The Slough Showcase
Protecting working lands and natural lands
This article originally appeared in our newsletter, Landmarks, Fall 2010
Last fall, when the Land Trust purchased 440 acres of farmland and wetlands at the heart of the Watsonville Slough, we guaranteed that this land would never be developed. The previous owners had different plans. They wanted to build a thousand condos and a golf course (see plans at right). When you’re out on the land it is easy to see why it was a developer’s dream: it is a beautiful place close to a freeway with ocean, valley and wetland views. And when you’re out on the land, it’s also easy to see why so many people worked over many years to save it.
The Land Trust’s acquisition was the final stage of a long process of protecting this 440 acres – and another 600 acres that surround it. In September, we officially dedicated our Watsonville Slough Farm. The Land Trust acknowledged the long list of people and organizations who were part of this process – and then everyone got to celebrate in the best possible way, by getting out on the land.
A series of walks around the property showed that the Land Trust’s goal is not only to just permanently protect this land from development. Our goal is also to turn the Watsonville Slough Farm into a showcase for how to protect both working lands and natural lands. That is what we have been doing at the Byrne-Milliron Forest since we acquired it in 1984. This past year we led a series of tours of the forest – for members, school groups, and other conservation organizations – to show what conservation forestry looks like after 26 years. Our slough walks in September marked the beginning of a process of creating a showcase in the Watsonville Slough.
Most of the land in our Watsonville Slough Farm (272 acres) is being leased to farmers, and the money from these leases is restricted to the stewardship and restoration of the sloughs. We’ve spent $120,000 on a variety of projects since we acquired the property in September 2009. We’ll be spending a lot more once we complete our management plan in 2011. We are working closely with the Santa Cruz County Resources Conservation District (RCD) and the Natural Resources Conservation Service on these conservation projects and the management plan. As part of the planning process RCD has completed a resource assessment and we are drawing on the expertise of 18 members of the Planning Team or Technical Advisory Council.
Current projects
There are some obvious projects that don’t have to wait until the completion of the management plan. Already in the first year we, and our partners, have started and in some cases completed a number of projects to improve the health of the wetlands.
We are taking a few marginal acres of farm land out of production this year to reduce soil erosion on steep slopes that drain into the slough – and then planting native grasses on these slopes. We have removed farm roads, installed culverts, and are building sediment basins. Hedgerows were planted this summer and fall. Invasive plants have been removed and replaced by natives. A native plant nursery is being established to provide seeds for future restoration projects. These are the first obvious steps in addressing the inevitable soil erosion that occurs when you farm hilly land.
One major project involves the restoration of a pond that is breeding habitat for the threatened California Red-legged frog. In the past 160 years of intensive human development 90% of California’s wetlands have been lost, including the seasonal ponds that Red-legged frogs need to breed and to be safe from the invasive bull-frogs who live in year-around wetlands.
This restoration project involved the students from Pajaro Valley High School and Watsonville Wetlands Watch, who removed a road and invasive plants from the site. This may sound like a simple matter, but it involved using a bulldozer to remove the invasive weeds, a chisel plow to break up the hardpan road, and a roto-tiller to break up the remaining invasive roots. Wood chips and rice straw mulch were then laid down and drip irrigation installed.
Partnership showcase
All these projects involved an impressive array of partners that are themselves a showcase in how we work together. The Santa Cruz County Resources Conservation District has played a leadership role in planning and securing grant funding for many restoration projects. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has provided critical funding. Watsonville Wetlands Watch has done a lot of on-the-ground work, as has Vince Mattulich, who holds the master lease for the farmland. Sam Earnshaw at the Community Alliance for Family Farmers planted the hedgerows.
This stewardship partnership mirrors the acquisition partnership that protected this land from development. Funding from the California Coastal Conservancy, the Wildlife Conservation Board, the Nature Conservancy, Peninsula Open Space Trust, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allowed the Land Trust to buy the land we are now working to care for.
All of this work is being coordinated by Matt Freeman, our Director of Conservation. “I’m really inspired by how much stewardship is already happening as a result of the great partners we have on the ground,” he says. “And this is just the beginning!”
We’ve just begun to turn the Watsonville Slough Farm into a showcase of how to protect working lands and natural lands. We hope you’ll get a chance to see our progress in the years ahead.
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