Slough Buzz
#144 | December 23, 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.
Sunset over the Moro Cojo Slough
16 Acres, 30 Years Ago:
ESF Protects Its First Property in December 1985
On December 30, 1985, the Elkhorn Slough Foundation acquired its first property as a gift from the Sandholdt family -- 16 acres of alkali grassland along Highway 1 near Moro Cojo Slough.

Our purpose in taking on that land was to "preserve and protect in perpetuity, for the public benefit, the remaining natural, open space, aesthetic and ecological values, including natural vegetation and wildlife."

In 1997, after a decade managing this property and another 1,000 acres of conservation land (including many legacy sites since transferred to our protection by The Nature Conservancy), ESF made the strategic decision to become a land trust.

Today, the Foundation is the single largest landowner in the Elkhorn Slough watershed caring for nearly 4,000 acres of important ecosystems -- yet it all began with 16 acres. 
`Tis the Season ... (Until 12/31)
Stretch your Year-end Gift with Monterey County Gives!
Elkhorn Slough Foundation envisions the house at Porter Ranch as a community and educational center, but conservation doesn't stop a building from aging or land from shifting. Yet this vision is only a dream unless we perform critical repairs to reinforce the foundation and stabilize the
structure.

Your donation -- matched by a challenge gift and through  Monterey County Gives! -- will help us address structural problems at Porter Ranch House, preventing further damage and preserving the potential of this iconic building.

Monterey County Gives! closes on December 31 -- so please stretch your year-end contribution by making your gift today!
Cool Events for the New Year
PUBLIC PLANTING EVENT with Elkhorn Slough Reserve
Saturday, January 9, 2016 | Download a Flyer (292K PDF)

Enjoy a morning restoring native grassland and flowers. This is a family-friendly event for volunteers of all ages. From 10am to 1pm, rain or shine -- we'll meet at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve then drive out to the planting site.  For more information email Reserve Stewardship Coordinator Andrea Woolfolk (amwoolfolk@gmail.com) or call the Reserve at (831)728-2822.
KING TIDE WALK 
with Elkhorn Slough Reserve
Friday, January 22, 2016, 8:30am |RSVP

Join us on a morning walk to witness, photograph and learn about king tides. Meet at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve parking lot. Please RSVP to Virginia Guhin, at virginia.guhin@wildlife.ca.gov.
DUNE RESTORATION at Moss Landing State Beach
Saturday, February 20, 2016 | More info

Restore sand dunes with us at Moss Landing State Beach (Highway 1 and Jetty Road). We will plant native seedlings on Saturday, February 20 from 10am to 12:30pm, rain or shine. For more info, contact ESF's Katie Pofahl at katie@elkhornslough.org or (831)706-5712.
Elkhorn Slough Landscape, 1988
Slough Volunteers Do Great Things
Oral History Project Earns Community Award
At the Elkhorn Slough, we're extraordinarily grateful to all our spectacular volunteers whose dedication, engagement bring success and recognition to our conservation efforts.

Recently, a team of dedicated volunteers received a well-deserved Community Outreach Award of $500 through the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History. The award was granted to support the Elkhorn Slough Oral History Project, led by Aneita Radov, with Amy Brewster and Susan Osborn.

The Oral History Project records the first-person accounts of community members active in conserving the Elkhorn Slough watershed, creating the Reserve, and leading the Foundation.  We look forward to sharing the videos online soon!
Talking Trash at the Slough

If you've ever been at one of Elkhorn Road Coastal Cleanup events, you've probably met Margie Kay, an amazing volunteer who hauls tons of trash out of the watershed year-round.

Margie recently spoke before a recent Monterey County Board of Supervisors meeting, resulting in passage of a resolution to support an Illegal Dumping Prevention Campaign. Additionally, the resolution salutes volunteers, like Margie, whose efforts prevent illegal dumping and keep trash out of the slough. Way to go Margie!
Back to Our Roots
Grateful Words for the Reserve Education Team  
"I just have to explain my extreme joy due to two amazing days spent planting seedlings and sharing my love of plants with the 6th grade kids at Elkhorn School," says Stewardship Specialist Bree Candiloro, who oversees the Reserve greenhouse. "I was a student at Elkhorn School when I was a kid, so I'm totally renewed by going back to my roots -- literally and figuratively."
 
"I'm so grateful to the Reserve Education team for launching this connection between Elkhorn School and the Elkhorn Slough Reserve," Bree continues. "You are inspiring!"  We wholeheartedly agree.
Happy Holidays from the Slough Family!
Best wishes for a Happy Holidays and a prosperous New Year from all of us at Elkhorn Slough Foundation and the Elkhorn Slough Reserve.

The Reserve will be closed on Friday, December 25, and Friday, January 1, and will close at 12 noon on Thursday, December 24, and Thursday, December 21. You can also find our hours listed on our online calendar.

And if you're doing last minute shopping through Amazon, don't forget to support conservation of the Elkhorn Slough. Through Amazon Smile, a percentage of your purchase price will go toward supporting ESF's conservation work.
 
When you log on to your account through Amazon Smile (http://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-2823247) you get the same products, prices, and service -- and a simple way to help protect and restore the slough.