News.bytes Extra, issue 396

Visitors to the 4th Coastal Discovery Fair learn about the California Coastal National Monument

For the fourth year in a row, BLM’s California Coastal National Monument had a booth at the Coastal Discovery Fair, held on a sunny Saturday last month at Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach in San Simeon. More than a dozen agencies and organizations participated in this day-long event, and each had an activity for kids. (text continues below)

This little girl certainly seemed to enjoy the paper bird cap she colored herself.

At the BLM booth, more than 100 kids colored, cut and assembled pelican headbands while their parents, or grandparents, discussed the California Coastal National Monument with Monument Manager Rick Hanks and Palm Springs/South Coast Monuments Interpretative Specialist Tracy Albrecht.

The fair is the annual celebration for the Coastal Discovery Center that is managed by the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in cooperation with California State Parks, both of whom are California Coastal National Monument partners.  The Coastal Discovery Center serves as the Monument’s visitor contact station for its Piedras Blancas-San Simeon Gateway initiative.

Youngsters color paper sheets to be made into hats

Tracy Albrecht, interpretive specialist with BLM-California's Palm Springs-South Coast Field Office, works on bird hats for two more youngsters

Another young fan displays a paper bird hat on top of her pink cap

- R. Hanks, BLM-California, California Coastal National Monument Manager, 8/09

BLM-California News.bytes, issue 396