July/August 2006

Our Hollister Ranch Shoreline Preserve

By Wendie Kruthers

Do you know there is a Shoreline Preserve here at Hollister Ranch? In 1990 the Hollister Ranch Owners’ Association set aside a 2.2 mile stretch of coastline as a Shoreline Preserve. This stretch of beach starts at our eastern boundary, accessed at Agua Caliente Beach, and extends all the way to the western point at Alegria Beach. At very low tide at Alegria Point, be careful not to disturb various monitoring devices. These are imbedded in the rocks in connection with ongoing scientific research by several institutions including UCSB.  Some of the signs alerting people of this Shoreline Preserve designation have disappeared. The HROA office is in the process of putting in new signs to clearly mark the area.

This designation of Shoreline Preserve is a very important one. Plants and animals living in these intertidal areas exist in a very delicate balance. Indiscriminate taking of or the careless disturbing of the critters living in the tidepools, can easily throw this delicate balance off. Unfortunately, reestablishing this balance once it’s disrupted is not easy or quick. So, in this 2.2 mile area of Shoreline Preserve, nothing can be taken from the ocean. 

People visiting this area should follow simple Tidepool Etiquette. Teaching kids this Tidepool Etiquette is very important. Exploring Tidepools, an educational activity book written and illustrated by Philip Brown for the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, has a section on tidepool etiquette. This book is for all ages and is very specific to the central coast, especially here at Hollister Ranch. It clearly explains and illustrates all aspects of tidepools including the tides, intertidal zones, seaweeds, algaes, plants, planktons, sponges, stinging animals, marine worms, joint-legged animals, mollusks, spiney-skinned animals, and tidepool fishes, etc. It is wonderfully illustrated and is a must for anyone interested in the beach area. It helps the reader identify the critters, shells, seaweeds etc., you may see on the beach. It’s a fun read too, and a great teaching tool for the kids. This book is available at the HROA office for a ten-dollar donation to the Hollister Ranch Conservancy. The following is an excerpt from Exploring Tidepools on tidepool etiquette.

Etiquette (ET-te-ket) means proper manners and behavior. If you go to visit someone at their home, you are expected to behave properly. When you visit tidepools, you are visiting the home of many little plants and animals, and you should behave properly there, too.

Be Careful. This applies not only to you, so you don’t hurt yourself, but also to the animals. You will have to be careful not to step on creatures, and to walk carefully over the rocks and sand.

Don’t Pry. A lot of animals, such as Sea Stars and Anemones, attach themselves firmly to rocks. Don’t try to pull or pry them off—you will tear parts of their bodies and hurt them.

Turn Rocks Carefully. Lots of things live under rocks. Some rocks are small enough for you to turn. Do so slowly and carefully, look at what you find, and then carefully return the rock to its original position.

Don’t take anything living away. Seashore life can’t live away from the seashore! It is OK in some (not all) areas to collect empty shells, but never take living things away from the tidepools.

Don’t poke or prod. Many tidepool animals are soft and delicate. Some may be touched gently with a finger, but others should not be touched at all. None of them should be poked with sticks or other hard objects.

Be aware of the laws. Most tidepool life in California is protected by law. Many tidepools are in parks and preserves, where even empty shells are protected make sure you know the laws for the area you visit.