About
The San Luis Obispo Collaborative brings together non-profits, educational institutions, fishermen, and local government agencies to share resources for local MPA outreach, enforcement, and monitoring.
Join the Collaborative
Other Ways to Engage
Volunteer and Community Science Programs
- SeaLife Stewards – A water-based volunteer program that aims to reduce human-caused disturbance to wildlife and increase public awareness. Contact: SeaLifeStewards(at)gmail.com
- MPA Watch – A network of programs that support healthy oceans through community science by collecting human use data in and around our protected areas.
- California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program (CCFRP) – Volunteer anglers are essential to the California Collaborative Fisheries Research Program (CCFRP). CCFRP volunteers aid scientific crew in the collection of valuable data on marine species by fishing inside and outside of MPAs.
- Respect Wildlife – For us, seeing wildlife in nature is thrilling! But to wildlife, seeing us may not be such a thrill. Understand that you’re visiting homes— where animals eat, sleep, play and breed. Fun and respect go together. Here’s how to have the best time at the coast.
Resources
Upcoming Events
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Related Publications
Please note that this blog post will continually be updated with the most relevant and up-to-date information and ...
This special network update is focused on the MPA Collaborative Network's (CN's) engagement in the adaptive ...
Marine protected areas (MPAs) have gained attention as a conservation tool for enhancing ecosystem resilience to climate change. However, empirical evidence explicitly linking MPAs to enhanced ecological resilience is limited and mixed. To better understand whether MPAs can buffer climate impacts, we tested the resistance and recovery of marine communities to the 2014–2016 Northeast Pacific heatwave in the largest scientifically designed MPA network in the world off the coast of California, United States.
California’s iconic underwater forests are under threat from climate change. From 2014-2019, more than 95% of the bull kelp off our state’s northern coastline disappeared following a record-breaking marine heat wave and an explosion in kelp-eating purple sea urchin populations. Portions of California’s central and south coasts, such as the Monterey Peninsula, have also experienced severe declines in kelp. These die-offs have had serious impacts on coastal communities – closing fisheries, shuttering dive shops, and affecting tribal members, divers, and fishermen across the state.
Projects
The MPA Collaborative Network turns community input into action! The MPA Collaborative Network’s Compliance Initiative, supported by Ocean Protection Council (OPC) Once-Through Cooling Mitigation funds, and in partnership with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), the ...
An MPA Compliance Small Grant project by the San Luis Obispo Collaborative resulted in an updated MPA interpretive sign for replacement at Leffingwell Creek. Content and language were generously shared by the yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini Northern Chumash Tribe and the Salinan Tribe for ...
An MPA Compliance Small Grant project by the San Luis Obispo Collaborative resulted in an updated MPA interpretive sign for replacement at the Morro Bay Museum of Natural History.
An MPA Compliance Small Grant project by the San Luis Obispo Collaborative resulted in a Good Tidepooler Rules sign for Cambria SMCA/SMP. The sign was adapted from South Coast versions of the same sign and features messaging on how to tidepool responsibly and respect wildlife. The sign was ...
An MPA Compliance Small Grant project by the San Luis Obispo Collaborative resulted in three new exhibit panels for the outside deck of the Morro Bay State Park Museum of Natural History that highlight area MPAs, local tribes, common species, and ways to engage. Interpretive text on the panels ...
A 20-page kids activity booklet that features fun activities to educate its readers on marine protected areas (MPAs), wildlife, ocean safety, marine stewardship, recreational opportunities, and more. Content updated in 2021 features new activities including 3D augmented reality coloring pages ...
Have you completed your Coastal Explorer Guide? Get your MPA Steward Certificate by taking the MPA Quiz! After you complete the quiz, a personalized certificate will be emailed to your inbox.
¡A descubrir áreas marinas protegidas!, guía del explorador costero de California, es un cuadernillo de 20 páginas con actividades para niños creado y distribuido por SLO MPA Collaborative que cuenta con actividades entretenidas que les enseñan a sus lectores sobre las áreas marinas ...
¿Ya has completado la Guía del explorador costero? ¡Obtén tu certificado de guardián de áreas marinas protegidas luego de responder un cuestionario sobre ellas! Cuando hayas terminado, te enviaremos un certificado personalizado a tu correo.
The MPA Collaborative Network held Community Compliance Forums for each coastal county as part of a multi-year Compliance Initiative funded by the Ocean Protection Council. The Forums provided space for local stakeholders to voice their MPA, ocean, and coastal compliance concerns and ...
Informed by the creation of two locally-relevant MPA videos, the SLO MPA Collaborative put together a “lessons learned” document to guide other Collaboratives’ work as they pursue video projects.
To increase visitors’ understanding of MPAs, the SLO MPA Collaborative worked with Visitor TV and San Luis Obispo State Parks to produce two videos highlighting MPAs as beautiful places to explore while visiting San Luis Obispo County. These videos are aired multiple times daily in two key ...
To increase visitors’ understanding of MPAs, the SLO MPA Collaborative worked with Visitor TV and San Luis Obispo State Parks to produce two videos highlighting MPAs as beautiful places to explore while visiting San Luis Obispo County. These videos are aired multiple times daily in two key ...
San Luis Obispo MPA Collaborative Leadership Team
Robin Hazard
SLO MPA Collaborative Co-Chair
MPA Interpreter 1 (PI),
CA State Parks
robin.hazard(at)parks.ca.gov
Gordon Hensley
SLO MPA Collaborative Co-Chair
Haylee Bautista
SLO MPA Collaborative Co-Chair
Riley Hine
SLO MPA Collaborative Co-Chair
Communications and Outreach Coordinator, Morro Bay National Estuary Program
rhine(at)mbnep.org
San Luis Obispo MPA Collaborative Members
Do you see information or links that need to be updated? Let us know.
This list is not meant to imply that each affiliated organization is participating in the collaborative at a formal level nor that each collaborative member is representing the official view of their affiliation. All voices and perspectives are welcome and are considered unique to the person sharing them.
yak titʸu titʸu yak tiłhini tribe
Big Creek Reserve
BLM – California Coastal National Monument
BLM – Piedras Blancas Light Station
Cal Poly Avila Beach Pier
Cal Poly Biological Sciences
Central Coast State Parks Association
California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
California State Parks – SLO Coast District
Caltrans
Cambria Fishing Club
Central Coast Aquarium
Central Coast Women for Fisheries
City of Morro Bay
Department of Defense – Vandenburg AFB
ECOSLO
Cayucos Land Conservancy
Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve
Friends of Piedras Blancas Light Station
Friends of the Elephant Seal
Green Space – the Cambria Land Trust
Hearst Castle Volunteers
Kenneth S. Norris Rancho Marino Reserve
California Marine Sanctuary Foundation
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Morro Bay Museum of Natural History
Big Creek Reserve
BLM – California Coastal National Monument
BLM – Piedras Blancas Light Station
Cal Poly Avila Beach Pier
Cal Poly Biological Sciences
Central Coast State Parks Association
California Dept. of Fish and Wildlife
California State Parks – SLO Coast District
Caltrans
Cambria Fishing Club
Central Coast Aquarium
Central Coast Women for Fisheries
City of Morro Bay
Department of Defense – Vandenburg AFB
ECOSLO
Cayucos Land Conservancy
Friends of the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve
Friends of Piedras Blancas Light Station
Friends of the Elephant Seal
Green Space – the Cambria Land Trust
Hearst Castle Volunteers
Kenneth S. Norris Rancho Marino Reserve
California Marine Sanctuary Foundation
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Morro Bay Museum of Natural History
Morro Bay Harbor Patrol
Morro Bay National Estuary Program
Morro Coast Audubon Society
National Forest Service
Northern Chumash Tribal Council
National Forest Service
Ocean Conservancy
The Otter Project
Patriot Sportfishing
PG&E
Pismo Beach Recreation Dept.
Point Blue
Port San Luis Harbor District
Rancho El Chorro Outdoor School
Reefcheck
Salinan Tribal Council
Sierra Club Santa Lucia Chapter
SIMON: Sanctuary Integrated Monitoring Network
San Luis Obispo Coastkeeper
San Luis Obispo County
San Luis Obispo County Parks
Surfrider SLO Chapter
U.S. Geological Survey
Virg’s Landing Sportfishing