Morro Bay State Parks Museum of Natural History

Special Exhibit: Our Relationship With Whales Has Evolved

The Morro Bay Museum of Natural History invites you to visit our temporary exhibit on whaling, whale science, conservation, and how the "Save the Whales" movement has influenced Americans' relationship with whales over the last two centuries. It will be in the Museum auditorium through the end of December, and possibly until just after New Year.  

The Museum is located at 20 State Park Road and is open from 10:00 – 5:00 every day except for Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free for members, $3.00 for adults, and free for youth under 17.  Call 805 772-2694 or visit ccnha.org for more information.

Holding Hands with Nature, December 26-31

Looking for family-oriented educational activities during the week of December 26 to December 31? Visit the Morro Bay Museum of Natural History for a series of daily programs that will introduce you to the wonderful world of animals and nature. Bats, sea otters, snakes, and wolf hybrids are just a few of the animals to be featured during this special event.  Special events will be held most days at 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. at the museum located on State Park Road in Morro Bay, unless otherwise specified.  Astronomy lectures will be held at 4:00 PM and night sky programs at 5:30 PM.

The following events have been scheduled:

Monday 12/26, 1:30 PM, Birds of San Luis Obispo County, with Ruth Ann Angus, Bird Festival board member
Monday, 12/26, 4:00pm, Binoculars in Astronomy, with George Wright, Astronomy Docent
Monday, 12/26, 4:00pm, Night sky program, State Park Marina, Staff and Docents

Tue. 12/27, 10:30 AM, Reptiles with Dennis Sheridan, herpetologist
Tue. 12/27, 4:00 PM, History of Astronomy, with Rouvaishyana, Museum Manager
Tue. 12/27, 5:30 PM, Night sky program, Museum, Staff, and Docents

Wednesday 12/28, 10:30 AM, California Bat Conservation Fund, Melinda Alvarado, Bat rehabilitator
Wednesday 12/28, 11:00 AM, Skulls—What do they eat?  View skulls of various animals.  By examining teeth, we will illustrate how to determine what an animal's diet is.  Suitable for families with children. 
Wednesday 12/28, 1:00 PM, Peregrine Falcon. 

Jeri Roberts of Pacific Wildlife Care will talk about wildlife rehabilitation.  She will bring a live Peregrine falcon that cannot be released to the wild.  This will be an excellent chance to see this species up close and to learn about wildlife care, feeding of birds of prey, and the permits that are required to do this kind of work.  Meets at the Museum of Natural History auditorium, not at Pismo Nature Center.  Suitable for families with children.  The auditorium is now limited to 58 persons.  Length of time is correct.

Wednesday 12/28, 1:30 PM, White's Point Vistas, walk with Norma Wightman, Docent

Thursday 12/29, 11:00 AM, How to Identify Birds.  See how easy it is to identify local birds.  Observe features that show what birds eat or how they live.  Suitable for families with children.  The meeting place is correct; the program will last about one hour.

Friday 12/30, 11:00 AM, Whale Ancestors.  Slide program on what the fossil record tells us about early whales.  There are some amazing and little-known extinct creatures that led to modern whales.  Suitable for families with children.  Meeting place is correct; length about one hour.

Astronomy programs feature viewing with binoculars and telescopes, weather permitting.

 Further programs are still to be scheduled.  Please call the Museum at 805-772-2694, ext. "0" for program details.

2012 Mind Walk Lecture Series

Mind Walks are lectures held in the auditorium at the Morro Bay Museum of Natural History every Monday morning, January through March.  In 2012, some of the talks will also be given on the previous Saturday. Admission is free for members of the Central Coast Natural History Association.  Non-members must pay the standard Museum entry fee.  

By order of the state Fire Marshall, the Museum auditorium is limited to 58 people.  Space will be available on a first-come, first-served basis, and doors will be closed when the room is full.  To avoid being turned away, consider coming on a Saturday when certain talks will occur, or plan to arrive early on Monday.  Remember that parking at the Museum is limited.

Below is a list of 2012 Mind Walks.  For more information on speakers and talk descriptions, see Winter Nature Notes or the museum website at CCNHA.

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