What’s new in 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. You can also read about and see the Coastal Watershed Council on TV, by visiting CWC’s News & Media page. Check out the latest in San Lorenzo River news:
CWC Welcomes Zola Nesbitt as Watershed Steward

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...

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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...

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Preserving Plants on the River Levee

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...

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Introducing The Jams, CWC’s New Artists-in-Residence

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...

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CWC Welcomes Erin Loury as Communications Manager

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...

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Help Shape the Future of Santa Cruz and the San Lorenzo River

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...

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CWC is Hiring! Apply by July 11

CWC is Hiring! Apply by July 11

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...

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Seeing Clearly: Measuring Water Quality with Watershed Rangers

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...

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Plant Profile: Black Sage

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.

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Green Classroom Action Projects for Everyone!

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”!

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Fiesta de los Artes: Combining Science, Art and Community

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.

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Loving the San Lorenzo River

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.

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Preparing Neighborhoods for San Lorenzo River Flood Impacts

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...

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Significant River Levee Management Change Mandated by FEMA

Significant River Levee Management Change Mandated by FEMA

Originally published December 12, 2022, updated on December 14, 2022, with results from City Council action There have always been requirements to maintain the levees following specific protocols, since their construction by the Army Corps of Engineers in the 1950s....

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Climate Change Education in Watershed Rangers

Climate Change Education in Watershed Rangers

How are students in CWC’s Watershed Rangers program being introduced to climate change? Dive into this article to learn how climate change education and social and emotional learning are integrated into our curriculum.

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Plant Profile: Beach Strawberry

Plant Profile: Beach Strawberry

Photo Credit: Flickr Commons 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 complexity and support a healthy...

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Gratitude for a Great Year

Gratitude for a Great Year

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...

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Welcoming Maria Rocha as CWC’s Environmental Educator!

Welcoming Maria Rocha as CWC’s Environmental Educator!

This fall, the Coastal Watershed Council welcomed Maria Rocha as our new Environmental Educator! Already, Maria has led engaging classroom lessons, field trips and after-school programs with our Watershed Rangers program. In her role, she engages elementary...

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San Lorenzo Park Phased Benchlands Camp Closure Begins

San Lorenzo Park Phased Benchlands Camp Closure Begins

Starting today, two significant efforts led by the City of Santa Cruz will begin along the lower San Lorenzo River - the required annual maintenance to improve flood capacity in the leveed channel surrounding the river and the phased closure of the Benchlands camp in...

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Abating Flooding along an Urban River

Abating Flooding along an Urban River

Managing an urban river requires a delicate balance to protect people and the surrounding environment. Each year, the City of Santa Cruz conducts its annual required San Lorenzo River Maintenance Project in order to help stormwater safely travel through downtown Santa...

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Watershed Rangers Impact Beyond the Environment

Watershed Rangers Impact Beyond the Environment

CWC’s Watershed Rangers afterschool program engages students to learn about and take action to help the San Lorenzo River. And it is more than that. A key aspect of the program is the impact it has on youth beyond what they learn about the environment. With a focus on...

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There’s Plenty of San Lorenzo River to Share!

There’s Plenty of San Lorenzo River to Share!

This week, youth in CWC’s summer programs encountered dozens of wild animals on the San Lorenzo River’s estuary beach- Their boisterous friends and neighbors! Find out how CWC supports community and youth development through summer river exploration.

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Native Plants Create an Oasis

Native Plants Create an Oasis

Native plants are important for so many reasons including pest management, increasing biodiversity, mitigating the loss of habitat from climate change, taking toxins out of our drinking water, enriching soil, reducing erosion, slowing down runoff, cleaning our air, and so much more.

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An Introduction to San Lorenzo River Steelhead Trout

An Introduction to San Lorenzo River Steelhead Trout

Steelhead trout of the San Lorenzo River have an incredible land-to-sea connection and are a very important part of both ocean and river ecosystems. Read on to learn more about local steelhead, their history, and the future of steelhead trout conservation!

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CWC Welcomes Linda Cover to Board of Directors

CWC Welcomes Linda Cover to Board of Directors

Regular Riverwalk visitors may recognize the Coastal Watershed Council’s newest board member Linda Cover who frequently rides the Riverwalk on her signature yellow bicycle. Beyond keeping a daily pulse on what’s happening at the Riverwalk, Linda brings her experience as an artist, educator, community organizer, environmentalist and friend of the river to the Coastal Watershed Council Board of Directors. 

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River-Friendly Landscaping and Gardening

River-Friendly Landscaping and Gardening

Photo Credit: Matt Pfieffer Did you know that you can help the San Lorenzo River right from your own home or garden? Learn some tips and best practices, as we summarize some of the lessons learned from Monterey Bay Friendly Landscaping and River-Friendly Landscaping...

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First Impressions and a Second Look at the San Lorenzo River

First Impressions and a Second Look at the San Lorenzo River

Does the water always look murky to you? What’s the deal with all that green muck in the water? Through exploration and discovery, Watershed Rangers students get to the bottom of some common misconceptions about the San Lorenzo River through CWC’s perspective-changing field trips.

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Can We Dig It? Yes We Can!

Can We Dig It? Yes We Can!

CWC’s Habitat Enhancement Site would be just a sliver of what it is today without the hard work and dedication of volunteers, including Watershed Rangers students! Get an update on how local 4th and 5th graders are transofrming the San Lorenzo River in partnership with Santa Cruz City Schools.

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Watershed Rangers: Stories of Love

Watershed Rangers: Stories of Love

Watershed Rangers students love being part of the San Lorenzo River stewardship community, but don’t take our word for it! Check out some of the great things CWC’s students have to say about their experiences in Watershed Rangers.

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CWC Executive Director to Step Down

CWC Executive Director to Step Down

Greg Pepping will leave CWC after 12 years and is working with the Board of Directors and staff to prepare CWC to evolve into its next chapter of watershed protection.

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Introducing CWC River Ecologist, Kaiya!

Introducing CWC River Ecologist, Kaiya!

CWC is thrilled to welcome its newest staff member, Kaiya Giuliano-Monroy, who joined this river revitalizing team in December. Kaiya, who grew up in the San Lorenzo River watershed, jumped right into her new role leading teams of volunteers in planting new native...

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End Of Year River Giving to CWC & Others

End Of Year River Giving to CWC & Others

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.

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The Meaning of Aulintak

The Meaning of Aulintak

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.

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Why Flags?

Why Flags?

As you meander along the east side of the Santa Cruz Riverwalk, you have likely noticed the sea of yellow, blue and pink and white landscaping flags covering the riverbank between the Soquel Avenue and Laurel Street bridges. You may have wondered, "What are these...

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Coastal Watershed Council Goes Back to School!

Coastal Watershed Council Goes Back to School!

When opening one of the Coastal Watershed Council’s (CWC) grade-specific science journals, you’ll see captioned photos describing a Watershed Ranger as someone who studies, protects, and teaches people about nature.  If you live in Santa Cruz County it’s likely that...

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Snapshot Day 2021 Lists San Lorenzo River as Area of Concern

Snapshot Day 2021 Lists San Lorenzo River as Area of Concern

Since Earth Day 2000, volunteers have assembled on the first Saturday morning of May each year to collect water quality samples from water bodies that enter the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. This decades-long data set has become a valuable source of water...

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How Might We Manage the Lagoon Better?

How Might We Manage the Lagoon Better?

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.

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A Celebration of Exploring the San Lorenzo River this Summer

A Celebration of Exploring the San Lorenzo River this Summer

If you walked along the Santa Cruz Riverwalk or the railroad trestle bridge this summer, you might have seen budding scientists investigating the waters of the San Lorenzo River and getting some much needed time outdoors!  This summer, CWC engaged 78 youth in outdoor...

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Success in Reducing Trash and Litter to Santa Cruz Waterways

Success in Reducing Trash and Litter to Santa Cruz Waterways

Photo credit: SCVURPPP The Coastal Watershed Council works with the City of Santa Cruz Public Works Department to help eliminate trash entering the lower San Lorenzo River. CWC works with neighbors along the lower San Lorenzo River and with youth through CWC’s...

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Summer Reading with Watershed Rangers and Bookshop Santa Cruz

Summer Reading with Watershed Rangers and Bookshop Santa Cruz

This summer, Bookshop Santa Cruz's popular summer reading program is back! Kids in grades K-12 who read 6 books—at least 3 from Bookshop's recommended reading list and up to 3 of their choice—will get to read terrific, age-tailored books, and earn excellent rewards...

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22nd Annual Snapshot Day

22nd Annual Snapshot Day

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...

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Homelessness at the River: CWC’s Position

Homelessness at the River: CWC’s Position

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?

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How Are CWC Donors Feeling?

How Are CWC Donors Feeling?

How are we doing with the generous financial support shared by our donors? Our strategy and theory of change start with listening and learning, so we’re doing that and sharing what you, our donors, are saying.

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Santa Cruz Gives 2020 – Everybody Wins!

Santa Cruz Gives 2020 – Everybody Wins!

Santa Cruz Gives raised over $700,000 in an end of year fundraising campaign to remember. Congratulations to the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter Foundation, who pulled ahead of the Coastal Watershed Council in late December to lead all 40 nonprofits in funds raised....

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Informed Self Care in Nature

Informed Self Care in Nature

The Coastal Watershed Council is committed to supporting you in safely enjoying the Santa Cruz Riverwalk and San Lorenzo River. As you strive to keep up with the changing COVID situation in Santa Cruz County, now there's a new resource to turn to: Lookout Santa Cruz...

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The National Geographic Society Supports Watershed Rangers

The National Geographic Society Supports Watershed Rangers

Have you ever picked up a yellow-spined National Geographic magazine, flipped through the pages and explored the world right from your own couch? Many of us have those fond memories from our youth. And in a way, we were distance learning through these experiences. We...

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Chinatown Bridge Brightens the Riverwalk

Chinatown Bridge Brightens the Riverwalk

Santa Cruzans love our local history. Now there's a beautiful art piece connecting us to our past, right by the river. The Santa Cruz City Council formally named the pedestrian bridge from San Lorenzo Park to the Galleria and Trader Joe's as Santa Cruz's "Chinatown...

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CWC Chosen as 1 of 5 Lookout Civic Partners

CWC Chosen as 1 of 5 Lookout Civic Partners

Many of you are enjoying the recently launched digital news platform Lookout Santa Cruz. They're a refreshing addition to the local news landscape and they've crafted a unique approach to fostering a thriving community. They're educating and inspiring readers who...

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Everybody Loves A Winner!

Everybody Loves A Winner!

The Coastal Watershed Council is a small organization, but that isn't keeping us from leading the pack in Santa Cruz Gives. CWC's work to realize Santa Cruz's vision for the San Lorenzo River is clearly resonating with generous donors in the community. What vision?...

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Local News Looking Out for the Environment

Local News Looking Out for the Environment

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...

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The Difference a Dedicated Group of Volunteers Can Make

The Difference a Dedicated Group of Volunteers Can Make

From the early summer until the first rains come in, CWC volunteers focus on maintenance at the habitat enhancement site along the lower San Lorenzo River including watering and weeding the native seedlings, helping them become established and thrive during these dry...

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Support CWC Through Santa Cruz Gives

Support CWC Through Santa Cruz Gives

The San Lorenzo River is forgotten by too many residents who may not realize our drinking water relies on it. The Coastal Watershed Council is the only organization solely focused on revitalizing this river that was the reason Santa Cruz was founded in the first...

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Distance Learning Activities Support Santa Cruz County Youth

Distance Learning Activities Support Santa Cruz County Youth

The start of this school year is different than any other. As teachers, parents and families navigate crisis after crisis in our community, CWC is working collaboratively to ensure that thousands of K-8th grade students in our community are able to continue to feel supported, remain engaged and learn about our changing environment. CWC is preparing meaningful distance learning activities that engage students in exploration and investigation of local environmental issues affecting the health of the San Lorenzo River.

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Discover New Ways to Explore Your River

Discover New Ways to Explore Your River

Scavenger Hunt Walking and bicycling along the Santa Cruz Riverwalk is really fun, but wouldn’t it be more fun with a scavenger hunt in hand? Notice things you haven’t seen before, stop and listen in new places, observe wildlife, and more! [button...

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Hilary Bryant’s Board Farewell

Hilary Bryant’s Board Farewell

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...

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San Lorenzo River Scavenger Hunts

San Lorenzo River Scavenger Hunts

Perfect for a walk or an exciting stop-and-go bike ride along the San Lorenzo River, these new scavenger hunts provide a great opportunity to see and hear the beauty and life surrounding the Santa Cruz Riverwalk. Fun for all ages, each interactive search is about 1.5 miles and takes at least 30 minutes. Have fun out there!

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Riverwalk Tour with Executive Director Greg Pepping

Join the Santa Cruz Warriors and Kaiser Permanente for a virtual river walk with Executive Director of the Coastal Watershed Council, Greg Pepping. Greg will lead you on a stroll through the Santa Cruz Riverwalk, show you certain flowers...

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Wishing Whitney Well in Her Move

Wishing Whitney Well in Her Move

CWC River Scientist Whitney Reynier is returning back to her roots in the Columbia River Gorge in the Pacific Northwest. She'll miss the Santa Cruz sunshine, bike commuting to work using the Santa Cruz Riverwalk and interacting with the San Lorenzo River community on...

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CWC Stands With Black Lives Matter

CWC Stands With Black Lives Matter

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…

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San Lorenzo River Action Projects Guide

San Lorenzo River Action Projects Guide

You can help protect our San Lorenzo River! This Action Projects Guide provides fun opportunities and creative ways to learn about and protect the San Lorenzo River, our main source of drinking water and habitat to hundreds of animal and plant species.

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Chinatown Bridge Update

Chinatown Bridge Update

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...

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Celebrating Snapshot Day Together While Apart

Celebrating Snapshot Day Together While Apart

Although we can’t gather together for Snapshot Day this year, learn about the variety of online resources we have for you to investigate water quality at home! Also learn about a new water quality trend report developed by the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and based on 20 years of Snapshot Day data.

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Santa Cruz Riverwalk Re-Opens

Santa Cruz Riverwalk Re-Opens

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...

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Video Storytime: San Lorenzo River Stories of Grandma Steel

Video Storytime: San Lorenzo River Stories of Grandma Steel

Curl up and get cozy, it’s story time! Join a reading of the Coastal Watershed Council’s San Lorenzo River Stories of Grandma Steel, a story about of a spawner steelhead trout named Grandma Steel telling young steelhead trout alevin about the history of the San Lorenzo River and the unique life cycle of the steelhead trout. The video concludes with an opportunity for youth to write down or share with someone else what they learned from the story.

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Interactive Virtual Tour: Native Plants of the San Lorenzo River

Interactive Virtual Tour: Native Plants of the San Lorenzo River

Native plants are an important part of the San Lorenzo River. Join CWC staff Whitney Reynier and Mollie Behn on this interactive virtual tour to learn more about the local plants that call the San Lorenzo River home and why they are so important to protecting the health of the San Lorenzo River.

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Interactive Virtual Tour: What Makes a River Healthy?

Interactive Virtual Tour: What Makes a River Healthy?

The San Lorenzo River is an important part of the Santa Cruz community for wildlife, plants and humans. A healthy San Lorenzo River is important for the well-being of our entire community. Join CWC staff Whitney Reynier and Mollie Behn on this interactive virtual tour to learn what makes the San Lorenzo River healthy. You’ll have a chance to learn a bit about the history of the river, observe important features of the river that help make it healthy, and share your ideas either in writing or by drawing.

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Interactive Virtual Tour: Exploring the San Lorenzo River

Interactive Virtual Tour: Exploring the San Lorenzo River

Explore the San Lorenzo River from your home with CWC staff Mollie Behn, Sam Adelson and Whitney Reynier with this interactive virtual tour. Listen to the sounds of the river and observe the plants and animals that call the San Lorenzo River home. You’ll be surprised what you might see and hear.

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Santa Cruz Riverwalk Temporarily Closed

Santa Cruz Riverwalk Temporarily Closed

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...

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