In 2004, a new Tidal Wetland Plan (TWP) initiative was launched, engaging those with jurisdiction over Slough area wetlands, stakeholders, and regional scientists. The purpose of the TWP is to set habitat goals for Elkhorn Slough tidal wetlands and determine the best strategies for achieving them. The TWP process has identified the need for more local information regarding ecological responses to tidal restriction.

One of the most sensitive, best understood, and relevant indicators of estuarine ecosystem condition is the benthic infaunal assemblage. Data have recently been collected by the expert MLML benthic lab team from sites along the main channel, with funding from SIMoN. These data are key for examining community changes since the last major sampling effort in the 1970s, and thus for investigating effects of tidal erosion in these full flow sites. However, no data are available to compare benthic invertebrates at sites under different current tidal management. Indeed, there have been virtually no assessments of the benthic infauna – the characteristic estuarine assemblage that supports more familiar charismatic creatures such as migratory shorebirds, leopard sharks and sea otters – in the wetlands managed by Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (South Marsh, North Marsh,Whistlestop Lagoon, Pick N Pull Marsh) or the Elkhorn Slough Foundation (Azevedo Ponds, Porter Marsh, Moro Cojo). To inform wise management by ESNERR and ESF, and to contribute to the Tidal Wetland Plan, we critically need benthic invertebrate data from sites other than the main channel.

This project will result in two major deliverables. The main deliverable will be the data, which will represent not only a yardstick of current conditions in the Slough peripherial areas, but will also provide a yardstick against which future changes can be measured. The data will be incorporated into the results from MLML’s ongoing SIMoN project, as well as be used by the ESNERR. The second deliverable will be a peer-reviewed paper that describes current benthic communities in Elkhorn Slough in relation to water flow regimes. This manuscript may be produced after the grant period