Fort Ross in the Spring part 1.

On the weekend of May 28 to the 30th, Sonoma State's Marine Ecology class visited and camped out at Fort Ross Conservatory. This was the second time that I have visited this beautiful place. Fort Ross is one of the most visited by tourists between Bodega Bay and Fort Bragg. Fort Ross is a Historic State Park, that has a rich Russian-era history, that is located 45 minutes from Bodega Bay and about 2 hours from San Francisco. Fort Ross is surrounded by beautiful beaches, panoramic coves and redwood forests that have views of the Pacific Ocean. Fort Ross is a great place to visit because they offer great program, which focuses on hand on outdoor educational marine ecology. There program is primary for middle and high school aged students but it is a great opportunity for college students as well. During our stay at Fort Ross, we learned about California, Stellar Sea Lions and harbor seals. During this presentation, we learned how to be able to identify between them. After learning about the different organisms, we out to the field and looked for these species. We were able to see and hear Harbor Seals and Stellar Sea Lions.  

Harbor Seal:
Harbor seals could be brown, tan or gray. They have a rounded body shape, with V-shaped nostrils. Their heads are usually bigger than their bodies and they have short flippers. Harbor seals can be found in coastal waters of northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, making them the most wide ranging of the pinnipeds. Pinnipeds include walruses, eared seals and true seals. Harbor seals are carnivorous, they eat species such as fish, shrimp, mollusks and squid. They prefer quiet un populated areas because they are shy and curious. They usually haul out in beaches, spits, bars, rocks and log rafts, so they can bathe in the sun and sleep. When they feel they are in danger or have a disturbance, they tend to slip back into the water and swim away. During low tides, harbor seals tend to haul out to rest, digest food, give birth, or nurse their young. These harbor seals move in a caterpillar like motion, due to the fact that their flippers are short. 

At Fort Ross, you can assist them their citizen scientist effort monitoring the harbor seals that haul out along their coast. They usually take the Harbor Seal surveys twice a month. 

Steller Sea Lion:

Steller sea lions can be found in habitats near cool coastal waters of the North Pacific. They tend to gather and haul out in secluded rocky islands. When steller sea lions are born, they are dark brow, but when they get older they turn a light brown to blond with a dark brown darkening around the flippers and undersides.These sea lions are large and have bulging eyes wit flat noses.They also have whiskers, which allow them to navigate underwater and find prey. They are ears that are turned around, so water does not enter them with underwater. They are agile on land and swim using their fore flippers. Both male and females have large front and rear flippers. Steller sea lions are very vocal with roars, grumbles and growls. Adult steller sea lions establish territories and they defend them. Steller sea lions tend to eat fish, squid and shrimp. In order to survive, an adult must eat 5-6% of its body weight each day and young animals need twice that amount. If males are defending their territories, then they can go without eating for more than a month. They usually feed at night between 9 p.m. to 6 a.m

At Fort Ross, you would be helping in surveying the most southerly population of Steller Sea Lions, which are the largest of the sea lions. They haul out on sea Lion Rocks just offshore at Fort Ross. 

Fort Ross Conservatory has three different coastal stewardship surveys and they are always looking for volunteers. Like mentions above, Fort Ross does Harbor Seal and Steller Sea Lion surveys. They also have Beach Watch surveys, that are conducted twice a month. Which covers the area north from Fisk Mill Cove at Salt Point State Park and they hope to extend the program to Fort Ross soon. By volunteering in the help of surveying, we can better understand how to identify the animals that live in our shores. It is very fun as well, to be able to see these organisms in their nature habitat. If you are interested or would like some for information regarding this opportunity, please contact Hank Birnhaum at hankb@fortross.org.