Elkhorn Slough

What Elkhorn Slough does

Elkhorn Slough is a nonprofit coastal wetland reserve located in Watsonville, California, founded in 1982. It stewards one of California's last remaining great coastal wetlands, providing habitat for native plants, animals, and migratory birds. The organization also serves the general public through environmental education programs and outdoor recreation opportunities on or adjacent to the reserve.

The reserve is operated with a small staff of 11-50 employees, consistent with a community-scale conservation nonprofit. Its public-facing surface is centered on the elkhornslough.org domain, through which it likely communicates educational content, visitation information, and donation or volunteer engagement. There is no indication of commercial product lines, technology platforms, or proprietary tools in the source data.

The business model is that of a typical small environmental nonprofit: funding is most plausibly derived from a combination of donations, membership contributions, grants, and potentially modest program or event-based fees, rather than from commercial sales. No revenue figures, fundraising totals, donor concentrations, or partnership economics are disclosed in the available data. The organization's mission — habitat preservation, research access, education, and recreation — is publicly oriented and not transactional in nature.

Name

Elkhorn Slough

Legal name

Elkhorn Slough

Website

https://elkhornslough.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Coastal Wetland Conservation

akta.pro primary industry

Marine & Freshwater Conservation (BPAGAGAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Parks, Recreation & Protected Areas Administration (BPAIAMAH)

Keywords

• Coastal wetland conservation
• Wildlife habitat protection
• Environmental education programs
• Nature reserve access
• Biodiversity preservation

Headquarters

HQ city

Watsonville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Elkhorn Slough is a nonprofit coastal wetland reserve that preserves one of California's last remaining significant coastal wetland ecosystems. The organization provides habitat protection for plants, animals, and birds, and offers public environmental education and recreation programs at the reserve.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Coastal Wetland Conservation and Habitat Protection Stewardship of one of California's last remaining significant coastal wetland ecosystems, providing protected habitat for species of plants, animals, and birds. Service is delivered to the general public, researchers, and the conservation community as a public-good conservation offering.
• Public Environmental Education Programs Educational programming tied to the coastal wetland, designed to inform visitors, students, and community members about coastal ecosystems, biodiversity, and conservation. Targeted at the general public and environmental learners in California.
• Nature Access and Recreation at the Reserve Public access to the Elkhorn Slough coastal wetland reserve for recreation and direct nature engagement, offered to visitors and community members in the Watsonville, California area.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves1 record

Emerging players

• Surfrider Foundation: U.S. nonprofit focused on beach access, water quality, and coastal ecosystem protection. Comparable as a California-rooted coastal conservation organization with public engagement and habitat advocacy missions.

Direct peers

• Point Blue Conservation Science: California-based nonprofit conservation science organization working on coastal ecosystems including the Elkhorn Slough region. Comparable as a nonprofit combining applied research, habitat monitoring, and conservation action on California coastlands.
• Save The Sound: Regional nonprofit focused on protecting and improving Long Island Sound and its watershed. Comparable as a nonprofit dedicated to a specific coastal/estuarine ecosystem with habitat protection, water quality, and public engagement missions.
• Ducks Unlimited: Conservation nonprofit specializing in wetland preservation and restoration across North America. Closely aligned with Elkhorn Slough's wetland habitat mission, though focused on waterfowl-driven freshwater wetlands rather than coastal estuarine systems.
• Heal the Bay: California-based nonprofit focused on coastal and marine ecosystem protection, particularly around Santa Monica Bay. Comparable as a California coastal conservation nonprofit combining advocacy, education, and habitat protection.
• Monterey Bay Aquarium: Major nonprofit marine conservation and education institution located on Monterey Bay near Elkhorn Slough. Comparable as a Monterey Bay-area marine conservation nonprofit combining habitat advocacy, research, and public education programming.

Broad incumbents

• The Nature Conservancy: One of the largest global environmental nonprofits, operating land and water conservation programs across California and beyond. Directly comparable as a nonprofit conservation organization focused on habitat protection, though operating at vastly greater scale and geographic breadth.
• National Audubon Society: Major bird and habitat conservation nonprofit with significant California coastal and wetland programs. Comparable as a mission-aligned conservation NGO combining habitat protection with public education, though broader in species and geography.

Regional players

• Pacific Marine Mammal Center: California coastal nonprofit dedicated to marine mammal rescue, rehabilitation, and research. Comparable as a California coastal nonprofit with education and species-habitat protection missions, though specialized to marine mammals rather than broader wetland ecosystems.
• California State Coastal Conservancy: California state agency that protects and improves coastal resources through grants and partnerships. Highly comparable given the shared California coastal conservation focus, though operating as a public grant-making body rather than a direct land steward.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/elkhornslough

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Elkhorn Slough