New Bodega Bay Sign

We have a newly refurbished sign at the south entrance to Bodega Bay!

Many thanks to Shona Weir, of Business Services Unlimited for sending me this information and photos. She said local artist Jody Shipp, Local Color Gallery co-owner, cleaned and repainted it. It took her more than eight hours to complete the job, plus she paid for the paint and new bolts to rehang it. Jody made the signs at the north and south entrances to town many years ago, and plans to refurbish the north sign soon, as well. It's a little more damaged. The poles holding the sign up need to be straightened and more securely put in the ground, but Jody is willing to repair it and repaint it too.

Eric Crumley, of Pipecleaners Chimney and Fireplace, volunteered to take care of the removal, transportation and replacement of the sign for Jody. A local surfer friend named John Lowry helped Eric put the sign up.

Bodega Marine Lab

The UC Davis Bodega Marine Lab offers free docent-led tours for the public on Fridays 2:00-4:00 p.m. so I went over to check it out.

I remember visiting the lab with my Drake High School marine biology class in the 1970's but it has expanded considerably since then.

Bodega Marine Laboratory (BML), perched above Horseshoe Cove on Bodega Head, is one of the oldest academic marine laboratories in the U.S. Bodega Head has been a field site for researchers and students since the 1920s. The Laboratory was founded in 1960 by UC Berkeley and the first building was completed in 1966. The second building was completed in 1977. BML was transferred to UC Davis in 1983.


Rather than re-word their story myself, I've pasted some copy from their website.

A rare combination of natural and academic assets makes BML a unique marine laboratory. The facility sits on wind-swept headlands in Sonoma County on California's north coast, where a 362-acre coastal reserve meets a state-protected marine reserve. This stretch of ocean is also one of a handful of places in the world where "upwelling," caused by a combination of geography and physics, brings nutrient-rich deep waters to the surface and nurtures a vast array of sea life. This phenomenon makes this coastline among the most biologically productive in North America.

In addition to these remarkable "living laboratories" the Bodega Marine Laboratory is equipped with sophisticated technology, an instrument and sensor network and long term data set, the Cadet Hand Library, teaching classrooms and lecture hall, wetlabs, greenhouses, Dive Training facility, seawater system and vessel fleet. BML is administered by UC Davis, one of the nation's top public universities and a leader in both the marine and life sciences.

I was fascinated to learn that their location on Bodega Head is unique because it includes a rich mix of eight protected coastal habitats to study: rocky intertidal areas, protected and exposed sandy beaches, extensive lagoon mudflats and sandflats, and tidal saltmarsh, sand dunes, coastal bluffs, coastal prairie/coastal scrub and freshwater wetlands. Plus, plant communities, soils and microclimates vary sharply over relatively small distances due to geological factors associated with the Pacific Ocean and the San Andreas Fault Zone.

The Marine Lab is located in the Bodega State Marine Reserve, a fully protected no-take reserve extending 1000 feet offshore, managed by the California Department of Fish and Game and BML. The Bodega State Marine Reserve is contiguous with NOAA's Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, providing additional research sites and opportunities.

But back to the tours, if you go over expecting something like the Monterey Bay Aquarium, you'll be disappointed. The Bodega Marine Lab is primarily an education and research facility with a few displays for the public.


They had a nice "tidal mesocosm" out front with various marine life including sea stars, bat stars, anemones, and my favorites, purple sea urchins. I asked our docent why I haven't been able to find any sea urchins in the tidepools along the Bodega Bay coast for several years, I used to see them all the time. He said he had no idea and in fact, had never visited a tidepool in the Bodega Bay area. Oh well...



I enjoyed the beautiful displays in their expansive lobby and actually learned more there than on the tour itself.








They also had two large tanks displaying local fish.




I would have liked to hear more about some of their current local studies. We were shown a lobster study in progress, although there aren't any lobsters in the Bodega Bay area at all.


We were also shown these tanks, where they're conducting an algae study.


You can read more about the Bodega Marine Lab tours here. For a more complete Bodega Bay marine life experience, I'd suggest visiting some real tidepools during low tide before or after your tour. You can see some of our tidepool photos here. Also, during the months of January-May, you can go whale watching up on Bodega Head, with knowledgeable volunteer docents answering questions and providing a wealth of educational materials. You can read more about whale watching here. Although as a side note, some people spotted whales offshore just this past week!

Have fun!

Bodega Marine Laboratory
2099 Westside Rd.
Bodega Bay, CA 94923-0247
(707) 875-2211

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Gorgeous Day at Bodega Head!

It was absolutely gorgeous in Bodega Bay yesterday! After endless days of summer fog, the sun finally broke through in the afternoon and we enjoyed some t-shirt weather.

My husband and I drove over to Bodega Head and hiked up the north trail to the Horseshoe Cove Overlook. I've never seen the trail so overgrown, maybe due to State Parks budget cuts. But it didn't matter, we just made our way gently through the tall blooming vegetation and marched up the hill. The hillsides were filled with a variety of wildflowers, there was hardly any wind, and the visibility was excellent. Here are some photos from the trail, click to enlarge.











View toward Doran Beach, U.S. Coast Guard and Bodega Harbour.

View toward downtown Bodega Bay.

From the top of the trail, you look down on Horseshoe Cove and the UC Davis Bodega Bay Marine Lab. I took their tour recently and will be writing about it soon.



Here are a couple of videos we shot up on the Head. Not very exciting, but you can kick back and get a feel for what it's like up there.

Bodega Fire Department's Big Event

The Bodega Volunteer Fire Department is holding their 30th annual Big Event on Sunday, August 15, and it looks like a lot of fun!

Located in the nearby town of Bodega (about 5 miles inland from Bodega Bay), the BVFD is an all-volunteer fire department with no paid staff and operates solely with volunteer firefighters, community support and donations.

These guys have a lot to celebrate his year, they're in the process of building a new fire station! Their current facility is nearly 60 years old and no longer meets modern requirements for equipment, storage and training. For the past 20 years, they've stored their emergency vehicles either outside or in neighboring barns away from the fire station. Firefighters must carry their safety equipment in their personal vehicles, which lengthens critical response time.

Last fall, Bodega broke ground on the new building, replaced and realigned a failing storm drain, and completed the building pad. During the winter months, they finalized the building permits and a successful USDA loan. When the sun came out in 2010, they were able to prepare the building pad for the foundation of the new station. On June 14th the prefabricated metal building arrived and after one month, the building shell was almost complete and ready for roofing and siding. They hope to get the building enclosed and functional by the end of summer, and will continue fundraising to complete the interior. The final new facility will include a 100% emergency standby generating capacity as well as a water storage system.

Here are some photos from Josh Perucchi, firefighter for both Bodega and Bodega Bay Fire Departments, showing the new building under construction. You can check it out for yourself at the Big Event in August!





BVFD is currently looking for donations for the "big raffle" at their Big Event. They're seeking gift certificates to anywhere or donated items. If you can help, please contact Asst. Chief Gary Watts at 8701@bodegafire.org!

Children's Swim Program in Bodega Bay

Photo credit: Shay Pickton

I just found out about an inspiring swim program here in Bodega Bay. Now in its 11th year, it's designed to teach swimming and water safety to children, and is put on jointly each summer by Bodega Bay School and Bodega Harbour Homeowners Association. Sandy Horn, wife of our famous coastal lifeguard Brit Horn, is the teacher...and she is phenomenal!

There were 52 children enrolled this year! Many of the kids' parents worked and couldn't get them to the pool, so volunteers drove them.

The students had several days of instruction in the Bodega Harbour pool, then a day down at the ocean. We happened to see them all lined up along the shore, and then bravely walking into the chilly surf together.

On the last day, they had a party with pizza, salad (made from lettuce and carrots grown in the Bodega Bay School garden), and cake. How cool is that? Many thanks to Sandy for volunteering her time, and to BHHA for the use of the pool and facilities. Not only did she give the children valuable swim skills, but also memories to last a lifetime.

Baby Seals Released in Bodega Bay!

This weekend, the Marine Mammal Center released eight rehabilitated seal pups at a beach just north of Bodega Bay. I'd like to thank Laurel Carney for these photos, video, and guest post documenting the celebration!

Since their founding in 1975, the Marine Mammal Center has rescued and treated over 15,000 sea mammals. Roughly three months ago, they took in eight abandoned baby harbor seals from various Northern California coastal areas. Each was only a few days old, young enough to still have its umbilical cord attached. They were malnourished, and a few had even developed umbilical infections. The Center fed them well, nursed them back to health, then made sure they could track and catch live fish on their own before deeming them rehabilitated. They took great care not to get too friendly or treat them as pets. They prevent the pups from becoming tame by keeping contact at a minimum. That means no unnecessary handling such as cuddling or pampering, darn!





Today, Executive Director Dr. Jeff Boehm welcomed over one hundred visitors and volunteers to the coast just north of Portuguese Beach in Bodega Bay to witness the joyful release of these eight adorable harbor seals.



Keep in mind, these pups had no memories of sand, the ocean or waves. All they'd known for the past three months were swimming pools and concrete decks. Now, their entire universe was changing dramatically right before their eyes! Although hardwired for a life at sea, the adjustment is never predictable.

The first two seals that emerged from their cages clearly knew what they were supposed to do. They immediately flopped as fast as their little tummies and tails would propel them directly into the ocean. One hung around offshore for a few minutes to check on the remaining six, but I suppose the sea was a-callin', because he soon disappeared under the waves to join his brave buddy.



The remaining six harbor seal pups needed more time to get the hang of this "real world" thing.



Huddling together as a group, they shuffled and flopped towards the water. But as soon as they'd gather the courage to go for it, another wave would roll in and scatter them back up onto the beach.



Here's a video we took of the seals' journey home. I dare you not to go ga-ga over how cute the wiggle-flip-flop walk of a baby seal is. I dare ya! It's kinda long, you can see how long it takes them to get used to their new world.



Eventually, after dozens of false starts, each seal managed to dive past the breaking waves and glide safely out to sea. It was a totally uplifting, heartwarming experience. We're so grateful to the Marine Mammal Center and their many volunteers for their hard work and tireless devotion to saving the lives of these magnificent creatures.

You can read more about the Center's work and view lots more photos in a post about last year's Bodega Bay release by clicking here.

What to do if you see a marine mammal in distress: Click here.

24 Hour Rescue Lines (to report a stranded marine mammal)
In the San Francisco Bay Area including San Jose, San Mateo, Marin and Sonoma Counties call: 415.289.SEAL (7325)
In the Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties call: 831.633.6298.
In the San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay Counties call: 805.771.8300

Want to volunteer for the Marine Mammal Center? Click here.

The Marine Mammal Center is a nonprofit, supported by donations from folks like us. Learn more about how to support them here.

The Marine Mammal Center
Marin Headlands
2000 Bunker Road
Fort Cronkhite
Sausalito, CA 94965
Main Line: 415.289.7325

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Great Blue Heron's Wild Lunch

Many thanks to our Bodega Bay neighbors Andi and Don Stewart for these photos. Caution, they're not for the squeamish!

The Stewarts said this Great Blue Heron, who they dubbed "Piggy," comes to visit everyday and they recently watched him eat three gophers in a row. They snapped these pictures while he was dining in their side yard.




Don later said maybe a better name would be "The Gophernator"!

Sometimes it's uncomfortable to watch nature take its course like this but as my daughter likes to remind me, it's the circle of life!