Day Four - Elkhorn Reserve

On Wednesday, we went to the Elkhorn Slough Reserve to plant trees and explore the wildlife in the area. The goal of the Reserve is to restore the wildlife and nature that was destroyed by a dairy farm. We planted coast live oak trees that will stay alive for about three hundred years. We truly made our mark on this trip! We worked hard all morning on clearing the land, digging holes, and using "plenty-hose," or a mesh that protects the tree from underground, to plant the small trees. We were all very thankful for the rain boots that they gave us because we were not prepared for the rainy and muddy climate. Before lunch, we enjoyed an off-trail walk under the full grown coast live oak trees that they had at the Reserve. Bree, our instructor, asked us to walk through the trees silently to appreciate their beauty. Afterwards, we went around in a circle and shared words that described the morning. Some words were "fresh," "organic," and "peaceful."

Jeremy provided a delicious lunch of a variety of sandwiches and chips. Full and happy, our instructor Marilyn showed us all Elkhorn has to offer. We saw woodpeckers, otters, tadpoles, and a variety of trees. We then drove to see more otters. This sighting was definitely a favorite among the group because the otters were so cute! We returned to Monterey Bay and shopped some more. The eighth graders even ran into a small family and made friends with a one and a half year old named Emily and a three year old named Daniel. THEY WERE SO CUTE. Their parents joked with us about how one day we will be moms too and won't think that our kids are "SO CUTE" all the time. We all went to a restaurant for dinner and ate Mexican food. It was another fun day in Cali! We miss you guys!

- Zari, Nisa, and Isabel