October 1, 2004 — Located in the middle of the Monterey Bay coastline, Elkhorn Slough is one of the largest remaining coastal wetlands in California. Despite its somewhat pristine appearance, a closer look reveals that it faces human pressures, including agricultural and other pollution, harbor dredging, invasive species and ecotourism. Protecting this fragile estuarine ecosystem in the face of these human uses is the challenge addressed by the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve and its partners.

Designated in 1979, the ESNERR is one of 26 National Estuarine Research Reserves established nationwide as field laboratories for scientific research and estuarine education. The reserve is owned and managed by the California Department of Fish and Game and is operated with funding from NOAA and the state of California. Watershed-wide conservation and reserve programs are also supported by the Elkhorn Slough Foundation, a non-profit, membership-supported organization. The 1,400-acre reserve is a hub of activity and hosts programs that promote education, research and conservation in and around Elkhorn Slough. The area is also rich in recreational and cultural resources.

This watershed, can best be characterized as a convergence of critical habitats: wetlands (saltwater and fresh), grasslands, chaparral (shrubby plants) and woodlands. Some 800 species of invertebrates, 500 plants, 80 fish, 30 reptiles and amphibians, 50 mammals and 200 birds have been identified in the area. At least six threatened or endangered species utilize the slough or its surrounding uplands (including peregrine falcons, Santa Cruz long-toed salamanders, California red-legged frogs, brown pelicans, least terns and sea otters). The channels and tidal creeks of the slough are nurseries for many species of fish. The slough is on the Pacific Flyway, providing an important feeding and resting ground for many migrating waterfowl and shorebirds.

Research and Monitoring at the Slough
The focus of ESNERR’s research program is to provide critical information about estuarine ecosystems to help improve management strategies for conserving them. ESNERR staff researchers collaborate with regional students and faculty, and rely on a superb cadre of volunteers to help collect data. Short-term applied studies provide answers to questions about specific threats or management options, while long-term monitoring tracks changes and their causes. Just a few examples are highlighted below:

• Estuarine Invasions Research
  Elkhorn Slough’s rural setting and lack of major shipping traffic suggests that it would not be as susceptible to invasive species as San Francisco Bay — a much larger, urbanized estuary to the north and a hub of transatlantic vessel traffic. Unfortunately, however, a recent ESNERR study revealed that Elkhorn Slough has been invaded by 58 non-native invertebrates. Most of these invasives were probably transplanted there by oyster culturing or fouling of small boats traveling the coast. In contrast, only eight non-native invertebrates (a subset of those in the ESNERR) were found along the adjacent open coast. This study indicates that invasive species are much more common in estuaries than in more open coastal waters, and thus should be the focus of future ecological forecasting and monitoring efforts.While none of the non-native invertebrates found in open coastal waters are very abundant, some of the ESNERR’s invasive species are extremely abundant and are impacting native communities. One graduate student is studying community impacts of a calcareous Australian tubeworm that forms vast reefs in some parts of the slough, while another is investigating behavioral traits influencing the invasion success of the European green crab, which can be collected by the hundreds in some parts of ESNERR.
• Monitoring Wetland Habitat Changes
  In addition to monitoring water quality, weather, shorebirds, invertebrates and amphibians, ESNERR scientists track estuarine habitat changes over time. One recently completed study focused on the extent and distribution of wetland habitat types and how they have changed over the last century, using historical maps and aerial photographs. This research indicated that more than 50 percent of the salt marshes that were present before European colonization have disappeared, affected first by diking that decreased tidal flow and more recently by the opening of an artificial harbor mouth that has increased tidal flow, resulting in erosion of the marsh plain. Many freshwater and transitional habitats have also been lost around the margins of the estuary. By identifying historical baselines and agents of change, this research has helped guide restoration goals and strategies.

Coastal Training Program
The ESNERR Coastal Training Program has focused on educational efforts pertaining to habitat restoration and biological diversity. One example of an ESNERR CTP educational effort was the 2003 workshop on maritime chaparral, a regionally protected, endangered coastal ecosystem that blankets the hot, exposed ridgelines around the estuary and contains numerous rare endemic organisms. Maritime chaparral is critical in maintaining biological diversity in this watershed and provides important ecosystem functions (such as stabilizing the steep, sandy slopes; helping to recharge aquifers and maintaining clean surface water runoff). The workshop brought together relevant local decision makers and scientific experts, who continue to work together on issues related to this unique ecosystem. Similar efforts are also underway to address other conservation issues (such as coastal grasslands, coastal freshwater wetlands, endangered species and natural areas recreation planning).

Education and Outreach Efforts
The ESNERR education and outreach efforts cater to the needs of teachers, students, decision makers and the general public. The 1,400 acre “outdoor classroom” offers five miles of hiking trails through a variety of habitats (e.g., oak woodlands, grasslands, riparian corridors, fresh water ponds, right down to the salt marsh and mudflats). The award winning interpretive exhibits in the ESNERR visitor center feature some unique perspectives on the more difficult to see and often rather peculiar creatures of the ESNERR — from an underwater view of a diving Pelican to a close-up of a planktonic polychaete larva. With more than 90 percent of California's wetlands lost, the ESNERR offers a rare and important opportunity to observe the creatures that live in these coastal habitats, and to teach the value of protecting wetlands and watersheds.

• K-12 Education Programs: The ESNERR K-12 education program allows students to engage in a variety of activities that include water quality monitoring, plankton sampling, monitoring for marine invasive species, shorebird surveys, nesting heron and egret observations and restoration of upland habitats. The ESNERR also works closely with instructors from local colleges and universities, giving special tours and presentations to college students as part of their course curriculum. Many of these students become involved in research, monitoring, restoration and education projects at the ESNERR to fulfill their academic requirements.
• New Outreach Initiatives: The ESNERR is making an assertive effort to deliver messages about estuarine conservation to a diversity of California communities. Specifically, the ESNERR is working closely with the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary’s Multicultural Education on Resource Issues Threatening Oceans Program to facilitate outreach to Latino communities in the Monterey Bay area. The ESNERR is also working with Camp “Science, Education and Adventure” Lab, a marine science education program in the Monterey Bay area that offers week-long residential and day camp sessions in the summer, and special weekend workshops throughout the year for children ages eight to 13.
• New technologies to reach more students, more often: ESNERR is working closely with the Earth Systems Science and Policy Program at California State University at Monterey Bay to development virtual field trips over the Web and to broadcast live images of nesting bird colonies in the estuary (i.e., caspian terns, herons and great egrets). This technology will help teachers integrate the ESNERR environmental curriculum into their classrooms throughout the school year.

Stewardship Program
Stewardship at the ESNERR provides for the long-term protection of native plants and animals and the restoration of degraded habitats. Although the reserve is home to diverse coastal assemblages, many of them face serious threats that must be addressed (e.g., erosion and invasions by non-native plants). The ESNERR stewardship program works closely with the research, volunteer and education programs to plan and implement resource management actions. Over the years, stewardship activities at the reserve have included:

• Restoring tidal flow to 500 acres of previously diked and reclaimed salt marsh;
• Restoring and adaptively managing freshwater wetlands that support many native animals and provide breeding habitat for two federally-listed amphibians (i.e., the California red-legged frog and the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander);
• Actively restoring upland habitats, including coast live oak woodlands, coastal scrub and prairies — with the help of volunteers, local work crews and school groups, and using native plants propagated in the on-site greenhouse;
• Using native vegetation to slow the effects of agricultural erosion on the reserve;
• Developing and implementing a strategic weed control plan and
• Using historical documents and maps (as well as collaborating with reserve researchers) to identify potential sites for future restoration of transitional wetlands and coastal grasslands.

The ESNERR programs described have been built with strong local, regional and national partnerships and generous public support. The reserve continues to be active on the education, research and stewardship fronts, focusing efforts to address the most pressing resource issues facing the estuary and its watershed.

Relevant Web Sites
NOAA

National Estuarine Research Reserves

Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve

NOAA Researchers Produce Laser Sharp Views of Monterey Bay (NOAA Report, May 2004)

NOAA’S MONTEREY BAY SANCTUARY LAUNCHES SUMMER 2004 KAYAKER OUTREACH PROGRAM (Press Release, May 2004)

HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS JOIN MONTEREY BAY NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY IN ANNUAL
COASTAL CLEANUP (Press Release, September 2003)

NOAA’s Monterey Bay Sanctuary “Snapshot Day” Goes Statewide (NOAA Report, June 2003)

NOAA GRADUATE FELLOW RECEIVES 2003 WALTER B. JONES AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN COASTAL AND MARINE GRADUATE STUDY (Press Release, March 2003)

Media Contact:
Glenda Powell, NOAA Ocean Service, (301) 713-3066 ext. 191 or Ben Sherman, NOAA Ocean Service, (301) 713-3066 ext. 178