page_title: Elkhorn Slough
section_title: Foundations
hierarchical_section_title: Elkhorn Slough / Conservation ownership / Foundations
caption_attribution_description: Enhydra lutris English: Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris) preening itself in Morro Bay Feb. 21, 2007. taken from a kayak on a calm day... this critter got very comfortable with us... so we did not molest it by drifting fairly close. In fact, I discarded many shots because the focus range was set for ≥6.5 meters, and I was closer than that. Français&#160;: Une Loutre de mer (Enhydra lutris) se nettoie elle même. Photo prise depuis un kayak de mer par temps calme au large de Morro Bay en Californie, aux États-Unis. Cliché pris avec un appareil Canon 20D et un objectif 100-400 mm f/4.5-5.6 IS. Exposition 1/250 s, f/11, sensibilité ISO 400. Русский: Калан (или морская выдра) (Enhydra lutris) прихорашивается в Morro Bay. Снято с байдарки в тихий день... этому товарищу наше общество было вполне сносно... поэтому он не возражал, чтобы мы подплыли ближе и сфотографировали его.
context_page_description: Elkhorn Slough is a 7-mile-long tidal slough and estuary on Monterey Bay in Monterey County, California. The community of Moss Landing and the Moss Landing Power Plant are located at the mouth of the slough on the bay.
  Elkhorn Slough harbors the largest tract of tidal salt marsh in California outside the San Francisco Bay and provides much-needed habitat for hundreds of species of plants and animals, including more than 340 species of birds. It has been designated as a protected Ramsar site since 2018.
  The California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment has issued a safe advisory for any fish caught in Elkhorn Slough due to elevated levels of mercury and PCBs. In addition, there is a notice of "DO NOT EAT" for leopard sharks and bat rays for women 18-45 years old and children 1-17 years old.
context_section_description: The nonprofit  Elkhorn Slough Foundation is the single largest land owner in the watershed, with nearly 3,600 acres (1,500 ha).
  The nonprofit Nature Conservancy was the first to buy Elkhorn Slough property with the goal to protect the area's habitat and wildlife. The Nature Conservancy started with only 60 acres in 1971 and through gifts and purchases of disjointed parcels, gained over 800 acres (320 ha) by September 2012, when it transferred 750 acres (300 ha) to  the Elkhorn Slough Foundation. The Foundation already managed conservation on these parcels.
caption: Sea otters are found in Elkhorn Slough.
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