ESF invites you to join us this Saturday, May 30th, for an exciting morning birding walk. Expert birder Rick Fournier will lead the group on our Sea Mist property. Sea Mist, a beautiful grassland property in Moss Landing, is home to a wide diversity of bird species. The walk is free and open to all ESF members, whether you're an expert birder or have never been on a birding walk. It's a great opportunity spend a morning outside with like-minded people. RSVP today

Saturday, May 30th
7:30am- 10:30am
Meet in the parking lot behind Whole Enchilada

ESF's Annual Celebration is fast approaching! Please join us at the Reserve's amphitheatre on Saturday, June 13th, for our annual member celebration. Spend the morning chatting with ESF staff, board of directors, and fellow members. Mark Silberstein, Executive Director, will provide a recap of ESF's successes over the past year- including land acquisitions, stewardship projects, habitat protection, and much more. Thanks for your passion and support. We look forward to seeing you on June 13th! RSVP today!

Saturday, June 13th
10:00 am- noon
Elkhorn Slough Reserve
Free for all ESF members
Light refreshments served

Following the Annual Celebration, ESF Land Steward Ken Collins will lead a walk on our Long Valley property from 1:00-3:00pm. We will meet at the Reserve and carpool to Long Valley. If you would like to attend both the Annual Celebration and the Long Valley walk, please use our online form (or call) and RSVP to each event. We suggest you pack a picnic lunch to enjoy on the Reserve between the Annual Celebration and the Long Valley walk. Space on the walk is limited, so please register early.

The volunteer training program, originally scheduled for May 27- August 2 has been rescheduled. The program will now run from September 2nd to October 31st. There is still space in the upcoming training. Share in the wealth of Elkhorn Slough and look beyond the eye's view. Explore large concepts, hidden treasures, and revel in the stories of the seen and unseen Slough. Join us to learn about this rare and beautiful coastal wetland, enjoy its recreational opportunities by teaching others, and help to protect the natural resources. Come to the first meeting to learn more about this special way to help Elkhorn Slough.

First-time visitors to the Slough always catch their breath when, after wandering through our grasslands and oak woodlands, they notice shark fins cutting through the muddy water of Reserve lagoons. Even for those of us familiar with the Slough, the juxtaposition of pastoral uplands and such classic roving oceanic predators never fails to startle and delight.

Leopard sharks are year-round residents of Elkhorn Slough. They are most commonly spotted, however, from late spring to late summer, when they come into the shallow water to give birth to live young. Females give birth to as many as 30 pups. The adults can be up to 6 feet long, feeding on animals that live in the mud, like the Fat Innkeeper Worm and crabs. But don't be scared- these sharks are not harmful to humans due to their small teeth and timid nature.

Want to see the leopard sharks? Visit the Reserve, open Wednesday- Sunday, from 9am-5pm. The sharks are commonly spotted at Whistlestop Lagoon, where the trail borders a subtidal lagoon.

Each May, as part of McGraw-Hill's Global Volunteer Day, employees vacate the office and spend a day volunteering with the Elkhorn Slough Foundation. This year, seventeen enthusiastic McGraw-Hill employees assisted the Stewardship staff with brush mat installation. Volunteers had a great time pounding stakes, hauling brush, building structures, and more. Thanks McGraw-Hill!

What is brush mat and why do we need it? Brush mats help capture sediment eroding downhill while allowing water to filter through the organic material.  The mats are composed of thick layers of straw and coyote brush stacked on top of each other and tied to the ground, usually in an erosive gully. We use brush mats in the gully of our Blohm Ranch to create terraced steps of soil. Without the brush mats, the soil would run downhill and fill up our frog pond. Each year we increase the soil level in the gully by adding new brush mat structures on top of old ones. This is exciting because we're raising the soil level close to it's original state.

Is your workplace interested in an employee volunteer day? It's a fun way to get outside, bond with co-workers, and make a real difference in the watershed. Call or email Stewardship Director, Kim Hayes, to learn more! Contact Kim: khayes@elkhornslough.org or (831) 728-5939 x236