Are you seeking job opportunities to benefit the environment in Santa Cruz? The Coastal Watershed Council is growing with two new positions joining the team. We are seeking a Communications Manager and a Development Associate. Review the job descriptions below for...

Residents who live along the lower San Lorenzo River are predicted to experience more extreme storms and flooding as a result of climate change. The Beach Flats and Lower Ocean neighborhoods, which straddle the mouth of the San Lorenzo River where it enters the...

At CWC, we're so grateful for all of the volunteers, supporters, program partners and participants and community members that have made this year great. Your generosity, energy, and support make good things happen every day at the Coastal Watershed Council. Check out...

The Coastal Watershed Council is thrilled to announce the...

Many reasons and many ways for you to give to CWC. We’re also highlighting some other organizations worthy of your support and we invite you to give to them as well. See who we’re including.

This blog outlines how CWC views the disaster of this past week as sad, infuriating – and a potential turning point for the organization to successfully advocate for the San Lorenzo River.

Before the names of Santa Cruz and the San Lorenzo River, the village along the river where it met the ocean was called “Aulintak” by the Awaswas-speaking Uypi tribe. Today, those who live where Aulintak once stood are honoring the name of this place by incorporating it into a new neighborhood storm drain mural in Poet’s Park located in the heart of the Beach Flats neighborhood.

Historically and currently a mostly white organization, CWC is exploring how we might step into bold work to save our species.

How to light a Riverwalk but shield the river creatures from our human-needed light.

The City of Santa Cruz is changing the way the San Lorenzo Lagoon is managed through an innovative engineering solution that addresses flooding, fish habitat and public safety needs.

Are there still laws that protect the health of rivers, or have they been overturned, or ignored?

CWC, artist Irene Juarez O’Connell and Beach Flats Families collaborate on Santa Cruz’s next storm drain mural along the San Lorenzo River!

What’s the connection between your financial planning and healthy kids, water quality and river habitat?

This is the coolest river map you’ve ever seen. Really!

City and County of Santa Cruz reinvest in CORE Investments.

How is CWC doing on transparency standards?

The first Saturday in May is just around the corner, and with it comes the 22nd Annual Snapshot Day! Due to safety precautions, Snapshot Day will look a little different this year than in years past, yet remains a great way to get outdoors, to explore your watershed...

How do we protect the river AND honor the challenges and complexity of homelessness? CWC’s advocacy positions carefully balance being river advocates and respecting the dignity of people experiencing homelessness. There’s no denying that we’re seeing the negative effects on the river and Riverwalk from illegal camping in the riparian zone. What can a watershed nonprofit do about it?

Like so many of you, at CWC we're always seeking new ways to learn more about the issues that matter most to us. As our community invests in a thriving local news ecosystem, we're eager to see an increased focus on the environment in local reporting as we welcome home...

As I complete my service as a proud member of the Coastal Watershed Council Board of Directors, I wish to thank our community and share some observations. I am genuinely grateful for the assistance that so many of you provide to transform the lower San Lorenzo River...

The Coastal Watershed Council stands with Black Lives Matter, condemns hate, racism and violence against Black people and commits to practicing anti-racism, allyship and intersectional environmentalism. As a leader of a mostly white organization, I will start with listening and learning, which matches our organization’s strategy or “theory of change,” to transform the San Lorenzo River into a community destination that Santa Cruz is proud of and drawn to…

Not all experiences should be remembered. If we recall our struggles too crisply, the burden may be heavy. On the other hand, forgotten memories cost us the warmth and appreciation from special moments in our lives. Ideally, we have full recall of the highlights and...

The Santa Cruz Riverwalk has re-opened. If you live within walking or biking distance, now is the perfect time to get outdoors and visit the lower San Lorenzo River. Check out CWC's newly published activities for you and your family to enjoy while abiding by the...

Over the last few weeks, we've all experienced a tremendous amount of rapid change as we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, shelter in place and protect the most vulnerable in our community. As of midnight on April 8, the Santa Cruz Riverwalk park and all Santa Cruz...

Currently a senior at UCSC studying marine biology, Meg DeCoite is thrilled to come onboard as CWC’s After-School Educator leading the Watershed Rangers programs at Westlake and DeLaveaga elementary schools. This environmental education program connects, inspires and...

Thanks to all of the hundreds of volunteers, donors and supporters like you, 2019 was a great year for the Coastal Watershed Council! It's because of you that: CWC advocated for the commemoration of Santa Cruz's historic Chinese neighborhoods with the naming of the...