On Saturday, Feb. 4, from 9 a.m. to noon, volunteers will celebrate World Wetlands Day by planting native wetland plants at a restoration site near Struve Slough. This event is co-sponsored with the City of Watsonville. Volunteers will meet at the parking lot located at 115 Westridge Dr. in Watsonville at 9 a.m. and walk to the trail site as a group. Gloves, tools, and snacks will be provided. This is a great area for birding so there will be binoculars on hand and a docent-led birding station.

Although there has been little rain this year, planting of native plants on our habitat restoration projects is underway. Restoration staff, volunteers, and our work crews are in the midst of planting about 36,000 native plants along Struve, Hanson, and Watsonville Sloughs, and at our native seed farm. We are also re-seeding and restoring three acres of native grasslands along those same sloughs, in partnership with the City of Watsonville, the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County, the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

A dry few months has meant extra work for our restoration staff, as all of our plantings need hand watering until either the rains come or their roots establish in the soil. By spring these plants will begin to create the new habitats that make our sloughs such rich places for all that make them their home. Pictured above is Restoration Specialist Mary Paul with two students from a class from Saint Francis High which recently helped us with our Hanson Slough plantings. For more photos of the restoration work in progress, click here.

On Thursday, March 22, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., the Watch is hosting popular educator and biologist Bruce Elliott, who will talk about an "American Original" -- the rattlesnake. Hear the myths and learn the facts! Often maligned, rattlesnakes are a fascinating group of reptiles found only in the New World. There are more than 25 species, and they are found in every temperate and tropical zone of the Americas. At the Fitz Educational Resource Center, at the top of the Pajaro Valley High School campus in Watsonville. Map/directions. Admission is free but you must reserve a seat by contacting Kathy Fieberling at 831-345-1226 or kathyfieb@yahoo.com.

The success of our habitat restoration work partially relies on contributions from supporters like you. Contribute online by going to our website or by sending a donation in the mail to WWW, P.O. Box 1239, Freedom, CA 95019. Contributions are tax-deductible in accordance with IRS rules for non-profit organizations and are greatly appreciated.