ESF's Mark Silberstein and TNC's Mike Sweeney celebrate the handover of 750 acres of land together.

This September something big happened in the Elkhorn Slough. The Nature Conservancy passed ownership of their Elkhorn Slough land holdings (~750 acres) to the Elkhorn Slough Foundation for continued conservation management. This was the largest single transfer of conservation lands in the watershed's history.

This hand-over brings the Elkhorn Slough Foundation owned land acreage to more than 3,500 acres and cements a long-term partnership between ESF and TNC. The occasion was celebrated with more than 100 people and generated a wonderful piece of coverage in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

We are honored that The Nature Conservancy lands we have worked on and managed for the past twenty years are now officially under our ownership. It's a wonderful gift to receive for our 30th anniversary.

The Elkhorn Slough Foundation is marking its 30th anniversary this year, and we want to celebrate the occasion with you. We could not have accomplished so much in three short decades without the support of our community.

This November 2nd from 7pm to 11pm the Elkhorn Slough Foundation will commemorate thirty years of accomplishments at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Oaks to Otters - A Celebration for Elkhorn Slough Foundation will be an evening you won't want to miss, featuring:

• a Celebrity Chef Cindy Pawlcyn-inspired 'Farm-to-Table' menu
• a silent auction celebrating the adventures to be had in and around the Elkhorn Slough
• and our guest speaker... called "Her Deepness" by the New Yorker and the New York Times, "Living Legend" by the Library of Congress, and the first "Hero for the Planet": oceanographer, explorer, author, and lecturer Sylvia Earle.

Enjoy the Monterey Bay Aquarium without the usual crowds, and mingle with your fellow slough-supporters. We don't have events like this every year, so we hope that you will join us.

Tickets are available online now and benefit the Elkhorn Slough Foundation.

Want to hear Sylvia Earle speak? Eat delicious food? Commiserate with your friends at the Foundation (us!)? Then hop onto Facebook and play our trivia game!

Each day we'll ask a question whose answer can be found somewhere on our website. At the end of each week we'll give away a prize (the first week's prize has already been awarded). At the end of the month we will give out the grand prize - TWO tickets to Oaks to Otters.

The contest is already underway, but it is still anyone's game. Check back every day and you can be a winner!

If you want to be sure you'll get your tickets for the event you can buy them online as well. And if you win the contest you can give your tickets to a friend. The more the merrier!