South Slough Reserve, Oregon

Location: The reserve is located five miles south of Charleston, Ore., on the South Slough of the Coos Bay estuary Total Acreage: 4,779 (including open bay water) Designation: 1974 Lead State Agency: Department of State Lands Mailing Address: South Slough Reserve P.O. Box 5417 Charleston, OR 97420 Phone: 541-888-5558

The South Slough Reserve contains upland forests, freshwater wetlands and ponds, salt marshes, mud flats, eelgrass meadows and open water habitats. Major activities at the reserve include K-12 and adult education; ecological research and monitoring; and wetland restoration.

South Slough is the southwestern arm of the larger Coos estuary. The Coos estuary is an example of a drowned river mouth estuary. The formation of such estuaries along the Oregon coast began 20,000 years ago as glaciers melted and sea level began to rise, flooding river valleys.