Working
For the Best tomorrow
The Elkhorn Slough Foundation recently celebrated a landmark event – the largest transfer of protected lands in the history of the area. Surrounded by good friends, good food and acres of beautiful land, we reflected back on how this property came under our ownership and protection.
The Nature Conservancy first began conserving lands in Elkhorn Slough more than four decades ago. Over the years they acquired 850 acres of rare and threatened assemblages: maritime chaparral, oak woodland, fresh and salt water wetlands, coastal prairie, riparian forest – all habitats that the Elkhorn Slough Foundation targets for protection today.
In 1992, when the Nature Conservancy asked the Elkhorn Slough Foundation to manage their conservation portfolio in the Elkhorn Slough area we agreed and assumed the day-to-day responsibilities of protecting and restoring these places. Later, when the Nature Conservancy began looking for someone to take over ownership of these remarkable lands, the Elkhorn Slough Foundation was a natural choice. “It fit into our mission,” says Mark Silberstein, ESF Executive Director. “These are key lands whose protection safeguards the Elkhorn Slough. We know the ‘ins and outs’ of managing them better than any other organization.”
The importance of this land transfer is obvious to ESF Stewardship Director Kim Hayes, who has managed these properties for years. “This is more than just a contiguous protected area for us to own and manage,” she explains, “it is a biodiverse, rich land that provides a multitude of services for humans and wildlife alike—land highly valuable to all kinds of animals—from birds to deer to bobcats. It’s truly a community treasure.”
Although these 850 acres of grasslands, wetlands, chaparral, dunes and oaks are now under the Elkhorn Slough Foundation’s careful guard, the connection to the Nature Conservancy will remain. This land is the Nature Conservancy’s Elkhorn legacy, and TNC has contributed to an endowment that will help fund future maintenance and restoration work on the properties. ESF will continue building the stewardship endowment to ensure these lands receive the care they deserve, today and always.
“Our shared vision is to ensure that the needs of people and nature are balanced and that the extraordinary natural values represented by the slough persist for generations to come,” said Mike Sweeney, The Nature
Eyes to the Future...
As we look back on our successes we also look ahead to the opportunities ahead of us. The world today is a different place than it was thirty years ago, and in thirty more years it will be different still. We spoke to the department heads of our various programs to find out how they saw their work contributing to the future of the Elkhorn Slough. While every program has its own unique focus and distinct path to reach individual goals, collectively our aim is to make the Elkhorn Slough the best it can be – for people, for wildlife, and forever.
Monique Fountain
Tidal Wetland Project Director
One of the things I appreciate most about working for the Tidal Wetland Project is our transparent decision making process. The frank discussions we have today help prepare us for making the hard decisions in the future. Our Science Panel and Strategic Planning Team have spent years putting their heads together with the goal of restoring Elkhorn Slough to a self-sustaining system. They have been a team since 2004 and are invested in continuing to undertake meaningful work in the coming decades.
Our most recently completed project helped slow the erosion problems in the slough. The project was a step towards reducing tidal scour in the estuary and it seems to be doing exactly what we wanted it to. Looking ahead, our Strategic Planning Team will be focusing on medium-scale restoration projects since we have determined there is not currently a feasible single large fix to the tidal erosion facing the slough.
As we decide what to do in the short term, we keep an eye on the long-term goals. Our work is influenced by climate change predictions and a big part of our strategy deals with that. For example, our next wetland restoration project will build a higher marsh to compensate for sea level rise projections. Finding solutions that will work today and for years to come is a large part of the work we do, and it’s exciting to help guide of such a forward thinking group.
Grey Hayes
Coastal
Training Program Director
The Reserve’s Coastal Training Program develops workshops, seminars and publications that help decision-makers access scientifically sound information on natural resource issues. We foster conversations between scientists and professionals whose decisions affect the environment. CTP is a bridge organization that serves the Reserve’s mission of informing coastal management: researchers and stewards here generate helpful information and CTP helps them share their lessons. Defining “good” information and separating it from information that is not scientifically sound is an ongoing process for anyone thinking critically about tough issues, and doing so is time consuming. CTP aims to cultivate a culture of learning in the professional realm to help yield informed decisions.
I think that in the next few decades the world will be changing at an even more rapid rate, and timely, informed decision making will become even more imperative. Scientists will need a forum to speak about their ‘professional opinions’ (as opposed to concrete findings) in a collegial setting, with a goal of providing sound guidance to policy-makers and natural resource managers.
CTP will focus on building interdisciplinary coalitions of a wide range of interested parties both in the community and on a regional scale. These coalitions can serve as a knowledge base for complex issues, and provide more nuanced advice than any single expert could offer. Our priorities will continue to be driven by the needs of the policy and management professionals and include effective information delivery and facilitated dialogue between scientists and other stakeholders.
Kerstin Wasson Research Coordinator
Estuaries are the most altered ecosystems in the world – so estuarine scientists try to figure out exactly what has changed, and how we can best restore key processes and habitats. I love being a conservation scientist because not only do I get the fun of solving puzzles in nature, I also know that in some small way the answers to those puzzles are helping managers and decision-makers take better care of ecosystems people care about.
Over the past decade, I’ve seen ESNERR’s data inform management of the estuary. We collect tons of data on all sorts of ecosystem characteristics, and while the measurements we take are targeted at key questions, we often don’t know which pieces of information will end up being useful in the future. Having solid data sets for lots of processes and species means we’ll be poised to answer future questions.
For instance, as climate change has an increasingly strong influence on our habitats and species in coming years, we will be able to use our past and current data to better track and understand those changes, even though climate change was not even on our radar when most of those monitoring programs were started decades ago. We’ve already begun looking at how marshes may migrate in response to sea level rise, and no doubt will be focusing more on climate change effects in coming years. Estuaries have already been changed so much by humans, so we’ll be asking about the relative impact of climate-stressors compared to existing factors like invasive species and pollution, and we’ll look for interactions between these stressors. Science will help us navigate the coming challenges ahead.
Elkhorn Slough Foundation Executive Director
As I look to the future, I amexcited at the wealth of opportunities that lie before us to explore, conserve and care for Elkhorn Slough. The world is evolving all around us, and ESF has evolved as well since we started out thirty years ago. We’ve seen many changes in the landscape since we became a land trust, and have been kept on our toes anticipating what is to come. Some changes that we did not anticipate when we began – like climate change, sea level rise, and a shifting population –now occupy our thoughts and plans.
Sea level rise and climate change will mean that some of our properties will serve a different role in the future. As coastlines change, so will the Elkhorn Slough Foundation’s strategy for acquiring important land in the watershed. We will continue to support a mosaic of critical habitats, from salt marsh to grassland. These places must not disappear. By applying what we’ve learned and preparing for the unexpected I believe we will continue tosustain this remarkable landscape and the opportunity for exploration, discovery and enjoyment.
Our goal is to protect the Elkhorn Slough forever, and to share it with a wide community. Our partners at the Reserve and across the nation share our passion for conservation, and we are poised to ensure that this place is left in better condition than when we began. We want everyone to have the chance to experience the peace and beauty that rests in the land. By expanding our partnerships and our efforts to reach beyond the slough I am confident we will succeed in keeping this corner of the Universe protected for future generations.
Mark Silberstein
Eyes to the Future...
Kim Hayes - ESF Stewardship Director
When I’m out on the land I am always discovering new things. Sometimes it’s a special plant and other times an animal sighting, but it’s these discoveries that help fuel my work.
I feel like all of our projects are celebrations, no matter how large or small, because they all make a difference. We’ve removed tons of trash and restored a wide variety of habitats over thousands of acres. On properties where I once saw no wildlife trails I am now finding wildlife highways!
It’s exciting to see animals return to places that were once so degraded, but they are not the only ones using the lands we protect. Our lands support organic farming operations, cattle production and several residences. We also have hundreds of neighbors. Finding ways to help our lands meet the needs of many different users and to stay healthy and viable is a delicate balance. I believe in looking for collaborative projects with tenants and with neighbors. Including this community in projects is important for project successes and to keeping this place protected in the long run.
Outreach is important, and I see our outreach efforts growing. We are already working across property boundaries for weed abatement, plant restoration, erosion control and trash clean up. These actions improve environmental and human health in many ways.
I would like to see more people get involved. We would like to establish a coalition of citizen scientists who help report plant and animal sightings in the area. It would be great to know the watershed that much better. Building and maintaining trusting relationships with neighbors is a critical part of understanding and protecting the Elkhorn Slough into the future and we are looking forward to developing new friendships.
Kenton Parker Education Coordinator
The Reserve is a wonderful outdoor classroom, giving nature a chance to educate all of us if we take the time to watch, listen, and study its many expressions. I don’t expect everyone to be hooked on nature, but I have learned enough in my studies to know that we all need to pay more attention to how closely we are linked to the natural world around us, and natural science education is critical to making that link. The education system in this country has seriously declined over the past 50 years, with science literacy in particular going from “first to worst.” The only way I see us moving education forward is by pursuing partnerships and collaborations throughout the community. And that is what the Reserve’s education program does best.
Our school programs offer the greatest opportunity to reach those in the community who might otherwise never venture out for a hike through a marsh. Many of our students have never used binoculars, never peered through a microscope, nor held a fish in their hands. By supporting teachers who work to get their students outdoors to experience these things, we open up a slough of opportunities for outdoor education in support of environmental literacy.
Andrea Woolfolk ESNERR Stewardship Coordinator
I love the challenge of stewardship work, and the sense of doing something meaningful in a beautiful and biologically rich place. I love that I work at a Research Reserve, where we have the luxury of combining science with our stewardship actions. All of our stewardship staff is actively engaged in using science as part of stewardship, and that makes for better land management.
Some of the challenges of land stewardship don’t change. Invasive species are a huge problem and have been for hundreds of years (especially in our grasslands) and there are no simple ways to eradicate them. Habitat fragmentation is another continuing issue. And while we definitely expect sea level rise to be a real threat to our salt marshes in the next few decades, other climate changes seem more nebulous, and I’m not sure what to expect. Different models seem to predict different outcomes. Having said that, ESNERR has built an impressive stewardship team. If anyone can address the issues that sea level rise and climate change will pose to conservation it is this group, especially as we work together with ESF and other ESNERR staff.
We’ve been scaling up over the last few years, targeting larger objectives to have a bigger impact. Working with the Tidal Wetland Project has a lot to do with that – I’m spending a lot of my time supporting TWP, looking to restore many acres of lost salt marsh and to improve ecological conditions in hundreds of acres of wetland in North Marsh.
We’ve also gained a lot of confidence in other habitats. Over the years we have been very successful at removing the highly invasive non-native plant Cape ivy from our oak woodlands. With help from dedicated volunteers and contractors, we are on our way to eradicating that weed from the Reserve, and we’re now looking at other non-native woodland species to tackle. With our team, I’m optimistic that we’ll have a significant and positive impact on Reserve lands and waters in the coming years.
Dave Feliz Reserve Manager
Among the many incredible places the Department of Fish and Game manages, the Elkhorn Slough stands out as a place of remarkable diversity. Oak leaves falling into salt water, deer on the edge of the mudflats, sea otters in the distance. The mix of habitats is just astounding. The Reserve is an amazingly beautiful place.
The Department of Fish and Game stewards all fish and wildlife resources of the State, and their associated habitats, protecting the use and enjoyment of these resources by the public. This broader mission is gaining more public recognition and is reflected in our new name, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
The Elkhorn Slough Reserve is right on the edge of how our Department fulfills its mission. Work is done here that really increases the suite of activities we engage in to serve the people of California. We have an active group of dedicated volunteers that have been committed to making the Elkhorn Slough a better place for decades. They assist in counting birds, creating native oyster habitat, and a variety of other research projects. Our volunteers have been trained to help restore wildlife habitat, work with school kids and provide information to people in our visitor center. Our working greenhouse invites the public to drop in and get their hands dirty.
Volunteer training slated for early 2013 will train a whole new group of docents to lead tours and help spread the word. I’m excited to be on this forefront with a great staff, creating a place that connects to the people who live and work in this area or visit from afar.
elkhorn slough Foundation
Board oF directors
Steve Webster President
Steve Dennis Vice President
C. Michael Pinto treasurer
Judith Connor secretary
Ed Boutonnet
Terry Eckhardt
Steve Green
Robert Hartmann
Kent Marshall
Anne Olsen
Anne Secker
Lydia Villarreal
Tom Williams
Mary Wright
Mark Silberstein executiVe director
The mission of The elkhorn slough foundaTion is To conserve and resTore elkhorn slough and iTs waTershed.
we see elkhorn slough and its watershed Protected ForeVer–a working landscaPe, where PeoPle, Farming, industry, and nature thriVe together. as one oF caliFornia’s last great coastal wetlands, elkhorn slough will remain a wellsPring oF liFe and a source oF insPiration For generations to come
Po Box 267, moss landing caliFornia 95039
tel: (831) 728-5939
Fax: (831) 728-7031
www elkhornslough org
tidal exchange
Quinn White, editor
exchange
Conservancy, California Executive Director. “The Elkhorn Slough Foundation will protect this legacy.”
This land transfer begins a new chapter for the Elkhorn Slough Foundation— with these new properties ESF is the largest single landowner in the watershed. As we look back on our thirtieth anniversary and solid conservation accomplishments, we are enthusiastically looking ahead to the future. With decades of working with great partners like the Nature Conservancy and protecting beautiful lands for a caring and engaged community under our belt we are excited to work with you to create the best tomorrow possible.
Passing the deed to the land. Left to right: The Nature Conservancy’s Laura Smith, Elkhorn Slough Foundation’’s Kim Hayes, TNC’s Mike Sweeney, ESF’s Mark Silberstein and ESF’s Judith Connor.
Oaks to Otters - 30 Years of Success
In November the Elkhorn Slough Foundation marked our thirtieth anniversary with a benefit event we called Oaks to Otters. The “Slough Crew” was joined by nearly three hundred supporters at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where many of the slough’s non-human inhabitants could be seen on display.
Proceeds from the evening helped to support the Foundation’s ongoing work to protect and restore the Elkhorn Slough. The event featured National Geographic’s Explorer-inResidence Sylvia Earle, who spoke to the abundance of life found in a
square meter of mud, the magnitude of diversity at the Elkhorn Slough, and the importance of protecting our wild spaces. The Foundation also premiered a short film on its history created by Jordan Plotsky, which can be seen at www.elkhornslough.org. The film is a reminder of why the Elkhorn Slough is one of those special places on earth, and of all the work that goes into keeping it protected.
Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate and to you whose ecouragement, support and engagement over the years has made slough conservation possible.
Slough View
the long View
Anne Olsen, ESF Board Member
A line from a song states, “old friends mean much more to me than the new friends do because they can see where you are and they know where you’ve been.” That is how I feel about the Elkhorn Slough Foundation. I was there in the beginning, watched it grow, and plan on continuing to guide it as it takes its next steps.
I have the distinct privilege to be among the first involved in creating a nonprofit organization to support the fledgling Elkhorn Slough Reserve. I drafted the Foundation’s Articles of Incorporation turning a group of dedicated individuals into a legal non-profit entity. Drafting those papers allowed me an inside look to what the Foundation sought to do – how its first goals were to share the science and beauty of the Elkhorn Slough with the community. As a central coast native – born and raised –I was delighted to see such an amazing place being protected.
Later when I joined the Board of Directors, I along with my fellow board members helped to guide this “friends group” to become a land trust purchasing and caring for thousands of acres of land. While the Foundation’s mission expanded to conserve and restore the lands throughout the watershed, its purpose to support the work of the Reserve stayed paramount. As an attorney, I’ve watched business relationships deteriorate, yet, the management of the Foundation and the Reserve seem to live by the knowledge that their end goals are the same: to protect the amazing environment of Elkhorn Slough. This commitment can be seen in each staff and Board member.
There has been tremendous growth for Elkhorn Slough Foundation throughout the years. Its root is an organization that wants to share the Slough’s science and beauty, but now it also wants to care for this natural resource. Over the next couple of years, the Foundation will be striving to obtain its accreditation from the Land Trust Alliance. This process is long and detailed encompassing the many areas involved in skillfully operating a non-profit that owns and manages thousands of acres of conserved land. For me, guiding the Foundation to become an accredited land trust is similar to writing the Articles of Incorporation – another milestone for the Foundation. However, this time, I’m helping an old friend.
Anne Olsen is a practicing attorney and partner at Ottone Leach Olsen & Ray LLP, in Salinas, where she specializes in employment law and business litigation.
Elkhorn Slough Foundation
P.O. Box 267
Moss Landing, CA 95039
The Elkhorn Slough Reserve is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9am to 5pm. Join us for tours every Saturday and Sunday morning and afternoon. For information on upcoming events, or to find ways to support the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, call 831.728.5939 or visit: www.elkhornslough.org
Thank you for your support – you help us do so much to keep the Elkhorn Slough protected, today and forever.
In This Issue:
• Working for the Best Tomorrow
• Eyes to the Future - The many visions of our various program leads
• Oaks to Otters
• The Long View
