The Estuary Program examines the importance of estuaries in marine food webs from the primary producers – microscopic phytoplankton – to various levels of consumers. The purpose is to help students understand “the interconnections between a healthy estuarine ecosystem and the success of local plants and animals.” The program is linked to State Science and Social Science Standards and tailored to grade levels second and older.

What can you expect on this fascinating field trip? In small groups of 12 – 15, students rotate through four venues, including a tour of the museum, Learning Center and two outdoor locations. Students review the concept of photosynthesis, discuss the plants and animals in estuarine food webs, and participate in a food web activity. A short hike up to White’s Point provides a panoramic view of the estuary and evidence of the multiple physical forces that shape it: solar energy, the water cycle, erosion, and winds, as well as of the volcanic events that formed Morro Rock.

Weather and tides permitting, there is a walk to the mudflats at Windy Cove, to search for organisms in the estuary food webs. For students in grade 4 and above, one station includes a program with a video microscope of live plankton in concentrated water samples from the estuary.

Programs for students in grades 7 through college are planned according to the interests of the teachers and the expertise of available docents. For more information, contact us at schoolgroups@gmail.com.

Our docent-led, two-hour programs are free of charge and are presented Tuesdays through Friday. The usual fee for adult visitors is waived for teachers and chaperones. Choose a low-tide day when scheduling your estuary trip (here’s a link to the tide table).

Consider a trip in the fall, when our schedule is less crowded. For spring reservations, we request that you contact us at least 30 days in advance.

The Marine Mammals program takes a close look at mammals that are found along the Central Coast of California and the Morro Bay area both year-round and seasonally during migration periods. Students review the characteristics that all mammals share and then focus on the adaptations necessary over millions of years for those that returned to life in the sea: vertebrate body plan, breathing, staying warm, migrating, and feeding. During a tour of the Morro Bay Museum of Natural History exhibits and in the Learning Center students examine a collection of marine mammal specimens illustrating the similarities and differences among these creatures. The importance of the estuary as a food source for sea otters, sea lions, and harbor seals is explored by looking for critters in the mudflats of Windy Cove. From White’s Point, students view the migratory path of California gray whales and humpback whales, and learn how smaller sea mammals swim into the Estuary.

Additional lesson material is available after you schedule a school group tour. Our docent-led, two-hour programs are free of charge and are presented Tuesdays through Fridays all year. The usual fee for adult visitors is waived for teachers and chaperones.

Consider a trip in the fall, when our schedule is less crowded. For spring reservations, we request that you contact us at least 30 days in advance.

The Native American program provides students with an appreciation of Chumash and Salinan ingenuity in successfully modifying and adapting to the natural setting of the Morro Bay Estuary.

Visit the native plants garden, a kitchen midden, ancient grinding holes, and view the wide sweep of the Morro Bay Estuary from the top of White’s Point. In the Museum’s habitat exhibits, students will examine the four ecosystems influencing the lives of the local Native people. In addition, students will play a traditional game and decorate a wooden medallion with traditional designs. In the Learning Center, docents display and discuss many artifact replicas to explain the everyday activities of Central Coast Native Americans.

The Bird Program focuses on the birds of the Morro Bay Estuary and their adaptations to the estuarine environment.

The stately Great Blue Heron and the gawky-looking Double-crested Cormorant are just two of the many shoreline birds “junior birders” may see in their natural setting as part of the Bird Program. The main focus of this program is the special adaptations birds have undergone that allow them to survive in environments like the Morro Bay Estuary. Using a great variety of live mounts and other specimens in the Learning Center, docents present the concept of adaptation by comparing bird adaptations such as feathers, skeletal structure, bills, and feet. It is desirable for adults and older students to bring binoculars for better viewing of the estuary birds.

The Bird Program is especially recommended from April through June, when herons and egrets nest and raise their young at the Rookery.