Avila Beach Designated Bird Sanctuary

Morro Bay was declared a bird sanctuary in 1970. Now there is a new bird sanctuary joining the central coast.

Avila Beach is the newest bird sanctuary in California. On Dec 3, 2013, the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors passed the resolution creating the sanctuary designation at the request by the community of Avila Beach.

Shirley Goetz, a long time resident of Avila Beach, collected petitions and made several presentations to local Avila agencies that endorsed the sanctuary proposal.

Her campaign began when. Goetz noticed an annual increase in migratory cliff swallows coming to Avila Beach from Argentina.

Curious about reports that the swallows were bypassing the famous mission San Juan Capistrano and flying further north, Goetz took a field trip to the famous mission to find out why. She found that the mission had been remodeled and all the existing nest knocked down. It had been anticipated that the swallows would return the following year and rebuild their nests, but that didn't happen. Ceramic imitation nests were placed under the eaves of the mission in the hope that the birds would use them as a new nest. The mission also tried playing recordings of the swallows’ distinctive songs.

Nothing worked. "I noticed that all the waterways were lined with concrete and there were no natural stream beds with mud shores within the city," said Goetz. "Mud is necessary for the cliff swallows to make their distinctive gourd­shaped nest, and natural streams provide plenty of insects. Cliff swallows love mosquitos!"

After Goetz returned home to Avila Beach, she began to notice how many different birds lived right in her own back yard. A bird sanctuary proposal began to take shape.

Goetz collected petitions in support of the proposal and began presenting the concept to local agencies. With overwhelming local support and armed with numerous endorsements, she made her pitch to the SLO Board of Supervisors. When she learned the proposal has been approved on the board’s consent agenda on December 3, 2013, she was thrilled.

"I am so delighted to see the community of Avila Beach come together to shape our future and join the sanctuaries of our sister cities," said Ms. Goetz who also credits Unocal for their efforts to clean up the infamous oil spill in Avila, adding that "they did a good job, it was a tedious and demanding endeavor that involved a lot of planning and work" It was just 15 years ago the clean up effort in Avila was happening, and since then the eco systems have returned to health and thriving. This has enabled Avila Beach to define it's future and promote conservation.

Funding for the sanctuary signs was donated to the project by the Avila Beach Community Foundation, which has established an account for the bird sanctuary. Donations are welcome.

Well done, Avila Beach!