Thank you for your interest in volunteering with at Elkhorn Slough! We offer several opportunities to get involved, have fun, and make a positive difference in the watershed. Short term and one-time opportunities include public clean-up days, planting days, and general workdays. We invite you to come out, get dirty and make new friends.
Check out our calendar for upcoming public volunteer days.
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.
National Trails Day 2010.
Special Projects – Advance Arrangements Required
We welcome families, scouts, corporate outings, schools, and other groups to volunteer with special projects. We offer a variety of tasks depending on your time commitment, interests, and abilities. Past projects have included weeding, planting, fire abatement, fence building and repair, sweeping, painting, and general program support. Special projects can be arranged for a few hours to several days. If you’re interested in arranging a special project, please call the Elkhorn Slough Foundation at (831) 728-5939.
Organizations that have donated time and energy to the watershed include:
REI
HSBC
CTB McGrawHill
Gavilan College
California Conservation Corps
Northeastern University Alterative Spring Break
Vanderbilt University
Earthwatch
Girl Scouts
Boy Scouts
Educational addition to special projects:
Including an educational component to your service trip is possible. We offered naturalist guided walks, science lab observation and learning with a plankton lab and a plant lab, hands-on activities, and field activities. When requesting a special project opportunity, let staff know if you also are interested in an educational component.
Annual Clean-Up Days – 3rd Saturday in April and 3rd Saturday in September
Each year we partner with our neighbors and friends to clean up the Elkhorn Slough Watershed. Our spring clean up coincides with the Monterey County Clean up and other Earth Day events. In fall, clean up coincides with the California Coastal Commission’s annual coastal clean up event and National Estuaries Day. Each event runs 9:00 am – noon. Check our calendar for more details, as the dates get closer.
See our facebook album for pictures of past events.
Find out about upcoming volunteer events:
- Check out our calendar for upcoming public volunteer days.
- Sign up for Slough Buzz email updates below to stay informed on all upcoming volunteer events.
For more information on becoming a volunteer at Elkhorn Slough, contact:
Amanda Ankenbrandt, Volunteer Coordinator
(831) 728-2822 ext. 303
Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve Volunteer Program
1700 Elkhorn Rd., Watsonville, CA 95076
