Nature Notes - Fall 2022

nature notes VOLUME 13 • FALL 2022

CENTRAL COAST STATE PARKS ASSOCIATION

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‘The night is more alive and more richly colored than the day.’

- Vincent Van Gogh

I was recently reminded of just how many “things go bump” in the night while on a camping trip to Sequoia National Park with my family and friends. The bugs were out in full force, a rock fall Executive Director Kristin Howland awoke me followed by a visit from one of the many bears roaming the campground. When I ventured out of the tent early in the morning, I was greeted by a beautiful moon and a night sky filled with stars. I soaked in the unusually warm air that smelled of pine pitch and reveled in the silence of the quiet campground.

Nature at night has always fascinated me. From deep sea dwelling fish to the pink glow-worm, the dark offers something new for us to explore and learn from. Here on the Central Coast we are lucky that our parks and open spaces generally allow for areas where we can freely view the night sky with less light pollution. In addition, we have a gorgeous coastline that provides a show of bioluminescence during the red tides that often come through. Our oak woodlands and grasslands offer the busy activity of the many nocturnal creatures that inhabit them.

As we transition from the hustle and bustle of summer, the fall gently leads us into the quiet of shorter days and longer nights. I look forward to the change in seasons, the hope for rain, beautiful sunsets, crisp clear nights and the arrival of migrating monarchs.

Although summer is over, the Central Coast and the parks remain well visited and enjoyed by many. The park interpreters and staff remain busy planning, and hosting programs and the visitation from school groups increases. The staff and board members of the Central Coast State Parks Association continue our effort to support our park partners. We are gearing up for our year end and strategic planning for all the incredible things that may lie ahead in the coming months.

We are so grateful for the Friends of CCSPA, donors and sponsors that help our parks sustain the programs that foster the love for all things that go bump in the night.

Staff Directory Kristin Howland Executive Director ed@centralcoastparks.org (805) 548-0391 Sheri Robesky Development Director development@centralcoastparks.org (805) 548-0384 Monica Rutherford Community Outreach Manager programs@centralcoastparks.org (805) 548-0385 Julie Lewis Retail Operations Manager store@centralcoastparks.org (805) 548-0384 Beca Martin Operations and Events Manager events@centralcoastparks.org (805) 548-0393 Angelena Masicampo Retail Operations Coordinator retail@centralcoastparks.org (805) 548-0390

BOARD MEMBERS Valerie Glahn - Board Chair Robert Priola - Treasurer Marylou Gooden - Acting Secretary Victor Herrera - Director Alexis Peterson - Director Jerry Stanley - Director Laurel Cadena - Director John Barbieri - Director

STATE PARKS LIASONS Danielle Bronson State Park Interpreter III Oceano Dunes District Robyn Chase State Park Interpreter II San Luis Obispo Coast District

Keep shining!

QUICK FACT CCSPA is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit. We are one of 85 similar cooperating associations across the state who work in partnership with State Parks. Tax ID #: 51-0198869.

Cover photo: Glowing blue jellyfish by Capture Blinks | Pexels.com Newsletter design: Brady Teufel 2 | FALL 2022 - CCSPA

75%

Percentage of deep sea organisms that are able to produce their own light.

Staff spotlight: Madison Walker Seasonal Lifeguard II at Oceano Dunes Madison Walker is a senior at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo with a major in psychology.

She has been a State Parks lifeguard for the past four years.

What brought you to California State Parks and how long have you been a lifeguard?

I started at Huntington State Beach as a fun summer job.

Having been a junior lifeguard at Seal Beach for five years prior, I wanted a way to be able to spend my summers at the beach while getting paid enough to get me through the off-season.

I could not be happier with ending up at State Parks.

The community we have is really special and does not compare to any other department.

What is your favorite part about being a lifeguard and/or working for California State Parks?

My favorite part about working as a State Parks lifeguard is the comraderie between guards all across the state. What makes State Parks lifeguards unique from other departments is that you go through train-

ing with people from across the entire state, so you gain friendships with guards from Humboldt down to San Diego. I also like the unpredictability of this job.

Needing to be ready to save someone’s life at a moment’s notice really keeps you on your toes, but in a good way.

What does a typical day look like?

A typical day involves a lot of waiting. We are essentially on call for something to happen, so we do a lot of projects and training around the station to keep ourselves busy. Once we get the call, it’s all adrenaline. In the tower, it’s seeing someone get a little too far out or a flash rip current popping up, and stripping down as fast as possible to get to the victim. In the truck, it’s driving Code 3 down the beach to a medical out in the dunes and getting there as quickly and as safely as possible.

Whatever situation it is, you’re going from a mellow day to full-on rescue mode in a matter of seconds.

Do you have any cool stories or experiences from the job that you’d like to share?

Some of my most exciting days on the job were working weekends in Huntington Beach. There were a couple days where I would not be dry the entire day, going on rescue after rescue.

My most exciting rescue was my first one. A beachgoer followed his football into a rip current in the water, was towed to the outside within seconds, and couldn’t swim.

He was barely able to keep afloat by the time I got out to him and was very thankful for the assistance. The best feeling ever is running back on the beach while everyone cheers you on, having just seen you save someone’s life. There’s no other job out there that gives you that same feeling.

If you had one message for beach visitors, what would it be?

Talk to a lifeguard! It’s important to know the ocean conditions during your visit so you can be more informed, and we love when people ask us about the conditions. It’s an opportunity for us to get more in contact with the public, and a great way for you to spread ocean knowledge to others!

Interview by Monica Rutherford CCSPA - FALL 2022 | 3

GLowing in the dark ... naturally

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any organisms can glow. Some glow from within, using a chemical reaction that we can see. Others absorb and change sunlight in their exteriors; a UV light source is needed to see their glow. Bioluminescence is glowing from within—light generated from a chemical reaction which does not produce heat (cold glowing).

These reactions involve two molecules, luciferin (a protein) and luciferase (an enzyme), and oxygen. Think fireflies.

Absorbing sunlight in the organism’s exterior layers and then re-emitting it as another color is called biofluorescence.

In this case, an outside light source is needed to “excite” special fluorescent molecules in the skin, scales, feathers, or hairs of the organism. Humans can see biofluorescence when using a UV light source. Other organisms can see this fluorescence naturally because they see beyond the white light spectrum.

Why do organisms luminesce or fluoresce? Lots of reasons!

When fireflies light up, they are looking for love. Some millipedes use the glow to show predators they are toxic. Glowworms in New Zealand use the glow like fishing lines to lure prey, as do many deep-sea fishes. Certain dinoflagellates glow when disturbed, in crashing waves or footsteps on the sand. Jellyfish use bright bioluminescent flashes to escape predators by disorienting them. Some squid glow to provide camouflage. Generally, communication, camouflage, attraction for mates or prey are the known and best understood reasons for glowing.

Both glowing processes have been around for millions of years, starting with bacteria and leading to many water-based organisms, particularly marine, and on to land invertebrates, insects, reptiles, amphibians, birds and even some mammals. On the plant-like side, dinoflagellates, fungi and plants (even some trees!) also have the ability to glow in the dark. Much new work is being done with fluorescence, medicine in particular; scientists are still finding new applications.

Some of the stranger organisms that glow are the deep sea fishes like the anglerfish, lanternfish or scorpionfish. Anglerfish and lanternfish use bioluminescence and parts of their bodies glow, either for attraction of prey or possibly schooling in the lanternfish. The scorpionfish uses biofluorescence as a way to blind its predators; it appears red in deep water and most of the predators can’t see them. Platypuses, wombats, hawksbill turtles, puffins and some parrots also fluoresce as a means to seek mates or show themselves to predators. I think one of the most interesting shows of luminescence is in baby grass finches of Africa: when they open their mouths to be fed, they have spots along the beaks that glow to show the way for the parent to feed them.

Locally, we see some dramatic bioluminescence when the dinoflagellates put on a show offshore and we see glowing waves, oar tracks, footprints, and lighted swimmers, all disturbing the organisms after dark. This last year we had a type of salp, a marine tunicate, called a pyrosome or >>

Bioluminescence in Jervis Bay, Australia.

Trevor McKinnon | Unsplash.com

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Firefly bioluminescence is caused by a chemical reaction between organic compounds in their abdomens.

Photo: Skyler Ewing | PexelsWW.com

<< (con’td from previous page) “sea pickle” often littering the

beaches. They luminesce with a blue-green light produced by a bacterium associated with the pyrosome. Even in daylight one can see the shimmer of the chemical on the surface of the organism. On land, two common local fungi are bioluminescent: the honey mushroom and the jack-o-lantern mushroom. Their eerie glow is quite muted, but if it is dark enough, it’s there. There are no naturally occurring plants that luminesce, but many can be made to do so with injections of materials from bioluminescent jellyfish. Many seeds, though, can fluoresce under UV light. Researchers use this capability to determine viability of seeds in some cases. And some lichens fluoresce; wandering around at night with a UV flashlight to shine on different lichens is an eye-opening experience! In this case, it’s due to the alga that is part of the symbiotic pair, so not all lichens will glow because they have different blue green algae in them.

To learn more about glowing in the dark or bioluminescence and biofluorescence, take a deep dive into the internet. For a good explanation and a short video showing bioluminescence in the deep, look at www.montereybayaquarium. org/stories/bioluminescence. The subject is fascinating, often confusing in the processes, but greatly intriguing. And get a UV flashlight to carry around at night —you will be amazed at what you see! - Faylla Chapman

Scorpions and cockatiels are able to absorb ultraviolet light and then reemit it in longer wavelengths.

Biolumiscent mushrooms glow in order to attract insects that spread their spores. Pyrosomes or “sea pickles” are found here on the Central Coast.

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Mike Biard | Flickr

Mike Biard | Flickr

Mike Biard | Flickr

Path to Coexistence: Sea Otter Awareness Week 2022

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ach year for two decades, throughout the last week of September, zoological and educational institutions, governmental agencies, and communities plan and undertake events that celebrate sea otters. Sea Otter Awareness Week is about sharing stories, disseminating science, and generating media that inspire a deeper awareness of these unique marine mammals, their ecological importance, and the many challenges they face. Sea otters bring vitality, resilience, and diversity to nearshore habitats, such as kelp forests and estuaries. In many ways, the struggle of the sea otter foreshadows our own—they are our neighbors and are thus unwilling indicators of threats facing the coastal environment where we live, work, play, and find food.

Sea Otter Savvy and our partners at Defenders of Wildlife are excited by the passage of a resolution in the California Legislature recognizing the 20th anniversary of Sea Otter Awareness Week.

Assembly Concurrent Resolution 169 (ACR 169), authored and introduced by California Assemblymember Mark Stone (D-29) and co-authored by state Senator John Laird (D-17), highlights two decades of collaboration by numerous nonprofit organizations and state and federal agencies in support of sea otter conservation and coastal habitat protection. In 2022, Sea Otter Awareness Week will run September 18-24.

This year’s theme for the week is “Path to Coexistence” celebrating both the recovery of sea otters to places where they 6 | FALL 2022 - CCSPA

were once extirpated by the Maritime Fur Trade of the 18th and 19th centuries and the growing efforts by communities to support sea otter recovery and promote coexistence. The 2022 logo, designed by Sea Otter Savvy’s own Heather Barrett, challenges us to identify the many components of the world of a sea otter mom and her pup―can you find them all? Do you see yourself in her world? What can you do on your “path to coexistence” to make the world safer and more peaceful for sea otters?

As they recover from near extinction at our hands, it is time to redefine our coexistence with sea otters. A new paradigm that is founded not just in sea otters adapting to us, but a mutual coexistence that grows from awareness and respect. This is the essence of Sea Otter Awareness Week for me.

Follow along with Sea Otter Savvy and the many partners and participants of the 20th Sea Otter Awareness Week as we promote events, presentations, in-person viewing stations, “7 Days of Sea Otter Savvy” (with a quiz and prize at week’s end), and so much more September 18-24th. Many events have a special connection with our We Were Here program, so look for the We Were Here logo and share your voice about sea otter recovery in the stakeholder survey.

- Gena Bentall, Director and Senior Scientist at Sea Otter Savvy

Event page link: https://bit.ly/2ImIiRV Stakeholder survey link: https://bit.ly/3B7k7UC

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