Introduction to Moss Landing
In 1866, Charles Moss and his family made the journey from Texas to California, eventually settling in a picturesque coastal area now known as Moss Landing. Over time, this quiet harbor town has grown into a charming destination, known for its antique shops, art galleries, fresh seafood markets, and delightful restaurants—all easily explored on foot.
Today, Moss Landing Harbor boasts over 600 slips, welcoming both recreational boaters and commercial fishing vessels. Just beyond the docks lies the Elkhorn Slough Reserve, a unique and vibrant wetland ecosystem that shelters an impressive array of wildlife, offering visitors a rare glimpse into California’s rich coastal biodiversity.
Moss Landing: Cultural Landmarks and Personal Explorations
By 2009, Moss Landing had blossomed into a vibrant coastal town. Highlights included the renowned Phil’s Fish Market, a variety of exquisite art and antique shops, and the town’s most iconic landmark—twin smokestacks rising from the old power plant, visible across the entire Monterey Bay. At one time, this facility was slated for conversion into a nuclear power plant. Today, it stands mostly decommissioned, now housing a large-scale battery backup storage system—a symbol of the region’s shifting energy landscape.
A decade later, in 2019, our small photography group embarked on a wildlife tour of Moss Landing Harbor and the Elkhorn Slough. We also visited Haute Enchilada and the Shakespeare Society. These experiences sparked a deep and lasting interest in Joe-Ming Cheng, who became fascinated by the ecological and cultural richness of the region.
Curious about the freshwater sources feeding the upper Elkhorn Slough, Joe-Ming began exploring its hidden tributaries. He frequently joined ranger-led excursions and even participated in bird migration counts in the restricted wetlands alongside rangers and scientists. Through these consistent visits, he developed strong relationships with the Elkhorn Slough rangers and staff.
His engagement extended to learning about estuarine marine science—research that focuses on the unique ecosystems where freshwater rivers meet the salty ocean. These transitional zones are vital for biodiversity, coastal protection, and fisheries. Joe-Ming became familiar with the work of NOAA’s National Estuarine Research Reserve System, a key organization supporting this critical research.
Joe-Ming also developed a close friendship with the owner of the local Shakespeare Society. He was captivated by their collection of rare 200-year-old playbooks, which featured remarkably advanced halftone printing techniques. His appreciation for Shakespearean history is informed by personal travels, including to Verona, Italy—the setting of Romeo and Juliet—and Helsingør, Denmark, the setting for Hamlet.
After an acclaimed twenty-year legacy, the legendary Los Angeles-based Shakespeare company founded by the Taylor family concluded its performances. Rather than letting their artistic treasures fade into obscurity, the Taylors preserved their extensive collection of stage sets, lighting, costumes, and rare archival materials. These were eventually relocated to Moss Landing, where the family continued their theatrical tradition.
Today, the site is lovingly operated by Terry Taylor, a next-generation member of the family, who has transformed it into a vibrant local hub for Shakespearean arts. Through exhibitions, community events, and storytelling rooted in classical drama, the Moss Landing Shakespeare Society continues to carry forward the vision and passion of one of California’s most storied theatrical families.
Monterey Canyon: A Grand Underwater Landscape
Just offshore from Moss Landing lies one of the most remarkable geological features on Earth—Monterey Canyon, one of the deepest submarine canyons along the North American Pacific coast. Beginning at the heart of Monterey Bay, directly in line with Moss Landing, this vast underwater chasm stretches an astonishing 95 miles (153 kilometers) into the Pacific Ocean. It descends to a depth of approximately 3,600 meters (11,800 feet), where it fans out into the expansive Monterey Canyon submarine fan on the ocean floor.
Although the seafloor lies nearly two miles beneath the surface at its deepest point, the canyon itself cuts roughly one mile deep into the continental shelf—comparable in vertical scale to the Grand Canyon. What makes Monterey Canyon especially striking is its proximity to shore. Unlike many deep-sea formations, which lie far from land, this canyon begins just a short distance offshore, making it an accessible site for marine research and exploration.
Monterey Canyon’s size, structure, and ecological importance have made it a focal point for oceanographic study. Its deep channels, steep walls, and dynamic sediment flows support a wide range of marine life and offer scientists insights into tectonic movement, ocean currents, and submarine geology. For visitors to Moss Landing, this hidden world beneath the waves is both humbling and awe-inspiring—a reminder that some of Earth’s greatest wonders lie just out of sight, beneath the sea.
Ancient Origins and a Hub of Marine Innovation
One leading geological theory suggests that Monterey Canyon may be a relic of an ancient river system—possibly an early outlet of the Colorado River. This river is thought to have once carved its way through the region before the Gulf of California opened approximately 7.9 million years ago.
Evidence supporting this theory lies in the canyon’s shape, sediment patterns, and alignment, which suggest a dramatic reconfiguration of the continent’s hydrology and coastline over deep time. Today, Santa Barbara lies about 400 kilometers to the south, offering a geographic marker for the shifting landscape that once connected these systems.
Beyond its ancient origins, the Monterey Bay region has become a globally recognized center for marine research and innovation. In the 1970s, tech visionary David Packard—co-founder of Hewlett-Packard and a passionate ocean advocate—founded multiple marine research institutions here. These included three major marine biology and ocean engineering laboratories, along with the world-renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium. His vision was to bridge advanced technology with ocean science, enabling deeper exploration of Earth’s last great frontier.
At the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML), visitors often encounter some of the tools and technologies born from that vision. Among them are automated deep-sea surveillance vehicles, designed to study the ocean floor and its inhabitants with minimal disturbance. One particularly fascinating display involves a life-sized model of a whale flipper, revealing the internal skeletal structure. Remarkably, it mirrors the human hand—complete with five finger-like bones wrapped within the massive fin. This shared anatomical blueprint underscores our evolutionary connection with marine mammals.
Even more striking is the underlying skeletal homology found across species. Sea lions and sea turtles, for instance, possess flipper structures that correspond closely to the limbs of tigers, bats, birds, and humans. These similarities extend beyond bones to the organization of brain lobes—highlighting the common architectural themes nature has reused and reshaped across millions of years of evolution.
Written by Joe-Ming Cheng, Ph.D.
Founder of the NatLitSci Team
Monday, March 24, 2025