We've added a new feature to our website--a store! The Elkhorn Slough Foundation's online store is now your one-stop destination for a multitude of services, including:

• signing up for our special events and workshops
• purchasing Elkhorn Slough merchandise
• renewing your ESF membership, and
• making donations to support our work

We are excited to unveil this brand new feature and we would love to hear what you think--so check it out and let us know! We will be adding more merchandise to the store soon, so keep an eye out for additional items!

The ESF events are winding down for the season. Join us for the last event of spring on June 12th--a guided kayaking tour of the slough.

This excursion will showcase the Elkhorn Slough from a whole new light--birds and other animals behave quite differently when you are on the water rather than on foot--it's something you don't want to miss! It is quite common to paddle past pelicans, otters, seals, and jellyfish on this biannual event. It's a great opportunity to get that photo you've always wanted.

You can sign up using our new online store or by calling Quinn at 831-728-5939 x240.

This spring the freshmen at Stanford University are learning about one of the most interesting places in the world--the Elkhorn Slough. The class, Exploring the Critical Interface Between the Land and Monterey Bay: Elkhorn Slough, is part of the curriculum for Environmental Earth System Sciences at the University. The class outlines the complexity of estuaries by highlighting the slough, one of the last remaining coastal wetlands in California.

In addition to fieldtrips where students can kayak, hike, see and smell the Elkhorn Slough, the class offers a chance to analyze ESNERR's Land/Ocean Biogeochemical Observatory data, look at plankton under our Education Lab's high-powered microscopes, and pull crab traps to see what's swimming in our waters. Freshmen are also treated to guest lectures, including one from the slough's own Dr. Rikke Priesler on invertebrate invasions.

We know that the Elkhorn Slough is a great place to learn about threatened habitats and species, to conduct research, and to connect with nature; now students from Stanford know it too.

When visiting the slough you can't help but notice all the birds and native plants--they're all around you. But some of the strangest species are a bit more difficult to spot. Jellyfish, for example. You can find jellyfish year round in Elkhorn Slough--including moon jellies and sea nettles--by peering into the water as you cross the bridge on the Reserve or while you are kayaking the slough.

Jellyfish are easy to see at aquariums because of how the tanks are lit, but in the wild they can be almost invisible. This makes them difficult to avoid, as anyone who has been stung by the animal will tell you. The tentacles of jellyfish are specialized structures that sting their prey using venomous cells called nematocysts. Nematocysts act like barbs that pierce the skin and inject venom that can sometimes be extremely painful--depending on the species of jellyfish. Even beached and dying jellyfish can sting when touched with bare skin, so it is best to avoid contact.

Aside from stinging, jellyfish are fairly laid back creatures--they're 90% water and lack the specialized organs most people associate with animals: digestive, respiratory, circulatory and central nervous systems. Most of their mass is a jelly-like material surrounded by a thin layer of cells that allows oxygen to freely pass into their bodies.

These beautiful creatures are perfectly suited to our estuary--they love its nutrient rich tides and can out compete many fish when the summer sun heats up the shallow, salty water. If you keep your eye out for them, you may be seeing more jellyfish when the weather warms up this June.

We now have more than 800 friends on Facebook, and we couldn't have done it without you! Thank you!