Arial photo showing the boats that are at Cuesta Inlet. Photo by Dean Sullivan
About 10 months after purchasing the Cuesta Inlet and securing it for environmental stewardship and community enjoyment, the non-profit Save Cuesta Inlet (SCI is ready to tackle a job that has long been a problem at the property bordering the southeast end of the Morro Bay estuary at 1745 Doris Ave.
SCI conducted a community survey, and participants overwhelming expressed the need to clear abandoned boats that line the shore. (See the survey results and more information at Savecuestainlet.org.) The group recently completed an inventory of all kayaks, canoes, and other vessels. The next phase is confirming ownership and current contact information for each boat. On Coastal Cleanup Day, September 19 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. stored vessels without proper identification will be removed.
“The number of boats has definitely been growing over the years, which was partly the impetus for us to initiate this boat ID project,” Margarete Schmidt, SCI board member, told Estero Bay News. “In April of this year we completed an extensive inventory and at that time there were more than 700 boats at the Inlet. Several years ago, we counted 600 boats. We are asking people not to leave any more boats at the Inlet until we have completed identifying the owners of existing boats and removing abandoned boats. This project will require a lot of time and effort.”
Boats without any contact information or with a disconnected landline listed, are considered abandoned. Over the years, even before SCI owned the property, boats have been hauled away. How does one forget a boat?
“Many things have contributed to the buildup of boats over the years,” Schmidt said. “People forget about their boats; boats that have washed ashore at various locations have been brought to the Inlet, and, sad to say, some people have used the Inlet as a dumping ground for boats they no longer want. SCI is trying to change that; we love that we can keep our boats at the Inlet to enjoy kayaking and boating in our beautiful bay. Our goal is to have all boats at the Inlet have current contact information for the owner prominently displayed on the boat. We are building a database of all boats at the Inlet so that we may easily contact the owners if needed. The Inlet is not a storage yard for abandoned boats. We want to see people out on the water enjoying our wonderful area and having fun with their boats.”
Boat creep, the gradual, compounding accumulation of abandoned and derelict vessels, goes beyond cluttering a beautiful natural and public space, there are safety reasons as well. Schmidt says unused boats become hiding places for vermin and they collect standing water, a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
“Degrading boats release microplastics into our bay,” Schmidt said. “Boats buried in the flora can be hazards, and broken boat parts can be dangerous to walkers.”
Photo by Elizabeth Hale
SCI hopes to reduce the number of vessels freely stored at the site by about 70 percent.
“My hope is that once the unused, broken, and abandoned boats are removed, there will be room for all of the regular boaters to keep a boat at the Inlet,” Schmidt said. “There are not that many active boats at the Inlet; it is evident that a large portion of the boats are unused. For right now, we really have to wait and see how many boats are left once the cleanup is completed.”
Those who have boats at the inlet are being asked to take three actions:
1. Bring unused boats home. If you haven’t used your canoe, kayak, or sailboat in the last year, consider taking it home. Volunteers will be on hand September 19th to help you move your boat if needed. If you can’t bring it home but are no longer using it, a receptacle will be available for disposal.
2. Label your boat. Write your name and phone number on the boat using a marine-grade marker, waterproof vinyl lettering, or paint, positioned so it’s easy to see even when the boat is stored upside down.
3. Complete the Boat Identification Form. Save Cuesta Inlet is asking all current boat owners with boats at the Inlet to fill out an online form — one per boat. Take a photo that clearly shows your entire boat along with your name and phone number. Save the file as a .jpeg or .png with your last name included in the file name, then upload it with the form on their website. Boats without a confirmed ID on file will be subject to removal.
“Boats not in our existing inventory and boats without confirmed ID are subject to removal,” Schmidt said. “We will attempt to contact the owner via the information on the boat. If your boat is a recent addition to the Inlet (post March 2026), it is likely not part of our inventory; we ask that those boats be taken home until we have identified the owners of all existing boats at the Inlet and removed all abandoned and derelict boats.” Questions can be emailed to boats@cuestainlet.org.
This current project is expected to take in 2027 to complete the inventory to their specifications. After that, other areas of concern expressed in the survey will be addressed.
“Our group is driven by what the community wants to see happen at the Inlet,” Schmidt said. “Approximately half of the 600 respondents to the survey said they want to see the Inlet stay largely unchanged. Some would like to the addition of trash cans, improved biodiversity of the habitat by removing invasive ice plant, and a bench or two would be nice, otherwise leave it as it has been. It is our intent to survey the community periodically to make sure we stay in touch with what they want to see happen at the Inlet.”
She did say the request for a coffee shop on the property would not become a reality.
San Luis Obispo’s County’s Coastal Cleanup Day, known as Creeks to Coast Cleanup, is organized by ECOSLO (Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo) and takes place at more than 35 inland and coastal sites spanning from San Simeon to Nipomo. In 2025, 839 volunteers removed 7,305 pounds of trash, 177 pounds of recyclable material and 4,248 cigarette butts. For a list of all Cleanup sites and to signup, go to ecoslo.com.
Save Cuesta Inlet will hold the Art for the Inlet event on Saturday, September 12, at the Sea Pines Golf Resort, 1945 Solano St., Los Osos. The community is invited to enjoy a day of art, music, and festivities while helping protect the Inlet. Every piece of artwork purchased supports the ongoing stewardship and care.
“We are budgeting $30,000 for insurance, taxes, and administrative and overhead expenses,” Schmidt said. “This number doesn’t include special projects such as cleanup and invasive plant species control. Our community is not only financially generous but very giving of their time and talents.”
Attendees will enjoy mingling with local artists, hearing the stories behind their work, and discovering original paintings, photography, and handcrafted creations. In the afternoon the celebration comes alive with the Celtic-inspired sounds of two bands–The Flogging Seagulls, bringing their signature Celtic punk energy, and Celter Skelter, performing their bluegrass Celtic tribute to the Beatles.
The Art Show is from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and live music: 2 – 8 p.m.
SCI closed escrow on the Inlet on Oct 1, 2025, after tremendous financial support from community members and folks no longer in the area who had fond memories of the spot.
“I am humbled by this wonderful achievement our community has accomplished,” Schmidt said. “While it may not seem monumental to an outsider, we know how many hours of work, tenacity, and financial sacrifice went into purchasing the Inlet. We are not some organization that received mail-in donations from unknown donors —people directly handed us their hard-earned money and trusted us to secure the Inlet. All of our volunteers are very conscious of the responsibility we have to the community. I am very proud of the 25-plus people that made up our core group of volunteers. They are an incredibly talented group of people who all went above and beyond to bring the Inlet home. When I see people using the Inlet, I am so appreciative that I was able to be part of it. I really love seeing children having fun at the Inlet and hope their time at the Inlet will help foster a lifelong love of nature and the outdoors.”
