Natural Bridges

https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=541 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_Bridges_State_Beach Natural Bridges State Beach is a 65-acre (26 ha) California state park in Santa Cruz, California in the United States. The park features a natural bridge across a section of the beach. It is also well known as a hotspot to see monarch butterfly migrations. The Monarch Butterfly Natural Preserve is home to up to 150,000 monarch butterflies from October through early February.

Our Mission Natural Bridges State Beach The mission of California State Parks is to provide for the health, inspiration and education of the people of California by helping to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological diversity, protecting its most valued natural and cultural resources, and creating opportunities for high-quality outdoor recreation. Three arches carved by nature out of a sandstone cliff inspired the naming of Natural Bridges. Reclaimed by the sea, the inner and outer arches California State Parks supports equal access. Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities who need assistance should contact the park at (831) 423-4609. If you need this publication in an alternate format, contact interp@parks.ca.gov. have fallen, leaving only the central bridge. CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS P.O. Box 942896 Sacramento, CA 94296-0001 For information call: (800) 777-0369 (916) 653-6995, outside the U.S. 711, TTY relay service www.parks.ca.gov Natural Bridges State Beach 2531 West Cliff Drive Santa Cruz, CA 95060 (831) 423-4609 © 2002 California State Parks (Rev. 2015) Drawing of Natural Bridges, ca. 1870s N atural Bridges State Beach is a magnificent oasis of natural beauty located between the edge of the ocean and the outer limits of the city of Santa Cruz. This popular 65-acre park is known for its wave-carved sea arch, family-friendly beach, tide pools, and visiting monarch butterflies. Great blue heron at Moore Creek the “bridges” Natural Bridges State Beach is named for three naturally occurring arches that were once part of a large cliff that jutted out into the sea. The bridges formed as wave power eroded the mudstone, deepening depressions in the cliff that grew until the rock formed a cave, and eventually, a bridge. Of the three original arches, only the middle one remains. The outermost arch fell during the early 20th century, and the inner arch collapsed during a 1980 storm. Park HISTORY Native Americans The first people to inhabit this area were the Uypin tribe, as recorded in the registers of the Spanish missionaries who arrived in the 1780s. The Uypin were among about fifty inter-related tribes spread throughout the Monterey and San Francisco Bay areas. Their descendants are collectively called the Ohlone today. In the past, the Uypin people hunted marine mammals and inland game, fished, and harvested shellfish and a variety of seeds, berries, herbs, and bulbs. They also depended on storable plant foods like acorns, hazel, laurel, and buckeye nuts. The Uypin people practiced land-management techniques that enhanced nature’s productivity. They were also skilled in various crafts like making baskets, fiber cordage, stone tools, and shell ornaments for trade to people in the interior. Many of today’s Ohlone people work to reestablish the knowledge and traditions of their past. The last remaining natural bridge Euro-American Settlers Spanish colonists eventually took over the Ohlone people’s traditional lands. When the Ohlone were brought into the mission system, their population was nearly decimated by European diseases to which they had no resistance. By 1834 this area was governed by newly independent Mexican authorities, who used coastal land for cattle grazing. After the Mexican-American War ended in 1848, Alta California was ceded to the United States; California became a state in 1850. Over the years, this land supported a dairy farm, a hotel, a brussels sprouts farm, housing for workers at the Antonelli Mill Pond, a South Seas movie set, and an unfinished housing development. The State of California purchased the land in 1933. Until the 1970s, open space surrounded the park, now enclosed by development. Both local residents and visitors can find respite on the beach or hiking among a dozen natural habitats. HABITATS AND WILDLIFE Egrets, herons, and other residential and migratory birds traveling along the Pacific Flyway rely on Natural Bridges for safe shelter or an inviting meal. The Moore Creek Wetlands Natural Preserve provides an important habitat for a variety of birds, invertebrates, fish, and amphibians. The preserve has both saltwater and freshwater marshes. Left: Guided walk on the Monarch Trail. Above: Carefully examining life in the tide pools. Right: Giant green sea anemone. Tide pools — Life on the Edge Twice each day, the tide uncovers the park’s rocky shore, where sea stars, hermit crabs, urchins, kelp, and many more species live among the pools and crevices. This area is also a state marine reserve; its sea life receives extra protection as residents of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Animals and plants living in tide pools survive by adapting to rapid changes in temperature, water salinity, pounding surf, and human activity. They also adapt to specific areas of the rocky intertidal zone. Please leave all plants and animals attached to the rocks. Prying or pulling them off may harm or kill them. Recreational Activities Day use — Natural Bri