Coast Starlight passing Elkhorn Slough

If you love otters you’ll love this place and this video

https://youtu.be/Si3cqzjKL3o

#California #Trains #Amtrak #CoastStarlight #ElkhornSlough #Marine #Outside

"Technologies that help us address climate change still have the potential to cause harm, and taking that seriously is crucial." https://www.technologyreview.com/2025/02/13/1111843/battery-fire-moss-landing-power-plant/

“The EPA tested for one of the pollutants that measures air quality index – particulate size. This is what the Monterey Bay Air Resource District (MBARD) does when it produces an evaluation of air quality. Neither agency tests for heavy metals. Heavy metals testing was done by Dr. Ivano Aiello of the Moss Landing Marine Labs around the Elkhorn Slough and by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control with Monterey County Environmental Health Department.”—Supervisor Glenn Church, District 2, Monterey County Board of Supervisors https://mailchi.mp/co/supervisor-churchs-february-2025-newsletter?e=68a4a27afc

#MontereyCounty #MossLanding #BatteryStorage #energy #MontereyBay #ElkhornSlough #California #ToxicSubstances #EnvironmentalHealth

So, when I see catastrophic events like the #BESSFires or widespread #PFASContamination in #BrunswickMaine, the first thing I think of is, "Where are the wildlife going to hide? How is this event going to affect them and the nearby #ecosystems?"

"The #ElkhornSlough Reserve is closed until further notice due to potential health risks from a fire at the #MossLanding Battery Storage Plant that started on January 16.

"The area has been evacuated and will remain closed until emergency services determines that air quality is no longer hazardous.

"Elkhorn Slough is a cherished #ecosystem of tremendous importance to #MontereyBay and beyond. We appreciate all the efforts of local, county, and state authorities and emergency response teams, as well as the outpouring of concern from the community regarding health impacts for people and #wildlife in the area.

"We have not yet seen reports of any documented negative environmental impacts from this incident, but it is too early to know. The Elkhorn Slough Reserve conducts robust monitoring programs for water quality, habitats, and wildlife. We will be looking closely at impacts from this incident in the future, and will collaborate with partner agencies in their monitoring efforts."

https://elkhornslough.org/moss-landing-fire-incident-january-2025/
#EnvironmentalDamage #ManMadeDisasters

#TIL #TodayILearned

One of my favorite places to #kayak - #ElkhornSlough - is really the mouth of the #MontereyBay Canyon.

I am familiar with the area, but never thought about it that way!

Sea #Otters’ Appetite for Crab Is Helping Strengthen Estuary Banks https://eos.org/articles/sea-otters-appetite-for-crab-is-helping-strengthen-estuary-banks

Top-predator recovery abates geomorphic decline of a coastal ecosystem https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06959-9

"#SeaOtters have reduced bank #erosion rates by 69% in #ElkhornSlough, a coastal wetland south of SF, in the decades since their return. Their big effect is due to their big appetites—the marsh has been eroding, in part, because of root-munching shore #crabs that burrow into the soil and destabilize the banks."