Elkhorn Slough Tidal Wetland Project

TWP Email Bulletin
Sent 4/07

Elkhorn Slough Tidal Wetland Project (TWP) – April Update

1) The Elkhorn Slough Tidal Wetland Strategic Plan Will Soon Be Released!
After many months of hard work, the Elkhorn Slough Tidal Wetland Strategic Plan is almost finished and ready for distribution. The document has been in the final editing and graphic design phase for the past several weeks, but we’ll be sending it to the printers next week. Once the document is finalized, we will let everyone know and will post the document on the TWP web pages.

2) Measuring Marsh Changes: Sediment Elevation Tables (SET)
Although we know that we are losing marshes in Elkhorn Slough, we are still trying to determine why certain marshes have been deteriorating faster than others. To help us understand this, TWP has been collaborating with marsh extraordinaire Jill Rooth, who is providing us with on-going marsh sediment measurements. Rooth has installed four measurement stations within the Slough, with a pair of sediment elevation tables (SET) installed at each site to measure marsh sediment and elevation changes. Ultimately, by comparing sediment and elevation measurements with other factors affecting the marshes, we can begin to understand the interactions that may be influencing mash loss in Elkhorn Slough. To learn more about how Sediment Elevation Tables work, check out http://www.pwrc.usgs.gov/set/.

3) Did you know….What’s a NERR?
The Elkhorn Slough Tidal Wetland Project is led by the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (ESNERR), which is one of 27 nationally designated National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) sites. ESNERR became part of the NERR System in 1979, when the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) selected Elkhorn Slough to be its fifth NERR location. Since that time, two other California estuaries have joined the NERR system, including the Tijuana River Estuary in 1982 and the San Francisco Bay Estuary in 2003. As a NERR site, ESNERR is owned and managed by the California Department of Fish and Game in partnership with NOAA. To learn more about the NERR system, check out http://nerrs.noaa.gov/

4) Get Involved in the Coastal Policy Process
The NERR system was established by the Coastal Zone Management Act in 1972, an Act which provided much-needed guidance on how the nation should manage its coastal resources. Efforts have recently been underway to reauthorize the Act with new amendments included that would increase its effectiveness. The Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management, in partnership with the Coastal States Organization, has been spearheading such efforts, specifically through their campaign to create a future vision for coastal management. This campaign is now in “Phase Three,” which entails soliciting community input about coastal management principles and partnerships. We encourage you to get involved in Phase 3 by learning more about the CZMA and by sharing your costal management ideas. A public meeting about Envisioning the Future of Coastal Management is scheduled for San Francisco in June. You can also provide written comments after May 1st. For more information about this policy project, go to http://coastalmanagement.noaa.gov/czm/czma_vision.html.

5) Happy Earth Day!
Earth Day is officially this Sunday, and we encourage everyone to get outside and demonstrate your environmental stewardship. The Elkhorn Slough Foundation will be hosting an Earth Day Clean-up Event on Saturday, April 21st starting at 9 am in Kirby Park (http://www.elkhornslough.org/willow.htm). You can also learn more about the Elkhorn Slough Tidal Wetland Project (TWP) at the Earth Day Celebration hosted by the Monterey Institute of International Studies. TWP will have a table at this event, which also takes place tomorrow on the 21st from 10-4 pm (http://policy.miis.edu/programs/earth_day_maiep.html).

The Elkhorn Slough Tidal Wetland Project’s monthly email is sent out during the middle of each month and is intended to keep community members, local organizations, policy-makers, and other stakeholders up-to-date about current activities and ways to get involved with the Tidal Wetland Project. If you have any questions about items in this email or if you have suggestions of items you would like to see in future emails, please let us know! If you do not wish to receive these emails in the future, or if you only want to receive e-mail updates about upcoming Forums and events, please reply to this email to notify us.

Kind Regards,
The Elkhorn Slough Tidal Wetland Project Team

Barb Peichel, Tidal Wetland Project Coordinator
(831) 728-2822 x308

Kimberly Merin, Tidal Wetlands Program Specialist
(831) 728-5939 x242

Return to TWP news