Malibu Creek State Park’s scenic and cool freshwater natural pools provide popular and accessible summer oases. But during peak use, is that water safe enough to swim in?

So, exactly what is a tidewater goby?

In 1974, the State of California took a major step toward preserving one of the Santa Monica Mountains’ most significant landscapes, purchasing 8,215 acres from 20th Century Fox movie studios to become Malibu Creek State Park.

Sandy beaches aren’t just for dramatic sunsets. They’re dynamic ecosystems that connect land and sea, boosting coastal resilience, filtering water, providing food and serving as nurseries for plants, fish, reptiles, and birds.

California’s sandy beaches are more than just recreational spaces —they’re a cornerstone of our environment, economy, and quality of life in Los Angeles. Learn how SCOUP will help protect our coastlines against rising seas.

Sediment flows from rivers nourishes and shapes beaches, surf breaks, and marine habitats in Southern California. Read how Malibu Creek delivers not just water but also much needed sediment to Santa Monica Bay’s beaches.

About 5 million years ago, compressive forces folded and faulted the land, uplifting the Santa Monica Mountains out of the sea! Learn about the mountains’ dynamic geology.

Malibu is considered “the exact spot on earth where ancient surfing became modern surfing,” according to Paul Gross, a former editor of Surfer Magazine. Here’s why.

As part of statewide efforts to help fire victims and wildlife, post fire recovery included saving aquatic species from extinction. Photo credit: Matthew Benton

Image courtesy of the National Park Service. A current study to establish a baseline and understand the recovery process of the mountain range and its wildlife after wildfires now includes both the Franklin and Palisades fires.

Pictures taken just four years after the dam was completed documenting damage.  Photo from the California Division of Dam Safety archive.

With the new location, the Community Science Program has 7 locations monitoring Malibu Creek from headwaters to ocean.

Crayfish, just one of the many invasives in the creek, produce rampantly and eat native fish eggs.

The geotechnical investigations began in September. What are they doing down there?

A MALE waterbug with eggs on its back. Photo Courtesy of the National Park Service

May Knight Rindge with her children Samuel, family dog, Frederick Jr. and Rhoda Agatha on a local beach circa 1896 before she was widowed. She became known as the “Queen of Malibu” and built Rindge Dam to run her cattle ranch, which was all of Malibu. (Photo courtesy of courtesy of local historian and author Suzanne Guldimann.)

Second in a series of blogs on the science and engineering involved in the Malibu Creek Ecosystem Restoration Project is snorkel surveys.