Watsonville Wetlands Watch News

Community Restoration Day
Saturday, Dec. 19

We invite you to help restore wetland habitat by planting native plants and removing exotic invasive plants as part of our monthly community workday on Dec. 19. We will work from 9 a.m. to noon, and we always make time for birding or a short hike around the wetlands. We supply the gloves, tools, and a snack. Meet at our Fitz Wetlands Educational Resource Center (map/directions). If you have questions, please contact Mary Paul at mary@watsonvillewetlandswatch.org or 831-566-4938.

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Wetlands Wildlife Photography
Thursday, Jan 7

On Thursday, Jan 7, the Watsonville Wetlands Watch is hosting local wildlife photographers Denise Murphy and Efren Adalem, who will give a slide show of their stunning photographs while they talk about their many adventures and the process of capturing action shots of wildlife in natural settings. They use the local wetlands as the source of their inspiration.

Efren’s sea otter photographs were used in the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s otter exhibit and he was a finalist in the International Photo Exhibit in Varna, Bulgaria in 2013. They’ve both won several local photography contests and their photos have been used in the Elkhorn Slough Calendar.

This talk, hosted by the Watsonville Wetlands Watch, is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Fitz Wetlands Educational Resource Center. Admission is free but you must reserve a seat online at www.watsonvillewetlandswatch.org. For more information, contact Kathy Fieberling at 831-345-1226 or kathy@watsonvillewetlandswatch.org.

Changing Role for Education Director

Noelle Antolin has stepped down from her longtime role as Education Director. Antolin has been instrumental to the success of Wetlands Watch’s education work by helping to create and promote innovative and effective wetlands educational programming for students, elementary school through university.

When Antolin started in 2007, the Watch’s education goal was primarily to provide wetlands environmental education curriculum and resources to Pajaro Valley teachers. She saw the potential of the fledgling Wetland Stewards program and promoted the idea of providing direct educational programming to the schools. Antolin built relationship with the teachers, schools, and school district, and eventually got a contract with the school district for participation and funding.

Since that time, Wetland Stewards has become a model program that has effectively quadrupled in size, and we are now able to hire 12 high school interns each year and train them to be environmental educators for elementary and middle school after-school programs. Over the years, we have seen our Wetland Stewards interns move on to prestigious universities and important jobs.

Antolin was a guiding force behind the citizen-science Project Tierra program, where students and community volunteers get the opportunity to do real hands-on scientific research and monitoring. Project Tierra has been integrated with the science curriculum at Pajaro Valley High School. The monitoring data collected by the students and volunteers is used by the City of Watsonville, the State Regional Water Quality Control Board, and the Wetlands Watch for restoration planning and assessment.

In 2011, she was instrumental in launching the Green Careers program for high school students who were not necessarily college bound, but wanted to gain practical work skills and learn about other job opportunities in the environmental arena. We just completed our 3rd year of this successful program.

Noelle Antolin is a creative can-do kind of person and a pleasure to work with. She has resigned from the Education Director position to spend more time with her family and her family business. She will continue to work with the Wetlands Watch as a consultant.

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Become a Docent
Training Starts Wed. January 20

Our 2016 Docent Training Program begins on January 20. Docent training is a fun and interesting way to learn about the natural and cultural history of the wetlands from experts, and to receive training for becoming a field trip facilitator. These interactive sessions include Wednesday evening presentations and Saturday morning field trips, visiting sites not normally seen by the public.

Join our dedicated team of trained docent volunteers who help with field trips, lead tours, participate in special events, work in the greenhouse and native plant demonstration garden, conduct water monitoring, and much, much more. For more information, contact Kathy Fieberling at kathy@watsonvillewetlandswatch.org, 831-345-1226.