Looking for a way to enjoy this gorgeous, unseasonably warm weather we’ve been having lately? Well, on Jan. 18, you can celebrate the 6th annual Underwater Parks Day with a series of events happening along the coast.
Underwater Parks Day was created by Southern California aquaria in 2009 to introduce California residents and visitors to the state’s other state parks—the marine-protected areas that dot the coast. Like parks on land, these underwater parks offer a range of activities for visitors, including tide-pooling, birdwatching, and kayaking. Many also allow some fishing, balancing public access with protections for sensitive plants and animals.
From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Friends of the Elephant Seals will be host to a free information table, various interactive activities for kids, and underwater cookies at Piedras Blancas along Highway 1. Also at 1 p.m., Bette Bardeen will lead a 1-mile interpretive walk called, “Underwater Parks: California’s Investment in the Future.”
The Morro Bay Museum of Natural History, located at 20 State Park Road, will be host to an Underwater Parks Day photography exhibit featuring the work of many local artists. Winning photographs will be on display for several months. In addition, there will be a touch-tank exhibit, known as Tide Pool Treasures, so visitors can view and gently touch marine invertebrates that thrive in underwater parks along California’s Central Coast. Museum admission costs $3 for adults. Kids ages 16 and under are free.
There will be a “Junior Scientist” scavenger hunt from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. along the Point Buchon Trail, located at the southernmost end of Pecho Valley Road in Montana de Oro State Park. Families can search for marine animals and birds and complete a scavenger hunt notebook. There will be a prize for children at the end, too!
For more information about California’s marine-protected areas, visit CaliforniaMPAs.org.
Managing Editor Amy Asman wrote this week’s Community Corner. Information should be sent to the Sun via mail, e-mail, or fax.
This article appears in Jan 16-23, 2014.