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Legacy Project:
Elkhorn Slough Reserve

Elkhorn landscape
Elkhorn landscape
©The Nature Conservancy

Why You Should Visit  
Flushed by the tides of Monterey Bay, Elkhorn Slough is the second-largest remaining salt marsh in California. Estuaries - areas where fresh water meets salt water - are among the most productive habitats in the biological world, able to support many animal species. But they are also among the most endangered. In California, nearly 90% have been destroyed. Elkhorn Slough hosts a tremendous diversity of plant and animal life and has been designated a Globally Important Bird Area by the National Audubon Society and the American Birding Conservancy.

Location
Monterey Bay, Central California (Map)

Size
More than 5,000 acres, out of a total watershed area of 45,000 acres, have been protected by The Nature Conservancy and a host of partners.

What to See: Plants
Elkhorn Slough flows nearly seven and a half miles inland through productive farm fields of brussel sprouts and strawberries, thickets of yellow field mustard, red-stem filaree, and lavender lupine. The slough is a meandering belt of tide flats, tidal creeks, and marshes, all teeming with aquatic plant life. The uplands flanking the slough harbor coastal dunes, grasslands, oak woodlands and rare maritime chaparral with populations of four federally endangered plant species: Yadon's rein orchid, Santa Cruz Tarplant, Monterey Spineflower and Sand Gilia.

Otter Raft © Paul Zaretsky
Otter raft
© Paul Zaretsky
What to See: Animals
Elkhorn Slough is the second-largest remaining salt marsh in California, supporting an abundance of invertebrates that provide food for more than 100 species of fish and nearly 300 species of birds. The estuary's ever-changing environment is a nursery to some species, a lifetime home to others, and a water purifier for the coast. On any day, you might spot sea otters hunting the rich waters or, satiated, lounging on their backs. At high tide, sharks swarm in the slough's shallow waters where they feed, breed, and give birth to their young. Five threatened or endangered species are found at Elkhorn Slough: the California brown pelican, California least tern, Santa Cruz long-toed salamander, southern sea otter, and American peregrine falcon. Elkhorn Slough is one of the premier birdwatching sites in the western United States.

Conservancy History
In 1971, to protect Elkhorn Slough from further development, The Nature Conservancy purchased the first wetlands there for conservation. Public and private partners continued to acquire wetland and upland areas that became part of the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve in 1979. Today, the Conservancy owns over 800 acres of key habitats. The National Estuarine Research Reserve protects 1,440 acres, the Department of Fish and Game 600 acres and the Elkhorn Slough Foundation 1,700 acres. Other conservation lands are managed by the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Moss Landing Harbor District and the Monterey County Parks Department. The collaborations that evolved from the Conservancy's efforts are a model of cooperative conservation.

For More Information
Elkhorn Slough Foundation
http://www.elkhornslough.org/