Natural Bridges

Click here for Long-Term trends

Click here for Biodiversity Survey findings

Natural Bridges is located in the Central Coast region of California, within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This site is located within the Natural Bridges State Marine Reserve and Natural Bridges State Park. This site is near the Monterey Bay/Point Santa Cruz Mussel Watch site. This site receives high visitation by tidepoolers and is often visited by school groups. This gently sloping site consists of moderately uneven terrain, containing few cracks and folds.

Natural Bridges is dominated by consolidated mudstone, and the area surrounding the site is comprised of a mixture of consolidated mudstone and sandy beach. The primary coastal orientation of this site is south.

Long-Term Monitoring Surveys at Natural Bridges were established in 2007 and are done by University of California Santa Cruz. Long-Term MARINe surveys currently target the following species: Chthamalus/Balanus (Acorn Barnacles), Mytilus (California Mussel), and Pisaster (Ochre Star). In addition, motile invertebrates are monitored at this site. Click here to view Long-Term trends at this site.

Biodiversity Surveys were done in 2007. The Biodiversity Survey grid encompasses one section that is approximately 30 meters (along shore) x 20 meters (seaward). Click here to view Biodiversity Survey findings at this site.

This site is also regularly surveyed by LiMPETS (Long-term Monitoring Program and Experiential Training for Students) which is an environmental monitoring and education program for students, educators, and volunteer groups. You can access site specific data from this citizen scientist and educational broad scale trend monitoring program.

For more information about Natural Bridges, please contact Pete Raimondi (raimondi@ucsc.edu).