REFERENCE MATERIAL FOR IDENTIFIED PRIORITY ISSUES
The Elkhorn Slough CTP website posts and maintains selected workshop materials and articles felt to be the best available science-based information, tools, and techniques that are pertinent to the priority issues identified. Information is grouped according to the four identified priority issues:
Habitat Restoration
The habitat restoration educational programs focus on gathering the latest conservation science and policy on issues regarding species, habitats, and ecological processes identified as critical by regional planning documents and ongoing local needs assessments. Two specific educational foci have been identified at this time.
- Conservation, ecology, restoration, and management of unique coastal habitats
- Recovering endangered species
Central Coast Fire Learning Network
Grasslands Monitoring and Management
Landscape-level conservation planning
Ohlone Tiger Beetle: Public Site
Riparian Conservation and Ecology
Santa Cruz Long-Toed Salamander
Watsonville to Elkhorn Wetlands Conservation Alliance
Maintaining Biodiversity
There are many issues in maintaining biological diversity in California, but a primary one identified by local and regional analyses has been controlling non-native species.
- Control of non-native, invasive plants
- Control of non-native wildlife
Polluted Runoff
Agriculture and its concomitant pollutants are widely recognized as an important issue in our region. The combination of local research, political pressure, and an innovative agricultural community make for fertile ground for the development of ESNERR CTP educational programs in this area. Until additional resources are obtained, we will largely focus on developing partnerships to explore the following issues.
- Sediment and nutrients from agricultural fields adjacent to Elkhorn Slough, nearshore waters, and other regional wetlands
- Sediment and nutrients as a non-point source pollution that is associated with intense livestock grazing
- Pesticide contamination of Elkhorn Slough, nearshore waters, and other regional wetlands
Modeling Nitrogen in the Elkhorn Watershed
Sustainable Human Systems
Nationally, this educational focus is termed 'sustaining estuarine ecosystems,' but locally this topic largely reflects the need to create more sustainable human systems in and around our regional estuaries. As complex and multidimensional as this subject is, two priority topics have been identified through our analyses.
- Management of Elkhorn Slough recreation use
- Saltwater intrusion
Central Coast Fire Learning Network
