Slough Buzz
No. 142 |  October 21, 2015
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The mission of the Elkhorn Slough Foundation is to conserve and restore
Elkhorn Slough and its watershed.
The accreditation seal recognizes land conservation organizations that meet national standards for excellence, uphold the public trust and ensure that conservation efforts are permanent.
Field Sketching with Artist in Residence
Debby Kaspari  REGISTER TODAY! 
Recognizing art's potential for bridging science, nature, and the human imagination, the late local artist Mary Warshaw established the Elkhorn Slough Artist in Residence program, which continues in her memory.

This year, we're honored to host artist in residence Debby Kaspari, who will work at the Reserve through late October 2015. We're especially excited that Debby has offered to lead a half-day field sketching workshop at the Reserve this Sunday, October 25.

Debby graduated from California College of the Arts in 1981, and her work has garnered awards and accolades, including a Harvard Forest Bullard Fellowship (2011) and an Eckelberry Fellowship that sponsored her expedition to a field station in the Peruvian Amazon, resulting in work for a 2009 solo exhibition (after which she named her award-winning blog, Drawing the Motmot.)

Additional artistic credits include Cornell University's Field Guide to Birds of Trinidad and Tobago (2012), and numerous covers and illustrations for Birdwatcher's Digest.
FIELD SKETCHING WORKSHOP
with Artist in Residence Debby Kaspari
Sunday, October 25 | 9:30am-12:30pm
Whether you're a novice looking for ways to add memorable drawings to your nature journal or a skilled artist honing your ability to add life and weight to your field sketches, you're sure to learn a few tips and tricks from Elkhorn Slough Artist in Residence, Debby Kaspari. Visit our website to learn more and register today!
Other Upcoming ESF Events this Fall...
WILDLIFE TRACKING IN THE WATERSHED
Saturday, October 24 | Register today!

Explore scenic land protected by the Foundation while learning to interpret animal tracks, scat, and sign with local wildlife tracker Bart Kowalski from the Monterey Bay Tracking Club. We hope you're as excited about this new offering as we are!  Learn more or register today!
FALL BIRDING WALK WITH RICK FOURNIER
Saturday, November 14 | Register today!

Join us for a morning of birding with local expert guide Rick Fournier, who will help us identify the migrating and resident birds that make Elkhorn Slough their autumn home.  Rick's birding events fill up fast, so register today!
Stewardship volunteers help prevent erosion ... and you can too!
Bracing for the Storms
Working with Friends and Neighbors to Limit Erosion   
 
After a long dry spell, predictions of an El Niņo and heavy winter rains promises benefits -- recharging aquifers and providing water for parched plants and wildlife -- as well as challenges, including the potential for flooding and erosion.

Our land team works year-round -- restoring native habitat, eliminating invasive weeds, and repairing damaged lands. We're especially busy as  storm season nears, clearing culverts and sediment basins, stabilizing hillsides, creating berms to direct runoff, and collaborating with farmers and neighbors to stabilize soils and buffer against flooding.

Every Wednesday at 10 am (except holidays), we invite you to join a group of hands-on land stewardship volunteers as we care for sites around the slough. Projects and sites change weekly, so and request RSVPs from all volunteers. Learn more at our event calendar, or call (831)728-2822.
Into the Weeds
17th Annual Central California Invasive Weed Symposium

The Central California Invasive Weed Symposium (CCIWS), is a place for land stewards throughout Central California to share information on their work to halt the spread of non-native invasive plants, visit project sites where weed control efforts are in full swing, hear success stories, and earn continuing education units.

Co-sponsored by Elkhorn Slough Reserve and ESF, this year's symposium will be held in Santa Cruz on November 5.  ESF Land Steward Ken Collins is among the presenters, with a talk entitled "Buried Alive -- Veldt Grass" that describes our challenges eradicating an especially pesky invasive weed.

For more information or to register, visit www.cciws.org.
Thanks for Joining the Celebration!
A Slew of Smiles at 2015 Open House & Native Plant Fair     
 
Thanks to for helping make the 2015 Elkhorn Slough Reserve Open House and Native Plant Fair (photos) such a fun, memorable, and resounding success. More than 360 visitors joined us on National Estuaries Day to share our passion and appreciation for the slough and its creatures.

Kids of all ages painted birds at the arts-and-crafts tables or peered through microscopes in the Learning Lab, visitors enjoyed walks and talks with slough stewards and researchers, and friends -- new and old -- learned more about the people, technology, and teamwork that helps protect and restore our local watershed.

Another cause for celebration: your contributions to the Native Plant Fair raised nearly $1,000 to support the restoration and education efforts of the Reserve greenhouse. 

Thanks -- we hope to see you at Elkhorn Slough Reserve soon!
Harbor seal, photo by Paul Zaretsky
Work for the Federal Government?
Know a Slough Supporter Who Does?
Give to the Slough through the Combined Federal Campaign

The Combined Federal Campaign is the world's largest and most successful annual workplace charity campaign. Pledges made by Federal civilian, postal and military donors during the campaign season (September 1 to December 15) support eligible nonprofit organizations, including the Elkhorn Slough Foundation.

The code for donors to designate their contribution to Elkhorn Slough Foundation is 89064.  Your gifts support our work to conserve, educate, research, and restore the Elkhorn Slough and its surroundings.