The rarity of freshwater wetlands makes the Watsonville Slough vitally important to a wide variety of plant and animal species. This type of farmland is valuable as a source of healthy vegetables and berries — core components of the local economy. The leafy greens and other vegetables grown here play an important role in addressing heart disease, type-2 diabetes, and childhood obesity.  

Our fields yield about 10 million servings of food a year. The strawberries alone contain enough vitamin-C to meet the recommended daily allowance for 30,00 people for a year. The unique growing conditions here allow strawberry plants to flower nearly year-round. An economic engine for Santa Cruz County, it costs about $30K to plant and harvest an acre of strawberries, nearly all of which is spent locally. 

By retiring 55 acres of farmland, fallowing a quarter of the remaining farmland each year, and improving irrigation, we have worked with the growers on the property (Reiter Affiliated Companies and Lakeside Organics) to reduce water use here by 30-40%. Soil erosion, slope steepness and proximity to wetlands were the factors considered when deciding which farmland to retire. 

Four sloughs are laced through the farmland, making runoff and erosion a challenging task. We are embarking on a variety of projects to get the biggest bang from our conservation dollars. Since the Gold Rush, California has lost 90% of its wetlands. So Watsonville Slough plays an outsized role in maintaining habitats. Turning hilly, marginal farmland into grassland has increased the native habitat by 25%.

The Land Trust is currently securing $17M in public and private funding to establish the Community Harvest public access area at the Watsonville Slough Farm. The project will serve the community by providing “U-pick” fruit orchards and vegetable plots at no cost to visitors, picnic areas for friends and families, and trails that include an all-access loop and a wildlife platform.  

It will be possible to view organic farm production and restored wetland habitat up-close in a safe, welcoming environment. It will also provide a launching pad for environmental education and outdoor immersion for school groups, after-school programs, and summer camps. 

We engaged the surrounding community in all aspects of the conception and design of the Community Harvest project, speaking with hundreds of community members through bilingual outreach surveys, socially-distanced and virtual property tours, and public meetings. The principal piece of feedback received was that community members felt isolated from nature and lacked publicly accessible open space close to home. 

One of the first public access projects of its kind in California, Community Harvest blends recreation and education opportunities year-round. When complete, the public access project will help to close the gap of outdoor access for the Watsonville and Pajaro Valley communities. The project will be ready to build in 2023 once funding is fully secured.

The Kalenderuc Native American tribe, a subgroup of the Ohlone people, lived on a portion of the property prior to Spanish settlement in 1769. More recently, the land was held by several private farming operations. 

In 1990, the Watsonville Wetlands Watch was founded to help protect the property from a condo and golf course development project. The land was purchased by the Land Trust in two parts between 2009 and 2010 to ensure long-term protection from development. The property is part of 1,100 acres of protected land in coordination with: California Dept of Fish & Game, U.S Fish & Wildlife Service, Santa Cruz County, City of Watsonville, California Coastal Commission, and Watsonville Wetlands Watch. 

As part of our management plan we have restored the oak woodland habitat in the southwest corner of the property. With overlapping wetland and grasslands, this area is an important bird nesting and foraging habitat, supporting raptors such as Red-tailed Hawks, American Kestrels, and Cooper’s Hawks.

We are currently securing $17M in public and private funding to establish the Community Harvest public access area onsite. We engaged the surrounding community in all aspects of the conception, speaking with hundreds of community members through bilingual outreach surveys, socially-distanced and virtual property tours, and public meetings. Community members told us they felt isolated from nature and lacked publicly accessible open space close to home. 

The project will provide “U-pick” fruit orchards and vegetable plots at no cost to visitors, picnic areas for friends and families, and trails that include an all-access loop and a wildlife platform. View organic farm production and restored wetland habitat up-close in a safe, welcoming environment that provides a launching pad for environmental education and outdoor immersion for school groups, after-school programs, and summer camps. 

One of the first public access projects of its kind in California, Community Harvest blends recreation and education opportunities year-round. When complete, the public access project will help to close the gap of outdoor access for the Watsonville and Pajaro Valley communities. The project is expected to begin in 2023 once funding is fully secured.