This piece was shared with us by Jeri Ross, a Land Trust member that recently experienced and wrote abaout the Land Trust's 144-acre property known as weelili onyemak. Composed of oak woodland and scrub, this wildlife habitat is part of a landscape-scale conservation plan supporting recovery of the endangered Santa Cruz long-toed salamander. Jeri’s insights echo our own feelings about the preservation of this beautiful property and the wonder, joy, and healing that occurs when we spend time in nature.

A group of dedicated volunteers is keeping the West Glenwood Preserve Nest Box Project alive. They are true conservation champions!

The Watsonville Slough Farm is a unique 500-acre property situated at the confluence of four major freshwater sloughs. This rare setting provides a mix of wetland, riparian, grassland, and oak woodland habitats surrounding extremely productive agricultural land. Visitors learned about the “Community Harvest” initiative, which will feature a new parking area, picnic space, demonstration entryway gardens, and up to five miles of trails through the sloughs, wetlands, and riparian areas. Plans also include boardwalks and wildlife observation platforms.

Acorn Ridge Preserve has been a high priority for conservationists for at least a decade. The Land Trust has acquired the property, and it will be protected in perpetuity for the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander and other migratory wildlife threatened by habitat fragmentation along the Highway 1 corridor in the La Selva Uplands.

The Diversity Center, Santa Cruz PRIDE, and the Land Trust recently hosted a fun event at one of our newest properties that gave guests a chance to enjoy a beautiful day in nature and build community.

Shortly after protecting this area, the Land Trust contracted with Biosearch Associates, a biological consulting firm with expertise in the species, to determine the status of the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander at the pond in the northeast corner of the property.

Our Spring 2025 Field Guide is now available! In this issue, you will learn about our stewardship team and some of their latest projects, the protection of Estrada Ranch - 1,205 mountainous acres in the heart of Pajaro Valley, and so much more. Feel free to share the link with others who may want to learn more about our work.

A conservation easement at Estrada Ranch will preserve land for wildlife movement while keeping it in productive use as a working ranch.

Thanks to our partner, Save the Redwoods League, for connecting us to Peter Smithey who helped us build a beautiful new kiosk at San Vicente Redwoods. The Douglas Fir used for this project was harvested during fuel reduction work at SVR.