Scientists and activists aim to save Elkhorn Slough from erosion and development before it's too late.

The tide is high at Elkhorn Slough, as it usually is this time of year. Harbor seals and sea otters take refuge in the sheltered waters, sunning, feeding on crabs and entertaining kayakers. By now, most of the sharks have migrated back out to Monterey Bay. They’ll return again in the late spring, and through the summer they’ll breed in the slough’s shallow waters. Along the banks, pickleweed seasonal colors turn the marshes rusty red.

Birds like Western sandpipers and black-bellied plovers roost in higher grounds, taking a rest from their winter journey to warmer climates. In all, tens of thousands of birds stop at Elkhorn Slough as they travel along the Pacific Flyway, the migration route for West Coast birds. As the tide ebbs, these birds will fly down from their posts and feed along the exposed mudflats before resuming their long commutes.

“There are a couple places where you can paddle up the slough and park your kayak on an ebbing tide and be enveloped by streams of shorebirds,” says Mark Silberstein, executive director of Elkhorn Slough Foundation. “It’s kind of like you’re in a school of fish. They surround you, and the sound of the wind and the wing is just one of those things that connects you.”

A few flocks of pelicans pass through. Most already have made their migration down to Baja, where they winter and breed. Earlier, in the fall, raptors flew overhead.

“This is an incredible window on these phenomena that most people have very little idea about, or little understanding of, or little consciousness of,” Silberstein says.

But the slough is in trouble. Man has been altering Elkhorn Slough for more than 100 years, and now its tidal marshes are rapidly eroding. This threatens the plant and animal life, and it’s harmful to human interests, too, including the railroad, Highway 1 (which crosses the slough), eco-tourism and water quality. Invasive species and global warming also pose danger to the water and wetlands. And as with any waterfront property in California, there is always pressure to build big homes with amazing views. It will take a collective effort to save Elkhorn Slough.