EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Life on the Rock

Morro Rock
Morro Bay, California

Explanation:  Emerging from the cool coastal fog along the central California coast is this stack remnant of shorelines past.  This is Morro Rock, one of a chain of seven ancient volcanic necks, left-overs from volcanoes that last erupted some 22-26 million years ago.

But life persists here, in the chill of the fog and the cool Pacific longshore current.  

Now designated an ecological reserve by the State of California, Morro Rock has had an interesting history as a navigational landmark, as a mining site for breakwater rocks, and starting in 1969 as a wildlife and ecological sanctuary.

The marine life around the rock is rich and diverse, and includes California mussels, sea palms, jellyfish, and many shorebirds.

The rock is home to eyries of Peregrine Falcons and nesting Western Gulls.

American Black Oystercatchers nest there, as well.

A number of native plants grow along the base, on the cliff faces of the rock, and in the broader, surrounding Morro Bay State Park.

Chaparral vegetation covers the lower sections.

To visit the site is to enjoy the diversity of the geological and ecological uniqueness of the area ... and to do our best to help protect the area for future generations.