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Central Coast State Parks Association | CCSPA Central Coast State Parks Association | CCSPA
  • Who we Are
    • Mission and Vision
    • Board & Staff
    • Join Our Team
      • Job Opportunities
      • Board Service
      • Internships
      • Volunteering
    • Transparency
    • Partnerships
    • Sponsor Recognition
    • Contact Us
  • What We Do
    • Our Impact
    • Programs
      • School Groups
      • Traveling Museum Exhibits
    • Press & Publications
      • Podcast
      • Blog
      • In The News
    • Nature Notes Newsletter
    • Awards
  • Events
    • Event Calendar
    • Adventures With Nature
    • CCSPA Movie Night
    • Mind Walks Lectures
    • Butterfly Ball
  • 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
    • Local Resources
  • Support
    • Become a Friend of CCSPA
    • Business & Corporate Giving
    • More Ways To Give
  • Store
  • Donate

CCSPA Blog

Central Coast State Parks Association | CCSPA / CCSPA Blog

Hearst San Simeon; the Perfect Duo

California’s central coast is blessed with some of the best camping locations and the most beautiful beaches. A great way to experience both of these central coast glories is by... read more →
  • April 3, 2024
  • Julia Hershberger
  • No Comments
  • Birds, Botany, Camping, Environment, Flora and Fauna, Habitat, kayak, Lifestyle, Outdoor Recreation

Truly a Harmonic Headland

Harmony Headlands State Park fully embodies its name. A headland is a piece of land with a sheer drop-off into a body of water. A harmony is an arrangement blended... read more →
  • March 11, 2024
  • Julia Hershberger
  • No Comments
  • Birds, Botany, Butterflies, Environment, Flora and Fauna, Habitat, Lifestyle, Outdoor Recreation

Best Places to Visit with Kids on the Central Coast

Traveling with kids can be quite difficult, but it’s easy to find places to entertain them on the central coast.  1) Morro Bay Museum of Natural History Open 7 days... read more →
  • November 9, 2023
  • Caroline Kelleher
  • No Comments
  • Environment, Flora and Fauna, Habitat, K-12, Lifestyle, Outdoor Recreation, Volunteerism

What Makes our Estuary Unique?

One of the beauties embedded in the central coast is the Morro Bay salt marsh and estuary. It is home to many different native plants and animals that use the... read more →
  • October 5, 2023
  • Violet Emerson
  • No Comments
  • Beach, Environment, Flora and Fauna, Habitat, Lifestyle, Outdoor Recreation, Species Identification

Truly a Sweet Spring

Nestled into Baywood California off of Ramona Avenue is a local gem where freshwater springs run into the salt water of Morro Bay, Sweet Springs Nature Preserve. Places where there... read more →
  • September 28, 2023
  • Violet Emerson
  • No Comments
  • Birds, Butterflies, Environment, Flora and Fauna, Habitat, Lifestyle, Outdoor Recreation, Species Identification

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
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Recent Posts

  • From Coast to Mountains: The Western Monarch’s Annual Migration September 30, 2025
  • Estero Bluffs State Park August 5, 2025
  • Prescribed Burns on the Central Coast July 30, 2025
  • Moonlit Wings and Wild Things: Nocturnal Life in SLO’s State Parks June 27, 2025
  • Dog Rules on the Central Coast: Where Your Furry Friend Is Welcome in State Parks June 20, 2025

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