Creeks to Coast Cleanup (Part 2)
Anyone who missed out on the Environmental Center of San Luis Obispo’s Creeks to Coast Cleanup on September 21 have another chance to make a difference on Saturday, October 26, from 9 a.m. to noon for Part 2 of this essential community event.
Since 2005, ECOSLO has been at the forefront of beach cleanups throughout San Luis Obispo County, contributing to a global initiative to protect our oceans and waterways. The first cleanup this year yielded an impressive 7,454 pounds of trash and recyclables removed from county waterways.
“While our beaches are cleaner than many, there’s always more work to be done! For Creeks to Coast Part 2, we’re offering five convenient locations for participants to choose from,” said Ellie Howell, ECOSLO volunteer coordinator. “Whether you’re a seasoned volunteer or new to cleanup efforts, there’s an opportunity for everyone to make a difference.”
Cleanup Locations:
• Cayucos Pier
• Montana de Oro Sandspit
• Morro Bay Sandspit
• Morro Strand North / State Beach Campground
• Morro Strand South at HWY 41
For more details on how to get involved, go to ecoslo.org or contact them at (805) 710-8017 or ellie@ecoslo.org. Ready to make an impact? Register now nat bit.ly/2024OctoberCreekstoCoast.
Thirty Years of Protecting the Elfin Forest
On Saturday, October 12, Friends of El Moro Elfin Forest (FEMEF) celebrated thirty years of protecting the 90-acre natural area in Los Osos. The luncheon event took place in the Community Room at Morro Shores Mobile Home Park with more than 50 members attending.
The purchase of the property was completed in 1994 after a five-year fundraising effort by volunteers in the Morro Bay Chapter of Small Wilderness Area Preservation (now doing business as FEMEF). The boardwalk was added in 1999.
Longtime FEMEF volunteer Pat Brown gave a presentation on the history of local effort to save the property from development. Historical documents and photos were on display in the room, and there was a presentation by Mark Dariz, who designed the Elfin Forest boardwalk. The boardwalk was built by the California Conservation Corps, and he constructed all the benches.
The Elfin Forest is now owned by San Luis Obispo County Parks and California State Parks. Since 1994 the protection, preservation, and education about the Elfin Forest Natural Area has been the responsibility of FEMEF volunteers, in accordance with an Adopt-A-Park agreement with SLO County Parks.
The Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce recently celebrated three decades of the El Moro Elfin Forest as a SLO County Park with a special ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Pictured are: Dave Sozinho, Beverly Boyd, Dave Bowlus, Pat Murray, Rebecca Rasmussen, Corey Walsh, Roger Carmody, Pat Brown, Jean Wheeler, Steve Hendricks, Yolanda Waddell, Jay Waddell and Ray Riordan.
Leash Law Campaign in Force in M.B.
Folks and their dogs are the focus of amped up efforts by local law enforcement.
Morro Bay Police are running a campaign through the end of October to remind dog owners, “Leash Up It’s the Law.”
The MBPD said in a news release they will step-up enforcement of the town’s leash laws in parks, on sidewalks, and “other public spaces looking for owners who do not have their dog on a leash as required by Morro Bay Municipal Code 7.08.020.”
The leash law campaign is similar to other familiar drives law enforcement does to try and gain compliance and better public safety, such as “Click it or Ticket,” “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over,” and “California Highway Patrol Holiday Maximum Enforcement Period.”
MBPD said the leash law can produce several “positive outcomes,” when people obey it. Those include:
• Keeps your dog safe from traffic and wildlife;
• Prevents bites and fights;
• It’s courteous to your neighbors and people who do not know your dog’s level of obedience;
• When used properly, most canines do not mind leashes or collars; and,
• Leashing your dog protects the animals and people.
MBPD did the same campaign in 2023 and got great results, according to the release. As a warning, failure to adhere to the leash law could get you a ticket for a City infraction. And having your unleashed dog attack someone could cost a lot more.
The usual fine for a leash law violation of city ordinances is $100 for the first offense.
Of note, the City also has a law requiring dog owners to pick up their dog’s feces when Fido goes on private property or public property.
If readers are wondering where to take their dogs so they can run around off leash, there is an off-leash dog park located in Del Mar Park in North Morro Bay, and there is also “Dog Beach,” on the north end of town which is open for dogs off leash. Dog Beach starts north of the North Point Natural Area and ends at the southern edge of Cayucos.
PG&E Helps After Milton Slams Florida
More than a dozen PG&E workers from the Central Coast assisted with cleanup efforts after Hurricane Milton left a path of devastation in Florida.
Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Fla., as a Category 3 storm on October 9. More than 2 million customers were without power. The PG&E crews helped Florida Power & Light (FPL), which had about 680,000 customers without power.
“Our crews are replacing broken power poles and crossarms and installing new transformers and powerlines, the kind of work they do in California after storms and fires,” said Nate Alexander, a PG&E subforeman based in Templeton who is part of the crew in Florida. “This hurricane response has been a unique perspective because usually in California, we have fires and drought and maybe some rainstorms. But the devastation we’ve seen here, the water ingress, the sheer of the tornadoes that we saw, the violence and the chaos, it’s been a new perspective for line work.”
According to the Edison Electric Institute, an electric-utility organization, PG&E’s electric workers and support staff were part of an army of more than 50,000 workers from at least 43 states, the District of Columbia and Canada on storm duty in Florida.
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