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This is Slough Buzz, your email update from the Elkhorn Slough Foundation. We invite you to share this email with a friend by scrolling to the link at the bottom of this page.
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Unearthing the Unexpected
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Abandoned agricultural plastic, previously buried on our Brothers Ranch property, is removed for disposal.
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Before we purchase land for conservation, we investigate it thoroughly to assess potential problems such as safety hazards, deferred maintenance, and environmental liabilities. Despite our extensive due diligence process, we have encountered unwelcome surprises on a few rare occasions. We met with one such surprise recently on our 356-acre Brothers Ranch property. Organic berry farmers who lease land on the property were working the soil deeper than usual when they unearthed large quantities of buried methyl bromide plastic from 6-7 feet deep. Since we ensure that all farmers on Foundation lands follow organic practices, we know this debris is more than ten years old -- abandoned before we bought the property in 2002. So far, we have filled and removed four 40-yard dumpsters of this discarded agricultural plastic in our ongoing effort to restore the health of the land. This type of agricultural debris causes many issues on the land including creating gullies, increasing erosion, and damaging the quality of the soil. We estimate that cleanup costs could range as high as $10,000. Hidden environmental hazards like this are just one reason good land stewardship and restoration is not a completed task, but an ongoing commitment that requires strong community and constant vigilance. |
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Take Your Best Shot!
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Here's last year's winning photo of a killdeer by Jacqueline Deely. Will your photo be featured on our 2014 calendar?
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While you're out enjoying the Elkhorn Slough, don't forget your camera. Capture an amazing shot of wading shorebirds, a sunrise through the oaks, or a wary bobcat, and you could be a winner!
Along with having your photo selected to be part of our 2014 calendar, one lucky photographer will receive a personal Elkhorn Slough tour with professional photographer (and all-around slough fan) Paul Zaretsky. Paul will provide some tips on getting the most out of nature photography while you both explore the slough.
We welcome photos from amateur and professional photographers for our full-color calendar. Photos can be from anywhere in the Elkhorn Slough watershed. We can't wait to see how you picture the slough.
The contest closes on Sept 30, 2013 -- so start shooting now!
Learn more or submit your entry here. Good luck!
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An Eventful Autumn
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We've put together an exciting calendar of events, so come by and explore the flora and fauna of Elkhorn Slough this fall!
We've got a wonderful way to kick-off Sea Otter Awareness Week -- Kayaking and a Movie. Join us for a morning of kayaking and seeing sea otters has the forage, feed, and rest in the Elkhorn Slough, then enjoy lunch at the Reserve and a showing of the independent film Otter 501. We'll be joined for the kayaking and movie by the film's (human) star, Katie Pofahl.
Join us for the day or come just for the movie in the afternoon.
Oct 5 -- Native Plant Fair
Looking for ideas and plants to create a native landscape? ESNERR/ESF's Native Plant Fair will have experts to learn from, native plants to purchase & more!
A special addition to this year's fair is a talk by Keith Rayburn and Bree Candiloro on Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Elkhorn Slough.
This event is an excellent way to fill in your garden's need while supporting the Reserve's Greenhouse work. All proceeds directly benefit the Greenhouse and stewardship efforts of the Elkhorn Slough Reserve.
Nov 9 -- Fall Migration Bird Walk
Birds, birds, birds! We'll be checking out the migrating and resident shorebirds on this early morning walk as we explore the area new the mouth of Elkhorn Slough.
Dec 1 -- Mark's Mud Meander
This special event for our generous donors at the Stewardship Circle, Conservation Circle, and Land Partner levels will take you out on the mud flats with ESF's Executive Director. Mark will help you discover the life and wonder of mud.
*The timing for this workshop depends on the oak trees. Watch the Elkhorn Slough Foundation Facebook page for details.
For more information or to register, visit our event calendar online. And for updates about upcoming events and more, don't forget to like us on Facebook!
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Happening Saturdays in August
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Open Labs & Spanish-Language Walks
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Sightings
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American white pelicans take flight.
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Did you know that last Friday our naturalists counted 92 American white pelicans in a feeding frenzy in a small inlet in the slough? Learn more at the Elkhorn Slough Sightings blog, where you'll find outstanding photography, natural history, and weekly listings of wildlife spotted in and around the slough. Whether you're an armchair naturalist, a devoted birder, or a visitor wondering what you might expect to see on the reserve, Sightings will keep you in the know. While you're online, visit Dave on the Trail, where Reserve Manager Dave Feliz shares about his insights and encounters with wildlife at the Reserve. |
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