By Rachel Mueller, Coastal Advocate Intern
I was excited to experience my first MPA Watch survey in early June as part of my internship with EAC. We planned to meet at Drakes Beach to survey human activity on Drakes Beach, in the Point Reyes State Marine Conservation Area and mouth of the Estero de Limantour State Marine Reserve.
As we arrived in the parking lot, we noticed what was a surprisingly crowded lot for the relatively cloudy and cool day. We soon learned what all the commotion was for. The Marine Mammal Center was about to release three young elephant seals returning to the ocean!
They were hosting a donor event and releasing the three seals after months of nourishing them back to a healthy weight.
The knowledgeable docents told us how elephant seal mothers do not teach their pups to swim or hunt, which can result in cases of malnourished pups struggling to survive without their mothers. Luckily, the marine mammal center has passionate volunteers who are excited about helping out some pups in need.
As we continued our survey down Drake’s beach we happened upon seemingly endless sand dollars stranded outside the low tide. We carefully placed a few of them closer to the water.
Interestingly, we happened upon a six-armed bat star stranded in the sand. We placed it closer to the incoming tide, hoping it would have a better chance at survival that way.
When we reached the end of the beach and looked into the estero we spotted hundreds of harbor seals lounging across the water on a sand bar (along with one curious human on the far shore peeking through his binoculars for a better view)
On our way back, we were greeted with two delightful surprises; the sea star had moved (it was alive!) and one of the released elephant pups was frolicking in the waves close to shore!
After taking many pictures of the sea star and admiring the elephant seal pup from the beach, we headed back to the car —
Aside from the staff setting up for the Marine Mammal event, we observed almost no one else on the beach that day, or in the ocean. All in all, it was a successful MPA Watch survey!
