native Plants

Our final post in the Morro Bay Watershed Native Plant series will explore the estuarine and salt marsh plant communities that make up the unique estuarine environment of Morro Bay. Not sure what a plant community is? Take a look at our introductory post to the Morro Bay Native Plant Series, an exploration of our watershed’s diverse native flora! Relationship between the estuary and salt marsh An estuary is a place where freshwater meets the sea. In Morro Bay, the freshwater creeks and streams from our watershed drain into and mix with the salty seawater of the bay. …

Field Updates April 2021: Bioassessment Highlights and Volunteer Support

May 7, 2021 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program aquatic bugs bioassessment bmi bullfrog creek health creeks healthy creeks invasive bullfrog macroinvertebrates MBNEP morro bay morro bay estuary morro bay national estuary program morro bay volunteer Rocks stonefly volunteers Blog Posts

Staff member holds a rock during bioassessment

What is bioassessment? For those of you unfamiliar with this effort, our annual spring bioassessment is our largest survey effort of the year. This survey effort focuses on the biological assessment of ten local creeks within the Morro Bay watershed, using an evaluation protocol created by the Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP) and the State of California. Bioassessment surveys utilize a number of different criteria to assess creek health, with the primary focus being the assessment of benthic macroinvertebrates (BMIs). BMIs can be used as a proxy to determine stream health, since the abundance or absence of …

Cleaning Up Trash On Morro Bay’s Beaches: A Volunteer’s Story

April 30, 2021 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program beach cleanup clean up cleanup don't trash our coast how you can help the beach keep the beach clean Lily Newton litter marine debris Morro rock trash trash pickup volunteer Cleanups Guest post

Bar cans crushed and shoved between rocks in the rip rap.

Guest Post by Lily Newton Keeping local beaches clean and beautiful When I first moved to the Central Coast area a little over two years ago, one of the first things that struck me was how scenic and clean the local beaches were. Looking back now, the Texas Gulf Coast beaches that I had grown up visiting were a far cry from pristine, often cluttered with plastic waste and suffering from many other signs of damage from frequent use. Now that I call Los Osos and Morro Bay home, keeping this area as scenic and beautiful as it was when …