Tidal Wetland Project
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Stimulus Award advances Parsons Slough Restoration Project
TWP welcomes new adaptive management lead
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Tidal Wetland Project Newsletter
October 2009
 

 
The Tidal Wetland Project (TWP) is an initiative of the
Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve
and is also supported by the Elkhorn Slough Foundation.
Federal Stimulus Award helps move the Parsons Slough Restoration Project into action
The Elkhorn Slough Foundation has received $3.95 million in federal stimulus funds to support the Parsons Slough Project, a collaborative effort to preserve tidal marshes and other estuarine habitats in Elkhorn Slough. The Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve and California Department of Fish and Game have led the planning effort that developed the project and secured the funding. This funding was awarded by the Restoration Center of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a bureau of the Department of Commerce.
 
After five years of investigating restoration options to address the rapid rates of erosion and loss of wetland habitat in Elkhorn Slough, the Tidal Wetland Project Strategic Planning Team and the Science Panel recommended in June 2009 that the TWP staff pursue the implementation of a low sill (a tidal barrier similar to an underwater retaining wall) at the entrance to the Parsons Slough Complex.  The project staff then embarked on an intensive period of grant writing that resulted in the award.  
                                  
The Parsons Slough project is intended to help rebalance the ecologic processes that have been drastically altered by natural and human activities, including the opening of Moss Landing Harbor in 1947 which resulted in more water moving in and out of the Slough more rapidly with each tide.  It is also intended to restore the historic tidal range of Parsons Slough, a 450- acre complex of mostly mudflats that was predominantly salt marsh prior to historic human alterations.  The structure will slow the movement of water in and out of the Slough each day and will reduce bank erosion, improving salt marsh survival and helping to sustain wetland habitats in both Parsons Slough and throughout Elkhorn Slough.  The structure will be several feet underwater at low tide and will be designed to allow the passage of sharks, sea otters and other fish and wildlife. It will be adjustable and will be managed according to a detailed adaptive monitoring program so any negative effects can be detected and adjusted for. 

mouth 1949
The construction of the Moss Landing Harbor in 1947 is one human alteration that has accelerated habitat change in Elkhorn Slough.

 
The two-year Parsons Slough project will improve the health of the Elkhorn Slough ecosystem while adding stimulus to the local economy.  The project is expected to create or save approximately 132 jobs, crucial in Monterey County where the unemployment rate is 16%. Direct hiring and retaining workers will create or save 70 jobs. The purchase of supplies and equipment will create or save an additional 32 jobs. An additional 30 jobs will be saved as those 102 people employed directly as a result of the project spend the money they earn in establishments throughout the region. It is estimated that this initial investment of $4.0 million will generate $5.8 million in economic activity in Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties.
 
The Tidal Wetland Project, with a great deal of help from other Elkhorn Slough Foundation and Elkhorn Slough Reserve staff and collaborating experts, is now engaged in identifying an engineering firm to figure out the best design for the sill, and developing a monitoring and adaptable management plan for the sill.  For more about the management plan, see below.

More information about the Parsons Slough Restoration Project is available at http://elkhornslough.org/tidalwetland/parsons.htm.  Questions or comments can be sent to Erin McCarthy, [email protected] or Bryan Largay, [email protected].
The Tidal Wetland Project Staff welcomes
Nina D'Amore -
Adaptive Management Process Lead
TWP welcomes new lead for our adaptive management process
In order to maximize the benefits of a sill a Parsons Slough and minimize the negative impacts, we will use an adaptive management approach.  TWP is excited to have our new lead for the Adaptive Management Process on board, Nina D'Amore.  Nina has worked as the freshwater ecologist for Elkhorn Slough Reserve for the past two years. She completed her dissertation in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Santa Cruz in 2007, primarily working on amphibian ecology along the Central Coast. She did her undergraduate work in Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley. She joins the TWP team in order to help facilitate the adaptive management process surrounding the Parson's Slough sill.

What is adaptive management?
Adaptive management is an approach to improve the management of complex systems.  The adjustable structure at Parsons Slough will influence the ecosystem in Parson's Slough and in the rest of Elkhorn Slough in many ways. We are making predictions of how the project will affect key natural resources, such as shorebirds, benthic invertebrates, sharks and other fishes, but our knowledge is limited.  The approach is adaptive: it allows for management to adjust to what we learn along the way. Thus the management plan we are creating for the sill will be a "living" document that outlines what changes caused by the sill are expected and permissible, and what changes are warning signs that trigger making an "adaptation" to the management process. For questions about adaptive management or to offer your help in designing the management plan, please email Nina at [email protected].
Now Hiring!
The Tidal Wetland Project is currently accepting applications for an Assistant Project Manager. Please visit http://elkhornslough.org/jobs.htm for details.
The Tidal Wetland Project's newsletter is intended to keep community members, local organizations, policy-makers, and other stakeholders up to date about current activities and ways to provide feedback to the Tidal Wetland Project. If you have any questions about items in this email, the project in general, or if you have suggestions for information you would like to see in future updates, please let us know!

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For general information about the Elkhorn Slough Tidal Wetland Project, go to http://elkhornslough.org/tidalwetlandproject/index.html.


Best Regards,

Bryan Largay- TWP Director
Erin McCarthy- TWP Specialist

Monique Fountain -TWP Project Manager
Nina D'Amore- Adaptive Management Process Lead