Training

See also: Tidal Wetlands, Habitat Restoration

Over the past 150 years, human actions have altered the tidal, freshwater, and sediment processes that are essential to support healthy ecosystems at Elkhorn Slough. Large areas of tidal marshes were diked and drained in the 20th century. This caused subsidence and when dikes failed, the areas were too low to support healthy marsh. In these previously diked areas the salt marsh habitat is almost entirely gone. In addition to this habitat degradation, modeling suggests most of Elkhorn Slough’s remaining marshes will be lost within 50 years due to sea-level rise. The 122-acre Hester marsh restoration project is the first large scale restoration, of its type, in this estuary.  Over 400,000 cubic yards of soil is being used to bring the marsh up to a sustainable elevation, high in the tidal frame. Restoring this degraded habitat highlights the importance of a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach to restoring sustainable habitat for the future.

This is a one hour webinar to hear from Monique Fountain, Director of the Tidal Wetland Program at the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve. Folks can participate from anywhere. Registration will be handled through the California Coastal Resilience Network, not through the Coastal Training Program.

To register for the webinar, please visit:

https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7525972779471812363