Author Archives: Jeanne Jackson

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On a trip to Fort Bragg this week Rick and I noticed a new sign - The Peg and John Frankel Public Trail. It's just north Elk. We pulled over to explore. The views of the Pacific Ocean are spectacular there and I'm happy to share a photo here.

The trail just opened last month under the auspices of the Mendocino Land Trust, Coastal Conservancy and the CA Coastal Commission. It's only .3 mile long but it is a new portion of the CA Coastal Trail. It's called a lateral trail, which is west of Highway One, giving non-motorized traffic a safe buffer from the highway.

Piece by piece we are building the CA Coastal Trail. Here's a link to the Mendocino Land Trust to see what else they are accomplishing: http://www.mendocinolandtrust.org/?Home

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Siegfried Matull captured a photo of two Harbor Seals that surfaced under a mat of kelp. The photo looks as if they had been crowned by the kelp. Many thanks to Siegfried for allowing me to share his photo.

And here is a description of what it's like to dive in kelp, from diver Jack Likins:

"When I dive under the kelp it is like being under a very thick redwood forest canopy. The sunlight filters through the matted kelp on the surface and down the stalks with schools of small fish glistening as they swim through the sunbeams.”

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Bull Kelp, Nereocystis leutkeana, grows as forests in the Pacific Ocean off the Mendocino and Sonoma Coast. Right now the waters close to shore are showing healthy forests. Bull Kelp is an annual and its growth rate is phenomenal. Winter storms will rip the holdfasts from the ocean floor and waves will fling many onto beaches. Once Rick and I went to Bowling Ball Beach after a big storm. There in the mounds of kelp were many beautiful abalone shells - a gift from Mother Nature!

Kelp needs nutrient rich waters to grow. The upwelling that occurs here is necessary for the Kelp's growth. Many creatures depend on this plant. Small fish hide in the kelp from bigger ones. Seabirds have been seen to rest on the surface mats. It's believed CA Sea Lions and Harbor Seals feed on it. And it's known that Sea Urchins feed on it.

Tomorrow I will show you a cute photo of Harbor Seals draped in kelp and you will read about what is it like to dive amongst kelp.

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On Mondays I like to post a fun picture, one that might make you smile. Hal Fogel recently sent me a photo that made me smile. Two Townsend's Chipmunks appear to be in a race, with the Steller's Jay watching from the sidelines. Hal titled his photo "at the races!"

The fog drew back today and that yellow thing in the sky - the sun! - appeared for the first time in days. This would be a good week to visit the Mendonoma Coast.

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Last week Rick and I, with our Golden Retriever Huckleberry on leash, headed for Gualala Point Regional Park. It's a gem of a park and I've written about it here before. This day we wanted to see what was going on at Gualala Point Island, an important rookery for Seabirds.

It was a beautiful day; the fog had pulled way offshore. We headed down the trail towards the west and then entered The Sea Ranch public trail and headed south. What a wonderful walk this is right along the bluffs. It's the perfect solution for whatever might be troubling you. I have posted here several photos from that day.

                                            Here is the trail we took at the park, heading west.

Walking along the bluffs of TSR

                                               Gualala Point Island with nesting Seabirds