Volunteers from HSBC's Salinas office helped plant tiny acorns this December, counting on the little packages to someday grow into a thriving oak woodland.

HSBC spent a morning working in a gentle rain on ESF's Iniguez property this December working the acorns into the soft ground. In all, the volunteer bankers planted 140 acorns--two per hole--in 70 locations along the property's south facing slope. They did a great job and worked steadfastly even as the weather threatened to rain them out.

There are still more acorns to plant, but getting those first plantings in before the five day-long rain was a tremendous start. HSBC volunteers even went so far as to purchase the necessary supplies and materials to support the project beyond the initial planting.

ESF is grateful for the helping hands given by HSBC and all of our volunteers. We look forward to watching the watershed's lands transform, making the Elkhorn Slough a uniquely rich place to be.

Kirby Park is the only wheelchair accessible trail in the Elkhorn Slough area. This popular visiting spot receives guests looking for a walk or a place to launch a kayak, so it provides a great opportunity to offer some information on the valuable habitat of the slough's water.

With support from the Moss Landing Harbor District and the Nature Conservancy (both own portions of Kirby Park), ESF's Stewardship Director Kim Hayes worked to develop new interpretive signs for the trail there. The new signs were put in place just this week.

"The new signs don't just look better--they offer up a wealth of information in both English and Spanish," says Hayes. "Visitors will hopefully come away with a deeper appreciation of how connected everything really is in the slough." The new signage describes the linkages between the marsh, the mud, and the open water, all visible from the trail at Kirby Park.

The signs were funded by the Monterey Bay Aquarium's employee-directed fund. Aquarium employees voted that the best way for them to make a real difference in the community would be to invest in the enrichment of one of its most visited natural places. Designed by Wildways Illustrated, the signs offer both information and wonderful illustrations on the life--seen and unseen--of the slough.

The next time you are out enjoying Kirby Park, take a stroll down the trail to see the signs. You just might learn something new about this incredible place.

The Hills Are Alive
Get to know who's making all that lovely springtime music on our Spring Birding Walk from 8AM to 11:30AM on March 12th. Rick Fournier will help you learn to identify the slough's most popular birds by sight and sound on this enchanting tour. Visit our website to sign up soon!

Gardening Gurus Rejoice!
Do you love plants? Do you want to enrich the biodiversity of your own backyard? ESF has just the event for you! Saturday, March 19th from 10AM to 3PM ESF will be hosting the Reserve's first annual Native Plant Fair. Join our greenhouse crew and find out what sorts of plants can transform your yard into a haven for local butterflies, bees and birds. The Fair will have events for children, seminars, and dozens of different types of natives to bring home. Help support the Reserve's greenhouse, meet our friendly and knowledgeable staff and volunteers, and learn a thing or two about the plants that thrive in the slough.

Do you see what I see?
It's time again for our wonderful Magnifying the Slough event! Come see the tiniest life supported by the slough with the help of our education lab's high powered microscopes. This popular, two-part event will take place March 25th, from 6PM to 9PM. Members will have the chance to see and learn about the slough's microscopic life as well as hear about how they are impacted by restoration work from the Tidal Wetland Project Director Bryan Largay. Reserve your place before it fills up!

Hop to it!
Back by popular demand, the Frog Safari is an exclusive event for our Stewardship Circle, Conservation Circle, and Land Partner members. Walk with the Reserve's Freshwater Ecologist as she shows off the favorite hiding spots of some of the slough's most elusive and threatened amphibians. Waders are provided for anyone interested in getting up close and personal with our froggy friends. April 15, 6:30PM to 9PM.

Rise and Shine!
Don't sleep in on April 16th--get up and at 'em to make the slough look shiny and new this Countywide Clean-up Day! Join neighbors and friends from 9AM to noon to pick up litter and other refuse in the slough. Last time we picked up 20 cubic yards of trash--can we beat that record this year? Sign up and find out!

Get Ready, Get Set
Start off your new membership right with a relaxing Sunset Walk--open only to ESF's new members. This walk will let you see how your support helps ESF steward the watershed with a tour of one of our private properties. Come see the slough in a new light on April 20th, from 6PM to 8PM.

May the Road Rise to Meet You
We're rounding out our Spring events with a couple of walks on ESF's private properties this May. May 1st come join us on a behind-the-scenes walk open to all members. May 20th we have our lovely Sunset Walk for Stewardship Circle, Conservation Circle and Land Partner members. More info will be available as we near these events.

Sudden Oak Death is a tree disease caused by the pathogen Phytophthora ramorum. The disease can infect trees through the trunk or leaves and twigs of the tree, and it has had a devastating impact on the forests in California and Oregon. To date, all of the natural areas found to be infected with Sudden Oak Death have been cool, moist, and frequently foggy.

The Elkhorn Slough is an ideal environment to host this pathogen with its sweeping oak woodlands and heavy fog bank, but you can take simple steps to keep our forests pristine.

The next time you visit the Reserve simply wash your shoes, tripods, and stroller wheels at the boot wash station located at the Visitor Center. You can also help stop this deadly disease before it strikes by by getting to know the common host plants you may have in your backyard.

Staff and volunteers are on hand to assist you or answer your questions. For more information on Sudden Oak Death, visit http://www.suddenoakdeath.org.