Elkhorn Slough Foundation

Programs

1. The Research and Monitoring (RAM) program on the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (ESNERR) is the primary vehicle for conducting water quality monitoring, habitat monitoring, and biological monitoring on the Reserve and throughout the Elkhorn Slough Watershed. The research and monitoring team has also been responsible for the publication of a series of peer-reviewed scientific publications, listed on the website: https://elkhornslough.org/reserve/research. This is an ongoing program funded by grants from NOAA and various state and federal agencies supporting restoration science. Elkhorn Slough Foundation administers these funds for the benefit of ESNERR and slough conservation in concert with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. During the FY24-25 fiscal year, the Research team co-authored ten papers in scientific journals, studied metal contamination resulting from the Moss Landing Battery Fire, and continued to conduct marsh and oyster restoration in partnership with a local Tribe.

   $970,779 spent
   22% of program spending

2. The Tidal Wetland Program (TWP) is a multi-agency effort addressing one of the most critical ecological challenges in the tidal portions of Elkhorn Slough: the dramatic loss of vegetated marshland caused by historic modifications to the slough's hydrology. Collaborating with over 100 scientists, resource managers, local residents, and other stakeholders, TWP has employed an ecosystem-based management approach to halt habitat loss and restore natural functions to the slough system. This effort has resulted in the implementation of more natural tidal flow to the Parson's Slough complex and Whistlestop within the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, protecting over 450 acres of tidal wetlands and keeping public access to the main channel of the slough open.Ongoing work focuses on restoring wetlands through the beneficial reuse of clean sediments to rebuild subsided marshes, while also exploring the potential for carbon sequestration in these restored habitats. One key initiative, the Hester Marsh restoration, is revitalizing 150 acres of formerly diked and degraded marsh. This project involves elevating the subsided marsh plain by adding soil and bringing it to the…

   $1,500,877 spent
   34% of program spending

3. The Land Stewardship Program oversees the restoration, maintenance, and management of more than 5,900 acres within the Elkhorn Slough watershed. Over the past year, the Stewardship team collaborated with dozens of community volunteers and the California Conservation Corps to carry out a diverse range of conservation efforts. These activities included removing tons of trash and debris, controlling invasive weed species, monitoring key lands and wildlife, mapping natural resources, and propagating native plants. Through this work, the program has successfully transformed hundreds of acres of degraded landscapes, such as eroded sandhills, former eucalyptus groves, and abandoned farmland, into thriving, healthy habitats. Simultaneously, the program preserves the intact natural areas of the slough, ensuring their ecological vitality for the future. In the last fiscal year, the team achieved major milestones, including producing and out-planting millions of native seeds, highlighted by an 8-acre seeding project in the Hester grassland, and removing over 30 acres of fire-prone, invasive eucalyptus trees to reduce catastrophic wildfire risk and protect native plants and animals.

   $1,055,668 spent
   24% of program spending

4. Since 1982, the Elkhorn Slough Foundation (ESF) has led efforts to conserve and restore Elkhorn Slough and its watershed. Through the Land Acquisition program, ESF has protected over four thousand acres of key lands through an active program of acquiring fee and easement interests in properties in the watershed. Public interest conservation values secured by these acquisitions include open space, wildlife and rare species habitat, viewshed protection, groundwater recharge, and water quality improvement. By working in close collaboration with other agencies and organizations, ESF has been able to expand funding and support for Elkhorn Slough protection and conservation management. In the 2024-'25 fiscal year our accomplishments include: 1) renewed our accreditation with the Land Trust Accreditation Commission, 2) added a new strategic objective to protect wildlife connectivity to the upper watershed, 3) mapped and analyzed five properties totaling about 900 acres in the new connectivity area for potential acquisition, and 4) made steady progress on several transactions in the watershed totaling about 1,500 acres to protect wetlands, grasslands, oak woodland and sustainable farmland.

   $153,358 spent
   3% of program spending

5. ESF's Education and Public Relations Program (EPR) includes a vibrant social media presence and various public talks, walks, and programs designed for school and community groups. Each year, we support more than 20 outside organizations by providing volunteer opportunities for groups such as Scouting America, church groups, school groups, corporate volunteer programs, and more. Our outdoor education program engages over 150 local students by helping them build meaningful relationships with their peers and the natural environment. For example, students from Hall Elementary School have the opportunity to regularly experience open spaces through ~15 half-day visits per school year. In 2025, we doubled the number of local university students involved in our community programs from 23 to 46. These students, from California State University Monterey Bay, are completing Community Engagement Capstone Projects by helping us deliver programming to elementary school students and families in the community. Among other things, these students are learning how to develop culturally relevant programs that are consciously co-designed with participants, connecting families to the land and water in…

   $535,723 spentof which $6,491 as grants$61,853 earned by the program
   12% of program spending

6. The Training and Engagement Program (TE) is an ongoing ESNERR program, funded primarily by NOAA, that partners with other organizations to bring together diverse participants, including farmers, ranchers, private and public land managers, conservationists, regulatory and agency personnel, and scientists, to discuss and explore solutions to key natural resource management issues within the Central Coast region. TE also offers a suite of highly sought-after trainings on the biology and management of threatened and endangered wildlife species, such as California tiger salamanders, foothill yellow-legged frog, and western burrowing owls. In FY2024-2025, TE hosted or co-hosted seven training workshops that brought together approximately 380 environmental professionals and community members. TE builds collaborative networks that develop expertise and leadership to better conserve natural and working lands throughout the Elkhorn Slough watershed, the Central Coast region, and statewide.

   $193,762 spentof which $2,500 as grants
   4% of program spending

The 6 programs described on its FY2024 Form 990, listed largest first by expense. Program spending in total: $4,410,167.