Shark Week 2018: Help Scientists Track these Essential Predators

When you think about sharks, what comes to mind? Chances are, you’ll picture a tall, angular fin cutting through the waves and rows upon rows of sharp teeth. You might even picture a shark attack from the movies, with people fleeing up the beach and away from the waterline. It’s less likely that you’ll picture one of the three sharks that thrive in Morro Bay’s protected waters, the swell shark, leopard shark, and horn shark. These diminutive sharks are not the stuff of horror movies, unless you’re a small fish, clam, innkeeper worm, crab, or any of the other mollusks …

Field Update June 2018: Eelgrass

July 6, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program eelgrass estuary field updates MBNEP monitoring morro bay morro bay national estuary program restoration Blog Posts

One new location is across from State Park Marina.

Fulfilling our mission to protect and restore the Morro Bay estuary for people and animals requires a lot of field work. At the Estuary Program, that often means spending time doing research and monitoring on the water. Read on to see what we’ve been up to during June 2018. In 2017, we collaborated with researchers at CalPoly on two small-scale, experimental eelgrass restoration projects. Based on what we learned from that effort, we conducted another round in February and March of 2018. In 2018, we planted eelgrass in five locations—our original location in the forebay near channel marker …

Independence Day and July 5th Cleanups in Morro Bay

June 29, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program cleanup ecoslo estuary independence day july 4 MBNEP morro bay morro bay national estuary program volunteer Blog Posts

This group of smiling volunteers from Camp Rock participated in the Pick Up the Picnic Campaign last year, and made a big difference for Morro Bay. Thank you!

July 4 is a time when locals and visitors gather along the Central Coast to celebrate with friends and family. People barbecue in back yards, picnic at parks and beaches, and set up camp near Pismo Beach or Cayucos to watch fireworks displays. What to do in Morro Bay for Independence Day Morro Bay’s Family Fun day always attracts a crowd with a skateboard race, bike parade, live music, magic show, and kids’ carnival. Many people take some time out to enjoy the water by sailboat, motorboat, kayak or paddleboard, too. You can bring your own kayak or paddleboard …

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 …

Help Put Morro Bay on the Bioblitz map: Snapshot Cal Coast 2018

June 15, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program bio blitz bioblitz California Academy of Sciences California MPAs estuary iNaturalist Marine Protected Area MBNEP morro bay snapshot cal coast Blog Posts

Paula and Tom enter observations into iNaturalist during the Snapshot Cal Coast 2018 effort.

What is Snapshot Cal Coast bioblitz? During a bioblitz, citizen scientists document all living things in a certain area, during a specific period of time. Estuary Program staff and volunteers participate in an annual bioblitz called Snapshot Cal Coast, which is hosted by the California Academy of Sciences. This large-scale effort aims to document plants and animals all along the California coast, during a particular week in June. Participants are asked to complete their bioblitzes in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and to focus on intertidal zones (those areas that may be submerged during high tide and exposed during low tides). Help …

Sea Star Wasting Disease Monitoring Update

June 8, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program estuary MBNEP Melissa Douglas Melissa Miner morro bay rocky intertidal netwwork sea star seastar star fish starfish wasting disease wasting syndrome Blog Posts

Last year, we wrote a post about the Sea Star Wasting Syndrome, a disease that was causing mass mortality of sea stars along the Pacific Coast from Baja California to the Gulf of Alaska. The syndrome is a general description of symptoms found in affected sea stars. Typically, lesions appear on the surface of the stars followed by decay surrounding the lesions, leading to fragmentation of the sea star’s body and eventual death. According to biological oceanographer and microbial ecologist Ian Hewson from Cornell University, this disease is by far the largest marine disease event ever seen. Hewson’s …

Field Updates April and May 2018: Bioassessment Monitoring and New Team Members

June 1, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program bioassessment bugs caddisfly estuary program macros mayfly MBNEP Miossi Charitable Trust morro bay stonefly stream survey water quality Blog Posts Field Updates

Monitoring team works in the middle of the creek.

Bioassessment Monitoring Each spring, the Estuary Program conducts bioassessment monitoring throughout the Morro Bay Watershed. Bioassessment monitoring is an important tool that allows us to assess the health of local streams to determine their value as fish habitat. This monitoring involves collecting macroinvertebrates, insects visible to the naked eye, and taking measurements of things like water depth and canopy cover that tell us about the health of the creek. Check out this blog post to learn more about what bioassessment monitoring tells us about the health of our local creeks. Our bioassessment season kicked off on Saturday, April …

What to do in Morro Bay

May 5, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program elfin forest hike maritime museum MBNEP morro bay estuary morro bay nature center morro bay state park national estuary spring things to do in Morro Bay what to do in morro bay Blog Posts

Looking inland from the top of Black Hill in spring.

Wildflowers are blooming, birds are singing, and the afternoon winds have been picking up speed. It’s definitely spring in Morro Bay! Every year during the spring and summer visitors stop by the Estuary Program office asking for the best spots to enjoy our beautiful estuary and things to do that will help them learn more about the area. We’re sharing some of our favorite what-to-do tips with you, too. Go birding Bring your scope or binoculars and visit one of the area’s numerous birding spots. Sweet Springs Morro Coast Audubon’s expanded Sweet Springs preserve in Los Osos is a …

From Seas to Trees, Plastic Pollution Takes a Toll

April 27, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program cleanup coast ecoslo estuary litter MBNEP microbead microplastic morro bay plastic plastic ban trash trash free sea Blog Posts

When you look at this picture, what do you see? You might note Morro Rock, the waves washing along the shore, bits of brown kelp, green algae, a shell, and other organic beach debris. How about this picture? At first glance, this second picture might look just like the first, but it isn’t quite. That green blob that looks like it might be algae is actually a tennis ball buried in the sand. And, some of that stringy organic-looking beach debris is actually fishing line, tossed and tangled with strands of plant debris. It is easy to look at …

Citizen Scientists Make a Difference for Morro Bay

April 13, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program Audubon citizen science ecoslo estuary iNaturalist marine debris MBNEP morro bay noaa Blog Posts

We used the Trash Tracker for the first time at our inaugural Pickup and Paddle event in 2017. We're excited to continue using it this year!

While not everyone can be a marine biologist, a meteorologist, or a conservation ecologist, almost anyone can help contribute to the wealth of knowledge that these experts draw from in their work. Our own Monitoring program uses data gathered by citizen 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. In honor of National Citizen Science Day tomorrow, we’re sharing a few ways that you can help move science forward at home and beyond. Marine debris projects Clean Swell This simple app created …