Watsonville Wetlands Watch’s New Executive Director
Jonathan will now work full time as our Executive Director, helping the organization to spearhead our many ambitious goals throughout Watsonville, the Pajaro Valley and the Monterey Bay.
25 Years in Review
Thanks to your support, and the work by a strong community of passionate individuals and partners, WWW has been able to accomplish some amazing things.
Here are some of the highlights!
- 1,000 acres of conservation lands protected throughout the slough system
- 120,000 native plants grown from our watershed and planted on restoration projects
- 7 miles of trails maintained along the slough system to create an urban greenbelt for the health and enjoyment of the community
- 34,000 hours of volunteer labor for critical restoration projects and education programs
- 4,000 adults participated in continuing education through docent training, speaker series and tours
- 16,000 students introduced to science and nature through hands-on, outdoor education programs
- 87 Wetland Steward Mentors taught environmental sciences and nurtured to become tomorrow’s leaders since the program began in 2007
- Nearly 100% of the Wetland Steward graduates attended college
But that’s just the beginning! WWW has a lot more planned for the next 25 years and beyond including climate change adaptation projects, expansion of its Green Careers program, expanding educational programs to ensure that EVERY child in the Pajaro Valley has access to hands-on outdoor environmental and science education, and continuing to protect and restore the health of the wetlands and our community.
Noelle Antolin Awarded Citizen of the Year
Congratulations to Noelle Antolin who was awarded the Freedom Rotary Citizen of the Year for her work in helping local students become stewards of their environment during her time as Education Director at Watsonville Wetlands Watch.
Noelle joined the Watsonville Wetlands Watch as Education Director in 2007 and implemented steady improvements in our educational programs. We now provide educational programming in ecology, water quality and invertebrate monitoring, restoration, mentoring, leadership, peer-to-peer learning, and green careers to more than 2,500 students in the Pajaro Valley Unified School District each year.
Noelle retired from the Watsonville Wetlands Watch earlier this year to devote time to her family and business.
Celebrate World Wetlands Day
Join WWW for a very special event on Saturday, February 4, when we observe World Wetlands Day 2017! We invite community volunteers to work with us on an exciting restoration project on Upper Struve Slough along the City of Watsonville’s Trail System. In addition to the restoration project, there will be variety of things to do, including fun kids’ activities and a bird walk. This event is co-sponsored with the City of Watsonville.
Volunteers will meet at 10 a.m. on the Upper Struve Slough trail at the lower parking area at the southern end of the Nob Hill Shopping Center in Watsonville, and work until noon. Gloves, tools, and snacks will be provided.
This year’s World Wetlands Day is dedicated to “Wetlands for Disaster Risk Reduction.” Worldwide, wetlands are an important part of a natural strategy to reduce risk from large storms and natural disasters.
Along the coastline, wetlands act as a natural protective buffer. For example, they helped avoid more than $625 million in damages from Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Inland, wetlands act as a natural sponge, absorbing and storing excess rainfall and reducing flooding.
During the dry season, they release the stored water, delaying the onset of droughts and reducing water shortages. When well managed, wetlands can make communities resilient enough to prepare for, cope with and bounce back from disasters even stronger than before.
Unfortunately, 64% of the world’s wetlands have disappeared since 1900 making our remaining wetlands all the more critical to protect and restore. So come out with us on February 4 and help restore our own precious wetland habitat.