Elkhorn Slough Conservation

the problem:

Elkhorn Slough is in Moss Landing, California. Moss Landing is surrounded by ocean so it is important that surrounding land is properly taken care of so that we avoid negative impact to the ocean. The problem this project was meant to solve is run-off from agricultural fields. Fertilizers and pesticides are used to help crops grow which is a benefit but when these products flow into surrounding rivers and creeks that lead into the ocean, we have a problem.

vital stats:

people impacted:

0

people involved:

0

why it's important:

The project is meant to inform people of what is occuring in the community and inspire alternative ways to grow crops. With this project we compared what and how many nutirents rivers surrounded by agricultural fields have to those that were not surrounded by the fields.

the plan of action:

I worked with a scientist from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute to find out where excess nutrients were entering the Elkhorn Slough. We went to 5 different end members that all led to the slough weekly to test the water to find out the levels of nutrients. With our findings we proved that surrounding agricultural fields contributed greatly to the amount of nutrients that were ending up on the slough.

how you can get involved:

Support organic farms. They do not use any pesticides which will not produce run-off of any kind which is good for surrounding habitats.

project updates:

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