New Interpretive Panels for MBNEP

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We’ve been working since the beginning of the year on these new panels, developed by Cheryl Lesinski, Outreach Coordinator for the Morro Bay National Estuary Program. They’re almost ready to go to the manufacturers, Fossil Inc. of New York, which makes high-pressure laminate signs that last 10 years outdoors. The signs are 3′ wide by 2′ tall.

A Bird’s Body Tells a Story of Survival

This panel identifies several bird species common to Morro Bay (California). We’ve found that people spend more time looking at signs like this, which identify things they can see around themselves. Cheryl built in a little more interactivity by asking people to guess how each bird feeds, based on its body shape. At the bottom we ask people to avoid disturbing the birds by viewing them with binoculars.

You and 50,000 Birds Vacation in Morro Bay

This panel shows some of the creatures that live in the mud, a regular smorgasbord for the birds. I’ve been stuck in a kayak more than once on the bay after dawdling too long on the sand spit while the tide slipped quietly away. I love every creature, great and small, but really had to struggle to hold down my lunch while working closeup with the critter pics, especially the hairy worms.

Migratory birds are chronically stressed, traveling sometimes thousands of miles with many of their traditional resting places drained and replaced by human development. The birds need their rest. Unfortunately, hunting (such as Canada geese) is still allowed on the bay. I find this really sad, and hope it changes soon.

Morro Bay Estuary is Married to the Land

This panel shows the land that drains into the Morro Bay estuary. The point of this is to show people that everything eventually ends up in the bay – silt from overgrazed hillsides, oil and soaps from people who wash their cars in their driveways, trash, fishing line – everything. The important thing is to keep pollutants of all types out of the gutters, drains, creeks, and the estuary where so many lives depend on having a healthy place to live.

You can download our Sign Designsbook to see some more interpretive panels we’ve designed.

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GAIA GRAPHICS & ASSOCIATES
…creative by nature
www.gaiagraphics.com
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