On Sunday, June 16, 2024, a sea otter was observed hanging around the tidepools for the afternoon. Otters haven’t been seen at Cabrillo since at least 2007 or 2008, so this was indeed a rare and fun sighting. Visitors were thrilled to watch the otter float on its back, occasionally diving to bring up a lobster to munch on. Otters are mainly found off the … Continue reading An Otterly Amazing Story
By Karissa Duran, Scripps Institute of OceanographyMay 19, 2023 What are these blue jellyfish-like creatures? These creatures are called Velella velella. They have several different nicknames including “by-the-wind-sailors” and “little sails” as a reference to their sail-like, chitinous structure that sticks up above the water. Why are they washing up? They wash up on shore due to a combination of shoreward wind and current patterns. … Continue reading What Are Those Blue Blobs Washing Up On SoCal Beaches?
During this last October, a group of the CESAP (Conservation and Environmental Stewardship Apprentices) had the opportunity to bring a new public engagement event to Cabrillo! Write Out, a collaborative project between the National Writing Project and National Park Service, invites folks to get outside and create pieces of writing inspired by the outdoors and national parks. The theme for 2023’s Write Out was “Poetry, … Continue reading Write Out
The atmospheric rivers that have brought much needed rain to the area has also allowed the spring flowers to start blooming. It looks like we are in store for a very colorful Spring. The VNC is trying to arrange with Park staff for a walking tour of Spring flowers and plants along the upper monument. A tentative date of Friday May 12th from 3-4pm has … Continue reading Spring Flowers are in the Air
Whale watching as an organized activity began in 1950 when the Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego was declared a public place for gray whale watching. Since then, thousands of tourists have come to this American city to enjoy the spectacle offered by various types of whales, such as blue whales, humpback whales, minke whales, and orcas. In fact, due to the diversity of species … Continue reading The Six Best Places in the World for Whale Watching
Thank you VIPs Greg, Dave, Gene and Rise for helping with the Monument planting event last week. They installed 54 plants around the base of the statue. So far, there are no rodent causalities to report! They couldn’t have hoped for better post-planting weather with thunderstorms Tuesday night and drizzly overcast days the following few days. The next early bird planting session will be happening on Tuesday … Continue reading The Early VIP Gets the Plant
CNM VIP Voice 