home    people     leadership team     advisory committee     funding sources   initiatives     sci/mngmnt linkages     water quality     habitat     bioindicators     human access     economic indicators     collaborative fisheries   taxonomic databases     marine life gallery     invertebrates   news & info     ecosystem overview     dashboard     in the news     downloads     links		Human Access Initiative People: John Steinbeck — Co-Director, Vice President, Tenera Environmental Dean Wendt — Co-Director, Associate Professor, Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo Grant Waltz, Teaching Assistant, Biological Sciences Department, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo What is it? This initiative will identify and locate the bay and coastal habitats and species at greatest risk to human uses. Studies have been designed to determine the levels of impacts that can occur to rocky intertidal habitats at the popular Montaña de Oro State Park due to visitor use. It will then be possible to identify the types of uses and levels of use ("carrying capacity") that could be allowed that still protect the biological integrity of these habitats. Goals The Human Access Initiative has been planned to determine the effects of human uses on marine biological communities in the Morro Bay Estuary and the associated coastal habitats.