It has been a busy few months for the Pismo Beach Stewardship and Educational Outreach Program, and we wanted to take a moment to catch you up.
The program exists to build a real, lasting connection between people and the coast, whether that’s a local family spending a Saturday morning at the beach, a visiting couple learning something new about the monarchs they just watched, or a classroom of kids who leave knowing why the ocean matters. Through arts, hands-on activities, and experiences that put you directly in front of the wild, the goal is simple: inspire people to care about this place and give them ways to act on it.
And the work is paying off. TravelPulse recognized Pismo Beach as a top US destination, leading the sustainability charge for 2026. This work is foundational to the future of the travel industry, and Pismo Beach is committed to what it takes to make a difference.
2026 Earth Day Beach Cleanup
This past weekend, we celebrated Earth Day with a beach cleanup that drew 40 people over two hours. Together, they collected close to 10 pounds of trash, with cigarette butts topping the list of most common items found. The turnout was great, the energy was better, and a big thank you to our local Starbucks for coming out and keeping everyone caffeinated.
If your organization is interested in partnering on a future beach cleanup, we would love to hear from you. We are happy to work with groups of all sizes to make it happen. Reach out to us to get something on the calendar.
City Nature Challenge
We also participated in the City Nature Challenge, a global effort that invites everyday people to submit nature photos through iNaturalist so researchers and scientists can build a more complete picture of what’s living where. Pismo’s coastline, dunes, and open spaces make it a genuinely rich area for this kind of citizen science, and the more people who participate, the better the data gets. If you missed it this year, keep an eye out for next spring.
Sand Art on the Beach
While the cleanup crews worked the shoreline, Avery drew a beautiful sand art piece that gave viewers a creative way to connect with their surroundings. It’s exactly the kind of experience that makes you stop what you’re doing, breathe deeper, and recognize the beauty of this place.
Wine and Wings
Back in February, we hosted Wine and Wings, our annual stewardship celebration, and it sold out. Five local SLO Coast wineries joined us and poured throughout the evening. The weekend opened with a student assembly at Shell Beach Elementary, where kids got a look at the monarch work happening right in their own backyard.
Author and naturalist Mary Ellen Hannibal delivered the keynote, and a panel of local voices from around San Luis Obispo County joined the conversation about what it actually takes to support western monarch populations in this region. A few things stood out.
The Pismo Beach Monarch Grove is recognized as a leading example of overwintering site management, and people working on monarch conservation across the western population genuinely look to what’s been done here. That’s worth saying plainly, because the work behind it isn’t simple. Overwintering management involves multiple agencies, approval processes, and sustained coordination among many dedicated people. The team making it happen deserves the credit.
Kyle Nessen joined the panel to share findings from his master’s research, which showed that monarchs can tolerate significantly more wind than previously understood. That single finding changed existing thinking about how and when monarchs migrate, and it’s a good reminder that every year brings new knowledge about these creatures, often correcting what we thought we knew.
The broader takeaway from the evening: monarchs are resilient, and there are a lot of people working hard to give them a fighting chance. If you want to be one of them, the most meaningful things that everyday people can do are to plant native flowers, add milkweed to your garden (just make sure it’s the right regional variety), volunteer your time locally, and participate in citizen science through iNaturalist or Monarch Watch. For the most current and reliable monarch research and resources, the Xerces Society is the place to start.
Donations were collected throughout the evening for organizations doing this work on the ground. Thank you to everyone who came out and contributed. If you want to attend the next stewardship weekend, keep an eye on Pismo Beach social channels for announcements about the winter event.
The New Butterfly Medallion Trail
One outcome of all this work is something you can now experience firsthand. The Butterfly Medallion Trail is a new 1.1-mile coastal route connecting the Pismo Beach Pier to the Pismo State Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove, one of the largest western monarch overwintering sites in California. Medallion signs mark the path north along the coast, making the grove walkable from downtown for the first time. Each sign includes a QR code that opens a map with your current location along the trail.
The grove is free, open year-round, and worth the walk any time. If you want to time your trip around peak butterfly viewing, the window between November and January is your best bet.
Stay Connected
The best way to keep up with everything the stewardship program is doing is by subscribing to the Pismo Beach newsletter. Sign up to get updates on upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, and ways to get involved delivered straight to your inbox.
