Piedras Blancas Light Station

Piedras Blancas Light Station Bureau of Land Management Junior Explorer In this activity booklet you will read about the history of Piedras Blancas Light Station and about the plants and animals that live on or near the light station. Your name________________ Date of visit______________ The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is a federal government agency that takes care of more than 245 million acres of land. These lands are public land and belong to all Americans. What is the difference between a lighthouse and a light station? The lighthouse is the structure with the light on top. The light station is all the buildings: house, sheds, fog signal, oil house, barn, and lighthouse. 1 Lighthouse Daymarks Lighthouses have different shapes and colors so sailors can tell them apart. These differences are called “daymarks”. What were the daymarks of the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse, as seen in this photo? Answer: It was cone-shaped and painted white with black trim. 2 Lighthouse Light At night sailors were guided by the flashing light of lighthouses. The flash was produced by a rotating lens. Every lighthouse had a different flash pattern called the light characteristic. What was the light characteristic produced by the Piedras Blancas lens seen here? Answer: There was a double flash …flash, flash, darkness… flash, flash, darkness. 3 1. In early years a whistle created a high pitched sound “EEEEEE” 2. Later, foghorns created low pitched sound “BEEE-OHH” What sound could be heard the farthest, a high or a low sound? Answer: 2. A low sound. Fog Signal Building Sound When it was foggy a sound signal was used to guide the sailors. 4 Marine mammals eat their food in different ways. Seals have pointed teeth for grabbing. Sea otters have flat molars for grinding. Some whales have baleen to strain food. Whose teeth are these, seal or sea otter? A B Which animal has baleen? C Answer: A-seal, B-sea otter, C-whale 5 Watch room Marine Mammals Watch Room Harbor Seal and Sea Lion A B Harbor seals have spotted fur, short flippers and no external ear flap. Sea lions have solid colored fur, large front flippers, and a small external ear flap. In the above photos, which is a harbor seal and which is a sea lion? Answer: A-harbor seal, B-sea lion 6 1. What does “Piedra Blanca” mean? 2. What makes it white? Answer: 1-white rock, 2-bird droppings Look for these birds on or near Piedra Blanca. brown pelican western gull 7 Brandt’s cormorant West Overlook Piedra Blanca Look for these plants... seaside woolly yarrow seaside poppy tree lupine dune buckwheat hedge nettle seaside daisy Also look for these animal tracks…….. 8 brush rabbitt ...and animals along the trail. yellow-faced bumble bee western blue butterfly white crowned sparrow California ground squirrel western fence lizard brush rabbit coyote raccoon 9 bobcat What kind of whale did the bones on display come from? Answer: humpback What kind of whale calf is counted at Piedras Blancas Light Station? Answer: gray whale South Overlook Whales 10 Sea otters help kelp forests by eating animals that eat kelp. Which animal below eats kelp forests? A. sea urchin B. sea star Answer: A. sea urchin 11 Boardwalk Sea Otter Boardwalk Elephant Seal Do elephant seals spend most of their lives on land or at sea? Answer: at sea What do elephant seals do on land? A. Rest B. Give birth C. Molt (shed the outer layer of skin and fur) D. All of the above Answer: D. All of the above 12 Historic District Life at the Light Station Which of the following made life at the Piedras Blancas Light Station difficult? A. Strong winds B. Not enough water C. Isolation D. All of the above Answer: D. All of the above Would you liked to have lived at the Piedras Blancas Light Station? Why or why not? 13 For later Unscramble words ______________________ gfo gnsila dlibgiun ________________________ ihlgtuesoh ekerep _______________________ risPeda salnBca githlsuheo Answers: fog signal building, lighthouse keeper, Piedras Blancas lighthouse 14 Find the following words in the search below. Elephant seals eat at sea. Z Q B R I S C O M L A B S U B E A C H X E L E P H A N T B U A U A U M N L Y Z K 15 T B L Q Y E R A Y N O B S S V R T P S O C E U V E I R O W M A T O R U L M C O T For later Elephant Seal Word Search For later Crossword puzzle 1. In the fog sailors were guided by _____. 2. What are elephant seal babies called? 3. The daytime characteristics of a lighthouse are called _______. 4. At night sailors were guided by_______. 5. Some of these animals have baleen. 6. What is a baby whale called? 5 1 4 2 6 3 Answers: (1) sound (2) pups (3) daymarks (4) light (5) whales (6) calf 16 Central California lighthouses you can visit San Francisco Pigeon Point Monterey Bay Point Pinos Point Sur Piedras Blancas Point San Luis Santa Barbara Place passport stamp here (available in gift shop) Piedras Blancas Light Station Bureau of Land Management San Simeon, CA 93452