Difference between revisions of "Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (ESNERR)"

Revision as of 10:18, 1 February 2011

• 1,439 acre Reserve
• one of 27 National Estuarine Research Reserves
• largest of thirteen sanctuaries in the National Marine Sanctuary System
• run by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and managed by the California Department of Fish and Game (CDF).

Mission

“The mission of the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve is to improve the understanding and stewardship of Elkhorn Slough and its watershed.”

conservation targets

• 1.Tidal estuary
• 2.Coastal prairie/Coastal scrub
• 3.Maritime chaparral
• 4.Riparian/Freshwater wetlands
• 5.Coast live oak woodlands

Research

The research and monitoring for ESNERR are shaped around national plans that help to establish the priorities, goals and implementation approaches for the program. ESNERR designs all research around the defined goals of the Reserve system. These goals are as follows:

• promote public, federal and state use of the areas
• address ecosystem issues that have been identified by previous research
• conduct research to better understand the area

The reserve system is focusing on the following research areas:

• 1. Eutrophication, effects of non-point source pollution and/or nutrient dynamics;
• 2. Habitat conservation and/or restoration;
• 3. Biodiversity and/or the effects of invasive species;
• 4. Mechanisms for sustaining resources within estuarine ecosystems; or
• 5. Economic, sociological, and/or anthropological research applicable to estuarine ecosystem management

thumb|Elkhorn Slough

training activities

References

ESNERR Management Plan 2007-2011