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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

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

Group Hikes: Are They For You?

Solo or group hiking is a frequently debated argument within the hiking community. Both hiking styles have benefits and downsides to be explored. Over the years I have heard the... read more →
  • June 29, 2022
  • Lisa Langley
  • No Comments
  • Environment, Health, Lifestyle, Outdoor Recreation, Travel

What’s Blooming in Holloway Garden

Holloway Garden is in Montaña de Oro State Park, just to the south of the Spooner Ranch House. In 1993, State Park Docent Betty Holloway asked if she could develop... read more →
  • April 6, 2022
  • Faylla Chapman
  • No Comments
  • Botany, Environment, Flora and Fauna, Habitat, Outdoor Recreation, Species Identification, Travel

Trilliums Greet Hikers on Coon Creek Trail

Looking for a trail to see spring flowers? If so, Coon Creek trail in Montaña de Oro State Park is for you.Trillium flowers (Trillium angustipetalum), also called wakerobin, are blooming... read more →
  • February 7, 2022
  • Norma Wightman
  • No Comments
  • Botany, Environment, Flora and Fauna, Habitat, Outdoor Recreation, Species Identification, Travel

Mud Stories: Californiconus (Conus) californicus, a mighty predator

If you happen to be going out to the mud flats below the Natural History Museum, go on a low enough tide that the eelgrass beds are really exposed, maybe... read more →
  • June 24, 2021
  • Faylla Chapman
  • No Comments
  • Beach, Environment, Flora and Fauna, Invertebrates, Marine Biology, Outdoor Recreation, Species Identification

Look at This Rock!

Home to thousands of marine organisms, this rock is at North Point in Morro Bay.  It is often hard to get close to the rock as it is in the... read more →
  • June 9, 2021
  • Faylla Chapman
  • No Comments
  • Beach, Botany, Environment, Flora and Fauna, Habitat, Invertebrates, Marine Biology, Outdoor Recreation, Species Identification
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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