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Help the Kelp SLO

Help the Kelp SLO!

Help the Kelp SLO! 2

A Nature-Based Climate Solution

Help the Kelp SLO! (HTK) is a Climate Action Program that seeks to utilize a natural and near- shore solution to the climate crisis. Kelp is a macroalgae that serves as a keystone species to our Central Coast near-shore ecosystem. Without kelp, our underwater world will not thrive. The fish, invertebrates, carbon sequestration, and sea levels all rely on our kelp to do its thing.

Without kelp, our underwater world will not thrive.

An Ecosystem Out of Balance

In 2014, an algal bloom came to the California coast and initiated the sea star wasting disease, rendering the sunflower sea star extinct in California waters. The sunflower sea star and the otter are the two main predators of red and purple urchins. With a huge reduction in predation to urchins, they have taken over. And what do urchins eat? You guessed it: kelp. The urchins have decimated the kelp and the flourishing habitat that comes with it. The effects of this condition have not only impacted an entire species, the kelp, but an entire ecosystem as well.

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Community-Powered Kelp Recovery

Still in our infancy, HTK is seeking to work collaboratively with many agencies to bring citizen scientists and volunteer support to our SLO coastal macroalgae. Right now, we’re doing this through collaboration, networking, permitting, and scoping out our waters to find the perfect spot to show mother nature we’re here to help. We’re hoping that through supportive urchin management strategies, monitoring ecosystem productivity, and advocating for policies that align with this nearshore resource near and dear to us, we can help restore the kelp forests of California.

How to Get Involved

 

Who We Can Use Help From

  • SCUBA divers of all types: recreational, scientific, and everything in between.
  • Policy gurus who can help advocate with the powers that be to help our kelp.
  • Nerdy Phycologists (that’s the science of macroalgae) who want to conduct research in SLO county.
  • Volunteers to advocate above and below the water for our kelpy fronds.


Learn More

To learn more and/or get involved, contact program coordinate Laura at lpedersen@slo.surfrider.org.