Must-See Nature!
Mendocino
County offers
Nature Tourists
a Long List of
Attractions
By Nancy Barth
NANCY BARTH
Nature tourism is best defined as
traveling with the goal of discovering
and learning about nature, as opposed to
sightseeing or conventional recreation. The
Mendocino Coast, with a variety of habitats ranging from tidepools to coastal terraces to redwood forests, has great potential
as a destination for nature tourists.
Because fall is a time of changing weather, the season offers nature tourists opportunities to observe changes in habitats and
wildlife. By late September, summer birds
have departed and wintering species are arriving. Deciduous trees lose their leaves and
the first rains of fall fill streams and revive
green grass on coastal headlands.
In oak-woodlands, birds and mammals
search for acorns to save for their winter
food supply. Early winter rains
bring Coho and Chinook salmon
up the swollen coastal rivers to
spawn in tributaries.
In the offshore marine habitat,
humpback whales can be seen along
the Mendocino Coast during the
early fall months, then the first
gray whales migrate south from the
Bering Sea and pass the Mendocino
Coast by mid-December. Other
marine mammals found on the
Mendocino Coast are harbor seals,
sea lions, and northern elephant
seals, which occasionally come
ashore to molt.
Rivers provide another distinct
habitat for birds such as egrets and great
blue herons and mammals such as river
otters. The Noyo River, Big River and the
Albion River have canoe and kayak launching facilities and canoe and kayak rentals
are available at Catch a Canoe at Big River
and at Noyo Harbor.
For many years, bird watchers have been
attracted to the Mendocino Coast to observe the diversity of species in marine and
terrestrial habitats. During the fall, many
birders go to the south coast to see the tundra swans that spend the winter just north
of Point Arena. Migrating birds can also be
seen in wetlands at Big River, the Ten Mile
River and Cleone Lake in MacKerricher
State Park.
Inland habitats from coastal bluffs to
redwood forests can be explored on foot,
by bicycle or on horseback providing opportunities for observing wildlife. Trails in
State Parks and Jackson Demonstration
State Forest are uncrowded in fall. Maple
trees along inland streams turn golden in
October. In the more remote forests, trail
users may see bobcats, mountain lions and
bears.
Visiting nature tourists have a wide
choice of overnight accommodations on
the Mendocino Coast. Those who choose
to camp out can stay in a State Park or
private campgrounds. On the South Coast,
Manchester Beach State Park and KOA
both have campgrounds near the beach.
On the North Coast, MacKerricher and
Westport-Union Landing State Parks offer
all year camping, weather permitting. Van Damme State Park offers
family camping through October
10 and Russian Gulch State Park
camp sites will be open until October 31.
Two of the most special overnight lodging places are located at
the coast’s two lighthouses. At the
Point Arena lighthouse, family-style
keepers’ houses sleep six guests and
have full kitchens. The lighthouse
property is surrounded by the Stor-netta Public Land, which contains
habitat for marine, grassland and
riparian wildlife. The Point Arena
lodging is pet-friendly, and from
RON LE VALLEY
