ABOUT THE ELKHORN SLOUGH

Elkhorn Slough is a major estuary located in the Monterey Bay that provides valuable habitat area for hundreds of aquatic bird, fish, marine mammal and invertebrate species and is critical to regional biodiversity. The health of Elkhorn Slough is a high priority for the region.

This region is highly vulnerable to sea level rise impacts. The eight-mile stretch of Highway 1 through Elkhorn Slough provides local access to Moss Landing, is essential to freight movement, and is a major commuting route connecting Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties.

The railway runs along the main stem of the Slough for five miles and is critical to freight and planned expansion of passenger rail service to provide an alternative option to driving US 101 Highway to San Jose.

The 2020 Central Coast Highway 1 Climate Study led by the Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) developed and evaluated adaptation strategies for Highway 1 and the parallel railway and County roadway to improve resilience of transportation infrastructure using nature-based solutions to benefit the Elkhorn Slough.