Clam Calamity

Thursday, October 16th, 2008

Pismo Beach still celebrates clams — consider its 62th annual Clam Festival last weekend, for example, which drew thousands. But the days are gone when clamming drew tens of thousands to the city’s fine beaches. Clamming was consistently good from 1949 until 1979, when state Fish and Game officials said ...

1966 San Luis Sewer…er…Creek

Friday, September 19th, 2008

Howard Martin, Fish and Game Warden stood in San Luis Obispo Creek today where it flows through the downtown heart of the city pointing to the trash and garbage which makes the stream an “open sewer.” October 6, 1966 Today San Luis Creek is a downtown gem for folks looking for ...

1966 Oceano Dunes

Friday, August 29th, 2008

People have had big ideas for the Oceano Dunes for a long time. The Chumash Indians were the last sustained civilization on the dunes, living on the abundant clams and fish. In the early 1900's real estate speculator's maps carved the beach up into lots. On July 4, 1907 a celebration was ...

1966 Seal Hunters in Morro Bay

Friday, August 22nd, 2008

Captain Roy J. Bud Newton of the Lynann with a whale gun. The Lynann was a whaler, converted from a Navy submarine chaser. January 28, 1966 It wouldn’t happen today. Using logic that made sense in the 1960’s researchers were killing seals to save them. Working out of Morro Bay, a trio of marine biologists ...

1969 Santa Barbara Channel oil disaster

Wednesday, July 16th, 2008

Images from the March 10 edition of the Telegram-Tribune, volunteers are washing oil from the feathers of a grebe hoping he will be one of the 25% who survive. Another photo shows oil muck being scraped from a Santa Barbara beach. Photos were by David Ranns January 29, 1969 Offshore ...