We are in a time of colliding arcs of history, immersed in the uncertainty and heightened emotions of change. The backdrop of this moment, like all moments, is our Earth. The place that holds and nurtures us. In the Morro Bay watershed, we are exceedingly lucky to be able to enjoy the beauty and peace of our estuary. The fluidity of the bay—the changing of the tides, the movement of the birds, the ever shifting fog line—brings both comfort and a mirror to the constant change around us.
Although each of us may not be able to get outside directly, I hope the beauty of our wild surroundings has brought some joy to this time of uncertainty. I personally have felt gratitude for the place we live when I have had the chance to bike ride with my kids to our neighborhood trails, hear the chattering quail on my morning run, and enjoy the vibrant California poppies persisting in our garden.
Throughout the many changes of the past few months, the Estuary Program has continued our work to protect and restore Morro Bay, and you have been right there alongside us. You might have read our blog posts on eelgrass restoration and actions you can take to help keep the bay clean. You may have tuned in for our online talks about State of the Bay or supported clean water by picking up after your pet.
While Estuary Program staff have had to work from home, like so many of us, we are still here, monitoring, restoring and educating. We have also been able to keep our water quality monitoring and habitat restoration work going. With permission from the County Emergency Operations Center, we have continued collecting data at many creek and bay sites and implementing restoration projects.
We are deeply grateful for the community spirit and commitment that has underpinned our efforts to protect and restore Morro Bay for twenty-five years. Our volunteers embody that spirit with every hour they give. Unfortunately, for safety reasons, we have had to ask them to stop their work for the bay temporarily. We dearly miss our volunteers—the joy they bring to the science of our work, and the community we have all built together. Our dedicated volunteers ensure that we can collect high quality data at over dozens of sites throughout the watershed. Although we have rearranged staff duties to continue collecting most of the data our volunteers would usually collect, we hope to share the experience of the cool creek waters and magical fog-wrapped mornings on the bay with our volunteers again soon.
Stick with us. Even as we are kept physically apart, we are a community connected by the bay. We will keep science, restoration, and education moving forward with your support. We need you to keep picking up trash when you see it, talking to your neighbors about the bay, and tending your bay-friendly gardens.
Learn more ways you can support the bay through science and service at https://www.mbnep.org/community-science/. Donate at mbnep.org/donate. And tell us what you think! You can interact with us on social media and send us messages at staff@mbnep.org.
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Help us protect and restore the Morro Bay estuary!
- Donate to the Estuary Program today and support our work in the field, the lab, and beyond.
The Estuary Program is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. We depend on funding from grants and generous donors to continue our work. - Support us by purchasing estuary-themed gear from ESTERO. This locally owned and operated company donates 20% of proceeds from its Estuary clothing line and 100% of Estuary decal proceeds to the Estuary Program. Thank you, ESTERO!
- Purchase items from the the Estuary Program’s store on Zazzle. Zazzle prints and ships your items, and the Estuary Program receives 10% of the proceeds. Choose from mugs, hats, t-shirts, and even fanny packs (they’re back!) with our fun Estuary Octopus design, our classic Estuary Program logo, or our Mutts for the Bay logo.