Natural Bridges State Marine Reserve (SMR) is a

marine protected area Marine protected areas (MPA) are protected areas of seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity for a conse ...

located at the northern edge of

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz ( Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 62,956. Situated on the northern edge of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz is a po ...

, approximately south of

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. The SMR covers . The SMR protects all marine life within its boundaries. Fishing or other removal of any living marine resource is prohibited.

History

The

California Department of Fish and Game The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), formerly known as the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), is a state agency under the California Natural Resources Agency. The Department of Fish and Wildlife manages and protec ...

established the Natural Bridges State Marine Reserve in September 2007. It was one of 29 marine protected areas adopted during the first phase of the

Marine Life Protection Act Initiative Marine is an adjective meaning of or pertaining to the sea or ocean. Marine or marines may refer to: Ocean * Maritime (disambiguation) * Marine art * Marine biology * Marine debris * Marine habitats * Marine life * Marine pollution Milita ...

(MLPAI), a collaborative public process to create a statewide network of marine protected areas along the California coastline.

Geography and natural features

Natural Bridges SMR is adjacent to Natural Bridges State Beach and Wilder Ranch State Park. The marine protected area is bounded by the mean high tide line and a distance of seaward of mean lower low water between the following two points: * 36° 57.90’ N. lat. 122° 07.65’ W. long.; and * 36° 57.00’ N. lat. 122° 03.50’ W. long.

Habitat and wildlife

Dramatic wave-cut platforms, exposed rocky cliffs,

salt marsh A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is domin ...

, and sandy and rocky shores provide habitat for a wide range of species that inhabit Natural Bridges. These habitats include sandy beach, rocky intertidal, and surfgrass.

Recreation and nearby attractions

Adjacent to the SMR is Natural Bridges State Beach which features

tidepool A tide pool or rock pool is a shallow pool of seawater that forms on the rocky intertidal shore. Many of these pools exist as separate bodies of water only at low tide. Many tide pool habitats are home to especially adaptable animals that ...

s and the Monarch Butterfly Natural Preserve. The Monarch Grove is home to migrating

monarch butterflies The monarch butterfly or simply monarch (''Danaus plexippus'') is a milkweed butterfly (subfamily Danainae) in the family Nymphalidae. Other common names, depending on region, include milkweed, common tiger, wanderer, and black-veined brown. ...

from mid-October through the end of February. Docent–led butterfly, tidepool, and nature trail tours are available. Also adjacent is Wilder Ranch State Park, which has of hiking, biking, and

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: * Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...

trails. Historic farm buildings have been restored and the park conducts tours and living history demonstrations. The

University of California at Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of California system. Located on Monterey Bay, on the edge o ...

's Long Marine Laboratory and its public aquarium, the Seymour Marine Discovery Center, are also adjacent. Long Marine Laboratory is an oceanside research and educational facility. Limited tours are available. California's government encourages recreational and educational uses of the ocean and the marine protected areas. Activities such as kayaking, diving, snorkeling, and swimming are allowed unless otherwise restricted.
For a virtual tour of the underwater park click here

Monitoring

As specified by the Marine Life Protection Act, researchers monitor selected

s along California’s central coast to track their effectiveness and learn more about ocean health. Similar studies in marine protected areas located by the

Santa Barbara Channel Islands The Channel Islands () are an eight-island archipelago located within the Southern California Bight in the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of California. The four Northern Channel Islands are part of the Transverse Ranges geologic province, and ...

have detected gradual improvements in fish size and quantity. Castell, Jenn, et al.
How do patterns of abundance and size structure differ between fished and unfished waters in the Channel Islands? Results from SCUBA surveys
. Partnership for Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO) at University of California, Santa Barbara and University of California, Santa Cruz; Channel Islands National Park. Retrieved December 18, 2008.

References

External links

California Marine Sanctuary FoundationNatural Bridges State BeachWilder Ranch State ParkSeymour Marine Discovery CenterMarine Life Protection Act InitiativeCalOceans
{{authority control Marine sanctuaries in California California State Reserves California Department of Fish and Wildlife areas Protected areas of Santa Cruz County, California