Northern California Marine Protected Areas
No politics...just glorious nature and her laws!
California has a coastal network of 124 protected areas designed to help increase the coherence and effectiveness of protecting the state’s marine life, habitats, and ecosystems. The northern California marine protected areas (MPAs), from the California/Oregon border to Alder Creek (near Point Arena), are the northernmost component of a statewide MPA network.
I took a stroll this evening along one of these, just a short distance from where I live. The MacKerricher State Marine Conservation area is one of my favorites. I like to take my binoculars and get within a safe distance of the harbor seal rookery located out on the rocks just before Laguna Point. The rookery is where harbor seals give birth to their pups in April and May. And the seals are still out there draping themselves over the rocks.
Afterwards, I sat on an old log that has been on this beach as long as I could remember. The amazing cloud formations in the sky and the sun kissed glistening waves are equally mesmerizing. These are just spectacular moments of heaven on earth! Nothing humans can do can really compete with this. What a lovely evening!
It was arm enough (which is rare) to walk comfortably barefoot along the wet sand—without my feet freezing— and carefully along where the waves surge against the shore. Carefully, for the waves are tricky and can be powerful. The best advice is never turn your back on the ocean and know the occurrence of high and low tides.
This is not at all like the beaches where I grew up in New Jersey. No jumping into the warm water and frolicking in the waves here. Well, you can, if you can stand being cold.
The ocean along our wild beaches has unpredictable currents and cold water temperatures. Not very safe for swimming and surfing requires a wet suit.
These beaches along the Redwood Coast where I now live are so magnificent and such a variety of habitat is found. The Redwood Forest is a stunning backdrop to our rocky bluffs, coastal prairies, and coastal scrub ecosystems. Shorebirds thrive, tide pools are filled with an assortment of species, and there are several varieties of seaweed. Yes, our underwater kelp forests are still in trouble as our land based redwood forests and all that is another story. And of course there are the whales. Spring and fall whale migrations are just as special.
Tonight, I will dream of the sea.