At the Estuary Program, our work to protect and restore the Morro Bay estuary and the lands that surround it would not be possible without our community partners and volunteers who help gather data and provide support for all of our program areas.
Volunteers by the Numbers
Volunteers have been a vital part of the Estuary Program for over 20 years. They help power many aspects of our program including Mutts for the Bay, water quality monitoring, restoration efforts, beach cleanups, and our governing board.
Monitoring Volunteers
Throughout 2024, our monitoring program worked with 39 volunteers. Year-round, we have a group of 20 dedicated volunteers who help to collect monthly water quality data. This includes water temperature, dissolved oxygen, and bacteria to help track bay and creek health.
Volunteers also provide seasonal support for bioassessment, spring streamflows, and bay recreational use monitoring. In total, monitoring volunteers contributed over 550 hours of their time to help us with these important projects.
Restoration Volunteers
Each year, our restoration team does work throughout the watershed and estuary to help support healthy ecosystems. This year, we had the help of 29 restoration volunteers who contributed over 75 hours of their time.
This included two restoration events and invasive European sea lavender removal. Over 300 sea lavender plants and over 3,500 pounds of iceplant were removed. These invasive species removal projects are important to the health of our watershed and estuary and would not be possible without our restoration volunteers.
Mutts for the Bay Volunteers
Our Mutts for the Bay program thrives with the support of our 16 volunteers. They ensure that our network of 36 pet waste bag dispensers are stocked throughout Morro Bay and Los Osos. These volunteers contributed almost 400 hours this year. Their time helped to prevent thousands of pounds of bacteria from dog waste from impacting our local waterways.
Beach Cleanup Volunteers
This year the Estuary Program hosted four cleanup events around Morro Rock, with over a hundred volunteers coming out to help keep Morro Bay trash free. These events attract returning volunteers as well as visitors to our area. It’s exciting to see how many people want to volunteer their time to make our watershed a cleaner place.
The Bay Foundation of Morro Bay Governing Board Volunteers
The behind-the-scenes work of our governing board, the Bay Foundation of Morro Bay, provides the organizational framework that allows the Estuary Program to carry out our work of protecting and restoring the watershed. This governing board is nonprofit and all-volunteer, made up of nine dedicated members. They work to review our workplans and budgets to help guide the strategic direction of the organization. We are so grateful to these individuals who contribute so much of their time to provide for crucial infrastructure that supports our organization.
Volunteers of the Year
Each year we highlight some of our amazing volunteers to recognize their time and commitment to the program. Therefore, Our 2024 Volunteers of the Year are Sue and Myron Hood. These two volunteers have together contributed over 500 hours to support our monitoring and Mutts for the Bay programs. Sue and Myron became interested in the Estuary Program from their years of canoeing and kayaking in the bay. They have been members of the Morro Bay State Park’s Association and the Black Hill Gang doing trail maintenance in local State Parks.
Sue and Myron started volunteering for the monitoring program because of their next door neighbor, Liz, who was an Estuary Program volunteer who needed a site partner. Sue took over as her partner and Myron stepped in when needed. When Liz retired from the volunteer program, Myron took over full time with Sue.
When asked what they find rewarding about volunteering, they said, “We enjoy following the seasonal changes in the creeks. Particularly seeing changes after the winter rains, it is fun to keep track of the little fingerlings in the water as they grow into (somewhat) bigger fish. It is also interesting to see the various animals that inhabit the area—the deer, coyotes, turkeys, quail, and many other birds, especially the raptors hunting in the fields.”
Sue and Myron have been a part of the Los Osos community since 1977 and have made a huge impact on the Estuary Program. Since retiring from their respective careers in retail and at Cal Poly, Sue and Myron enjoy spending their spare time walking their dog, gardening, relaxing at their cabin in Shaver Lake, and reading. Thank you for your support and dedication, Sue and Myron!
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 Estuary Program’s store on Zazzle. Zazzle prints and ships your items, and the Estuary Program receives 10% of the proceeds.
- Subscribe to our seasonal newsletter: Between the Tides!
- We want to hear from you! Please take a few minutes to fill out this short survey about what type of events you’d like to see from the Estuary Program. We appreciate your input!