It's not every year a non-profit turns thirty, and our 30th Anniversary celebration was not the sort of event you see every day! We want to thank everyone who came out to support us, to share stories with us, and to celebrate with us. It was an evening to remember, and you made it special.

We've posted some photos of the event on our website and Facebook page for you to enjoy.

Thank you!

Now through Dec 31st your contributions can really add up. For the second year in a row Elkhorn Slough Foundation is participating in Monterey County Gives! When you donate to ESF through at www.mcgives.com MC Gives! will match a portion of your donation, making your dollars stretch further.

This year we are using your matched dollars to share the slough with more people. We want to help more Monterey County residents discover wilderness in their own backyard by expanding our community outreach and creating new after-school activities, land restoration days and slough tours. This means more opportunities for the community to see conservation and research first-hand and enjoy Elkhorn Slough's unique ecosystem, home to hundreds of bird species, dozens of threatened species and rare habitats. This effort will help build the Elkhorn Slough community and protect one of Monterey County's shining ecological assets.

If you want to support Elkhorn Slough and have your donation matched, find us under the environmental non-profits at www.mcgives.com.

When you think of research at the slough you likely think of volunteers surveying shorebirds , researchers monitoring changes in native oysters or marsh ecotones, or land management topics. But ESNERR is a great place for many other kinds of research.

Recently several visiting scientists collected some of the stinging nettle that grows on the Reserve to analyze its potential to treat pain from arthritic inflammation. Tyler A. Johnson, Johann Sohn, Wayne D. Inman, Leonard F. Bjeldanes and Keith Rayburn extracted four plant portions (roots, stems, leaves and flowers) of Urtica dioica (the stinging nettle) and evaluated them for their anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic properties. Their study results suggest that using certain types of stinging nettle extracts may be more effective than traditional tinctures.

We are constantly amazed at what the Elkhorn Slough can teach us--from our daily appreciation of its charismatic critters and majestic landscapes to new discoveries like the medicinal properties of the native plants that grow here.

To read more about this recent study on stinging nettles, check out the report in September's issue of the journal Phytomedicine:

Johnson, T.A., et al., Lipophilic stinging nettle extracts possess potent anti-inflammatory activity, are not cytotoxic and may be superior to traditional tinctures for treating inflammatory disorders. Phytomedicine (2012), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2012.09.016

If you attended Oaks to Otters earlier this month you may have bid on some high-end bicycle and dive lights at our silent auction, generously donated by Light and Motion. And their generosity continues! Now through January 7th ESF supporters will receive 25% off the purchase price of the Sola Dive 600, plus 25% off any bike light or outdoor light - and ESF receives 7% of each purchase made!

Get yourself a headlamp that will let you spot your favorite frogs at night, help light the way home for your favorite cycling enthusiast, and help support the Elkhorn Slough! Just use the coupon code "lightupelkslough" at checkout when you shop at www.lightandmotion.com

The holiday season is almost upon us and we've got a way to help you with your gift giving. The Elkhorn Slough Reserve's bookstore has just placed its winter order so plenty of wonderful things will be filling the shelves soon. The store offers a range of books, jewelry and apparel to help you learn about and appreciate nature and the slough. Foundation members receive a 10% discount on their purchases too.

Of course, there is always the gift of Elkhorn Slough as well. Let your friends know that they are helping to conserve one of California's central coast gems with your contribution - in their name - to the Elkhorn Slough Foundation. Now through January 15 give an ESF gift membership and we will send an Elkhorn Slough 2013 calendar (a $17.95 value) to your gift recipient so they can enjoy the slough every day and be reminded of your generosity.

We recently had a special insert on our 30th anniversary in the Santa Cruz Sentinel, which you can read online here.

And if you wish you could just watch a beautifully made video about our history instead, you're in luck! Visit our website and enjoy Jordan Plotsky's video on hte story of Elkhorn Slough.