What’s the latest San Lorenzo River news?
Read the Coastal Watershed Council blog to learn the latest on transforming the lower San Lorenzo River into a community destination by inspiring people to explore, enhance and protect this critical cultural and natural resource. You’ll read about CWC’s programs and the people like you that make them possible. Check out the latest in San Lorenzo River news:
In New Video, Beach Flats Residents Share Stories about Tlaloc Storm Drain Mural
A new video produced by the Coastal Watershed Council in partnership with Inspira Studios features Latine members of the Beach Flats community sharing stories about their neighborhood, the nearby San Lorenzo River, and the Tlaloc storm drain mural in Beach Flats Park....
CWC Welcomes Sammie Aramaki as Seasonal Restoration Technician
CWC is pleased to welcome Sammie as our Seasonal Restoration Technician. Sammie supports riparian habitat restoration at the San Lorenzo River through invasive species removal, native seed installation, vegetation monitoring, and volunteer engagement. They help lead...
Amber Blakeslee Joins CWC Board of Directors
CWC is pleased to welcome our newest board member, Amber Blakeslee, who brings 20 years of experience in strategic budgeting, fiscal oversight, and collaborative decision-making to our organization. Amber is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Budget Analysis and...
Dan Ackerstein Joins CWC Board of Directors
CWC is pleased to welcome Dan Ackerstein to our Board of Directors! Dan brings 20 years of experience as an environmental sustainability consultant, including work on habitat restoration and water stewardship. His fascination with the environment and water began as a...
CWC Relaunches River Stewards Program with People First of Santa Cruz County
People experiencing homelessness in Santa Cruz are again receiving weekly hands-on training in river habitat restoration techniques thanks to the recent relaunch of the River Stewards program, a unique partnership between the Coastal Watershed Council and People First...
CWC Welcomes Patrick Lopez as River Ecologist
CWC is thrilled to welcome Patrick to our team as CWC's new River Ecologist! In this role, Patrick will steward the San Lorenzo River through community-driven ecological restoration. He works alongside and inspires volunteers of all backgrounds from throughout Santa...
Youth Wildlife Artwork Brightens Santa Cruz Riverwalk at Gateway Plaza
If you visit the exercise area on the Santa Cruz Riverwalk near Gateway Plaza, you’ll notice something new. Ten brightly colored banners now showcase San Lorenzo River wildlife drawn by Santa Cruz youth. This project came to life under the guidance of Linda Cover, a...
Eye-Catching Mural Celebrates Steelhead Trout in Downtown Santa Cruz
Steelhead trout are now a major fixture in the skyline of downtown Santa Cruz. The life cycle of this iconic river species is the focus of a 55-foot-tall mural called "Watershed: A Living Cycle” installed in January 2026 at the RiverRow apartments on Front Street. The...
CWC is Hiring an Environmental Educator – Apply by July 7!
The Coastal Watershed Council is seeking an Environmental Educator to join our team and help empower the next generation of environmental leaders. If you are someone who loves working with kids and are passionate about protecting the environment, this is the role for...
Richard Castillo joins CWC Board of Directors
CWC is pleased to welcome Richard Castillo to our Board of Directors. Richard works as the Climate Resilience and Adaptation Manager for Regeneración - Pajaro Valley Climate Action, and brings to CWC experience in climate resilience, partnership building, bilingual...
A Champion for River Revival: Ann-Marie Mitroff
From the City of Santa Cruz Water Department to the Saw Mill River Coalition in New York’s Hudson Valley, Ann-Marie Mitroff has spent most of her life developing and running programs to steward water resources and reclaim rivers as community assets. That background...
New Video Tells Story of Dragon Gate Monument and Chinese Community
Members of Santa Cruz’s Chinese American community share their stories and connections to the San Lorenzo River in the Coastal Watershed Council’s new video, The Story of the Dragon Gate, produced in partnership with Inspira Studios. CWC led the effort to name...
Pledge to Pitch In! Join the Pitch In All-Santa Cruz County Cleanup Day on May 9th
Join the Coastal Watershed Council and Pitch In Santa Cruz County on May 9th at the Pitch In All-Santa Cruz County Cleanup Day to help make Santa Cruz County the cleanest county in California!
Santa Cruz Turns Back to the River with the Opening of RiverRow
Today marked a big milestone for the lower San Lorenzo River. With the opening of RiverRow, Santa Cruz celebrated a turning point: the integration of the river into the fabric of our downtown, instead of turning away. Before the levees were built along the lower San...
Leading the River Revival – 2025 Santa Cruz Gives Results
The 2025 Santa Cruz Gives campaign was a milestone for Santa Cruz County and for our beloved San Lorenzo River. This past year's SC Gives campaign raised over $2.1 million for Santa Cruz County nonprofits, a 30% increase over the year before. Here at CWC we feel proud...
See the Difference You Made for the San Lorenzo River in 2025
Every day, supporters like you are helping the Coastal Watershed Council create a healthier, more thriving urban riverfront here in the heart of Santa Cruz. In this video, I’m thrilled to share the impact we’ve had together...
Beneath the Surface – A Guide to an Underwater Experience of the San Lorenzo River
The San Lorenzo River is beautiful to observe from above, and snorkeling its waters is a great way to gain a new perspective of the watershed! This article shares some ins-and-outs of river snorkeling, as well as photos and videos of the amazing wildlife living in the San Lorenzo River.
A Bilingual Bird Walk for Families and Nature Lovers
Earlier this year, the Coastal Watershed Council helped spotlight the beauty of our local birds by co-hosting a Bilingual Bird Walk with The Bird School Project. Community members joined us for a beautiful morning at the San Lorenzo River to learn about the unique...
Soaring Downtown Mural Honors River Species
The natural treasures of the San Lorenzo River are now on display in downtown Santa Cruz in a big way. Soaring portraits of special river species like the Western pond turtle and California tule feature in the 55-foot-tall mural “Echoes of a Wetland” recently...
Healing the San Lorenzo River with River Stewards
by Kaiya Giuliano-Monroy, CWC River Ecologist This October, the Coastal Watershed Council is marking ten years of habitat enhancement efforts on the lower San Lorenzo River driven by hard-working volunteers! To celebrate, we want to highlight the most recent chapter...
San Lorenzo Park Conceptual Redesign Progresses to City Council
A reimagined San Lorenzo Park in the heart of Santa Cruz has moved a few steps closer to reality. On Monday, June 9, 2025, the City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Commission recommended approval of the San Lorenzo Park Conceptual Redesign Report, with one change...
Staff Spotlight – Education Coordinator Sam Adelson
This staff spotlight is all about CWC’s Education Coordinator, Sam Adelson! For almost 8 years, Sam has been a valuable part of the CWC team and its Watershed Rangers environmental education program. In this article, Sam shares how his interests and life path brought him to CWC, and how his passion for the San Lorenzo River continues to motivate and empower his work.
Santa Cruz Mayor’s Proclamation Celebrates CWC’s 30 Years of Watershed Impact
What better way to mark CWC’s 30th anniversary than with a proclamation from the Mayor of Santa Cruz himself? Mayor Fred Keeley recently issued a declaration to celebrate CWC’s founding 30 years ago, and the impact our organization has had to revitalize the San...
Celebrating 30 Years of Preserving Coastal Watersheds!
CWC is celebrating our 30th birthday today! On July 18, 1995, the Coastal Watershed Council was founded to preserve and protect coastal watersheds through community stewardship, education, and monitoring. For the last three decades, CWC has partnered with local...
Honoring Mike Rotkin’s Legacy
What does it mean to truly serve your community? Mike Rotkin’s lifetime of activism and service inspires us all, through his five terms as Santa Cruz mayor, a transformative decade on CWC's board, and his leadership and action as a political organizer, union...
How Clean is San Lorenzo River?
With summer underway and people looking for a place to cool off, we at the Coastal Watershed Council often hear the question, "How clean is the San Lorenzo River?" Our favorite tool for answering this question is the County of Santa Cruz’s Water Quality Mapper. You...
Attention on E. Coli – Results of Snapshot Day 2024 Water Quality Monitoring
With the 2025 Snapshot Day just around corner on July 12, we are taking a look at the water quality results in the San Lorenzo River watershed from last year’s event! First held in 2000, Snapshot Day is the oldest and largest recurring volunteer water-quality...
Eric Lombardo joins the CWC Board of Directors
The Coastal Watershed Council is thrilled to welcome Eric Lombardo to our Board of Directors! Eric is the Director of External Affairs at the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, and is a believer in the power of rivers as a place where people and nature meet. He grew up...
CWC Welcomes Katie Dalessi as Restoration Technician
A big welcome to the newest member of the CWC team, restoration technician Katie Dalessi! Katie is part of CWC’s habitat enhancement program along the San Lorenzo River. Read on to learn more about her and her work! As a restoration technician for the Coastal...
Teamwork Makes the Stream Work: A Tour of San Lorenzo River Restoration, Recovery, and Resilience
It takes a community to protect our environment! Learn more about San Lorenzo River projects and partners working together to restore, reconnect, and reinvigorate habitat and community in our watershed.
Dougald Scott Shares Memories of San Lorenzo Salmon and Trout
Dougald Scott remembers his first introduction to San Lorenzo River steelhead trout in 1948 when he was six years old. While his family was visiting from Colorado for Christmas, a local uncle who fished the river took Dougald and his father down the Rincon Trail. “It...
Status of Steelhead in the San Lorenzo River: Wet Years Support More Fish
One of the questions the Coastal Watershed Council hears most about the San Lorenzo River is, “How are the steelhead doing?” To monitor population changes of steelhead trout, or Oncorhynchus mykiss, the City of Santa Cruz Water Department and contracted fish...
CWC Reaches 25,000 Watershed Rangers – Help Reach 25,000 More!
When Stephen Stires's 3rd-grade class from Bradley Elementary spilled off the school bus at the San Lorenzo River in February 2025, they embarked on one of many field trips that Coastal Watershed Council environmental educators run year-round. This particular trip...
CWC Highlights Community Engagement around Urban Rivers at Restoration Conference
Salmon and trout live in the heart of some of California’s busiest cities. Fish in urban rivers face many challenges living so close to people, but the proximity of people to these rivers also creates valuable opportunities to foster environmental stewardship and...
Watershed Rangers Take Action!
Watershed Rangers go above and beyond to make change and educate the San Lorenzo River community!
Ghost Hunting for Salmon and Steelhead in Santa Cruz
This article written by Will Ware, CalTrout Bay Area Project Coordinator, was originally published by CalTrout in CalTrout News on May 31, 2024. View the...
Plant Profile: Sandbar Willow
by Kaiya Giuliano-Monroy, CWC River Ecologist Description Sandbar Willow is a native tree or shrub whose range includes the majority of the United States up to Canada. Locally it grows along the Lower San Lorenzo River and is only known to occur in two other locations...
7th Graders Protect Biodiversity in the San Lorenzo River Watershed
7th Graders in CWC’s Watershed Rangers program complete outdoor field surveys and campus based investigations to learn about our watershed’s biodiversity and how to protect it.
Plant Profile: Oregon Gumweed
Oregon Gumweed (Grindelia stricta) is a California native plant that the Coastal Watershed Council is establishing along the banks of the lower San Lorenzo River to improve the health and diversity of the river ecosystem. Learn more about this beneficial plant that...
A Year of Positive Transformation for the San Lorenzo River
As I reflect on the past year in this video, I am heartened that 2024 has given us much to celebrate at the San Lorenzo River! Amidst real challenges at the river, we have made many visible signs of progress towards the...
2025 Seed Palette Reveal for the San Lorenzo River
by Kaiya Giuliano-Monroy, CWC River Ecologist After many hours of thought and deliberation, the Coastal Watershed Council has chosen our 2025 seed palette to plant along the San Lorenzo River this winter as part of our efforts to grow native plants from seed to...
Murals and Comic Books Help Raise Climate Awareness
Contributing Author Saara Ranabhat, Graduate Student, San José State UniversityIn coastal cities like Santa Cruz, climate adaptation isn’t just about high-level policies or scientific models, it’s about effective communication that reaches diverse communities. As a...
Storm Drain Mural Features Tlaloc, God of Rain
Storm drains that collect and transport rain runoff directly connect Santa Cruz neighborhoods like the Beach Flats to the San Lorenzo River and ocean. To help visualize this connection and encourage people to keep these drains free of trash and pollution, CWC worked...
Miranda Hansen joins CWC as Development Associate
CWC is thrilled to introduce the newest member of our team, Miranda Hansen, who joined us in August as a Development Associate. Miranda drives many details of the fundraising efforts to sustain and grow CWC’s important work, including overseeing our Customer...
CWC Volunteer Spotlight: Jenny Wei Loves Playing in the Dirt
Whether it’s collecting and sowing seeds, helping to manage volunteer events, or entering different kinds of data, Santa Cruz resident Jenny Wei has become a dedicated volunteer who supports CWC in so many ways. In addition to consistently showing up for CWC’s River...
Colleen McNally-Murphy Joins CWC Board of Directors
CWC is pleased to share that Colleen McNally-Murphy is the newest addition to our Board of Directors! Born and raised in Santa Cruz, she is thrilled to be back in this community and working to support a thriving San Lorenzo River.
Exploring the San Lorenzo River by Rail
For six weeks during June and July, CWC’s Watershed Rangers education program teamed up with Nueva Vista’s Summer Fun! youth program based in Santa Cruz’s Beach Flats neighborhood. Together, we provided multiple San Lorenzo River field trips for 26 Beach Flats youth,...
Art Makes a Splash at River Jam!
Artists, musicians, bike enthusiasts, community members, and river lovers all gathered in the parking lot of the CWC office on Saturday, August 24, to celebrate art and the San Lorenzo River at the first-ever River Jam! The family-friendly event featured art...
Catching Some Air: Skatepark Mural Features San Lorenzo River Birds
Contributing Author The Jams (Jessica Carmen and Augie WK), CWC Artists-in-ResidenceThe Jams take pride in our “creative problem-solving” skills, and we put these in action during a unique opportunity to paint a wall at Santa Cruz’s beloved Mike Fox Park/Ken Wormhoudt...
Water is Life: First Mural for the Lower San Lorenzo River Levee
The lower San Lorenzo River and levee has its first official mural thanks to CWC Artists-in-Residence, The Jams! The new mural adorns the levee wall in the Beach Flats on Third Street, between Riverside Ave and Raymond Street. Its central message, “Agua es Vida /...
River Wildlife Sighting: Heron Eating a Lamprey
Did you know that lamprey live in the San Lorenzo River? Here is your proof! We received these incredible shots of a Great Blue Heron eating a Pacific lamprey at the San Lorenzo River mouth on June 7, 2024, from Alan Ritch, Associate University Librarian Emeritus from...
Students Create Banner Artwork to Beautify the San Lorenzo River
Youth Watershed Rangers in the Coastal Watershed Council’s environmental education program learn to take action for the San Lorenzo River in many ways, from participating in trash clean-ups to creating informational posters to teach others about river health. Now,...
Plant Profile: Coast Tarweed
Written by Vinusha Ramesh, SVHS student and Coastal Watershed Council Restoration Intern Description Madia sativa, commonly known as Coast Tarweed, is an annual herb found in grasslands and disturbed areas. It exhibits small, dense, sunflower-like yellow flower heads...
New Mural: Aztec Goddess Chalchiuhtlicue Embodies Life Force and Power of Rivers
Contributing Author The Jams (Jessica Carmen and Augie WK), CWC Artists-in-ResidenceRivers are both nurturing and powerful, and these traits are also embodied by the Aztec goddess gracing a beautiful new community mural at the Nueva Vista Community Resources Center in...
Santa Cruz and Golden State Warriors Staff Remove Two Tons of Invasive Ice Plant from the San Lorenzo River
Staff from the Santa Cruz and Golden State Warriors recently made a tangible impact for the San Lorenzo River by removing invasive ice plant – nearly two tons of it! On June 27, 2024, the group of 27 enthusiastic volunteers donned bright blue shirts and convened at...
Watershed Rangers Summer Camp is in Session – Thanks to Supporters Like YOU!
Summer is here, and thanks to CWC's caring donors and community supporters, Watershed Rangers summer camp is now in full swing! In partnership with the Boys and Girls Club and Nueva Vista Community Resources, CWC recently launched summer programs for 90 kids to get...
CWC Supports Measure Q: The Santa Cruz County Water and Wildfire Protection Act
The Coastal Watershed Council is proud to support the Santa Cruz County Water and Wildfire Protection Act. Set to appear on the November ballot, the Act focuses on water quality protection, wildfire risk reduction, the health of Monterey Bay and our beaches, forest...
CWC’s Education Team Experiences River Rally
Our education team is back from River Rally 2024! This conference organized by River Network celebrated its 25th anniversary in Grand Rapids, Michigan, from May 13–16, continuing to bring organizations together from all over the nation to learn about, be inspired by,...
Celebrating National Trails Day at the Santa Cruz Riverwalk
For the second year in a row, the Coastal Watershed Council hosted a volunteer event to enhance habitat along the Santa Cruz Riverwalk as part of National Trails Day on June 1, 2024. We were joined by 22 enthusiastic volunteers that morning, who together removed 742...
Floods: Benefits for Our Watershed
As summer approaches in Santa Cruz, we’re excited to embrace the sun, fun, and nearly limitless outdoor recreation opportunities that our fair weather supports. It can be easy to forget that just four short months ago, our community was being drenched in heavy rains,...
Recap of the 2024 State of the San Lorenzo River Symposium
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the ninth State of the San Lorenzo River Symposium on April 13 at Felton Community Hall! This symposium holds special significance as the only recurring public event focused solely on the San Lorenzo River. This year included...
Uplifting Community Stories to Interpret River Public Art
Each piece of public artwork near the San Lorenzo River has stories worth sharing – stories that can enhance visitors’ understanding of the piece itself, as well as the diverse community that inspired it. CWC is kicking off a new grant that will interpret three pieces...
Art Kit Creates Connections to the San Lorenzo River
The arts are a powerful tool that youth (and adults) can use to express themselves and process their emotions. They also offer an opportunity to connect young people with nature. Jessica Carmen, one half of CWC’s Artists in Residence The Jams, is also a passionate...
Downtown Streets Team Members Become Successful River Stewards
In honor of Earth Day, the Coastal Watershed Council (CWC) is shining a spotlight on little-known heroes of the San Lorenzo River – members of the Downtown Streets Team (DST) experiencing homelessness who have become dedicated river stewards through a unique...
CWC Supporters Host Fish Monitoring Equipment on Branciforte Creek
A new piece of equipment is monitoring steelhead trout movement in Branciforte Creek, thanks to the help of San Lorenzo River champions Ken and Tina Slosberg! Ken and Tina are long-standing members of the Coastal Watershed Council community and current monthly donors....
CWC Welcomes Emma Ussat to Board of Directors
The Coastal Watershed Council is excited to announce the newest addition to our Board of Directors, Emma Ussat! Emma currently works as the Senior Community Engagement Manager at Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship, where she helps build trails and communities....
Spreading Seeds with CWC: An Update from Our River Ecologist
by Kaiya Giuliano-Monroy, CWC River Ecologist Bringing more native plants to the San Lorenzo River levees is one of the key ways the Coastal Watershed Council is revitalizing the river's habitat. When I host volunteer habitat restoration events for CWC, people often...
Slightly Acidic: San Lorenzo River Water Quality Results from Snapshot Day 2023
To celebrate World Water Day this week, we’re highlighting the San Lorenzo River’s water quality results from last year’s Snapshot Day! First held in 2000, Snapshot Day is the oldest and largest recurring volunteer water-quality monitoring event on a single day in...
Preventing Bacterial Pollution with 6th Grade Watershed Rangers
Clean water is a big concern for the San Lorenzo River, which provides drinking water for the City of Santa Cruz. The Coastal Watershed Council was originally founded in 1995 to focus on the water quality of rivers flowing into the Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary, and...
Jim Sandoval Joins CWC’s Board of Directors
The Coastal Watershed Council is pleased to welcome Jim Sandoval to our Board of Directors, following his recent retirement as the City of Los Altos Public Works Director & City Engineer. We are thrilled to draw from Jim’s extensive expertise and experience...
Santa Cruz High Student Shares Snapshot Day Experience
In 2023, Santa Cruz High School student Talia Gurdak got her hands wet in the name of local watershed health by volunteering for Snapshot Day in Santa Cruz County. Talia and her team the “Swampy Samplers” braved pouring rain to collect samples for water quality...
Introducing CWC’s New Board Chair, Eva Salas
CWC is pleased to announce that Eva Salas has stepped into the role of Board Chair, after previously serving in the role of Secretary. Eva is a San Lorenzo River neighbor who feels privileged to live near the Santa Cruz Riverwalk with her husband and son. The...
Creating an Emergency Preparedness Comic Book
Contributing Author The Jams (Jessica Carmen and Augie WK), CWC Artists-in-ResidenceThe Jams are embedded with CWC for a year-long artist residency supported by the Central Coast Creative Corps to communicate about flooding and emergency preparedness through public...
Winter Birds at the San Lorenzo River
Birds are a real attraction at the San Lorenzo River during any time of year. An estimated 122 bird species frequent the river, and its lower stretch is considered a birding “hotspot” in Santa Cruz. While spring and fall are often thought to be prime seasons for...
Cultivating Diverse River Stewards
Everyone can play a role in caring for the San Lorenzo River. That’s why CWC is cultivating unique groups of river stewards across our community, from unhoused neighbors in the Downtown Streets Team to Watershed Rangers from Gault and Bay View Elementary Schools. With...
CWC Finishes First in Santa Cruz Gives!
It's hard to overstate the success of the Coastal Watershed Council's 2023 Santa Cruz Gives campaign, which you made possible. Thanks to your generosity, we finished at the top of the leaderboard with a total of $62,215 from 50 donors! This made us eligible for 7.4%...
Results of CWC’s 2023 Donor Engagement Survey
The results are in! In the fall of 2023, we set out to understand which topics resonated most with CWC’s donor community, and how donors like you prefer to stay connected to CWC’s work. What we heard is that you enjoy reading the CWC newsletter to stay up to date, and...
Plant Profile: Western Goldenrod
Contributing Author By Zola Nesbitt, CWC Watershed Steward Every second Saturday of the month, CWC (Coastal Watershed Council) leads River Health Days where volunteers help plant and care for a variety of native plant species to increase biodiversity and habitat...
San Lorenzo Park Design Concept Recommended with Amendment for Further Restoration and Flood Control Study
This week, the City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Commission reviewed the proposed design for the new San Lorenzo Park (shown in the photo above) at a meeting on January 8, 2024. The Commission made a recommendation to the City Council to accept the design of the...
Learning From Community Through a Produce Truck Mural
Contributing Author By The Jams (Jessica Carmen and Augie WK), CWC Artists-in-ResidenceWe love public art because of how it allows us to connect with communities, both like and unlike our own. As we kicked off our yearlong artist residency with the Coastal Watershed...
CWC Welcomes Zola Nesbitt as Watershed Steward
CWC is delighted to collaborate with the Watershed Stewards Program, a partnership between the California Conservation Corps and AmeriCorps. In October, Watershed Stewards Corpsmember Zola Nesbitt joined our team to help improve watershed health along the San Lorenzo...
River Voices – A Video of the Downtown Streets Team
Contributing Author By Layla Khaled Nasser, CWC Intern During the summer of 2023, I had the wonderful opportunity and honor to participate in the Coastal Watershed Council’s River Ecology...
Plant Profile: Sticky Monkey-Flower
Sticky Monkey Flower is a native drought tolerant plant that attracts pollinators such as hummingbirds and butterflies in Central California.
Reflecting on the Impact You Made with CWC in 2023!
I’m filled with so much gratitude as I reflect in this video on what CWC has achieved for the San Lorenzo River this year – gratitude for our amazing (and growing!) team, for our valued partners in our work, and for YOU, our...
Preserving Plants on the River Levee
If you’ve been spending time on the Santa Cruz Riverwalk in the last month, you might have noticed the great work done by Ecological Concerns Inc., the contractors hired to trim the plants along the levee as part of flood control. With help from our community, CWC...
Introducing The Jams, CWC’s New Artists-in-Residence
Mural art is coming to the San Lorenzo River! CWC is excited to announce our new Artists-in-Residence partnership with The Jams, a muralist duo from Watsonville made up of Augie WK and Jessica Carmen. Through August of 2024, CWC will work with The Jams and community...
Anna’s Hummingbird and “How Hummingbird Brought Fire”
Of the many bird species observed within the San Lorenzo River watershed, one of the most gregarious and noteworthy is Calypte anna, known commonly as Anna’s Hummingbird.
CWC Welcomes Erin Loury as Communications Manager
CWC is thrilled to welcome Erin Loury, who joined our team in September as our new Communications Manager! Erin is developing strategy and overseeing ways we communicate with our diverse audiences, as well as within our organization. She brings to her role a decade of...
Summer Adventure on the Roaring Camp Train!
How did CWC celebrate wrapping up an amazing summer of education programs along the San Lorenzo River? By taking another trip to the river, of course!
Help Shape the Future of Santa Cruz and the San Lorenzo River
There are two surveys out from the City of Santa Cruz requesting your input on the future of Santa Cruz. Each survey takes about 15 minutes to complete. Downtown Expansion Plan Survey Take the Downtown Expansion Plan Survey by September 1 to share your excitement for...
Watershed Rangers on KSQD Radio: Budding Scientists Along the San Lorenzo River’s Edge
Read and listen to Watershed Rangers students sharing their watershed protection tips on local radio station KSQD 90.7 FM!
Seeing Clearly: Measuring Water Quality with Watershed Rangers
By Erin Loury, CWC Communications AssistantEarlier this spring, I had the opportunity to join an after-school field trip to the San Lorenzo River with students from Gault Elementary School. After a few months of assisting the Coastal Watershed Council part-time with...
Plant Profile: Black Sage
Black Sage is a perennial subshrub that is scientifically known as Salvia mellifera. Being the most common sage in California, this shrub is found in foothills, canyons, mesas, and chaparrals.
Green Classroom Action Projects for Everyone!
Check out CWC’s new Action Project Guide for a healthier watershed and learn how the Coastal Watershed Council’s education team supported this year’s Teacher Leadership Institute for Sustainability (TLIS) to make “Every Classroom a Green Classroom”!
Preparing for Snapshot Day: The San Lorenzo River Showed Water Quality Improvement in 2022
Snapshot Day is quickly approaching! Over the last two decades, thousands of volunteers have participated in this springtime event to capture a health “snapshot” of rivers and streams that flow into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. As we prepare for...
Fiesta de los Artes: Combining Science, Art and Community
CWC’s Maria Rocha and Sam Adelson are back at Bay View Elementary School again, not to teach but to party! Bay View’s annual Fiesta de los Artes is a community event bringing family, friends, local organizations and students of Bay View together to support and celebrate the arts. Check out this blog post to learn how CWC’s partnership with Bay View Elementary continues to flourish.
Plant Profile: Deerweed
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Loving the San Lorenzo River
In February, this month of love, we’d like to share a few quick stories about people who LOVE the San Lorenzo River through CWC’s Watershed Rangers youth education program.
Preparing Neighborhoods for San Lorenzo River Flood Impacts
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...