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

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 …

Hike from Home: Shark Inlet Hike

May 8, 2020 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program California poppy central coast Hidden hike hike from home lupine morro bay morro bay national estuary program native flowers stay home Stay safe Blog Posts

The trail to Shark Inlet is a hidden gem, known among the locals for its accessibility to the dunes. It is a short family friendly stroll that has lots of beautiful vegetation along the way. Here is what you have to look forward to once this time passes and we’re all able to get back out on the trail. This trail is short, but lovely! Here is a map of the trail. Finding the trail head Pretend you are heading from San Luis Obispo toward Montana de Oro on Los Osos Valley Road, then turn right onto Monarch Lane. You’ll take Monarch Lane until it ends and the trail-head is right there. This is what the start of the trail looks like. Since this hike starts in …

Sea Slug of the Month – Yellow Blobs of Awesomeness, Guest Post by Robin Agarwal

August 9, 2019 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program a nudibranch mom anudibranchmom California tidepool central coast dorid guest post nudibranch Robin Agarwal sea slug sea slug of the month seaslug tidepool wildlife spotlight Guest post Sea Slug of the Month Wildlife spotlight

Yellow Blobs of Awesomeness: Sea Goddesses, Sea Lemons and That One with the Tentacles Guest post by Robin Agarwal Humans like sea slugs. They’re harmless to humans, but voracious predators if you’re a hydroid or a sponge. They come in a variety of cool shapes and sizes, and have fascinating life histories that allow one to throw around words like ‘nudi’ and ‘hermaphrodite’ with impunity in mixed company. But best of all, nudibranchs appeal mightily to humans’ attraction to pattern and color. We cannot resist taking a closer look at something bright and colorful as we explore …

Photograph Friday: Morro Baycam Captures Rainbow, Moonset, and Noctilucent Cloud

February 22, 2019 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program 12-19 vandenberg launch ANEP baycam central coast estuary MBNEP morro bay morro bay national estuary program morro bay weather national estuary program noctilucent cloud rainbow rainbow over Morro Rock scrubbed launch timelapse Photograph Friday

A rainbow arches over Morro Rock on a February morning.

This Photograph Friday, we bring you some of our favorite photographs from this winter. Our Baycam captured boats and birds passing by, part of the lighted boat parade, a rainbow, and a fascinating weather phenomenon called a noctilucent cloud. (Scroll to the bottom of the post to watch a timelapse video that includes a moonset and the noctilucent cloud!) Boats Sunrise and Sunset Rain Cloud patterns Weather phenomena Timelapse video Watch the timelapse video below to see the moon set, the sun rise, the afternoon roll by, and a rare noctilucent cloud flash across the sky just …

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.) …

From the Director’s Desk: Finding Inspiration on Morro Bay

August 10, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program central coast estuary program inspiration kayak lexie bell MBNEP morro bay paddle paddleboard Blog Posts Directors Desk

Lexie Bell, Executive Director of the Morro Bay National Estuary Program.

From the Director’s Desk is a twice-yearly blog series, written by Executive Director Lexie Bell. Lexie plans and directs the program’s work, and collaborates with the Estuary Program’s many partners to expand our collective success in the watershed. Lexie first began working in Morro Bay as a graduate student at the UC Santa Barbara Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. Her graduate work analyzed the economic impact of visitors’ perceptions of environmental quality in Morro Bay. In addition to her Master’s degree, Lexie graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Science in Marine Science and Biology. …

Native Plant Series #4: Coast Live Oak Woodlands

June 22, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program botany california central coast elfin forest estuary hiking Morro Bay live oak los osos oaks reserve MBNEP morro bay Blog Posts

Oak woodlands are so characteristic and unique to our state that many think the plant community should be declared California’s state vegetation type. 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! The term “woodland” is used instead of “forest” because the canopies in a woodland rarely overlap, allowing for more space and sunlight between trees. Woodlands also typically occur on drier soils and at lower elevations than forests. While oak woodlands occur in other states, most of …

Photo Friday: Watching the Rain

January 20, 2017 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program central coast estuary john lindsey morro bay rain runoff storms stormwater weather Blog Posts

Chorro Creek at Canet Road was at 6 feet on Thursday, January 19.

This winter has been exciting for weather watchers across California. The Morro Bay watershed received almost four inches of rain in the month of December, and January has started out wet, too. We are currently experiencing the effects of an atmospheric river—a long, narrow section of the atmosphere that transports a large amount of moisture. Local weather forecasts predict that Sunday, January 22, will be the biggest storm yet. We’ve been keeping an eye on the sky and paying close attention to the streams that are transporting all of this precipitation to the estuary. Below, you’ll find images of the …

Fun Ways to Explore Morro Bay on Memorial Day

May 27, 2016 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program birding birding in morro bay central coast cerro cabrillo estuary fun things to do in Morro Bay geo cache geocache geocaching hike hiking memorial day weekend morro bay turtle rock valencia peak Blog Posts

A beautiful view of the estuary channels taken from one of the many hiking trails above South Bay Boulevard in the upper reaches of Morro Bay State Park.

Whether you’re a Central Coast local who’s staying home this holiday weekend, or a visitor coming from the valley or further out of town, Morro Bay offers a host of fun outdoor activities. Here are some of our favorite ways to explore the bay and surrounding watershed. Go birding Bring your scope or binoculars and visit one of the area’s numerous birding spots. The Elfin Forest in Los Osos offers the chance to see species that thrive in the Coastal Dune Scrub and a variety of other local habitat types. You can also head down to the estuary overlook to …

Clean Water, Great Life: Creek Water Quality Update

November 19, 2015 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program central coast creek health creeks estuary morro bay national estuary program south central California coast steelhead steelhead water quality Blog Posts

The Morro Bay watershed, the area of land that drains into the estuary, is a special place. Our watershed’s creeks provide valuable habitat to aquatic life, including iconic steelhead. These fish are anadromous, meaning they are born in freshwater, such as our watershed creeks, and then venture out to the ocean. After several years in the ocean, they return to the creeks where they were born to spawn and continue the life cycle. Here on the Central Coast, we are host to a distinct population of steelhead known as the South Central California Coast Steelhead. The formerly …