Slough Buzz
No. 129

  
Featuring...
Secret Lives of Snowies
Healing the Land
Art of Nature
Elkhorn Roadside Cleanup
Slough in the News
Future of Conservation
Find Out More
Join Our List
April 22, 2014

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.

 

The Secret Lives of "Snowies"

Special Event: Saturday, April 26 10am-12 noon    

 
Learn more about Western snowy plovers -- and spot them in the wild --
this Saturday, April 26.


Right now on our local beaches male snowy plovers are guarding tiny hatchlings, distracting predators to protect their flightless chicks. Even regular beachgoers may never notice these birds, but their miniature dramas unfold daily, just above the tideline.

 

Elkhorn Slough is home to one of the Central Coast's most robust populations of Western snowy plovers, a federally threatened species. Join wildlife biologist Kriss Neuman of Point Blue Conservation Science to learn more about these fascinating shorebirds.

 

The event starts at 10am at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve at 1700 Elkhorn Road, Watsonville (map).  Then at 11:15 we'll meet at Moss Landing State Beach (Highway 1 and Jetty Road, Moss Landing) for the chance to spot snowy plovers in the wild.

 

$5 suggested donation. For more information, call (831)728-5939 or visit our online event calendar.

 

Working Together to Heal the Land 

Last month the ESF Stewardship team hosted the US Fish & Wildlife Service Coastal Program workshop on grassland and oak woodland restoration.






Last month the Foundation's land stewardship staff hosted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program team from Northern and Central California for a hands-on session about grassland and oak woodland restoration.  As active members of several conservation associations and networks, like the Coastal Program, we meet to share expertise, resources, and best practices for land management with others doing similar work. 

"We gain cutting-edge insights about land restoration and stewardship from our colleagues in the field," says ESF Stewardship Director Kim Hayes.  "It's a really practical way to discover which strategies and techniques work, and which don't."
 
As part of the meeting, the group took part in an oak restoration project at Blohm Ranch -- digging in to field-test a product called DriWater.  Natural cellulose that holds water in gel form, DriWater slowly releases moisture to transplanted seedlings until they become established plants.  This may be a useful tool in times of drought or on lands that are difficult to access. 

 

On Display: Wildlife Art and Wildflowers

Detail of a spotted towhee from Laura Vollset's beautiful poster featuring iconic plants and wildlife of Elkhorn Slough.




Whether you love art or wildflowers, this spring promises quite a show! 

 

Perhaps you've watched the time-lapse video of the original artwork created by Santa Cruz artist Laura Vollset for a poster showcasing wildlife at Elkhorn Slough.  Now you can see the finished painting, in person, at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History's special exhibit, The Art of Nature, running from April 5 to June 29.  We're thrilled to see Laura's amazing work getting the attention and recognition it deserves.

 

While you're musing about art: now is the perfect time to sign up for the Foundation's event, "Sketching at the Slough with Laura Vollset," taking place Saturday, May 4.  On a scenic bluff on ESF's Brothers property, overlooking tiny wildflowers and expansive views of the Slough, Laura will offer sketching tips to artists of all levels.

 

For more information or to register, visit our online calendar. Act now -- space is limited!

 

Pitching in to Keep Elkhorn Clean 

Thanks for keeping the slough clean!


Thanks to the many friends and neighbors of Elkhorn Slough who participated in our annual Earth Day roadside cleanup on Saturday, April 19. Together, these volunteers removed a dumpster full of trash -- including 63 tires and half of a hot tub -- from watershed lands along Elkhorn Road. 
 
Your efforts beautify our community and help prevent trash from choking our waterways and wildlife.  

For announcements about upcoming cleanups, plantings, and other opportunities, follow us on Facebook and our website, or call (831) 728-5939 for more information.

 

New Member Sunset Stroll

Friday, May 30, starts at 6:15pm  

We welcome new members to join us for a sunset walk!



If you're not a member of the Elkhorn Slough Foundation (ESF) already, now's the time to join!  

 

We invite all new members (anyone who became a Foundation member from 2013 to the present) to join us for a stroll on land protected by ESF, where we will watch the sunset from a knoll high above Monterey Bay.  Along the way, we'll talk about the conservation lands your Foundation membership has helped protect and restore.

 

This is a free, member-only event. Good walking shoes are advised, but the walk is for all levels. For more information or to register, visit our online calendar.

 

Slough in the News:

Birds, More Birds, and a Slice of History
The rookeries at Elkhorn Slough are have started getting active.



Bird is the word at Elkhorn Slough!   

 

The Monterey Herald recently ran a story about the Reserve's long-term shorebird census, coordinated by research biologist Susie Fork.  And the Santa Cruz Sentinel featured Reserve Manager Dave Feliz talking about the active rookery of herons, egrets and cormorants nesting at the Reserve.

 

If you're interested in the historical ecology of Elkhorn Slough and its watershed, listen to KUSP's radio interview with Reserve land stewards Andrea Woolfolk and Bree Candiloro.  Woolfolk has combed through historical documents, images, and maps to puzzle together how the watershed has changed over time.  

 

For more, read the Monterey Herald article "Saving Elkhorn Slough: Studying the Past to Guide the Future" and check out the historical ecology resources on our website.

 

The Future of Conservation

The 3rd-graders from Hall District Elementary not only restored marsh side habitat at Kirby Park, they also sent wonderful handmade thank you cards!






On April 4, the 3rd-grade class from Hall District Elementary in Las Lomas visited Kirby Park to help restore native habitat by planting Grindelia (also known as gumweed or gumplant) at the edge of the slough. Though Hall Elementary is just a 5-minute drive away, this was a first visit to Kirby Park for nearly half of the 26 students.

 

The class learned about restoration, worked hard, and had a great time! (We've posted more photos of this fun restoration planting on Facebook.)

 

Thanks to the Pebble Beach Company Foundation

for a grant to fund transportation for the field trip. Most of all, thank you to all the 3rd-graders from Hall District Elementary for a fantastic day and a job well done!

 
The Elkhorn Slough Foundation is a nonprofit, community-supported organization working to conserve and restore Elkhorn Slough and its watershed. The Foundation works with local, state and national constituencies to protect our natural heritage.

ESF logo

Elkhorn Slough Foundation
Phone: (831) 728-5939