Field Updates January 2021: Wildlife, Rainfall, and Flow Monitoring

The Morro Bay National Estuary Program’s fieldwork has been deemed an essential service by the County of San Luis Obispo. Due to COVID-19 safety precautions, we are not working with volunteers at this time and our field staff are following updated monitoring protocols. We look forward to working with volunteers and other community members again as soon as it is safe for us to do so. Thank you, readers, for staying engaged and supporting the Estuary Program’s work during this difficult time. What’s Living in the Eelgrass? Estuary Program staff have continued to monitor eelgrass into January 2021, …

Join the Morro Bay Rain Gauge Network to Track Local Precipitation

March 13, 2020 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program MBNEP morro bay morro bay national estuary program morro bay rain gauge network precipitation rain gauge rainfall stormwater track rain water year Blog Posts

In light of the recent rainstorms we’ve had locally, we invite you to participate in tracking precipitation at your home, work, or school through our Morro Bay Rain Gauge Network. This is an easy way to help gather important data from home, and a great project for families or classes to take on together. Keep reading for background information about why scientists track precipitation, how stormwater affects the Morro Bay watershed, and how you can join the Morro Bay Rain Gauge Network. How scientists track precipitation A water year is a twelve-month period of time that begins October 1 of …

Field Updates November 2018: Eelgrass Monitoring and Rainfall Totals

December 7, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program eelgrass eelgrass loss eelgrass restoration estuary field updates field work fieldwork MBNEP monitoring morro bay natural recruitment precipitation rainfall rainfall totals citizen science Field Updates

Fulfilling our mission to protect and restore the Morro Bay estuary for people and wildlife requires a lot of hard work in the field. At the Estuary Program, that often entails doing research, restoration, and monitoring work out on the estuary and along the creeks that feed into it. Read on to see what we’ve been up to during the past month. Eelgrass Monitoring In November, we went out and checked on all of our 2018 eelgrass restoration plots, as well as some planted in 2017. While we were out monitoring, we noticed lots of new patches of …

Rain Comes to Morro Bay at the Start of a New Water Year

October 5, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program estuary MBNEP morro bay national estuary program precipitation rain year rainfall storm stormwater water year Blog Posts citizen science

First rain of the water year Rain returned to the Central Coast this week, bringing precipitation totals between one third of an inch and six tenths of an inch within the Morro Bay estuary watershed. This storm came after a six-month break in significant precipitation and just after the October 1 start of the new, 2019 water year. A water year is a twelve-month period of time that begins October 1 of one calendar year and ends September 30 of the next. The reason that the water year differs from the calendar year is that, in many places, precipitation that falls …

Photograph Friday: Spring Rain in Morro Bay

March 30, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program drought estuary los osos MBNEP morro bay photographs precipitation rain rain gauge rainfall storm stormwater water Blog Posts

At the Estuary Program office, we are always excited to see the rain come down. When enough rain falls, creeks flow at adequate levels, giving fish and other aquatic wildlife a better chance to survive and thrive. On the other hand, rain can wash trash, sediment, and other substances into storm drains, creeks, and out into the bay. It’s important to make sure that we dispose of trash, pet waste, debris, and chemicals properly. so that they can’t catch a ride into our waterways. Today, we are sharing some of our favorite pictures of the most recent storm. If you …

Field Updates January 2018

February 9, 2018 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program drought eelgrass estuary estuary program field MBNEP monitoring morro bay rainfall sediment Blog Posts

Fulfilling our mission to protect and restore the Morro Bay estuary for people and animals requires a lot of hard work in the field. At the Estuary Program, that often means spending time doing research and monitoring work out on the water. Read on to see what our staff and volunteers have been up to during the first month of 2018! Eelgrass Monitoring We started the new year by monitoring the eelgrass we transplanted in March and July of 2017. With the help of Cal Poly, including graduate student Erin Aiello, we have been monitoring these plots regularly …

Join the Morro Bay Rain Gauge Network

November 3, 2017 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program 1995 rains erosion estuary morro bay morro bay national estuary program precipitation rain rainfall sediment sedimentation Blog Posts

In the photograph above, sediment erodes from a dirt road during a rainstorm. This sediment can enter streams and end up in the bay.

Rain is in the forecast, which makes it a perfect time to debut our Rain Gauge Network. This new webpage will display rainfall data from the area surrounding Morro Bay and beyond. Now, we need you to join the network and help us gather that data. Why track rainfall? All precipitation that falls within the Morro Bay watershed can eventually make its way into the estuary through creeks and storm drains. This video shows runoff from roofs, streets, parking lots, etc. entering Morro Bay through a storm drain near the Estuary Program office. Runoff can contain sediment, bacteria, …

Field Updates February 2017

March 3, 2017 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program eelgrass estuary field notes morro bay rain rainfall slo county storm Blog Posts

Carolyn does a test planting using bamboo garden stakes as an anchor and twine to mimic eelgrass.

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 have been up to during the month of February. Sediment monitoring February was a quieter month for sediment monitoring, compared to January. We monitored two storms on Walters Creek in February, and we spent plenty of time processing sample bottles at our lab at Cuesta College, trying to empty them for future rounds of monitoring. Karissa went out with Catie, our Communications and Outreach Intern, to pick up bottles from …

What to Read to Keep Up on the Weather

February 17, 2017 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program estuary rain rain total rainfall stream stream height stream stage weather Blog Posts

Rainfall totals impact the estuary. Lack of rainfall increases the salt content in bay, since less fresh water is flowing into it. Large storms send an influx of fresh water down streams, decreasing salinity levels and sending sediment out to the bay. Because of this, we keep an eye on the weather and its impact on the estuary. Sometimes, that means heading out during a break in the storm to check sediment monitoring equipment, like the two staff members below just did. If you don’t have monitoring equipment to check on, we recommend staying inside this weekend. If you …

January Field Updates, 2017

February 3, 2017 Posted by Morro Bay National Estuary Program chorro creek drought john lindsey rain rain totals rainfall water Blog Posts

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 have been up to during the month of January. 2017 started off with an exciting series of storms. On January 4, the Morro Bay watershed received an impressive 3.84 inches of rain within a 24-hour period. Our staff went out to check on different creek sites and discovered that Chorro Creek rose more than 9 feet, overtopping a county bridge on Canet Road. This is the first time that has …