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

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 …

International Coastal Cleanup Day Gets Social-Distancing Friendly

September 12, 2020 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program 2 minute beach clean beach cleanup creeks to coast creeks to coast cleanup 2020 ecoslo international coastal cleanup MBNEP morro bay morro bay national estuary program pack it in pack it out tiny trash Blog Posts

This photograph shows a collection of tiny trash pieces. They may be small, but removing them from the environment can have a big positive impact.

This time of year, we typically find ourselves preparing for Creeks to Coast, the San Luis Obispo County version of the International Coastal Cleanup. We pick up supplies from our friends at ECOSLO, whose staff manage and coordinate the county-wide cleanup effort, get in touch with local boat captains to secure a ride for our volunteers over to the sandspit, and get ready for the big day. The photographs below are from the Creeks to Coast cleanup sites that the Estuary Program hosted last year. This year, the Creeks to Coast cleanup, like many yearly events, is adapting to …

Help Keep Litter Out of Our Bay

July 3, 2020 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program beach cleanup cdc guidelines cleanup COVID-19 litter personal protective equipment pick up trash ppe trash trashcan waste Blog Posts

Litter includes COVID-19 personal protective equipment We’ve been hearing from many community members who are concerned about increasing amounts of litter along local beaches, at parks, and spilling out of trashcans all around the bay. A lot of the items people report finding are plastic food containers. This makes sense in a way, since most restaurants are currently operating on a takeout-only basis and/or using disposable containers to keep things as germ free as possible. There are simply more of these containers around than there were a few months ago. We’ve also started to see personal protective equipment including …

Director’s Desk: We Are Still Here, Monitoring, Restoring, Educating

June 12, 2020 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program #twominutebeachclean beach cleanup california poppies citizen science community science field work fieldwork MBNEP morro bay Morro Bay fog morro bay national estuary program quarantine shelter at home social distancing two minute beach clean Blog Posts

Monitoring Coordinator, Makenzie, sports a mask during fieldwork.

We are in a time of colliding arcs of history, immersed in the uncertainty and heightened emotions of change. The backdrop of this moment, like all moments, is our Earth. The place that holds and nurtures us. In the Morro Bay watershed, we are exceedingly lucky to be able to enjoy the beauty and peace of our estuary. The fluidity of the bay—the changing of the tides, the movement of the birds, the ever shifting fog line—brings both comfort and a mirror to the constant change around us. Although each of us may not be able to get …

Creeks to Coast Cleanup Success in Morro Bay

September 27, 2019 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program beach cleanup creeks to coast cleanup ecoslo estuary program international coastal cleanup day marine debris MBNEP morro bay morro bay national estuary program ocean conservancy Blog Posts

No matter how far inland we live, we’re all connected to the ocean by water. Rain washes downhill and into stormdrains, creeks, and rivers before entering the sea. So, if we’re going to keep plastics, other harmful debris, and pollutants out of the estuary and ocean, we have to start inland. That’s the idea behind the Creeks to Coast cleanup, a set of 49 cleanups organized by local nonprofit ECOSLO. This massive cleanup effort took place last weekend all across San Luis Obispo County on International Coastal Cleanup Day. During the course of three hours, 1,840 volunteers picked …

Coastal Cleanup Day 2017

September 16, 2017 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program beach cleanup cleanup Coastal Cleanup Day ecoslo estuary MBNEP morro bay morro bay estuary morro bay national estuary program national estuary program trash pickup Blog Posts

Here is a picture of the whole wonderful cleanup crew for 2017.

Today was the 31st Coastal Cleanup Day. This international event is the largest annual volunteer event in California, and the Estuary Program is always happy to work with volunteers to pick up trash on the Morro Bay sandspit. This morning’s group of volunteers gathered early at Morro Bay Landing to hear from Sylvia, a California State Parks representative, about how snowy plovers use the sandspit and what we can do to help protect them. These small shorebirds are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act and as a bird of special concern for the State of California. Morro Bay’s sandspit …

Bioblitz and July 4th Cleanups in Morro Bay

July 1, 2017 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program beach cleanup bioblitz cal coast cleanup estuary iNaturalist los osos morro bay morro bay national estuary program Blog Posts

July Fourth Weekend is always busy on the Central Coast. Morro Bay and Los Osos are no exception. People come here for the beautiful views, the mild temperatures, the chance to enjoy the water and see abundant wildlife. Morro Bay’s sunsets even light up the sky like a natural kind of firework. Whatever your plans are for this weekend or the coming holiday week, we have two activities that you can easily participate in to help the bay and liven up your day. Bioblitz Snapshot Cal Coast Through Sunday, July 2 This fun citizen science project asks people up and …

Make a Day for the Bay Profile: Wendy Disch

July 30, 2015 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program beach beach cleanup éphé mer handmade give a day for the bay make a day morro bay morro bay national estuary program Patagonia trash cleanup Wendy Disch Blog Posts

This summer and fall, the Morro Bay National Estuary Program is asking everyone who enjoys the estuary to Give a Day for the Bay to help keep it clean and healthy for all of us. We’ve worked with our partners to put together a variety of volunteer service activities for you to participate in. We also encourage you to Make a Day for the Bay by creating your own bay-friendly service activity at home. In order to inspire you, we’ve invited Wendy Disch, owner of éphé mer handmade beach apparel on the Embarcadero, to tell how she takes care …