WEEKLY

WALKER

By Tom Davids

Tide Pools and Cypress Trees

Fitzgerald Marine Reserve

". . .it cannot remain a paradise unless you and others who wander on the shore remember that to see and listen and touch is far better than to lift up and destroy." -from "Exploring Pacific Coast Tide Pools"

Directions: Highway 1 to Moss Beach. Turn west on California Avenue to North Lake Street and turn right.

Grade: Easy.

Distance: From one-half to one mile.

Time: Two to three hours.

Special Conditions: No dogs. You may touch but not pick up marine life. Visit at low tide and watch for rising tide. The reserve is managed by San Mateo County Parks and the State Department of Fish and Game. The park closes at sunset.

I would venture a guess that most of the children attending Peninsula schools during the last decade or so have visited the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve at Moss Beach. I would also guess that the majority of adults reading this column have never been there. And the same was true for Veralyn and me until last Sunday afternoon. We were first introduced to tide pools near Sea Ranch in Sonoma County, where we spent many hours probing for starfish, limpets, chiton, black turban snails, anemones, and purple sea urchins. We got up early and stayed out late to catch a minus tide and explore the low tide zone. We learned that there is a Splash Zone, a High Tide Zone, a Middle Tide Zone, and a Low Tide Zone, and that the zones are like countries and provinces, where living organisms adapt to their environment in strange and wonderful ways.

As you examine the sea life more closely, you begin to ask the obvious: How do these creatures reproduce? What and how do they eat? How do they interact with each other? And where do they fit in the food chain of tidal life?

As our four children grew up, we visited tide pools up and down the coast, but we never found our way to the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve at Moss Beach until last Sunday. But we hope you take time to visit the reserve soon. Not only will you be treated to spectacular tide pools, but there is a beautiful one-half mile walk along the bluff overlooking the coastline south to Princeton and north to Devil's Slide.

To find the reserve from Highway 1, turn west on California Avenue to the end (North Lake Street) and turn right to a large parking lot. There is a small docent kiosk at the lot which may (or may not) be open when you visit. The docent program is managed by the county's Coyote Point Museum and guided tours are available. These are also several picnic tables nearby and rest room facilities.

From the parking lot, follow the signs to your right and descend on a paved path alongside San Vicente Creek to the beach and tide pools. Your best viewing will be at a low (preferably minus) tide, so check the tide tables in your local paper and plan accordingly. You will note that there is very little tidal action over the rocky shelf because the waves break over a reef a hundred yards or so the west. This allows you to explore the pools at your leisure without watching for the next wave. During your tide pool exploration, I recommend that you take a book to help identify the tidal creatures. My personal favorite is "Exploring Pacific Coast Tide Pools" by Ernest Braun and Vinson Brown (published by Naturegraph Publishers). My issue, published in 1966, has colored pictures that are a great help in identifying the sea life.

When you finish exploring the tide pools, take another hour to hike along the bluff trail. The bridge over San Vicente Creek has been washed out, so you have to walk down North Lake Street past the intersection with California Avenue, and on your right is a trail leading over a seasonal creek and up the bluff into a cypress tree forest. When we visited the park, there was only a 2- by 6-foot plank over the creek. If the plank is gone or if you would rather not chance getting your feet wet, you can access the bluff trail by driving a short distance south on Highway 1 to Cypress Avenue. Turn right and stop at the barricade opposite Airport Street. Walk through the barricade to the bluff and turn right at the marked trail head. The bluff trail offers fine views of the coast and an interesting view of how Monterey cypress trees were planted many years ago as a windbreak. As you wander the bluff trail, respect the wisdom of those who have built split-rail safety fences to mark the danger zone. As tide and erosion take their toll, you will see areas where the cliff has succumbed under its own weight and fallen to the beach below.

As you explore the southern part of the bluff, notice three palm trees and remnants of foundations and footings that mark the site of a large Victorian residence once owned by the Reverend Arthur Smith of Oakland and used as a summer home. At the south end of the bluff trail are steps leading to the beach below. At a low tide, you can walk along the beach north to the tide pool area and then to the parking lot, but be aware that at high tide much of the beach can be underwater.