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Central Coast State Parks Association | CCSPA Central Coast State Parks Association | CCSPA
  • Home
  • Visit
    • Parks We Support
      • Cayucos State Beach
      • Harmony Headlands State Park
      • Hearst San Simeon State Park
      • Estero Bluffs State Park
      • Los Osos Oaks State Natural Reserve
      • Montaña de Oro & Spooner Ranch
      • Morro Bay State Park & Museum of Natural History
      • Morro Strand State Beach
      • Oceano Dunes & Oso Flaco Lake
      • Pismo State Beach
    • Nature Stores
    • School Groups
    • Traveling Museum Exhibits
    • Local Resources
  • Events
    • Event Calendar
    • Adventures With Nature
    • Mind Walks Lectures
    • Butterfly Ball
    • Through The Eyes of a Monarch Art Show
    • Mariposa Festival
  • Support
    • Become a Friend of CCSPA
    • Business & Corporate Giving
    • More Ways To Give
  • Our Reach
    • Our Impact
    • Partnerships
    • CCSPA Sponsored Programs
    • Sponsor Recognition
    • Awards
    • Transparency
  • About
    • Who We Are
    • Board & Staff
    • Join Our Team
      • Board Service
      • Volunteering
      • Job Opportunities
    • Press & Publications
      • Nature Notes Newsletter
      • In The News
    • Podcast
    • Contact Us
  • Store
  • Blog
  • Donate

CCSPA Blog

Central Coast State Parks Association | CCSPA / CCSPA Blog

Music for the Heart – Running at Morro Strand

Photo by Renne Gardner Long distance running has been called boring and lonely and bad for your knees. Long distance runners have been called looney and one-dimensional and smelly. As... read more →
  • August 30, 2023
  • Renne Gardner
  • No Comments
  • Beach, Environment, Lifestyle, Outdoor Recreation, Sports

Montaña de Oro – Mountain of Gold

The moment you round that final bend and enter this coastal jewel, you surrender to your senses and deeply breathe in the beauty surrounding you. An archway of tall eucalyptus... read more →
  • June 29, 2023
  • Leslie Jones
  • No Comments
  • Beach, Environment, Flora and Fauna, Lifestyle, Outdoor Recreation, Travel

Morro Bay Mirage

It’s an especially beautiful morning, the water is glassy and calm and I’m out enjoying the peacefulness of kayaking in the bay. A group of sometimes reclusive, and always stunning,... read more →
  • June 29, 2023
  • Leslie Jones
  • No Comments
  • Beach, Birds, Environment, Habitat, Lifestyle, Outdoor Recreation, Species Identification, Travel

California Poppies: The Golden Blossom of the Golden State

There is at least one upside to the severe storms that moved through California in the first months of 2023: heavy rainfall has allowed our wildflowers to blossom in masses.... read more →
  • April 13, 2023
  • Jess O'Leary
  • No Comments
  • Botany, Flora and Fauna

New Partnership with Electric Monarch Tattoo

What do you get when you cross a tattoo shop with an environmental nonprofit? No, this isn't the start of a bad joke...it's our latest partnership that supports monarch butterflies!... read more →
  • March 29, 2023
  • Angelena Masicampo
  • No Comments
  • Advocacy, Botany, Business, Butterflies, Environment, Flora and Fauna, Lifestyle, Meaningful Merchandise

Sea Glass on the Central Coast

King tides, storm surges, the pull and push of lunar and solar gravity all combine to mix and churn the sea bed. Rocks, shells, driftwood, dead sea creatures, bottles and... read more →
  • March 13, 2023
  • Renne Gardner
  • No Comments
  • Beach, Environment, Lifestyle, Outdoor Recreation

California’s Central Coast: One of the Best Teachers Around

Fly Agarics in Cambria As a lifetime resident of San Luis Obispo County, the lessons I have learned from the local hiking trails and natural wonders are invaluable. It goes... read more →
  • February 8, 2023
  • Edie Irving
  • No Comments
  • Botany, Environment, Flora and Fauna, Lifestyle, Outdoor Recreation, Species Identification

Bountiful Beauties: Bringing Butterflies Back

As we approach the end of another western monarch overwintering season on the Central Coast, there lies a glimmer of hope in experiencing the vastness, however dwindling, of nature’s well-known... read more →
  • February 1, 2023
  • Teddy Fleming
  • No Comments
  • Advocacy, Botany, Butterflies, Environment, Flora and Fauna, Invertebrates, Lifestyle, Travel

In-Person Mind Walks Returning in 2023

We know you've been looking forward to attending in-person Mind Walks--the wait is now over! In 2023, the Central Coast State Parks Association (CCSPA) and California State Parks will be... read more →
  • January 5, 2023
  • Monica Rutherford
  • No Comments
  • Education, Environment, Lifestyle, News, Outdoor Recreation

Harmony Headlands State Park

The turnoff into the parking lot is barely noticeable. A quick turn off Highway One north of Cayucos built for an earlier time. A time of horse-drawn wagons, fewer and... read more →
  • August 30, 2022
  • Renne Gardner
  • No Comments
  • Beach, Botany, Environment, Flora and Fauna, Habitat, Health, Lifestyle, Outdoor Recreation, Travel
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Recent Posts

  • Music for the Heart – Running at Morro Strand August 30, 2023
  • Montaña de Oro – Mountain of Gold June 29, 2023
  • Morro Bay Mirage June 29, 2023
  • California Poppies: The Golden Blossom of the Golden State April 13, 2023
  • New Partnership with Electric Monarch Tattoo March 29, 2023

Contact Us

202 Tank Farm Road (Suite H2) San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Phone: 805.548.0390 E-Mail: info@centralcoastparks.org Web: centralcoastparks.org

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© 2023 CCSPA (Tax ID #: 51-0198869). All Rights Reserved. Photos by Mike Baird and Highway 1 Road Trip