Elkhorn Slough Reserve Celebrates National Estuaries Day 2015

Community Invited to Open House & Native Plant Fair on September 26

ELKHORN — The Elkhorn Slough Reserve welcomes the community to its Open House & Native Plant Fair on Saturday, September 26, celebrating National Estuaries Day. Activities and presentations are scheduled from 9:00 a.m.–2:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Scheduled activities include “Meet the Researchers” talks on oyster and sea otter research, historical ecology, native plant restoration, and water quality monitoring, trail walks with naturalists, kids crafts and face-painting at the Visitor Center, plein-air and mural painting, views of the slough’s microscopic life at the education lab, and a Native Plant Fair supporting the Reserve greenhouse. A vendor will be on hand to sell food between 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. The Open House will close with a walk led by Reserve Manager Dave Feliz discussing the Reserve’s wildlife.

Since its official designation in 1988, dozens of sites throughout the coastal United States have celebrated National Estuaries Day on the last Saturday of September, hosting gatherings, field trips, fiestas, and seminars to highlight the extraordinary richness of our nation’s estuaries — the vibrant and productive coastal wetlands where rivers meet the sea.

National Estuaries Day has its roots at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve. More than 25 years ago, while on staff of the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, the late Melanie Mayer Gideon envisioned a national day to celebrate America’s estuaries. Collaborating with colleagues in the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Gideon rallied political and community support for recognition of National Estuaries Day.

Elkhorn Slough is the second largest tidal salt marsh in California, and is part of a watershed that features a variety of habitats — from oak woodlands and maritime chaparral to rare and threatened wetlands — supporting incredible biodiversity. More than 340 bird species have been identified in the Elkhorn Slough watershed, including more than 135 species of aquatic birds. The estuary also hosts more than 550 species of marine invertebrates and 102 species of fish, as well as resident sea lions, harbor seals and the largest concentration of endangered Southern sea otters on the west coast. As part of the Pacific flyway, Elkhorn Slough bird numbers can soar during migration seasons to tens of thousands of birds, nearly doubling the resident bird counts.

Administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW), Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (ESNERR), is one of 28 reserves established nationwide to support long-term research, water-quality monitoring, environmental education, and coastal stewardship. The purpose of National Estuaries Day is to promote the importance of estuaries and the need to protect them.

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For more than 30 years, Elkhorn Slough Foundation (ESF) has worked in partnership with the Reserve, and is the only non-profit organization solely dedicated to protecting Elkhorn Slough and its watershed forever. ESF has conserved and restored nearly 4,000 acres of critical habitat — approximately 9% of the watershed. For information, please visit: www.elkhornslough.org.