Off to our left, a dozen sea otters bobbed around on their backs. One ducked down, disappeared for a moment and then emerged within a few feet -- staring right at me and rubbing its beard -- then ...

Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve teems with wildlife, which is almost within reach from the boat. Best sightings: Otters, harbor seals, ducks and shorebirds, including egrets ...

First detected in the slough in 1994, the population of green crabs at Elkhorn Slough peaked in the early 2000s. Never again has the population reached the heights of its boom years.

The first male sea otter arrived in the Elkhorn Slough, 35 miles north of Bixby Cove, in the late 1990s. Only in the early 2000s did females arrive, and soon thereafter pups, said Wasson.

The first male sea otter arrived in the Elkhorn Slough, 35 miles north of Bixby Cove, in the late 1990s. Only in the early 2000s did females arrive, and soon thereafter pups, said Wasson.