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Shores of Monterey Bay Were Occupied
The shores of the bay appeared to be occupied by people in the late 1700's. Costanso recorded many encounters with native villagers along the Spanish route north of San Diego. During this time, Monterey was home to the Ohlone people. In the classroom, this information can be used to show the original background of the area, the population of the people, and the manner in which the land was cared for at the time. -
The Sea Otters
The Spanish and French realized that otters had amazing pelts that were worth a great amount of money in China. As a result of the low numbers of sea otters, the numbers of red and purple sea urchins, sea snails, and abalone ballooned. The increased numbers of herbivores chewed into the kelp forests. In the classroom, this information can be used to discuss human impact on the ecosystem in Monterey Bay. -
The Abalone
With the otters being extremely rare in Monterey during this time, the abalone population was able to grow initially. Abalone needs about 5-10 years to grow to saucer size. The new Chinese residents of Monterey began harvesting the abalone too quickly and not giving them the needed time to reproduce and grow. By 1856 nearly all of the abalone were gone. Another classroom lesson on the human impact on species of animals and ecosystem. -
Whaling
Davenport settled in Monterey and opened California's first shore-based whaling station. By 1855 the Portuguese formed a second whaling company that took 5 times as many barrels of oil as Davenport's crew. Most whales hunted were gray and humpback whales. Whaling peaked between 1859-1863. In the classroom, the effect of human impact on a species of animals could be further discussed. -
Pacific Grove
The Methodist Church built a summer camp on Point Pinos, they named this new area Pacific Grove. The annual success of the summer retreats gave life to a new growing community. By 1884 a town with about 100 residents was being established. This can be used in the classroom to give some history of the areas around Monterey Bay. -
Nightly Squid Hunting
As the local Monterey Fishermen had made it extremely difficult for the Chinese to fish during the day, they found a way to fish at night. The Chinese fished for squid at night using the lights of torches to lore the squid up from the bottom. In China, the market for dried, salted squid was worth a good price. By 1905 the squid had also been overfished in the area. For the classroom, the human impact on the ecosystem could be addressed. -
The First Cannery
H.R. Robbins started the first cannery in 1901 between Point Alones and the commercial wharf in Monterey. During their peak years, there were more sardines off the West Coast than there were people on the Earth. This is another discussion point for the history of Monterey and the human impact on the local ecosystem. -
1st Act of Civic Activism
Julia Platt achieved her first triumph of civic activism by writing a city zoning ordinance that limited the domestic fowl to certain areas. Julia completed this task as the local chickens were damaging her garden and wandering around town with no restrictions. This could be used as a discussion point in the classroom to show how her activism conquered a problem and lead her down a path of civic activism. -
San Francisco Earthquake
In the Great San Fransisco Earthquake Chinatown disappeared in flames. This forced thousands of residents to flee. Some came to China Point in Monterey, briefly increasing the population there. This would be a topic of the history of Monterey for the classroom. -
China Point Burns
On May 16, 1906 a fire swept through China Point. It is not clear how the fire started, but it consumed the village and displaced the residents. -
Monterey Sardines
By 1917 five fish plants were steaming away in Monterey. As the canneries grew so did the smells. With the large growth of the canneries and the smells that caused everyone to hold their noses, the local tourism took a long illness from which it never recovered. This is another discussion point for the history and ecosystem of Monterey. -
California's Department of Commercial Fisheries
In 1919 the state of California established its first Department of Commercial Fisheries. It was developed to evaluate the fishery's effects on sardine abundance. This was housed in the Hopkins Marine station that was newly completed. The scientists here were worried about the future. This is a teaching point for the history of Monterey and the effects of the human impact on the area. -
Murphy-Youngman Bill
The profits from fish reduction made canneries a study stream of income, but they realized that even more money could be made if the state legislature would relent the limits on the amount of sardines that could be processed into fertilizer and oil. In 1929, the Murphy-Youngman bill allowed 32.5% of sardine catch to allocated for fish reduction. This is a teaching point for the history of Monterey. -
Lake Miraflores
In 1930, the barge called the Lake Miraflores became known as the first of the "floaters" to operate off the shore of the Monterey area. Floaters were canneries that float offshore three miles from the coast, where the state authority gave way to the federal authority. Limits placed on reduction by the state meant nothing this far offshore. Floaters produced 11,000 tons of sardines into reduction its first year. This is a teaching point for the human impact on the area. -
Ed Ricketts and John Steinback
Ed Ricketts studied the ecology of the Monterey area. He researched and published about the canneries and the impact that they had on the surrounding areas. Ed was friends with John Steinback when he wrote several famous novels. Ed wrote a book titled, "Between Pacific Tides". This is a teaching point for the history of Monterey. -
The Gate
Mrs. J. E. McDougall had acquired the Bath House at Lovers Point Property. She erected a gate that blocked the access to the beach against the property deed, custom, and decades of public use. Tired of waiting on the town to come to an agreement Julia decided to use a hammer, crowbar, and an ax to remove the gate. She placed a placard at the gate's remains letting everyone know that she had removed the gate. Another teaching point of history. -
Mayor Platt
Julia Pratt was elected mayor by a 2:1 margin on April 11, 1931. Her election campaign stated, "It will take a good man to beat me." This is another teaching point for the history of Monterey. -
City Ordinance No. 284
On June 19, 1931, Platt traveled to Sacramento, convincing the state legislature to pass the act. Governor James Roloff signed the law into effect, granting a city the right to manage its own coastline. Then on April 21, 1932, the local version of the act was passed by a unanimous city council vote and became City Ordinance #284. Julie was free to manage the Pacific Grove shoreline and police its access. This is a teaching point for the history of the area. -
The Otters Return
The otters were expanding north as far as Pebble Beach and by the early 1960s, they reached the shores of Pacific Grove. There is a connection between the otters and the giant kelp. The large appetites of the otters affect the numbers of animals that they prey on such as sea urchins. The sea urchins eat kelp. So where the otters go the enlarging numbers of kelp follow. This is a discussion topic for the ecosystem. -
DDT
An environmental earthquake occurred that would have effects all across the country. DDT was being sprayed in mass quantities to kill insects on crops. This chemical enters the marine food chain through runoff and chemical dumping. This chemical built up year after year inside plants and animals. Legislation halted the use of DDT in 1972. The serious marine impacts slowly started to recede. This is a talking point for the environmental history and ecosystem. -
The Kelp Forests
Now that the otters were returning they were once again eating the sea urchins and abalone. So the sea urchins and abalone now had to retreat to the cracks and crevices so that they were not eaten by the otters. This gave the kelp room to spread and grow. Teaching point for the ecosystem of the area. -
The 1972 Marine Mammals Protection Act
The 1972 Marine Mammals Protection Act included harbor seals in the protection of dolphins, whales, and sea lions. As evidence of the law's success was that by 1979 more than fifty harbor seals could be seen on the rocks off of China Point. -
Monterey Bay Aquarium
The Monterey Bay Aquarium opened in 1984 after the Packard family spent around 50 million dollars on the project. The aquarium had around 2 million visitors in its first year. The project had succeeded, the marine life was a success at educating, entertaining, and promoting the city. This is a talking point for the human impact and recovery.