On Wednesday, Nov. 5, the Watsonville Wetlands Watch is hosting wildlife photographer Kathy Frandeen, who will show her wonderful photographs of bobcats taken while studying them for the past 10 years in the Monterey Bay area, and particularly at Fort Ord. Kathy will talk about her bobcat adventures while showing you the identifying markers, and tell you about the personalities of the cats she most commonly observes. Before Fort Ord became a National Monument, Kathy was asked by the Bureau of Land Management to document the populations of bobcats and their territories, and her photographs were used as evidence that the lands of Ford Ord needed to be protected.

The talk, hosted by the Watsonville Wetlands Watch, is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Fitz Wetlands Educational Resource Center. Click for map/directions. Admission is free but you must reserve a seat online by clicking here or by contacting Kathy Fieberling at 831-345-1226 or kathy@watsonvillewetlandswatch.org.

by Board Member Lou Rose

On Saturday, October 25th at the Fitz Wetlands Educational Resource Center thirty people braved the morning rain to attend an unusual gathering of local students, educators, philanthropists, Watsonville Wetlands Watch (WWW) board members and WWW staff. Attendees representing the Pajaro Valley Unified School District and the Santa Cruz County Office of Education joined with program funders like Bruce Nicholson of the Nicholson Family Foundation, Patrick Fitz, and other individual supporters to meet the real stars of the day: nine current students and recent graduates from our Wetland Stewards program and participants in our Regional Occupational Program (ROP) Green Careers initiative. Click here to read entire article.

On Friday, Oct. 11 our very own Green Careers ROP (Regional Occupational Program) class was publicly applauded for their participation in the annual Seed to Table luncheon event in Santa Cruz. The event was sponsored by Your Future is Our Business, a Santa Cruz county non-profit whose mission is to bring guest speakers and industry participants into classrooms in order to broaden their exposure to local jobs. Our ROP students were tasked with making this 300 person lunch more sustainable, and a group of them decided to make some educational/promotional signage in order to bring composting and sustainability to the forefront.

Five students chosen from throughout the county addressed the full house, providing the highlight of the meeting. We are proud to say that two of the students have been through our class. Gabriella Alvarez, a current senior in our Green Career class, gave a moving speech explaining her personal background and where she would be if she did not have the educational opportunities that ROP provides. Her speech was followed with a round of applause. This luncheon was a great way to celebrate the hard work that our students are doing on and around campus, and was also a great opportunity for our teens to begin networking in preparation for their lives after high school.

Our 2015 Docent Training Program begins in late January. Docent training is a fun and interesting way to learn about the natural and cultural history of the wetlands from experts, and to receive training for becoming a field trip facilitator. These interactive sessions include Wednesday evening presentations and Saturday field trips, visiting sites not normally seen by the public. Join our dedicated team of trained docent volunteers who facilitate field trips, lead tours, participate in special events, work in the greenhouse and native plant demonstration garden, conduct water monitoring, and much, much more. For more information, contact Kathy Fieberling at kathy@watsonvillewetlandswatch.org, 831-345-1226 or click here.

We invite you to help restore wetland habitat by planting native plants and removing exotic invasive plants as part of our monthly community work day on Nov. 22. We will work from 9 a.m. until noon, and we always make time for birding or a short hike around the wetlands. We supply the gloves, tools, and a snack.. Meet at our Fitz Wetlands Educational Resource Center (map/directions). If you have questions, please contact Mary Paul at mary@watsonvillewetlandswatch.org or 831-566-4938.

Education is vital in developing environmental awareness and leadership. The professional teaching staff and volunteers of the Wetlands Watch bring environmental education to more than 2000 students annually, including our innovative “Green Careers” course at Pajaro Valley High School. Your gift of any size will support these programs and help create our next generation of environmental stewards and leaders. You can donate by clicking here. Thank you!