MEDIA ADVISORY
October 18, 2018
For more information:
Scott Nichols, ESF Development & Communications Manager
Email: communications@elkhornslough.org
Phone: (831) 728-5939
Interested members of the media are invited to attend this first-of-its-kind restoration effort, which offers exceptional video, photo, and interview opportunities from an active research site on the tidal mudflats of the Elkhorn Slough.
Researchers Planting Baby Oysters at Elkhorn Slough (10/23)
First Attempt in California to Restore Native Oysters through Aquaculture
ELKHORN SLOUGH, CA — On the afternoon of Tuesday, October 23, 2018, members of the media are invited to attend as a team of researchers and volunteers plant juvenile Olympia oysters in the tidal mudflats of Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. This outplanting of juvenile oysters, raised in partnership with Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, represents the first attempt to support California’s dwindling native oyster populations through aquaculture.
WHAT: Planting juvenile Olympia oysters (grown through aquaculture in partnership with Moss Landing Marine Laboratories) in the tidal mudflats of the Elkhorn Slough Reserve.
WHEN: Tuesday, October 23, 2018, 3:00pm-6:00pm. Media are encouraged to RSVP.
WHERE: Meet at the Elkhorn Slough Reserve Visitor Center, 1700 Elkhorn Road, Watsonville, CA 95076 (map). We will provide rubber boots, if needed, and shuttle media to and from the project site on the Elkhorn Slough Reserve’s tidal mudflats (approx. 10 minutes).
WHO: Reserve Research Coordinator Dr. Kerstin Wasson with researchers, students, and volunteers from Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (ESNERR), Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC), and Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML). When the work is complete, there will be a celebratory toast led by MLML Director Jim Harvey, joined by Assemblyman Mark Stone and other supporters of California aquaculture and oyster restoration, including the Anthropocene Institute which provided substantial funding.
WHY: Researchers, students, and volunteers will plant juvenile oysters in Elkhorn Slough to help restore dwindling native oyster populations. This represents the first attempt to support native oyster restoration through aquaculture in the state of California.
CONTACT: For more information or to RSVP, please contact Scott Nichols, ESF Development & Communications Manager, at communications@elkhornslough.org or (831) 728-5939.
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Administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) which owns the property, the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (ESNERR), is one of 29 Reserves established nationwide to support long-term research, water-quality monitoring, environmental education, and coastal stewardship. The Elkhorn Slough Foundation (ESF) works in partnership with the Reserve, and is the only nonprofit organization solely dedicated to protecting Elkhorn Slough and its watershed forever. For more information, visit: www.elkhornslough.org.
