Photo by Joel Avila, Hawkeye Aerial Photography
Though our county boundaries mark Elkhorn Slough as part of Monterey County and thus not within our Group's official jurisdiction, our natural places belong to all of us and we wish to support the protection of the land and animals--and people!--who live in this area. Please learn more about the work of EcoRights in protecting Elkhorn Slough:
"Help us stop industry from polluting Elkhorn Slough and its sea otters.
"EcoRights volunteers recently discovered polluted industrial stormwater flooding into Elkhorn Slough from the Pick-n-Pull auto-wrecking yard in Moss Landing. In response, we are launching this campaign — testing, lobbying, filing, and petitioning — to stop the pollution that threatens the sea otters and other delicate wildlife that depends on the Slough’s rare and fragile ecosystem.
"EcoRights sampled the stormwater on three separate occasions, finding toxic metals, such as copper and lead, and gasoline and diesel constituents. The polluted water also had high “oxygen demand,” which robs the estuary water of its much-needed oxygen. The facility, owned by Schnitzer Steel Industries, one of the nation’s largest scrap metal corporations, dismantles tens of thousands of scrap vehicles each year on the shores of Elkhorn Slough. The company’s own monitoring confirms its stormwater contains pollutants at levels exceeding EPA and California benchmarks.
"The Elkhorn Slough Tidal Estuary is an incredibly rich biological area. It supports a diversity of species that might be the highest in California for a watershed of its size. It is home to harbor seals, southern sea otters, red-legged frogs, and is a resting spot for more than 200 migrating bird species. The particular section of the estuary where the auto dismantling yard discharges, “Yampah Island,” is the most heavily used southern sea otter pup rearing ground in the entire range of this recovering species. Otter pups are particularly susceptible to the harmful effects of pollution, as mothers offload accumulated toxics in breast milk, making the first pup very vulnerable to contaminants.
"On March 11, 2015, over the objections of our legal representatives, the Monterey County Planning Commission extended Pick-n-Pull’s Coastal Development Permits for ten more years, without requiring a thorough analysis of the operation’s impact on the Slough and its resident species.
"EcoRights is appealing that decision to the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, and if needed, we will appeal the decision to the California Coastal Commission. EcoRights has also notified the company that its discharges violate the Federal Clean Water Act and of our plans to enforce that law.
"Please help us convince Monterey County and the California Coastal Commission that if these facilities cannot be operated without contaminating Elkhorn Slough, they should be relocated, and that no Coastal Development Permits should be renewed without a comprehensive environmental impact study."