Do you have a great photo you want to share with other slough fans? The last day to submit it for the 2012 Elkhorn Slough calendar contest is Monday, September 5th! Remember--you can submit up to five photos taken within the last two years. Get all the details on our website!

In Monterey Bay and along the California coast, there are sometimes "red tide" events, where certain phytoplankton species become abundant enough to color the water. These phytoplankton sometimes produce toxins that can be transferred up the food chain, causing death or illness in marine mammals and shorebirds.

When ESNERR staff noticed unusually red water in South Marsh late August, they called on Raphe Kudela's harmful algal bloom lab at UCSC to collect and analyze water samples from the slough. This is the first recorded instance of a red tide in the Elkhorn Slough. We are pleased to let you know it was not caused by a toxin-producing species but rather by a species with the endearing common name, "the jumping ciliate."

Mary Warshaw (1931-2010) spent her life as a person known for her creativity and generosity. It is no surprise that, even after passing on, Mary has still more to give.

For years, Mary was an invaluable volunteer supporting Elkhorn Slough. She worked on the content and design for our Visitor Center. Mary also published an award-winning book about sloughs and was curator of several art shows featuring these local wetlands.

An avid artist in many mediums, Mary often took inspiration from the local wetlands--these paintings are now on display at the Pajaro Valley Arts Council Galley. The proceeds from sales of her beautiful art featuring the slough or Watsonville wetlands will now benefit the Elkhorn Slough Foundation and Watsonville Wetlands Watch, two of Mary's favorite organizations. If you would like to support the conservation of the wetlands Mary loved so dearly - and own a piece of beautiful Elkhorn Slough art - you can purchase her art at the Pajaro Valley Arts Council Gallery.

To honor Mary and share the wonder she saw in the slough, we will be co-hosting with the Watsonville Wetlands Watch a private reception of the Mary Warshaw Retrospective exhibit on September 22nd from 4:30 to 7:30 at the Pajaro Valley Arts Council Gallery. If you wish to attend please RSVP to slough.support@elkhornslough.org or call 831-728-5939 and ask for Quinn.

Coastal Clean-up day is September 17th this year--and once again the Elkhorn Slough is pitching in to protect our waters by picking up trash along Elkhorn Road. Join friends and neighbors to make the slough a better place!

RSVP to Amanda at 831-728-2822 x303 to join in the fun.

Many moons ago the Elkhorn Slough Foundation thought it would be a nice idea to recognize the great variety of birds that you can find at Elkhorn Slough by hosting a birding festival. It turns out we were not the only ones who thought it was a good idea! Quickly the festival spread its wings and took off to be its own unique event.

This year, the Monterey Bay Birding Festival starts September 22nd and goes through September 25th. It is designed for birders of all levels, as well as outdoor lovers, the festival offers a unique opportunity to explore and learn about the world-class bird habitats you can find in and around the Elkhorn Slough!

You'll be able to go to outings in the mountains, shoreline, chaparral, sloughs and grasslands. For more information, visit http://www.montereybaybirding.org

This year, Sea Otter Awareness week will take place September 25th through October 1st. So for the last week of September, take a little time to think about our furry ocean friends. What can you do to protect their habitat? How can you learn more about them? Your support for the Elkhorn Slough Foundation is already helping you do both! Thank you!

ESF manages our lands in the watershed to maintain a healthy environment for all creatures. Our land management has been shown to improve water quality--which means cleaner water flows from our lands into the slough and then to the harbor where more than 5% of the world population of southern sea otter make their home. Your support protects sea otters and countless other marine species.

If you want to learn more about sea otters--or harbor seals, jellyfish, eelgrass and more--join us for a guided kayak tour of the slough on October 9th. It's a fun way to meet other people who love Elkhorn Slough and see plenty of fuzzy faces as you explore the slough's protect waters. You can sign up on our website!

ESF would like to thank Eileen Kitayama, who interned with us for eleven weeks, volunteering 70 hours of her summer vacation to contribute to the creation of a management plan for the Foundation's lands. Eileen spent her time crawling through state and national databases, old ESF and DFG documents, and talking to ESF staff and other experts to track down the sensitive species that live in our watershed. She worked closely with ESF's Stewardship Director Kim Hayes to compile her research into one spreadsheet, making it easier to know exactly what species to watch for in any given type of habitat. The final management plan will include information on habitat, biodiversity, cattle grazing, erosion and more.

As a biology student from a family of flower growers, she has a unique perspective on how farming and conservation fit together. Eileen explains, "generally speaking, it seems that people think agriculture and conservation are two notions at odds with one another, but really there is a balance to be struck. Farmers have a responsibility to maintain a healthy landscape, and conservationists have a responsibility to help local economies survive. ESF is groundbreaking in that respect--they recognize how critical it is to work with local farmers to promote sustainable practices."

We are so glad and grateful that Eileen spent a portion of her summer with us. She left us with this parting thought, "Global extinctions happen all the time--the world has a million microcosms," she said. "When I look at the slough, I remember how important it is to take care of our own native wonders--that's how I think we can take care of the whole world. What might be ordinary to you is exotic and special to someone far away."

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