20 ways you can be more environmentally friendly during the roaring eco-20s.

January 31, 2020 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program 20 ways to be greener 2020 carbon footprint chemical sunscreen climate change compost Coral Reefs environmentally friendly global warming green planet help the estuary mineral sunscreen native plants recycling save our planet save teh bay SLO County recycling Blog Posts

As the month of New Year’s resolutions approaches the finish line, you might want to add more to your list! Here are twenty ways you can be more environmentally friendly during the roaring eco-20s. 1. I scream, you scream, we all scream for sunscreen! (Especially when we forget to put it on and find ourselves covered in sunburn.) Do you know what type of sunscreen you use? There are two types of sunscreen, chemical and mineral sunscreen. Chemical sunscreen is now known to contribute to coral reef bleaching and potentially harming other wildlife through water contamination. How do you know you have a chemical sunscreen? Look for these active ingredients listed on the bottle: oxybenzone, avobenzone, octisalate, octocrylene, homosalate, and octinoxate. If you have any of these in your sunscreen, that means it’s a chemical …

Photograph Friday: Elfin Forest

November 30, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program El Moro Elfin Forest elfin forest live oak los osos MBNEP morro bay morro bay estuary national estuary program native plants photograph friday plant communities pygmy oak Small wilderness areas preservation SWAP Blog Posts Photograph Friday

The El Moro Elfin Forest is full of surprises. Although it lies just on the edge of a neighborhood, near a school, and close to busy South Bay Boulevard, it feels a world apart. The winding boardwalk path brings you to lookout points high above the estuary and salt marsh and then pulls you deep under the cover of pygmy live oaks in Rose’s Grove. And, though the preserve covers only 90 acres, it boasts eight distinct habitat types. (You can read about some of these distinct plant communities in our Native Plant blog series.) Each season brings new …

Morro Bay Wildlife Spotlight: Monarchs are back!

November 16, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program bay-friendy gardening butterfly grove MBNEP milkweed monarch monarch butterflies monarch butterfly monarchs morro bay morro bay estuary native plants Pismo monarchs pollinators showy milkweed thanksgiving count western monarch wmtc Blog Posts Wildlife spotlight

As the month of November rolls around, the eucalyptus groves in Morro Bay State Park fill with bright orange monarch butterflies. After soaring the windstreams of the world for over 1,000 miles, these butterflies escape the cold temperatures of the Rockies and migrate to the warmer climates of our central California coast. A migration across generations One monarch butterfly alone cannot make this journey. It can take up to five generations of monarchs migrating southwest before they reach our coast. Depending on the time of year, the lifespan of a monarch butterfly varies. During the spring and summer, …

Native Plant Series #6: Estuarine and Salt Marsh

October 26, 2018 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 this 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! 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. The mixing of freshwater and seawater creates a unique and productive environment …

Native Plant Series #5: Riparian

September 14, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program creek estuary estuary program groundwater los osos morro bay native plant native plants phreatophytes riparian water table watershed willow Blog Posts

This series of native plant blog posts has explored the different plants found throughout the Morro Bay watershed. A watershed is an area where freshwater creeks and streams flow from higher ground down towards the ocean. Riparian zone plants reach deep when streams run dry In the Morro Bay Watershed, some creeks and streams flow year round, and some don’t. Even though they’re not full of water, dry creek beds are still bordered by vegetation. This is due to the presence of groundwater, which is water that exists beneath Earth’s surface in soil pore spaces (the space between …

Native Plant Series #2: Southern Coastal Scrub

April 20, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program black hill black sage california sagebrush coastal scrub conservation drought estuary morro bay national estuary program morro bay state park native plants plant community rain watershed Blog Posts

The Southern coastal scrub plant community is one of the most common plant communities found in our watershed. 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! Climatic conditions, soil type, topography, and other features determine what types of plants will grow in a particular region, and the coastal scrub plant community occurs on relatively dry soils in areas where a Mediterranean climate prevails. The Mediterranean climate exists along the Central Coast of California along with a handful …

Native Plant Series #1: Pioneer Sand Dunes and Foredunes

March 23, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program dunes education estuary local plants MBNEP native plants plant community plant diversity plants sandspit stewardship watershed Blog Posts

This is our first exploration of a specific plant community found within the Morro Bay watershed. Today, we will learn about the pioneer dunes and foredunes communities located on the Morro Bay Sandspit. This area is probably the harshest environment for plants found in the Morro Bay watershed. Because of its direct exposure to the Pacific Ocean, the Sandspit is a very windy place: the constant salty, sandy wind coming off the ocean keeps plants at a low, small stature. Since sand does not hold water very well, these plants experience moisture conditions similar to a desert. Because of these …

The Morro Bay Watershed Native Plant Series

February 23, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program conservation education estuary estuary program local plants MBNEP morro bay native plants plant community plant diversity stewardship watershed Blog Posts

The Morro Bay watershed is one of the most botanically diverse regions in California. This diversity can be traced back to the ice ages as California’s coastline receded and advanced over thousands of years, and the tectonic plates settled into their current position. Many communities and species of plants have evolved here as a result of such active geologic change. These plant communities have continued to exist and thrive because San Luis Obispo County still resembles its natural state, despite increasing human habitation and land use development. Because the natural areas of Morro Bay have been so well …

Photograph Friday: When Plants and Animals Swap Names

August 18, 2017 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program estuary flora and fauna local plants morro bay native plants Blog Posts

The protected waters of Morro Bay support a diverse range of plants and wildlife, as do the coastal habitats that surround the bay. In today’s Photograph Friday post, we’re celebrating that biodiversity in a fun way, by taking a peek at a selection of local plants and animals with interesting common names. Specifically, we’re focusing on plants that are named after animals and animals that are named for fruiting plants. Check them out below! See the bottom of the post for a giveaway opportunity. Find out how sea lemons taste and smell to predators. Learn about sticky monkey flower. …

June Field Updates

July 1, 2016 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program erosion estuary field update morro bay native plants snorkel survey watershed Blog Posts

Wooly Bluecurls (Trichostema lanatum), one of the many native plants we saw on the field tour.

Fulfilling our mission to protect and restore the Morro Bay estuary for people and animals requires a lot of hard work in the field. Read on to see what our staff and volunteers are doing on the ground. A Busy Month We went out and got our new Monitoring Coordinator, Shane, up to speed on our intertidal eelgrass monitoring efforts. Shane joins Evan, our Field Technician, and Erin, a grad student at Cal Poly, to look at the density of eelgrass at Windy Cove. We found a handful of what we believe are the egg collars of Moonsnails. …