Like many wetlands in California, 
Watsonville’s sloughs have been degraded over the past few centuries. Despite this degradation, these sloughs still provide many important services to our community and region. They improve water quality, support a tremendous diversity of rare and endangered wildlife, help to replenish ground water, buffer our community from the impacts of storms and floods, are central to the resiliency of our region to withstand the effects of a changing climate, and provide an incredible place of peace, tranquility, and recreation.
At Watsonville Wetlands Watch, we work to restore and enhance the services these wetlands provide to the surrounding landscape and to the Pajaro Valley community. Members of the community are at the center of this effort and play a critical role in the development and stewardship of our habitat-restoration projects. Thanks to community volunteers, our nursery, housed at the Patrick Fitz Wetlands Educational Resource Center, produces thousands of native plants each year for out-planting throughout the slough system and watershed.
