On Tuesday the Elkhorn Slough Reserve hosted the annual "Proud to be an American Citizenship Ceremony." Fifty-five people from 16 countries including Iran, Malaysia, El Salvador, Iraq, Mexico, and Cuba proudly took their oath of allegiance and were welcomed as the newest US citizens.

Hundreds of friends and family members, as well as half a dozen media outlets, were on hand to witness the ceremony and congratulate the citizens. Despite the foggy, misty morning, the mood was jubilant. Mark Silberstein, ESF Executive Director encouraged the audience to get involved in conservation and enjoy our natural habitats.

Congressman Sam Farr welcomed the citizens. "I'm proud to host this citizenship event every year around the 4th of July, a great time to bring together our newest citizens and their families to celebrate our country," said Congressman Sam Farr. "And I can't think of a better place to host the event this year than the Elkhorn Slough, an opportunity to show off the amazing natural environment that we all value so much."

The ceremony's location at the Reserve was symbolic. The slough, along the Pacific flyaway, is home to tens of thousands of diverse migrating birds. Just as birds from all over the world find a happy home on the Central Coast, so do the new citizens. They have traveled a long way to achieve their goals and become a part of our democracy. Following the ceremony, the new citizens and their families were invited on a tour of the Reserve led by our fantastic volunteers. Congratulations to all!

Monterey County Superior Court Judge Lydia Villarreal delivered a moving keynote address welcoming the new citizens.

It is my great honor to be here today to welcome you as citizens of our great country. We all know that we are a country of immigrants, and each of you has come to this country to build a better life. More than ever before, this is your country. Make it the country you want it to be- vote, get involved in your community, your schools, neighborhoods, church, synagogue, or mosque.

My grandparents came to this country many years ago, fleeing a revolution in Mexico. They came to work and to build a future for their children and grandchildren. They often did work that no one else wanted to do. My father always worked at least two jobs at a time- often three jobs. He did it so his children could go to college, and his daughter could go to law school and become a judge.

Life is not always easy for immigrants. For example, my parents faced a lot of discrimination- in school, their jobs, even in my father's military service, but, like each of you, they had their dreams.

My parents gave me many gifts- the gift of love, of education, of understanding the value of hard work. But one of the most precious gifts was knowing how to dream, how to dream of a world where each of us can receive an education, can get a job, can raise our children in a safe home, and can come to beautiful places like Elkhorn Slough and enjoy the beauty of this country.

And it is these dreams that carry us forward. I would encourage each of you to continue to dream, to pass on your dreams to your children, because in spite of all the obstacles, this is the greatest country, this is where our dreams and the dreams of our children can come true. But we need to never stop dreaming. Never stop working toward those dreams. Congratulations.

Lydia became familiar with the Elkhorn Slough when her son, Juan, at the age of 12 wanted to become a docent here. Since he was too young for the program (minimum age for docent training is 16), Lydia offered to do the training with him and work as a team of docents. Juan is now a science teacher at Salinas High School and Lydia has continued her community service by serving on the Elkhorn Slough Foundation's Board of Directors.

ESF is now accepting entries for our 2011 ESF Calendar Photo Contest! Submit your great slough shots for a chance to have your photo featured in ESF's 2011 calendar. We're looking for photos that highlight the watershed and its diversity- landscapes, animals, plants, people, and more. Photos can be taken at the Reserve, kayaking on the slough, or anywhere else in the watershed.

Selected entries will be printed in our full color, 8.5x11, 2011 Elkhorn Slough calendar. All proceeds of the calendar benefit ESF's work to conserve and restore the Elkhorn Slough and its watershed.

We encourage everyone to enter your slough shots and pass on word about the contest to all your friends. Last year we received more than 100 entries from both professional and amateur photographers. This year's deadline to enter is September 1st.