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Ongoing public events at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve.
Meet at the Reserve (map). For more information call (831) 728-2822.
- Tours of the Reserve - Join knowledgeable docents on a tour of the Reserve every Saturday and Sunday at 10:00 am and 1:00 pm.
- Early Bird Tour - A special birding tour of the Reserve, the first Saturday of the month.
- Greenhouse Volunteer Drop-in - Second Wednesday of every month, NEW TIME: 10am - 12:00 noon, at ESNERR. Join the ESNERR stewardship team for propagation activities in the nursery. Gloves, tools, and light snacks provided. for details.
- Stewardship Volunteer Drop-in - Every Monday, except holidays at ESNERR. 9:30am - 11:30am. Projects and sites change weekly. We provide gloves, tools, and light snacks. for details.
Regular Reserve and Visitor Center hours: Wednesday - Sunday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The Reserve and Visitor Center are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. When the Reserve is closed you cannot access the trails, restrooms,
visitor center, or bookstore.
Ongoing Birding Opportunity
March - May
For experienced birders.
Two interns at CSUMB for “ Environment for the Americas” , are doing intensive shorebird surveys at 4 sites around Elkhorn Slough for 10 weeks. The sites include South Marsh, Parsons Overlook, Kirby Park, and Jetty Rd. They would be grateful for any help on their weekly surveys.
if interested.
SPRING WATERBIRDS MONITORING II:
A SNAPSHOT OF ELKHORN SLOUGH
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Experienced birders needed!
Teams of volunteer birders will be counting waterbirds within defined areas along the main channel (by boat), and at four walk-in estuarine sites. Walk-in sites will take a total of about 2 hours to complete, while plan for a 3-4 hour outing for the boat trip.
We particularly need help from expert birders (i.e. those that can readily identify the various species of waterbirds and shorebirds), but also welcome novices to count easily identified species. Please RSVP if you can join us, and list your first and second choice locations:
TUESDAY APRIL 30th
Main channel boat survey 9:00am-12:00pm
North Harbor (Jetty Road), 9:00-11:00am
Parson's Overlook, 9:00-11:00am
South Marsh, 9:00-11:00am
North Marsh 3:00-5:00pm
We need at least two members for each team (at least one superb birder to do identifications and counts and at least one person familiar with the protocol and datasheets to take notes). More birders to help with identifications and counts are preferred, especially for the boat trip, and more novices to help with counts of easy species and with note-taking are welcome. Please feel free to invite friends, bird club members, etc. to join in -- there is really no upper limit on sizes of teams at most sites.
Please let us know if you can help, and if so, your preferred sites. We will then compile a master list and contact you a week before the monitoring to tell you which team you're on and where to meet.
Please contact Susanne Fork, Research Biologist, Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve by or (831)728-5939.
Marine Mammal Field Trip
Saturday, May 11, 10:30am to 2pm
Stewardship and Conservation Circle and Land Partner members only
Cost: Free
THIS EVENT IS FULL
If you are a member of the Elkhorn Slough Foundation Stewardship or Conservation Circle and interested in attending, please contact Development at 831-728-5939
The slough is home to the largest concentration of Southern sea otters on the coast of California, and this event is designed to show you what those otters (and other marine mammals) are doing in our slough. We start the event with a remarkable talk on some unusual marine mammal behavior by our civilian scientist Ron Eby and Robert Scoles, and follow it with a lunch where you can continue the conversation and get to know your fellow Circle members. The highlight of the day will be the 'field trip' out to a seldom visited area of the slough to see these magnificent animals in action. We will provide the viewing scopes, you provide the curiosity. As not to disturb the animals while we are viewing them, space for this event is limited. Please be aware this trip does involve walking on uneven ground.
Guided Elkhorn Slough Kayak Tour
Saturday, June 8, 9am
Members only
Cost:
$45 per person for kayak and gear provided - Register Now
$25 per person with your own kayak - Register Now
See Elkhorn Slough's wildlife from its calm waters as you ride the tide with ESF staff and expert guide Ron Eby. With foggy mornings and sunny afternoons, June is a wonderful time to kayak the slough. As we travel along an incoming time we'll see otter rafts, sea lions, seals, pelicans, cormorants and more. No matter how many times you've kayaked the slough, each trip is different. We can provide the kayak, or bring your own for a discount. This event has limited space. Details to follow reservations.
