| Estero Bluffs State Park | |
|---|---|
 Estero Bluffs State Park | |
   | |
| Location | San Luis Obispo County, California, USA |
| Nearest city | Cayucos, California |
| Coordinates | 35°26′53″N 120°55′55″W / 35.44806°N 120.93194°W |
| Area | 353 acres (143 ha) |
| Established | 2000 |
| Governing body | California Department of Parks and Recreation |
Estero Bluffs State Park is a state park of California, United States, on Estero Bay. The park protects a grassland-dominated marine terrace that slopes from California State Route 1 to the Pacific Ocean. The property is crossed by San Geronimo and Villa Creeks and is just north of the town of Cayucos. The 353-acre (143 ha) park was established in 2000.[1]
Estero Bluffs has intertidal areas, wetlands, low bluffs, and coastal terraces punctuated by a number of perennial and intermittent streams and containing a pocket cove and beach at Villa Creek. The park provides habitat for a number of endangered species, including the snowy plover.[2]
The park is made up of a coastline that stretches over 4 miles and covers more than 300 acres of land. Though the shoreline is usually no more than 300 yards away from the highway, the intentional lack of development of the land has left it very similar to its natural state.[3]
Estero Bluffs features a variety of scenic sites along its coast. Visitors can park and see San Geronimo Creek or Villa Creek, which are small lagoons that are present year-round and filled by a constantly running creek. There are also multiple lookout points, including Cayoucos Point, Estero Bay.[4]
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Transcription
[music] [birds chirping] Can you see that Snowy Egret? Yeah, can you see its legs? WAY DOWN IN SOUTH TEXAS THERE'S A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN GO TO SEE BIRDS... [volunteer guide] Its feet are yellow and its legs are black. ...LOTS OF BIRDS This is Estero Llano Grande State Park in Weslaco, Texas, part of the World Birding Center. [birder] The one on the left is probably a Couch’s or a Tropical Kingbird. There’s a Least Grebe in the middle of the pond. No. The World Birding Center consists of 9 sites throughout the Rio Grande Valley. 3 of those are state parks. I’d like to welcome you all to Estero Llano Grande State Park. [bird squawks] HERE YOU CAN SEE BIRDS IN A TREE, BIRDS ON THE WATER, BIRDS ON A WIRE, AND BIRDS ON A NEST. [Garcia] In the park we have approximately 216 bird species recorded. On just a regular day you can sit on this deck for and hour or two and easily spot 30 to 40 species of birds. ALL OF THESE BIRDS COME TO ESTERO LLANO GRANDE BECAUSE THERE IS A LOT OF DIFFERENT HABITATS IN A LITTLE BIT OF AREA. [Garcia] We have shallow wetlands, deep wetlands, woodlands, thorn scrub. The diverse habitat brings in the diverse species and that’s real important to have here in South Texas. Diversity begets diversity. This is the Fulvous compared to the Black-bellied, which we saw a lot of. What have we seen today? Black-bellied whistling duck, Black-necked Stilts, beautiful views of the Sora today. For us eastern birders these are southern specialties. NOT ALL OF THE RESIDENTS OF ESTERO LLANO GRANDE HAVE WINGS. THE BIRDS SHARE THE SPACE WITH A VARIETY OF ANIMALS SOME SLOW, SOME SLITHERY, AND SOME SUBSTANTIALLY SIZABLE. Yes, we do have a few alligators. They are a major attraction and we’re hoping that really pulls in some of the locals because they’re really interested and often come just to see the alligators and walk out in the park. [guide] We do have a family of alligators that live out here, 2 adults. [O'Haver] So many people in the Valley haven’t heard of this park. It’s often that you forget about the things that are closer to you and you travel to go see amazing things. [guide] And they’ll be swimming out here, getting some air… [O'Haver] We’re starting to teach them by these school groups. They’re quite amazed at what is right here in their backyard. There’s something for everybody here at our park. [music] [birds]
History
The Estero Bluffs area has been home to the Native American Chumash and Salinan people for over 10,000 years. They used various resources gathered from marine and terrestrial areas of the region in order to adapt to various environmental changes. In 1769, the Spanish Portola expedition passed by here. With the explorers came various European diseases that killed many of the indigenous people.
From 1771 onward the area, which was Mission land, was used for cattle grazing. In 1842 Mexico granted Rancho San Geronimo, which includes much of the present-day Estero Bluffs State Park, to Rafael José Serapio Villavicencio. The land then passed through various owners until Abram Muscio bought it to develop a resort and residential subdivision. The people from surrounding communities opposed the project, and pushed for preservation. The Trust for Public Land bought the property in 2000, and deeded it to California State Parks in 2002. The Trust imposed a conservation easement that limits and prohibits certain activities on the land, such as the construction of public restrooms or the use of running water.[5]
Geology
The park's foundation is built from rocks of the Franciscan Assemblage which dates back to around 140 million years, placing its formation sometime during the late Jurassic Period. Due to a shifting of tectonic plates, the land was raised above sea level to create the seaside cliffs that can be observed today.[5]
Plants and wildlife
This area is home to several terrains, each of which has its own local plant life. The coastal scrubs and grasslands feature sagebrush and native flowers. The rocky outcrops are marked by wild grasses and seasonal wildflowers. The dunes and wetlands often overlap and yield vegetation and salt grass.[5] Estero Bluffs has very rich marine and terrestrial wildlife populations. In the ocean, the harbor seal and sea otter, a threatened species, utilize the intertidal areas for resting and foraging. From December to March, migrating whales pass through the area, gray whales in particular.[3] Rabbits, ground squirrels, striped skunks and other rodents call the grasslands and coastal scrub of the park home. The grasslands also contain black-bellied slender salamanders, California kingsnakes, Pacific tree frogs, rattlesnakes and insects. The park hosts a variety of birds including the rare western snowy plover.[5]
See also
References
- ^ "California State Park System Statistical Report: Fiscal Year 2009/10" (PDF). California State Parks: 30. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^ "Estero Bluffs". State Parks of the San Luis Obispo Coast. California State Parks. Archived from the original on November 17, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2013.
- ^ a b "Estero Bluffs State Park". Discover Central California. DiscoverCentralCalifornia.com. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
- ^ Crossley, John. "Estero Bluffs State Park, California". The American Southwest. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
- ^ a b c d "Estero Bluffs State Park" (PDF). California State Parks. California Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
External links
Estero Bluffs State Park.
- California State Parks: official Estero Bluffs State Park website
- State Parks of the San Luis Obispo Coast: Estero Bluffs
This page was last edited on 1 August 2023, at 22:13