Congratulations to Becky Suarez, Reserve Manager at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. Becky has been awarded the prestigious 2010 NOAA Susan Snow-Cotter Award for Excellence in Coastal and Ocean Management (NOAA: National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration). This national award is presented annually to individuals who demonstrate leadership, innovation, and effective approaches to coastal resource management programs. Becky was selected by a panel of distinguished judges from a nation-wide pool of impressive nominees. She has proven herself as a leader in watershed management. Becky directs several innovative projects, efforts, and collaborations to conserve and restore the watershed while promoting key research programs and sharing the Slough with future generations through the Reserve's Education program.

Becky has worked at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve since 1990, becoming the permanent Reserve Manager in 1998. As Manager, she is responsible for the overall operation of the Reserve which includes supervising the Reserve's programs such as research and monitoring, K-12 and public education, the Coastal Training Program, habitat stewardship and restoration, facilities construction and maintenance, administration, and the Tidal Wetland Project.

Last Saturday more than 40 enthusiastic volunteers descended on Elkhorn Slough for a day of restoration projects. The National Trails Day event, a partnership among REI of Marina, the Reserve, and the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, was a huge success.

Volunteers helped our Land Stewardship staff accomplish important restoration projects including trail work, removing nonnative species and weeds, watering native planting projects, and removing fence lines to open up wildlife corridors. Despite high temperatures reaching into the 80's, volunteers were energetic and hard working. In a single day, they completed numerous projects that would have taken staff alone weeks to finish. Thank you to everyone who participated!

Elkhorn Slough Foundation strives to be a good neighbor. We embrace the diverse land uses of the watershed. We collaborate with homeowners, businesses, and of course agriculture. In the most recent Coastal Grower, a quarterly magazine covering important issues facing the Central Coast agriculture industry, ESF Executive Director Mark Silberstein shares his insights on the intersect of agriculture and conservation in the most recent Coastal Grower. Silberstein highlights, "We saw the positive interface with farming and ranching as critical to both understanding and conserving the natural resources of the slough and its long-term economic viability."

NOAA has awarded the Elkhorn Slough Foundation $562,880 for the Tidal Wetland Project's Parson Slough restoration project. The funding comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and is in addition to the $3.9 million we received last July.

"The economic stimulus bill continues to fund projects and create jobs on the Central Coast and across the country," said Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel). "Just this week the Congressional Budget Office reported that the stimulus resulted in the employment of as many as 2.8 million Americans."

The restoration project involves the construction of an in-water sill structure to modify the tidal prism, providing long-term protection and erosion control for Elkhorn Slough tidal wetlands. The project will provide long-term protection and erosion control for over 400 acres of tidal wetlands and protect critical coastal infrastructure.