Morro Strand State Beach (formerly Atascadero State Beach) is a protected beach within

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "Federated state, state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on accou ...

system located in north

Morro Bay Morro Bay (''Morro'', Spanish for "Hill") is a seaside city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast of California, the city's population was 10,757 as of the 2020 census, up from 10,234 at the 2010 ...

along

California State Route 1 State Route 1 (SR 1) is a major north–south state highway A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either Route number, ...

. Morro Strand is a popular coastal frontage park on Estero Bay featuring the Morro Strand Trail and picnic sites. A three-mile stretch of beach connects the southern and northern entrances to the beach. Dogs are prohibited in part due to the nesting and protection of the

Western Snowy Plover The western snowy plover (''Anarhynchus nivosus nivosus'') is a small wader in the plover bird family. They are currently federally listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act as Threatened. Human activity, habitat loss and predation are the bigg ...

. Fishing, surfing, beach walking, and jogging are popular activities.

Proposed for closure

Morro Strands State Beach was one of the 48

California state parks California State Parks is the state park system for the U.S. state of California. The system is administered by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, a department under the California Natural Resources Agency. The California State ...

proposed for closure in January 2008 by California's Governor

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

as part of a deficit reduction program.

Marine Protected Areas

Morro Bay State Marine Recreational Management Area and Morro Bay State Marine Reserve Morro Bay State Marine Recreational Management Area (SMRMA) and Morro Bay State Marine Reserve (SMR) are two marine protected areas that provide protection for Morro Bay Estuary on California's central coast. The two marine protected areas togeth ...

are

marine protected area A marine protected area (MPA) is a protected area of the world's seas, oceans, estuaries or in the US, the Great Lakes. These marine areas can come in many forms ranging from wildlife refuges to research facilities. MPAs restrict human activity ...

s within Morro Bay. Like underwater parks, these marine protected areas help conserve ocean wildlife and marine ecosystems.Morro Bay State Marine Reserve
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References

External links

California State Parks: official Morro Strand State Beach website
California State Beaches Morro Bay Parks in San Luis Obispo County, California Beaches of Southern California Beaches of San Luis Obispo County, California {{SanLuisObispoCountyCA-geo-stub

Proposed for closure

Marine Protected Areas

See also

References

External links