My Last MPA Watch Training and Snowy Plovers!

By: Catelyn Olrich, Coastal Advocate Intern 

Among all of the beautiful beaches and places we get to survey with the MPA (Marine Protected Area) Watch Program, Limantour Beach might be my favorite. The MPA Watch program is a community science program that collects data on how people are recreating in specific regions of the California coast called Marine Protected Areas or MPAs. As Coastal Advocate Interns with the EAC, Jessie, Ben, and I have been learning how to collect survey data, and train volunteers to conduct surveys themselves. Volunteer surveys contribute data to a statewide database that informs management of MPAs by state and local agencies and organizations. 

On a bittersweet note, this was my last MPA Watch Training of the summer. But I was glad that we got to meet our biggest group of volunteers yet. It is always the best meeting the folks who chose to spend their time volunteering with us. I also got to bring along my college friend, who was visiting from Seattle. It was special to share California’s Marine Protected Area program, while giving her an insight as to how I have been spending my summer. I imagine she was also happy to take a long walk on the beach. I think everyone was, especially once the fog turned to blue skies.

We also noticed that the highest part of the intertidal zone has been temporarily closed by the National Parks Service (NPS) to protect threatened snowy plover nesting. It turns out that Limantour is actually the most successful site this season! Checkout this Snowy Plover Update by Matt Lau for more information. 

https://www.nps.gov/pore/blogs/snowy-plover-update-july-15-2023.htm

Needless to say, Limantour did not disappoint, and it never does. Make sure to check it out if you haven’t already. Better yet, join the next MPA Watch Training!

To learn more about MPA Watch and upcoming training sessions, please click here!

Walking Along the Bay at the Corte Madera Marsh

By Ben Hodgson, Coastal Advocate Intern

If you’ve never experienced the beauty of the Corte Madera Marsh, a volunteer training for Marin MPA Watch is the perfect opportunity! Marin MPA Watch is a community science program that collects scientific data on human activities that occur in marine ecosystems in and around California’s Marine Protected Areas, or MPAs. On July 22nd, the EAC Coastal Advocate interns and I led a training to teach volunteers how to collect useful data at the Corte Madera Marsh Ecological Reserve.

It was a beautiful day – the sun was shining and there was a slight breeze that carried fresh air across the bay. After providing a background presentation on MPAs and MPA Watch, our team of volunteers set off with clipboards in hand to begin the training. As we observed the marshland from a bank on the southern end, we saw a mallard mother leading a string of tiny ducklings. Marin MPA Watch volunteers collect data on what people do in MPAs, not on wildlife, but it’s always fun to see the wildlife along the coast.

As we walked along the outside of the marsh, we noticed a subtle licorice scent from the fennel plants that lined the trail. We looked out towards the bay, but the marsh was empty – every person we saw followed the rules and stayed on the path. We recorded our observations on our datasheet, which is entered into a publicly accessible statewide database. It’s important to record human visitation and behavior in sensitive coastal habitats so that state and local agencies can make informed decisions on how to manage MPAs. Even though we didn’t see any people in the marsh, we did see an American kestrel hovering in the air while scanning for prey.

We reached the northern corner of the marsh trail and stopped at a clearing for a beautiful view of the bay. As we looked for any boats or kayaks, a couple out for a walk approached us to ask what our clipboards were for. It was a surprise opportunity to educate the public about MPAs and the work that Marin MPA Watch volunteers do to help protect them!

After saying goodbye to the couple, we walked back towards the trailhead and wrapped up our training. If you’re looking for a reason to get out to the coast, become a volunteer with Marin MPA Watch! I had a great time at the Corte Madera Marsh and hope to see you at the next training.

To sign up for an upcoming MPA Watch training session, please click here!

A Sunny Training Day at Duxbury Reef

By: Jessie Kamman, Coastal Advocate Intern

One of the most important and most exciting sites we get to work with this summer is Duxbury Reef and Agate Beach in Bolinas. It is a State Marine Conservation Area, where “take” is limited. And it's the perfect place to learn about advocacy, marine protected areas, and impacts of human uses as its visitation rates have increased since the before and throughout the pandemic. The community science that helps protect Duxbury Reef is conducted by friendly locals and the new Duxbury Docent Program which was established and is managed by EAC and local partners.

On July 8th, the two other Coastal Advocate Interns and I, as well as EAC’s Communications Associate Grace Milstein, guided an MPA Watch training with a group of six enthusiastic and friendly volunteers. I was a little more nervous as this was our first training without our Program Manager Leslie Adler-Ivanbrook, and this MPA is the busiest in Marin County. Yet, with a few other trainings under our belts and Grace to show us the transect boundaries for surveying, the training went off without a hitch. This training was actually my favorite so far, despite being anxious about giving the presentation, the volunteers were kind and outgoing, easy to talk to and excited to be on the reef with us. 

The energy of a low tide at Duxbury Reef is felt through the people smiling as they climbed up and down the path, with the anticipation of seeing something unique in any of the sparkling tidepools. That Saturday was especially peppy with the sun shining, three docents on duty greeting beach goers and even a cameo by one of our favorite locals Kent Khtikian, who we call the human encyclopedia on everything Agate Beach related. He shared interesting stories about the geology and beach history with our volunteers throughout the training. 

Our first transect, AG 01 began with a snapshot observation and was filled with explanations of what to consider “tidepooling”. As we tread lightly over small patches of bare rock, we surveyed southwards down the reef and then climbed atop a rocky berm. We passed Laura Lee Miller, a local and a Duxbury Docent who was conducting research as a continuation of Gordon L. Chan's post-oil spill biodiversity research from the 70’s. On the way we stopped as she explained the impacts of this winters’ heavy storms and let me peer through her super magnifying barnacle binoculars. 

As we started our northbound beach walk to survey the second transect AG 02, I talked with one of our volunteers about her hobby to forage seaweed, as we paused to admire large swaths of red algae along the pebbly coastline. We investigated tidepools and a gray whale skeleton as we tallied human activity towards the point at the north end of the beach. After concluding the survey at the far point, and sneaking in a few photos and investigations into the lifestyle of rock crabs, we headed back. 

I am always impressed by the crowd that is attracted to community science, as every volunteer has a unique engagement and perspective on the coast and the environment. They often have niche hobbies and great stories, and the most empathetic demeanor that makes it hard not to enjoy your time even though you’ve been friends for only the past hour. We waved goodbye to the Duxbury Docents, our low tide reef educators, and headed back to the parking lot to compare numbers with the great volunteers we had. We said goodbye, and invited a few volunteers back to see our Saturday open office exhibit. The MPA Watch Program makes community science really feel community-like, and for that reason it was an extra sunny day at Duxbury. 

To join the community, sign up for our upcoming MPA Watch training session, click here!

Lots of Wildlife at the Drake’s Beach MPA Watch Training

By: Ben Hodgson, Coastal Advocate Intern

It was a great summer day for a walk on Drakes Beach. On June 23rd, I joined a group of beach-loving volunteers for an MPA Watch training, a community science program that collects scientific data on specific regions of the California coast called Marine Protected Areas, or MPAs. Drakes Beach lies along a State Marine Reserve, a “no take” MPA, which means activities like fishing are banned to preserve the health of marine ecosystems. I grew up enjoying the beaches of West Marin, so I was excited to contribute to their conservation as part of the MPA Watch program!

We began with an informative presentation from Leslie Adler-Ivanbrook, EAC’s Program Director and the person who runs Marin’s MPA Watch program. We learned how volunteers help MPA Watch conserve our coasts by recording activities, like swimming or kayaking, which improves our understanding of how people use protected beaches and marine areas.

After the presentation, we headed down to the beach to learn how to collect survey data. We started with the first survey zone at Drakes Beach – using binoculars, we spotted a couple moored sailboats and a dinghy cruising along the Point Reyes Peninsula. We recorded those observations and began our walk down the beach.

As we walked towards the mouth of Drakes Estero, we didn’t see any other people – but we saw lots of wildlife! We caught a view of seals as they poked their heads above the waves. We saw small crabs scuttle across the beach and watched barnacles in the tide pools. We even saw a muskrat foraging on the beach!

When we reached the estero, we found a group of seals laying along the shoreline. After taking a few minutes to watch the pelicans dive into the water, we finished our survey and started back. Walking down the beach, we marveled at the beautiful colors of the washed-up sand dollars. We were startled by a low-flying gyrocopter that buzzed over our heads along the shoreline. And as we looked out at Drake’s Bay, we spotted harbor porpoises coasting through the waves. There’s a lot to see on Drake’s Beach!

Volunteering with MPA Watch is a great way to enjoy California’s beaches and contribute to their conservation. I had a great time at Drakes Beach and look forward to the next training!

To learn more, please click here!

MPA Watch Volunteer Training at Limantour Beach

By Cately Olrich, Coastal Advocate Intern

On Saturday, June 17th, I learned why one of the requirements for being a Coastal Advocate intern was to take (and enjoy) long walks on the beach.

Alongside my fellow interns, Jessie Kamman and Ben Hodgson, I learned how to carry out community science surveys through the MPA Watch Program at four locations; Corte Madera Marsh, Drakes Beach/ Drakes Estero, Duxbury Reef/Agate Beach, and Limantour Beach. This is in the pursuit of conducting surveys ourselves, as well as training other volunteers to conduct their own surveys.

Each training is free and open to new volunteers, or existing MPA Watch volunteers looking to learn new transects. After being trained at a location, a volunteer carries out at least 2 surveys per month for the following three months. Of course, we hope many of the volunteers will choose to continue to participate in the program beyond their initial commitment. Through community science we take collective action to provide valuable information about the human use of our marine protected areas.

A recent of these MPA Watch tTraining on June 17th was at Limantour Beach, where we monitor the beach and waters adjacent to and including Point Reyes State Marine Reserve and Estero de Limantour. The estero is a State Marine Reserve, where there should be no take of any marine resources. Whereas most of Limantour Beach is a control monitoring site, it is also important to see how people are using the area surrounding the reserve.

With this in mind, our EAC team under the direction of Leslie Adler-Ivanbrook met a group of six volunteers at Limantour Beach. Most of us were from the Marin area, though two came from Sacramento, and one guest joined us from Southern California. We found that despite the different beaches we call home, we agreed that coastal areas deserve special protection. With that, we started the training with an overview of Marine Protected Areas, and what makes them both important and effective. We also explained how the Watch Program helps with that effort. I felt very grateful for all of the volunteers willing to donate their time at that moment.

It was a characteristically foggy morning at Limantour, which made for a relaxed walk with data sheets and binoculars in hand. The first transect Leslie prompted us to record started was a ‘snapshot’ of everything to the left and east of us, and below the high tide line. The count continued as we walked the beach to the right, and recorded what we passed.

Importantly, transect LIM_01 was paused to survey the Limantour Estero, otherwise known as LIM_02. Here we saw a flock of pelicans, though no people were there. Probably because the estero is tucked behind the dunes. Continuing on with LIM_01 by the oceanside, we counted activities as we passed people. We also spotted a whale off-shore, which was a first for me!

Finally, we closed out LIM_01 and recorded a snapshot observation of LIM_03 using binoculars to view boundary lines that Leslie and our MPA maps showed us, which extended across the water to Chimney Rock. We saw one sailboat in this transect.

And just like that, we were done! All there was to do was walk back, and because you cannot record any data on the way back (to avoid double counting), we focused on being present with one another. In the end, we had walked more than five miles, and had a great start to the day! Though it really was more than a long walk on the beach. I feel lucky to be a part of such important community science that has spanned over so much space and time.

Learn more and join our program! 

My First MPA Watch Training at Corte Madera Marsh

By Jessie Kamman, Coastal Advocate Intern

As an EAC Coastal Advocate intern, I am in the process of training, and learning how to train others for the community science surveys through the MPA Watch Program, which tracks how people use MPAs and adjacent areas. I was particularly excited to start working with our local Marine Protected Areas, and so my first training day at Corte Madera Marsh on June 3rd was highlighted bright blue on my calendar for quite some time.

The training began by meeting up with my fellow interns Cate Olrich and Ben Hodgson, as well as Leslie Adler-Ivanbrook, EAC’s Program Director and our primary mentor here at EAC. As the leftover fog burned off we learned about California’s MPA Network and its impacts, the state of the oceans, and how to engage future volunteers. We loaded up clipboards with our survey sheets and headed out to get data on how the public interacts with the wetlands and surrounding bay.

The Corte Madera Marsh is currently a State Marine Park and Marine Reserve, not an MPA, however it has been proposed for that environmental status upgrade, and the EAC is currently monitoring it through the same system as other Marine Protected Areas. This monitoring is done by surveying and data collection in separate zones. At Corte Madera specifically, there are two monitoring zones, one in the southern portion and one in the northern portion of the marsh.  

The first step of conducting the following surveys was identifying where the boundaries of the Corte Madera survey zones were. It was overall a very learn-by-doing experience, in which Leslie pointed out the boundaries to us visually, and then helped us take note of them as well for future reference. Maps and descriptive resources were also provided to make it easier on the trainees. The binocular observation of a bush-lined trail on the very south end of the marsh came first. With no people, no violations, and plenty of specific questions from our enthusiastic intern collective, we concluded the CMM 03 zone survey in under 10 minutes. 

As we moved on to our walking survey transect, traveling north out into the marsh on an elevated trail, being a volunteer for scientific research initially faded from daunting into a pleasant morning stroll in the sun, accompanied with birdsong and light conversation. We learned to count only those people and activities that passed us on the way out, and only to monitor to our right inside the park boundary. We saw snakes, birds, seals and friendly locals out for walks and jogs. It truly did feel like community based science as we had pleasant interactions.

CMM 04 zone spanned from one side of the park to the other, and out into the bay. The most difficult survey area was out in the water due to having to imagine the surrounding boundary lines of an imaginary geometric shape. However after learning helpful landmarks and with supportive guidance, it was totally manageable. We walked back towards the highways, monitoring the marsh to the right again, and then concluded our survey in around 45 minutes, heading back to the parking lot feeling accomplished and excited to start future entries as an excuse to get back onto the marsh. I found that it was a constructive, positive way to give back in a small way while spending time outdoors and with others. I’m even more excited to visit other sites to learn their survey process and teach, spread and share what I’ve learned with others.