The Coast with the Most
![A bright orange bat star against a bed of deep green seaweed on a Mendocino County beach. Photo by Nicole Ravicchio](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_large_1920x970/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_3226x2151_bright-orange-bat-star-green-seaweed-mendocino_nr_cas_240624.jpg?itok=7qzszsj6&c=aaa10f0ab4e07f06ae11c1b99125bd90)
What's better than a day at the beach? Thirty of them!
From June 1 through June 30, more than 6,000 people across California participated in Snapshot Cal Coast, Cal Academy’s annual campaign to document coastal biodiversity. Partners from Del Norte to San Diego Counties hosted 34 bioblitz events that resulted in a record-breaking 81,935 (and counting) iNaturalist observations—vital data that will help inform coastal conservation policy developed by the California Ocean Protection Council.
But Snapshot isn’t just about the numbers. It’s about the moments of connection between humans and nature and the inspiring experience of exploring nature together.
But...it’s also about the sea slugs. And the sea stars. And the shovelnose guitarfish. And the 5,000+ other species that make the California coast like nowhere else on Earth. Scroll down for three galleries of noteworthy observations curated by the Center for Biodiversity and Community Science (CBCS)—and see how you can make a difference just by snapping a photo.
![iNaturalist observation of a northern blue whale fluke extending out of the water © Jay Ballard](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_northern-blue-whale_jay-ballard_240601.jpg)
![iNaturalist observation of pinto abalone © thultz](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_pinto-abalone_thultz_240601.jpg)
![iNaturalist observation photo of California sheephead fish by Callie Mack](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_california-sheephead-calliesandiego_240601.jpg)
![iNaturalist observation photo of California halibut © Callie Mack](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_california-halibut_calliesandiego_240601.jpg)
![iNaturalist observation photo of purple olive snail © M. Goff](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_purple-olive-snail_m-goff_2-240601.jpg)
![iNaturalist observation photo of orange sea cucumber and purple sea urchins © Olivia VanDamme](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_orange-sea-cucumber_olivia-vandamme_240601.jpg)
![iNaturalist observation photo of black abalone © scsurflady](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_black-abalone-scsurflady_240601.jpg)
![iNaturalist observation of juvenile great white shark © Patricia Butter](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_great-white-shark-patricia-butter_240601.jpg)
![iNaturalist observation photo of a snowy plover © George Afghan](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_snowy-plover_george-afghan_240601.jpg)
![iNaturalist observation photo of brooding anemone and seaweed atop a black tegula snail © Olivia VanDamme](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_brooding-anemone_olivia-vandamme_240601.jpg)
![iNaturalist observation photo of shovelnose guitarfish © Lauren Glevanik](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_shovelnose-guitarfish-laurenglevanik_240601.jpg)
![iNaturalist observation photo of giant California sea cucumber © Jeremy_Jodoin](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_giant-california-sea-cucumber_jeremy-jodoin_240601.jpg)
Sea star wasting syndrome struck California in 2013–2014, with sunflower sea stars (Pycnopodia helianthoides) among the hardest hit. Ten years later, finding one of these critically endangered animals is cause for celebration. On June 23, we celebrated.
Academy staff joined partners from the Noyo Center for a dawn bioblitz in Mendocino County’s Headlands State Park. As Steinhart Aquarium biologist Lisa Larkin waded through a sea cave, she spotted a 12-armed sunflower star.
![Steinhart Aquarium Curator Kylie Lev in a sea cave in Mendocino County. Photo by Nicole Ravicchio](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_standard_960x540/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshotcalcoast_kylie-lev-finding-sunflower-star-pycnopodia-mendocino-dsc00937_nr_cas_240623.jpg)
Steinhart Aquarium Curator Kylie Lev points out a critically endangered sunflower star in a sea cave in Mendocino County.
![Critically endangered sunflower sea star, or pycnopodia, found by Cal Academy staff during a bioblitz in Mendocino County. Photo by Nicole Ravicchio](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_standard_960x540/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshotcalcoast_sunflower-star-pycnopodia-mendocino-dsc01144_nr_cas_240623.jpg)
While this individual was relatively small, sunflower stars can exceed three feet across. Nicole Ravicchio © 2024 California Academy of Sciences
“It was incredibly moving to see it, especially since it’s one of only a handful of individuals seen statewide since 2014,” recalls Rebecca Johnson, PhD, director of CBCS. We’re hoping the sighting is a good sign for our statewide collaboration to save Pycnopodia from extinction.
The creatures below, however, are in no danger of disappearing anytime soon.
![iNaturalist observation photo of orange and purple ochre sea stars © Olivia VanDamme](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_ochre-sea-star_olivia-vandamme_240601.jpg)
![iNaturalist observation photo of bat stars © Esmeralda Plascencia](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_bat-star_esmeralda-plascencia_240601.jpg)
![iNaturalist observation photos of western gull and California sea lions © Susan Endres](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_western-gull_susan-endres_california-sea-lion_240601.png)
![iNaturalist observation photo of snowy egret © Dario Taraborelli and night heron © drewskipoo](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_night-heron_drewskipoo_egret_dario-taraborelli-2_240601.png)
![iNaturalist observation photo of osprey on piling in Bay © Elizabeth Dougherty](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_osprey_hydrocycler_elizabeth_dougherty_240601.jpg)
![iNaturalist observation photo of opalescent nudibranch © Rebecca Johnson](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_opalescent-nudibranch_rebecca-johnson_240601.jpg)
![iNaturalist observation photo of California sea lion © Graham Coop](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_california-sea-lion_graham_coop_240601.jpg)
![iNaturalist observation photo of brown pelican in flight © Jay Paroline](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_california-brown-pelican_jay-paroline_240601.jpg)
![iNaturalist observation photo of striped shore crab © Tom Minh Van](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_striped-shore-crab_tom_minh_van_240601.jpg)
![iNaturalist observation photo of green sunburst anemone © Olivia VanDamme](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_sunburst-anemone-olivia-vandamme_240601.jpg)
![iNaturalist observation photo of Western gull © Susan Endres](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_western-gull_susan-endres_240601.jpeg)
Nudibranchs, also known as sea slugs, pack a ton of charisma into a tiny package. This year, Snapshotters found more of these small wonders than ever, particularly in Central and Southern California tidepools.
Nat Low, PhD, CBCS’s biodiversity data specialist, reached out to nudibranch expert Jeff Goddard for his take on the population spike. "It's likely due to a shift from a La Niña to an El Niño phase, as well as ocean warming in the south," said the frequent Academy collaborator, who also noted that the idea is consistent with a previous finding.
![iNaturalist observation photo of white-spotted sea goddess nudibranch © alanarama3](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_square_460px/public/assets/images/blogs/snapshot24_white-spotted-sea-goddess_240601.jpeg)
One of the joys of Snapshot Cal Coast is watching tidepool novices become tidepool fanatics. This phenomenon was in full effect on June 10, when about 40 participants descended on San Mateo County’s Pigeon Point for a bioblitz co-hosted by Cal Academy and Queer Surf.
For CBCS Coordinator Olivia VanDamme, the capstone to a perfect event was introducing a seasoned surfer to their very first nudibranch: a pink Hopkins' rose.
![A pink and white Hopkins rose nudibranch on kelp in a California tidepool. Photo by Rebecca Johnson](https://calacademy.org/sites/default/files/styles/manual_crop_large_1920x970/public/assets/images/ibss/hopkins-rose-nudibranch-by-rebecca-johnson_160706.jpg?itok=-HwnyIlA&c=0fa2a85394fd33d8b66d9498b6aa0a1d)
If you’re experiencing some Snapshot Cal Coast FOMO, we've achieved our mission. But don’t despair: Upcoming bioblitzes abound. Join the 30 Species Challenge during California Biodiversity Week (September 7–15), and keep your calendar clear in mid-December for our next Solstice Sea Star Search.