Volunteer with the Otter Project's MPA Watch!

Jenny is inviting you to join the project! See below:

Thank you so much for your willingness to collect data for the Otter Project. The program you will be participating in is called "Marine Protected Area Watch" or "MPA Watch". Marine Protected Areas are designated by the California Marine Life Protection Act, and are like underwater National Parks. MPA's have varying levels of wildlife protection. MPA Watch volunteers monitor MPA's along the Central Coast of California in an effort to facilitate the management of our ocean resources.

Training Info:

The next training will be on Saturday, February 23rd at Montana de Oro State Park at 9:30 am. Please meet at the Spooner's Cove beach parking lot. Drive on Los Osos Valley Road all the way through Los Osos and into Montana de Oro State Park unit you reach Spooner's Cove which is on the right side of the road just before the ranger station (white building) and camp ground. There is an iconic rock in the middle of the cove and a beach parking lot. This is Spooner's Cove. Park here.

To Do Before the Training:

1. Please watch the following video before the training. This is necessary to know what you will be doing before you get out into the field. I apologize in advance for the sound quality - it is a little scratchy.
   http://www.screencast.com/t/CFcsVlopoyl5 to view the video, the password is: otter123.

2. Go to https://www.meetup.com/mpawatch and sign-up. After you sign-up, you will be able to log-in and have access to view the materials on the website. Survey data are also submitted on the web-site, so it is important for volunteers to have access.

3. On the http://meetup.com/mpawatch site click on "Pages" and scroll down to "Resources for Volunteers" to the last two items which are "Liability Waiver". Please print and fill this out for Saturday morning. This will help us get started on time. I will have other necessary materials waiting for you so don't worry about the other info on the site, although feel free to peruse the http://meetup.com/mpawatch site.

To Bring:
We will be walking over 2 miles so bring good walking shoes, some water, sun protection/umbrella, and maybe a snack. Binoculars or a camera that has a zoom/magnification are useful to bring if you have them. Dress in layers. It may be cold/windy to start but we will quickly warm up as we start walking.

Please email me at jenny@otterproject.org if you would like to attend!

Thank you so much and I look forward to meeting you soon!