Tag Archives: mpa

Summer temperatures in California’s land-locked central valley can soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, forcing residents to take refuge in their air-conditioned homes. Another popular way to beat the heat is to visit the coast near San Francisco, where billows of silvery fog and a cool, salt-soaked breeze beckon visitors during the summer months. Montara State Marine […]

Monterey beckons to people who love the seaside. Families, kayakers, divers, and photographers flock to its breathtaking ocean views, historic charm, and easy coastal access. With the Pacific Ocean hugging this coastal city, locals and visitors alike can easily find themselves on the shores of a marine protected area (MPA). One of the area’s MPAs […]

Deep and mysterious waters lie just off California’s coast, sometimes within a stone’s throw of the beach. A millennium of tectonic forces, and more recent geologic forces like ice ages and erosion have brought these present-day deep ocean habitats, called submarine canyons, to our coastal doorstep. Exotic ocean life and biological diversity abound in these […]

The Point Arena Lighthouse is a popular landmark to visit along California’s picturesque Mendocino Coast. Standing 115 feet above the flat coastal prairie, the lighthouse rises from the headland’s edge, bravely overlooking the pounding waves below. Whether from the top of the lighthouse or from the grounds, visitors marvel at the expansive ocean views surrounding them on all […]

Big River Estuary State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) is a small marine protected area located just south of the town of Mendocino. It covers less than a quarter square mile of estuary habitat along 1.3 miles of riverbank east of the Highway 1 bridge. Though it may be small, the impact of Big River Estuary SMCA […]