Winter 2009
POST Transfers Rare Wetlands
Watsonville Sloughs
- Wetlands aren’t just murky marshland. They are a
rich feeding ground for a vast number of birds and
other animals who rely on this habitat for survival.
These lands also help filter our water supply and keep
our oceans healthy.
- With 90 percent of California’s wetlands lost
since the Gold Rush, it’s a high priority to save those
that remain. That’s why POST took action earlier
this year to save 95 acres at the Watsonville Sloughs,
and why in September we transferred that land at cost
to the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County (LTSCC) for
permanent protection.
- Through a partnership with LTSCC and partial
funding from The Nature Conservancy in January,
POST provided $3.1 million in funding and temporarily
took title to rare wetlands and critical farm fields
at the heart of the Watsonville Sloughs, Santa Cruz
County’s largest expanse of freshwater wetlands.
“POST stepped in to rescue this project at the request
of the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County,” said POST
Executive Vice President Walter T. Moore. “At the
time, their public funding from the State Coastal Conservancy
and the Wildlife Conservation Board was on
hold due to California’s state bond funding freeze.
Now that the money has been restored, the Land
Trust of Santa Cruz County can move forward with their initiative to preserve the Watsonville Sloughs
and buy this land from POST.”
- Vital Habitat, Fertile Farmland
- Located west of Highway 1, the land, formerly
known as the Cheung Ranch, includes important
wildlife habitats adjacent to some of the most valuable
and fertile farmland in California. The site’s coastal
wetlands help maintain water quality in Monterey
Bay and provide unique habitats for native plants and
animals, including five federally listed species and
16 state-listed species of special concern.
- POST’s transfer to the Land Trust of Santa Cruz
County was part of LTSCC’s larger acquisition in
September of a total of 440 acres at Watsonville
Sloughs. Adjacent to 350 acres of protected state and
federal land, the transferred land helps create an
800-acre expanse of uninterrupted open space in the
sloughs. LTSCC will lease the agricultural portion
(52 acres) of the land it is buying from POST to organic
farmers, as it has done since January through a
management agreement with POST. LTSCC will
continue to use the lease revenue for its stewardship,
restoration and education work.
- Partnering for Success
- POST paid for the 95-acre acquisition through
its donor-supported land fund as well as a $1.7 million
grant from The Nature Conservancy funded by the
David and Lucile Packard Foundation to protect
high-priority habitats on California’s Central Coast.
- “We’re so grateful to POST and The Nature Conservancy
for keeping this project alive and waiting out
the nine-month funding delay with us,” said LTSCC
Executive Director Terry Corwin. “The Watsonville
Sloughs have long been considered a high priority for
conservation. Now that bond funds are available
again, we can complete this campaign
to preserve essential wetlands, farm fields and water
quality in our community.”
Santa Clara County Parks Adds Rancho San Vicente . . .
