Quick Take
The Coastal Watershed Council and the Watershed Stewards Program are hosting a volunteer event on Saturday focused on cleaning the San Lorenzo River watershed.
Two environmental conservation groups are joining forces in an event to help bring awareness about the San Lorenzo River watershed to community members. There will be some cleaning involved, too.
If you go
What: Weeding for the Watershed
When: Saturday, March 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: 107 Dakota Ave., Santa Cruz
RSVP & info: Click here
The Coastal Watershed Council and the Watershed Stewards Program — a state organization that partners with local environmental groups to help provide education and restoration around river watersheds — will be hosting a volunteer event on Saturday focused on cleaning up the San Lorenzo River watershed.
“Our goal is to spread awareness about what a watershed is and how people can help their local watersheds,” said Gabriel Anderson, a Watershed Stewards Program corps member. Volunteers will be clearing up invasive plants, such as Italian thistle, ripgut brome and wild radish, and planting vegetation native to the area.
A watershed is a land area that drains into a common body of water, such as a lake or a river, said Julianne Chin-Drachman, a Watershed Stewards Program corps member. The San Lorenzo River, she added, is a source of drinking water for the community and is also home to steelhead trout.
Events such as these are helpful in maintaining the habitat by removing the invasive plants and replacing them with native ones, Chin-Drachman said. They also help stabilize the riverbank, preventing erosion, and protect the steelhead trout from pollution and sedimentation.
Anderson said the event is aimed at building community while also bettering the environment.
“It’s helping people spread awareness, but it’s also helping people gain appreciation for this area because they’ve put in time to make it a better, more beautiful area to be in,” he said.
Volunteers are encouraged to RSVP through the event’s signup page, but Anderson said residents interested can participate without signing up. The event will also have more information for those who’d like to continue volunteering or learn more about the work being done to conserve the environment.
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