Morro Bay National Estuary Program

Our final post in the Morro Bay Watershed Native Plant 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!... https://www.mbnep.org//morro-bay-watershed-native-plant-e/

Striped shore crab identification and habitat What striped shore crabs look like The striped shore crab is a type of crustacean, about one to two inches (or 3 to 5 centimeters) wide. Their carapace (i.e. hard, upper shell) is a very dark purple, red, or even green, and lined with bright yellow-green stripes. Though this color combination makes striped shore crabs eye catching when you see them out in the open, it helps them disappear into dark, rocky crevices where they hide amongst sea lettuce, rock weed, and bits of kelp.... https://www.mbnep.org//morro-bay-wildlife-spotlight-strip/

What is bioassessment? For those of you unfamiliar with this effort, our annual spring bioassessment is our largest survey effort of the year. This survey effort focuses on the biological assessment of ten local creeks within the Morro Bay watershed, using an evaluation protocol created by the Surface Water Ambient Monitoring Program (SWAMP) and the State of California. Bioassessment surveys utilize a number of different criteria to assess creek health, with the primary focus being the assessment of benthic macroinvertebrates (BMIs).... https://www.mbnep.org//field-updates-april-2021-bioassess/

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.... https://www.mbnep.org//cleaning-up-morro-bays-beaches-a-v/

You know about sea level rise and the polar ice caps melting, but how might climate change affect us here on California's Central Coast? Tune in to Central Coast Voices on KCBX today at 1 p.m. to hear the Estuary Program's answer to that question. Our Executive Director will share our work on climate change, and you'll hear from other local organizations, too. Listen live online: https://www.kcbx.org/listen-online#stream/0 KCBX ESTERO City of Morro Bay ECOSLO

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.... https://www.mbnep.org//morro-bay-watershed-native-plant-s/

Every year, we invite writers near and far to compose poetry focused on the Morro Bay estuary and surrounding lands for our Morro Bay Estuary Poetry Contest: A National Treasure in Words. The contest is open now through May 7, and writers age 8 and up can enter. Find the complete details on our Morro Bay Estuary Poetry Contest 2021 page... https://www.mbnep.org//morro-bay-estuary-poetry-contest-2/

Read each month's Field Updates post to see what our Monitoring Team have been up to. Updates on the Volunteer Monitoring Program As of March 2nd 2021, San Luis Obispo County moved from the purple or Widespread tier back into the red tier. The Morro Bay National Estuary Program’s current COVID-19 Safety Policy allows for volunteer monitoring when the San Luis Obispo County risk level is... https://www.mbnep.org//field-updates-march-2021-volunteer/