Surfrider San Mateo County Chapter - Public Meeting, Thursday, Dec 11,  at 7pm in the Pedro Point Firehouse, Pacifica.

Big wave surfer and local legend Dr. Mark Renneker will speak on, "Change at Ocean Beach" The winner will be announced in our Surfrider San Mateo County Chapter Logo Contest. We hope to see you there!

Did you know…..they can grow new body parts, walk on 10,000 feet, pry open a mussel using a seawater hydraulic system, and turn their stomach inside out to dissolve their lunch outside of their body? Are they aliens? Nope, just an amazing sea star!

The Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach is a unique intertidal environment. As the tide retreats, a world of wonderful creatures and plants is exposed. There are many species of fascinating animals: sun stars, bat stars, leather stars, turban snails, unicorn snails, green striped crabs, and other interesting animals like the Hopkin’s Rose nudibranch, sea pork tunicates and mossy chitons. The Reserve is also a haul out area and rookery for a large population of harbor seals.

Are you curious? Why are they called leather stars, unicorn snails, mossy chitons, and sea pork?

Our Naturalist Training is an incredible opportunity to learn about the ecology, habitats, and adaptations of life in the tide pools.

The goals of the Friends of Fitzgerald are "the protection and preservation of the Marine Reserve as a unique intertidal environment and the promotion of educational activities for school children, residents, visitors and researchers, to see and touch many elements of wildlife ecosystems."

Our Naturalists help to promote our goals by sharing their new found knowledge and passion for the intertidal by talking to Reserve visitors on the weekends, during school field trips/tours, in the visitor center and through outreach opportunities at fairs and other environmental gatherings. It is a rewarding experience to share the wonders of the ocean with people eager to know more.

The class will be offered 10 am – 3 pm on Saturdays January 24 – March 7 (no class Feb14). Six mentoring hours with other current Volunteer Naturalists and assisting with two tours at the Reserve are required to successfully complete the course. Upon completion of the course we ask Naturalists to do 2 -3 tours per month. Materials fee: $65.

To learn more about our program please call Mary DeLong at (650) 728-5917, email [email protected] . Visit our website at www.fitzgeraldreserve.org. Feel free to pass on this information to your friends who may be interested.

The National Weather Service has issued a high surf advisory through 4pm Sunday. 

If you’ve gazed west after sunset, you’ve probably seen two bright lights converging over the last month or so. These are the planets Venus and Jupiter, with Venus being the brighter one.

On November 30 and December 1 the planets will be about a finger width apart. As a special bonus, they will be joined by the new crescent moon. Luckily, this time, the weather forecast looks good for those two nights.

Have fun.

Ric Lohman

In Santa Clara County, open space preserves are being used to grow marijuana, creating what could be a dangerous situation, reports the Mercury News.

In the hillsides high above Saratoga, three men guarded a garden of nearly 40,000 marijuana plants, representing more than $116 million in illegal sales. Tipped off by suspicious neighbors, a team of eradication experts hiked to a remote swath of land nestled between private property and El Sereno Open Space Preserve to seize the pot growing there and arrest the farmers.

During the operation, which took place on July 10, shots were exchanged, leaving one grower dead and scattering the two others into the brush. While law enforcement officials say it is safe for residents to continue hiking and enjoying the preserves, the two men remain at large and the incident has left some mountain residents uneasy. ...

In 2008, Santa Clara County law enforcement teams performed 11 raids over five days, eradicating 76,278 pot plants, arresting three suspects and confiscating one weapon, according to statistics provided by Campaign Against Marijuana Planting (CAMP), a coalition of federal, county and local narcotics officers. About $11.6 billion in illegal marijuana plants were confiscated statewide, making California the No. 1 producer of commercially grown marijuana. The numbers do not reflect those marijuana gardens destroyed during the wildfires earlier this summer.

At first glance, the area does not appear conducive to growing a large marijuana garden. The hillsides are laden with steep ravines; there is no obvious water source. But far off the roadside, past poison oak plants, one notices how the trees eventually form a perfect canopy for camouflage.

The county sheriff is advising open space users to stay on trails to avoid growers, who are going to keep their crops off the beaten path.

A mountain lion was sighted at 4:30pm today in the area of Bernal Ave at Ocean Ave in Moss Beach. If you see a mountain lion, contact the Sheriff’ at 911. or Sgt. R. Johnson at Moss Beach substation 573-2844.

A neighbor told Coastsider that there was an alleged sighting on Airport a few weeks ago.

The Montara / Moss Beach community is one big step closer to solutions for its long-standing water problems following Coastal Commission approval Wednesday of the Public Works Plan, Phase I, proposed by Montara Water and Sanitary District in January 2006. The approved plan includes the new Alta Vista Well, bringing 150 gallons per minute of safe and reliable water to meet community needs; an additional 1,100,000 gallons of water storage for emergencies; and additional treatment for water drawn from wells at the Half Moon Bay Airport.

The Alta Vista Well was commissioned in October 2007 and has been supplying high-quality water to Montara and Moss Beach customers during an environmental testing period required by the Coastal Commission. Based on those studies, which showed no adverse affects on nearby wetlands and riparian areas, the District may use this new well to provide reliable supplies that meet the needs of existing customers in the District.

The San Mateo County League for Coastside Protection (LCP) will hold its Third Annual Fall Beach Clean-up at Francis Beach, at the end of Kelly Ave in Half Moon Bay.  This is a great time after the Pumpkin Festival and the first real rains of the season to enjoy the beach in the fall weather, help protect local birds from debris and make our beaches even more beautiful.

The event is on November 15th from 10 AM until noon at Francis State Park.  Free parking and picnic tables are available for this event but you need to get there early.  Outland Java Company is generously providing coffee to support our efforts and LCP will be giving away event hats to all the volunteers.  Sweatshirts will be for sale.

We recommend wearing closed-toed shoes and sun block.  High school students who volunteer will receive Community Service credit.  For more information about who we are, please go to http://www.lcp.sanmateo.org or call Dana Kimsey at (650) 726-1309

Looking forward to having you join us at the beach,

Dana Kimsey

You’re invited to a public meeting at the Harbor House in Princeton on Wednesday Nov 12, from 7 to 8:30pm, to view a draft model of a proposed outdoor interpretive exhibitfor the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. It will be located in the parking lot adjacent to the site of the future visitor center. The Harbor House is located at 346 Princeton Avenue in Princeton.  

The draft interpretive exhibit represents the low, medium and high tide zones of the reef with plant and animal species authentically sized, colored and located.  The exhibit will serve as a gateway to the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve supporting informal individual and family visits, formal education, as well as launching the tours of docent-led school groups to the Moss Beach reef. 

Visitors will learn about the hierarchy of the reef from low to high tide inhabitants and learn about the habits of individual species. The Exhibit will be fabricated in concrete and be fully colored. A rubberized surface will surround the exhibit to create an accessible climbable structure. An interpretive sign located independently of the exhibit, will identify the species and describe the tidal zones.