Of all things, Star Trek, was the first time I saw the Monterey Bay. It’s quite the story, where a criminally indicted Admiral Kirk and his crew must save 23^rd century Earth’s oceans from a cataclysmic event. How? Undoing the tragic extinction of whales by time traveling to the 1980s, bulgarizing a newly opened Monterey Bay Aquarium, and defeating villainous whalers (Giggster)! Leonard Nimoy, playing Spock, after reading a book, created and directed the story to inspire people to protect vulnerable wildlife (“30 Facts”). And I have to say, it’s fitting that the place I visited be directly adjacent to the aquarium that movie was filmed: The Hopkins Marine Station in Pacific Grove (2020 pop. 15,090), part of Stanford University’s Doerr School of Sustainability (“Race”).

Stopping whaling by any means necessary. Source: Memory Alpha

            I didn’t realize that proximity until I arrived, and all I knew beforehand was that there was a library on marine biology, it was on the coast, and research is performed there. Besides the 17-mile-drive, I had little to go on as to how the bay would even look like. And bizarrely, I don’t think many of Stanford’s community know of the satellite campus’s existence… I tried asking two computer science majors from the Bay Area, and they were utterly bemused by its existence! That’s to say, I was excited to see an oft-discussed part of Stanford!

            My first impression was the warmer than expected mid-50s temperature (Accuweather). The campus itself seemed quite empty, likely due to it being Saturday. Many of the arrivals were recovering from dizziness since we unexpectedly took the twisty CA-17 rather than the more commercial US-101. We parked behind some buildings and were guided into the Harold A. Miller Library as the Teaching Assistants (TAs)[1] Mikaela and Sidney made final preparations. As the library for marine biology, it indeed covers highly specialized catalogue topics like Marine Studies of San Pedro Bay, California, Aquarium Buildings: Construction and Design Manual, and I AM NOT AN OCTOPUS.

           But this is the first time I’ve seen such a cluttered repository! Some objects seemed deliberately disorganized, as if cleaning up would ruin someone’s day. This includes a John Steinbeck book collection, a face caricature, fake harbor seal (Phoca vitulina) skulls, Stanford-branded typewriter, and of course a blue whale plushie. I really like it because while messy, it radiates that homey, lived in vibe immaculate libraries tend to lack. Yet what drew me in most was this awing, eye-dropping first view of the coast! That’s when the TAs introduced our guides Abby McConnell of Student Services and Professor Robin Elahi, and thus began our tour starting with its history.

            The Hopkins Marine Station was built on the Ohlone Rumsen homeland, living there until the Spanish displaced them. This region in the 19^th century would become a predominately Chinese community with abalone and squid fishing driving the economy of China Point and its surroundings. In 1892, Stanford University opened the Hopkins Seaside Laboratory at nearby Lover’s Point, becoming the first marine research facility in the U.S. West Coast (“History”). The Chinese community were displaced by a fire in 1906, suspected by some to have been premediated due to Sinophobia (Li). The laboratory in Lover’s Point was relocated to China Point in 1917 and was given its current name of Hopkins Marine Station. Then the coastline and surrounding waters were designated in 1931 as the Hopkins Marine Life Refuge. Today, the refuge has grown and evolved into the Lovers Point – Julia Platt State Marine Reserve, anchored in Lover’s Point, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Point Cabrillo (the former China Point), making it “unlawful to injure, damage, take, or possess any living, geological, or cultural marine resource” (“History;” SMR). I asked Professor Elahi if the history of sardine overfishing in the Monterey Bay led to Trophic Drama (food chain shenanigans) in the ecosystem. He said that sardine landings dropped drastically in the mid-20^th century, haven’t recovered, and that fisheries shifted to squid, salmon, and other fish valuable to fine dining restaurants.   

A map of the state marine reserve. The Hopkins Marine Station is at Point Cabrillo, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is where the 1 is marked, and Lovers Point is the station was originally located. Source: SMR.

            Then, the TAs and tour guides divided us into two groups. We were to do the same activities in a different order, and I was assigned to McConnell’s group. She took us to the oldest building built in 1918 to see one of the classrooms (“First Building”). It had a chalkboard, rather than a whiteboard, and had a bunch of optical gear in the back from microscopes to binoculars. The most unique feature though must be the clear view of the coast! On fogless days, I can imagine such a sight be really motivating or calming to see during class or study. It is a small classroom though, so we were filing in and out to give each other the space to see the room. As it was starting to empty, I took the opportunity to see the back of the classroom and perhaps peek into the glass cabinets. Though the building started becoming quieter as I peeked inside… then I realized my mistake…

I got lost without even trying. Sigh. (Drat! THE TA’S OUGHT TO BE FURIOUS! EEK!)

            I cluelessly went up and down the different floors to see if I could discern my group’s direction. Confusion gave way to dread, with no way to contact the TAs, and the coastal view keeping me company. There I saw the other group exiting the library, and thus sprinted out to join them. The other TA was surprised, but she contacted her peer of my unanticipated switcheroo. All’s well that that ends well, I guess… but I’ll prudently avoid falling behind. We went to a trail in Point Cabrillo.

            There we talked about different topics, from the local flora and fauna, to how courses taught at the station use the surrounding nature to engage with the material. I asked about that sprawling green-red grass-ish plant because I had no idea what it was. And think the red-ish colored gradient and thick leaves evoke an alien otherworldly vibe. I wondered if it was endemic to California since the Sonoma County coast was where I first saw it. Professor Elahi explained that Iceplant (Carpobrotus edulis) is an invasive species introduced as an anti-erosion stabilization measure for land surrounding roads. Per the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Iceplant is native to coastal ecosystems in South Africa, and it spread as north as Humboldt County (where Eureka is) and as south as Baja California, Mexico (“Invasive to Avoid: Iceplant”). The truth was thus contrary to what I thought! But then does the area have any endemic species? Elahi said he couldn’t think of any, and that he associates the concept of endemism to islands, rather than California’s large ecosystem that includes Southern Oregon. Hmm… the seemingly odd line of questioning might stem from being raised in a Caribbean Island, where endemic species are acknowledged and promoted as part of the local cultural identity. Perhaps that way of thinking doesn’t translate to the larger continents. It was an opportunity for him to introduce the unique underwater Monterey Canyon that transports nutrients to the bay and makes it a good area for wildlife.

           Another interesting feature of note shown by Professor Elahi are these old, rusted train tracks. They were built when the fishing industry was prominent in the local economy. The tracks were used to transport boats in and out of the water to be repaired at the Monterey Boat Works building. Now both are relics of a bygone era.

            I mention this specifically because an artist in 1970 oddly thought these rails were relevant enough to be included in a pictographic map of the Monterey Bay. The locally produced map was created to celebrate Monterey’s Bicentennial and presented the most important features, attractions, and activities (Bibler). While I couldn’t find much information online about the rails (besides a Stanford written article of the Boat Works), both Professor Elahi and artist Richard Bibler thought it important to note as a defining feature of the area, despite a 53 year gap between this tour and map. Who would have thought these abandoned rails could be so societally important!