Table
of Contents
ESF
Adds 550 Acres to Protected Lands
The Work of Stewardship
Why Sediment is Bad
Trash Talk
Before and After Stewardship
ESF Board Elects New
President
New in the Slough
Slough Speak
A
New Look for www.elkhornslough.org
ESF Launches Stewardship Circle
More Land = More Stewardship = More Members
The
view west from the summit on Brothers Ranch
shows its key place in the slough watershed.
Last
summer, the Elkhorn Slough Foundation announced ambitious plans
to double the amount of land we protect by acquiring 2000 more
acres over three years. Less than six months later we are already
a quarter of the way towards achieving that goal. During the
fall, ESF completed the acquisition of two ranches in the upper
Slough, protecting 550 acres.
The ranches adjoin Carneros Creek, which supplies Elkhorn Slough
with 70 percent of its fresh water. ESF Executive Director Mark
Silberstein said the Foundation will restore a 17-acre freshwater
marsh and protect another 20 acres of creekside vegetation on
the lands. These steps will help reduce sediment build-up in
the slough. To reduce soil erosion, the Foundation will also
restore upland slopes that were previously cultivated.
“What you do on the land determines what goes into the
Slough,” Silberstein says. The Foundation will plant the
steepest erosion-prone slopes with deep-rooted native grasses
and build sediment catch basins to further reduce erosion and
run-off. Other lands will be sustainably farmed, Silberstein
said.
Both properties are adjacent to other ranches protected by the
Foundation (see map below). The Brothers Ranch (350 acres) is
west of the Elzas Ranch, which ESF acquired in 2001. The Triple
M Ranch was protected by the Foundation in 2000 through conservation
easements. El Chamisal Ranch (200 acres) adjoins land that is
owned by The Nature Conservancy and is managed by ESF.
“Ensuring economically viable and environmentally sustainable
agriculture is the key to the long-term protection of the Slough,”
Silberstein says. “We are committed to both sustainable
farming and protecting critical natural environments.”
The ranches include more than 90 acres of oak woodland and 80
acres of maritime chaparral, a rare habitat that occurs only
along the sandy ridges of the Central Coast.
Silberstein says the Foundation will host hikes for members
on the Brothers Ranch in the spring, when the wildflowers are
in bloom. “It is a spectacular sight,” Silberstein
says, “and one we will save for generations to appreciate.”
El
Chamisal Ranch and Brothers Ranch are shown in crosshatching.
Click here
to view a larger map.
ESF
now owns or manages more than 2500 acres, including 800 acres
owned by the Nature Conservancy and conservation easements on
230 acres. Silberstein said negotiations are underway on several
other properties in the Elkhorn Slough watershed.
More photos of these ranches are on our website, as is a link
to the San Jose Mercury News, which wrote a major story on ESF,
calling us “a model of environmental stewardship.”
(See home page.)
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Protecting
the land means hard work and lots of straw
During
the days before the first storm of the season, you could see the
excitement on the faces of the Foundation staff. Land Manager
Kim Hayes and Assistant Manager Ken Collins were directing a dozen
California Conservation Corp workers and several contractors,
pushing to get ready for the first winter rains.
CCC
workers build a sediment basin on Blohm Ranch.
The morning
before the storm hit, Kim pulled out of the parking lot at the
Reserve, the Foundation’s old pickup riding low under the
weight of the bags of seed and sandbags that filled the back.
Two van loads of CCC workers followed her as they raced against
the incoming clouds to El Chamisal Ranch. Their job: to spread
hundreds of bales of straw and tons of seed along a steep gully
created by years of runoff, in order to keep tons of soil from
washing down into Carneros Creek, the slough’s primary source
of fresh water.
Grading
the soil between ESF's Elzas and Brothers ranches.
In early December, a month after the first rains, ESF’s Land
Manager sits at her desk sorting through the bills. For the contractor
who worked on sediment basins and drainage channels at Elzas and
Blohm ranches, $34,500; for 2240 bales of rice straw spread along
erosion-prone roads and gullies, $8966; for 14,000 pounds of seed
used in gullies and drainage channels, $1925; for 1000 burlap
sandbags, $550. The grand total for one month of stewardship:
$60,000. Your stewardship dollars at work.
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In
1999, ESF, with the help of the Nature Conservancy,
developed the Elkhorn Slough Watershed Conservation
Plan, which guides our land protection efforts. The
plan identifies soil erosion as “the cause of the
most serious stress to the Elkhorn Slough ecosystem,”
which supports such a rich and unique abundance of life.
The watershed is particularly vulnerable because it
lies within a fragile geologic formation of ancient
sand dunes, making the hills surrounding the slough
highly susceptible to erosion.
Enough sediment over enough time can literally take
the wet out of wetlands, smothering the plants and animals
that thrive in an environment teeming with life. As
it moves into waterways, sediment also increases turbidity,
the cloudiness of water. This reduces light penetration,
starving plants. It can also clog the gills of aquatic
animals.
Perhaps the most insidious impact of sediment runoff
is that toxic chemicals piggypack on silt and clay particles
and move into the waterways and into the food chain.
That is how DDT, long out of use, decimated Elkhorn
Slough’s Caspian Tern colony in 1996. The long-lived
chemical persists in soil and moves only when the soil
does.
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The
two pictures below illustrate what stewardship is all about.
The first shows El Chamisal Ranch, which ESF acquired a few
months ago. The steep, highly eroded hillsides were cultivated
for many years. They are dotted now with non-native pampas
grass because invasive species thrive in highly disturbed
soils. If you look closely you can see deep gullies and severe
soil erosion from of years of unsustainable farming on steep
hillsides.
The second picture is Blohm Ranch, which the Elkhorn Slough
Foundation has been managing for the Nature Conservancy since
1992. The steep hillsides at upper left have been returned
to native grasses and shrubs. The less-steep hillsides in
the foreground are leased to Quail Mountain Herbs, which plants
them in herbs. Why herbs? Because these plants disturb the
soil less and so produce less erosion. They are perennial,
which means it’s not necessary to dig up the soil every season,
and their long-lasting root systems further stabilize the
soil.
Seeing these two ranches next to each other is a bit like
looking at before and after pictures – El Chamisal is
before a decade of stewardship, Blohm is after.
In the years ahead, we will see more of these kinds of pictures.
Farmers leasing other ESF lands are growing a diverse array
of crops, including flowers, strawberries, and vegetables.
We are working with these farmers, the National Resources
Conservation Service, and the Resource Conservation District
of Monterey to develop these lands as model farms – demonstrating
that sustainable agriculture has a place in the watershed
of a healthy slough.
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Our
long-term vision is a diverse healthy environment
in a working landscape, and sometimes, the way you
get there is by doing a lot of unglamorous dirty work.
There is no better example of “the grim preceding
the grand” than the clean-up of El Chamisal Ranch.
When the Foundation acquired the ranch, we made it
a condition that all trash be removed from the property.
It took months of work, mostly by one of the owners,
Juan Tapia. Here’s the final tally of trash:
Tons of trash removed: 175
Roll-off dumpsters filled: 22
Dump-truck loads removed: 18
Wrecked cars removed: 42
Farm vehicles removed: 17
Trucks and vans removed: 8
Boats removed: 3
Busses removed: 2
Tires removed: 720
Tons of plastic removed: 35
Estimated cost of cleanup: $145,000
ESF
Land Manager Kim Hayes is dwarfed by some of the 35
tons of buried plasting sheeting removed from El Chamisal
Ranch (click here
for a larger view in a new window).
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A
fter three years as the President of the ESF Board, Candace
Ingram is stepping down in January. She will continue on the
Board. Candy joined the Board in 1996, a big year in ESF history,
when the Foundation decided that saving Elkhorn Slough meant
taking on the responsibility of protecting thousands of acres
of land. “Our roots were in education and research,” says
Ingram, “and we came to see that long-term protection required
us to step forward and learn how to be a land trust.” It involved
a lot of learning. Ingram ticks off the dramatic change in
the Foundation during the past six years: “We developed the
watershed conservation plan, we developed an internal strategic
plan, we expanded the staff, we expanded the Board. These
things don’t just happen. They require a lot of work, and
we did it."
Outgoing
ESF Board President Candace Ingram passes the torch
to newly elected Board President Jerry Patrick.
Executive
Director Mark Silberstein credits Ingram with a major role
in “transforming the Foundation into a vital and successful
land trust.” Silberstein adds, “She guided us - and sometimes
pushed us - to become the organization we needed to become
to protect Elkhorn Slough.”
Ingram is succeeded by Jerry Patrick as chairman. Ingram says
Patrick has the skills and experience to lead the Foundation
into the next phase of its development. Patrick is past president
of Patrick & Associates, a consulting firm providing guidance
to nonprofits. Previously he was a marketing executive with
Proctor & Gamble and a senior administrator at Princeton University
and Wellesley College. He has served as an advisor to The
Nature Conservancy and has been honored as Professional Fundraiser
of the Year by the National Society of Fundraising Executives.
We will have an interview with Patrick in our next newsletter.
The Board also elected the following officers: Rich Morris,
vice president; Jack Taylor, secretary; and Wil Smith, treasurer.
You can read biographies of the entire Board on our website.
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A
lot
has been happening in the Elkhorn Slough in recent months.
Union Pacific is installing a new rail bridge at the entrance
to Parson’s Slough, working to complete the project
within the seasonal time frame requested by the staff and
the Reserve Advisory Committee in order to minimize the
impact on local wildlife. The possibility of a train derailment
at the bridge has long been a concern (especially the danger
of a hazardous material spill into the slough), so the replacement
of this bridge is most welcome.
In
an early phase of construction, workers weld the sections
of deep-reaching piles that will support the new bridge.
The tern fence (see below) is visible at lower right.
Putting
the final touches on the new rail bridge across Parsons
Slough.
Speaking
of bridges, the aging footbridge in the South Marsh Loop
Trail was also recently replaced (with funding from NOAA
and the Department of Fish and Game). The new, steel-framed
bridge is very sturdy – try it out!
Lowering
the new steel-framed footbridge
into place on the South Marsh Loop Trail.
A
group of researchers and volunteers recently made two trips
to “Tern Island” to remove a fence that had been
put up to protect the nests of Caspian Terns from predators
(primarily raccoons). In the summer of 2000, raccoons destroyed
nearly an entire generation of tern chicks on the island
(story). The
fence was removed because the terns did not cooperate –
they nested on other islands!
Reserve
staff and volunteers remove the tern fence.
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Watershed:
1) The
region draining into a body of water. The Elkhorn Slough watershed
totals approximately 45,000 acres, from the Pajaro Valley south
to Castroville, and from Monterey Bay east into San Benito County.
2) A critical point that serves as a dividing line. In 2002
the Elkhorn Slough Foundation announced that it would double
the amount of land it protects – a watershed moment for
the Slough watershed.
Riparian
corridor:
The bank of a natural course of water, home to a wide variety
of reeds, bushes, trees, and animals; the natural route for
the watershed’s drainage. The Elkhorn Slough watershed
comprises 1200 acres of riparian corridor, including Carneros
Creek, which supplies 70 percent of the Slough’s fresh
water. The Elkhorn Slough Foundation protects 1600 acres of
land that drain into Carneros Creek, including 100 acres of
riparian vegetation.
An
endangered brown pelican enjoys his perch
on the new South Marsh footbridge.
Endangered
or threatened species: A plant or animal species facing
the danger or threat of extinction. The state and federal governments
have separate lists of “endangered” and “threatened”
species. An endangered species is one already facing the danger
of extinction. A threatened species is one that is likely to
become extinct in the forseeable future. Endangered or threatened
species in the Elkhorn Slough watershed include the Western
Snowy Plover, the Brown Pelican, the California Sea Otter, the
Monterey Spineflower, and the Santa Cruz Tarplant.
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If
you’ve visited the Elkhorn Slough website in recent months,
you’ve noticed a new look. The site was given a makover by Greg
Hofmann, who was hired by ESF in August to manage the website
and the membership data-base. Greg was previously the Managing
Editor for the Adobe Systems website.
“My intention was to bring more of the site’s riches to the
surface,” Greg says. “The Foundation and the Reserve have put
a tremendous amount of great information on the website. With
this redesign you can get to many more places in just one click
from the home page.”
Recent additions to the website include:
• An aerial photo map of the
Reserve trails.
• Links to local tides
and weather.
• A map of the lands protected
by ESF.
• A 20-year history of the Foundation.
• A full-color guide to the least-wanted
invasive species for the Monterey Bay Area.
• Feature stories on the recent oakmoth
outbreak, research on shark
species found in Reserve waters, and the stewardship
of lands protected by the Foundation.
• The Photo of the Week
department, which highlights the varied animals, plants, and
landscapes of the slough.
Finally,
the website is a way for you to see the photos in this newsletter
in color, and the online edition of the newsletter will often
show more (and larger) photos than we have room for in the print
edition.
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In
June the Elkhorn Slough Foundation announced plans to double
the amount of land it protects to more than 4000 acres. Recognizing
the Foundation’s long-term stewardship responsibility for
these lands, the Board of Directors established the Elkhorn
Slough Stewardship Circle for those making annual contributions
of $1000 or more. The Board set a goal of 100 members of the
Stewardship Circle within three years.
Less than six months later, the Stewardship Circle has 34 Charter
Members, bringing us more than a third of the way towards the
Board’s goal. “It’s amazing,” says Stephen
Slade, ESF’s Development Director. Slade says that was
three times as many people giving $1000 or more than the year
before. “One hundred people at $1000 sounded impossible
at first,” Slade admits. “But then, permanently protecting
Elkhorn Slough probably sounded impossible twenty years ago,
too.”
Two Stewardship Circle challenges helped kick-start the campaign,
Slade says. The Wells Fargo Foundation issued a $10,000 challenge
in September, which was met in just seven weeks. Wells Fargo
Bank Market President for Monterey Bay Sue Lewis says, “The
Elkhorn Slough Foundation is doing vital work in the community,
and we wanted to support that and encourage others to join us.”
Lewis, who joined the Foundation Board last year, says “It’s
been really exciting to see people step forward to match this
challenge so quickly.” Lewis says she hopes “other
businesses will follow our lead” and issue Stewardship
Circle challenges.
In
addition to the Wells Fargo challenge, an anonymous Board member
challenged other Board members to join with a $5000 matching
pledge, a challenge that was met in just three weeks. All Foundation
Board members made significant contributions to ESF in 2002,
including eleven who have joined the Stewardship Circle.
Why are people stepping forward? Cynthia Jordan, a long-time
ESF member, put it this way: “An education and a healthy
environment are the things I want most for my daughter and grandchildren.
The education came about because of her desire and hard work,
which I was able to financially support. But providing a healthy
environment is more than one or two people can accomplish alone,
and so I turned to the Elkhorn Slough Foundation to make that
happen.”
Those involved in the Stewardship Circle receive invitations
to private tours of Foundation lands. In February the Foundation
Board will host the First Annual Stewardship Circle Dinner.
A
legacy of protected lands and water – could there
be a more lasting way to make a difference? By including
the Elkhorn Slough Foundation in your will or estate
plan, you are helping to leave a legacy for future generations.
For more information about estate planning, please contact
the Elkhorn Slough Foundation.
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Table
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It’s
a simple equation: Doubling the land we protect also doubles our
stewardship responsibilities. And to carry out those responsibilities,
we also need to double our membership. That’s the vision
of the Elkhorn Slough Foundation over the next few years.
Here’s how you can be a part of the equation:
• If you are
not yet a member, become one!
• If you are a member, make a special contribution to our
Stewardship Fund.
• You can also help by talking about the Elkhorn Slough
Foundation with friends, family members, and co-workers.
Share this newsletter
with them, or send them to our website, where they can find out
more about our work. We can help you by sending information to
anyone you’d like. Just give us a name and address, and we
will send along our 20th Anniversary Report and a newsletter.
We’ll ask them to join you in supporting an amazing project
– to forever protect Elkhorn Slough!
Help us double our membership by acting today.
Call: 831-728-5939
E-mail: esf@elkhornslough.org
Write: ESF, PO Box 267, Moss Landing, CA 95039
Web: www.elkhornslough.org/.
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The
Tidal Exchange is written and edited by ESF and ESNERR Staff
to receive a copy or send one to a friend, email
us.
Board
of Directors
Frank Capurro
Diane Cooley
Dick Hammond
Candace Ingram
Paul Irwin
Sue Lewis
Dick Nutter
Anne Olsen
Jerry Patrick
Wil Smith
Jack Taylor
Jim Van Houten
John Warriner
Board
of Advisors
Alan Baldridge
Mark Blum
Nancy Burnett
Louis Calcagno
Robert Davidson
Lisa Dobbins
William Doolittle
Mike Foster
Nancy Giberson
Sally Sousa
Robert Stephens
Mark Verbonich
Lydia Villarreal
Mary Yoklavich
ESF
Staff
Mark Silberstein, Executive Director
Kris Beall, Administrative Director
Stephen Slade, Director of Development
Kim Hayes, Land Manager
Ken Collins, Assistant Land Steward
Kevin Contreras, Land Acquisition Coordinator
Greg Hofmann, Webmaster/Development Associate
Susan Burgess, Bookstore Manager
Jeff Byler, Administration/Membership
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