Family Fun: Elkhorn Slough Reserve Open House

Estuaries Week • Saturday, September 22 • 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

ELKHORN SLOUGH — The Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve welcomes the community to its 2018 Open House on Saturday, September 22, to celebrate National Estuaries Week with a variety of events and activities.

Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, 1700 Elkhorn Road, Watsonville. California 95076. Activities and presentations are scheduled from 9:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Since the official designation of National Estuaries Week in 1988, dozens of sites throughout the coastal United States have hosted gatherings, field trips, events, and seminars to celebrate the extraordinary richness of our nation’s estuaries and the National Estuarine Research Reserve system that supports stewardship, research, education, and training at 29 Reserves nationwide.

2018 Elkhorn Slough Reserve Open House, celebrating National Estuaries Week. Enjoy guided walks and chat with scientists and ecological experts, get your hands dirty with land stewardship team, paint your face or a model of wetland wildlife, create a community mosaic with Elkhorn Slough Artist in Residence Denise Davidson, or magnify the weird and wonderful wildlife in a teaspoon of slough water at the microscope Learning Lab. FREE and open to the public

Hosted by the conservation partners of the Elkhorn Slough Reserve. Presenters include environmental educators, researchers, and land stewards from the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (ESNERR), the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the Elkhorn Slough Foundation (ESF).

Local food vendors will be on site all day selling fresh tacos, burritos, and beverages.

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 29 reserves established nationwide to support long-term research, water-quality monitoring, environmental education, and coastal stewardship.

For 36 years, Elkhorn Slough Foundation (ESF) has worked in partnership with the Reserve, and is the only nonprofit 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.

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For event details, please visit www.elkhornslough.org or call the Elkhorn Slough Reserve Visitor Center at (831) 728-2822.