We appreciate everyone that supports our efforts to conserve and restore the Elkhorn Slough. For as low as $35 you can be a member of the Elkhorn Slough Foundation and truly help ensure this rare and amazing place is protected. As a member at this level you receive Tidal Exchange, our printed newsletter, invitations to member events and a discount on items in the bookstore on the Reserve.

Our Circle and Partner level donors receive even more benefits. As part of our 30th anniversary celebration, we've enhanced the benefits of our Stewardship and Conservation Circle and Land Partner donors. Now membership at these generous levels include FREE admission into the Elkhorn Slough Reserve. Simply show your membership card at the Reserve's Visitor Center and the day pass fee will be waived for you and a guest. Conservation Circle and Land Partner members will also receive "Guest Passes" that can be shared with friends when they are visiting the area. It's just one small way we try to say "thank you" for your generosity.

Membership is a wonderful way to help ensure that Elkhorn Slough is here for future generations to enjoy. Each member plays a critical role in keeping Elkhorn Slough a wellspring of inspiration and beauty.

DFG Deputy Chief Director Kevin Hunting, Award Recipients Terry Palmisano and Mary Larson, DFG Director Chuck Bonham

We are extremely proud to announce that Terry Palmisano was been recognized by the California Department of Fish and Game for her years of hard work and her gift of building and strengthening partnerships. Terry received the DFG Employee Excellence Award for "Partnership," last week. We can vouch that she is wonderful to work with for her dedication, intelligence, and warm spirit.

Last year, Terry held a vital role here, filling the position of interim Reserve Manager for the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (ESNERR) until the Reserve's current manager, Dave Feliz, was able to join us. DFG manages the Reserve, overseeing activities like research, volunteering, stewardship, education and public access. For nearly a year, Terry oversaw and managed all of these programs at the Reserve while maintaining her primary duties with the Department as the Central Region's Land and Wildlife Program Manager.

It cannot be emphasized enough that Terry has demonstrated outstanding skills in using partnerships as part of her dedicated work in support of the mission of the CDFG throughout her 27 year career. Congratulations Terry and thank you for all you have done and continue to do!

The Elkhorn Slough Foundation has worked for thirty years to protect quality habitat for the native species that make their homes here, from mammals, birds, and fish to invertebrates and plants. The watershed is part of a biological hotspot known as the California Floristic Provence (CFP). Many of the habitats you find in the Elkhorn Slough watershed, including wetlands and riparian woodlands, have been reduced to less than 10% of their original area in the CFP. Others, like native grasslands and vernal pools, have been reduced to about one percent of their original extent because of invasive species or land development.

These rare habitats are home to species that can be found nowhere else in the world, and many of them make the Elkhorn Slough their home, use it as a nursery, or stop through on their annual migration. You might see great blue herons, coyotes, or even mountain lions hunting for gophers or rabbits. Brown and white pelicans dip their massive bills into the waters of the slough, making a lunch of gobies or topsmelt. Olympia oysters filter water here. Harbor seals and Southern sea otters mate and raise their young in the protected waters of the estuary, teaching their pups to swim, hunt, and play. Each year swallows make their muddy nests under the eaves of the Reserve's roofs. And endangered species like the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander and California red legged frog have been found breeding in our freshwater pools.

Some creatures find food and safe harbor in the water of the slough. Other grow their populations on protected lands, safe from the encroaching development. When you visit the Elkhorn Slough you can catch a glimpse of days gone by, when these animals and their habitats could be found throughout California. Now that this habitat is few and far between, it is even more vital that it remain protected forever. This is has been the focus of our work for thirty years, and continues to be our focus as we look ahead to the work still to be done.

The Arts Council of Monterey County recognizes exemplary individuals in the arts. This year their annual Champions of the Arts award went to our neighbor Mari Kloeppel.

Mari is a long-time supporter of the Elkhorn Slough watershed and founder of Friends, Artists and Neighbors of the Elkhorn Slough (FANS), which aims to bring together environmentalists and artists in the name of ecological preservation.

"The slough encompasses 44,000 acres of watershed, but only 10 percent of this is protected," she says. "This land is deemed a Globally Important area for over 200 species of birds. If the birds don't have a place to rest, they could become extinct."

The Elkhorn Slough Foundation congratulates Mari on this recognition. You can see Mary's stunning work at the Winfield Gallery in Carmel.

Every month we invite submissions for our best shot contest and share them on our website. This month, the winning shot was taken by Steve Mandel, who captured this little group of sanderlings. "Late in the afternoon I took this image of these lovely birds getting in one last meal before sunset."

You can see more of our Best Shots in the archive, or submit one of your own!

Struggling to find a Valentine's Day gift for your outdoorsy love? Stop by the bookstore in the Visitor Center of the Reserve to take advantage of the Winter Sale. We've placed sweatshirts, select jewelry, and other items on sale for the month of February to make room for new merchandise. This might be a great time to buy a little gift for someone special in your life, or for yourself.

Thirty years ago when ESF opened its doors, the creators of Facebook weren't even born. Yet, today ESF is less than 30 people away from having 1,000 likes on Facebook. Are you up for a challenge? Let's see if we can get 30 new Facebook likes in 30 days to honor our 30 years. If we make it, we'll do a special facebook post raffling off free Reserve day passes.