Watsonville Wetlands Watch 2024-26 Strategic Plan

WATSONVILLE WETLANDS WATCH 2024 – 2026 STRATEGIC PLAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Organizational Values To achieve WWW’s mission and vision, our Board and staff have defined the central values that will guide our work, both internally and in partnerships.

These include: • Stewardship • Equity • Community • Dignity • Caring • Vision • Connection

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With over 800 acres of freshwater and tidal wetlands, the Pajaro River and tributaries, and 5 natural lakes, the Pajaro Valley supports one of California’s most important coastal wetland systems. These wetlands and their watersheds provide habitats to over 270 resident and migratory birds and 23 different native plants, fish, and wildlife that are state and federally listed as threatened, endangered, and species of special concern. Seasonal wetlands provide flood attenuation, water quality improvement, groundwater replenishment, natural habitat, and recreation to more than 65,000 residents of the Valley and thousands of visitors each year.

The wetlands underlie the City of Watsonville and surrounding farmlands and neighborhoods. As throughout California, where over 90% of the wetlands have been lost since 1850, Pajaro Valley wetlands have undergone dramatic transformations resulting in loss of habitat, impaired water quality, and loss of ecosystem services over the past centuries. However, over the past three decades, through the work of Watsonville Wetlands Watch and many partners, a reverse of this long-term loss of wetlands and impairment of our watersheds has begun. Increasing appreciation and community stewardship of these natural resources has supported large scale, collaborative watershed restoration work. The result is the return of wildlife once thought to be lost to this valley, the beginnings of a reversal of groundwater overdraft, and the reinstatement of natural habitats and ecosystem services to protect our community and create a more enjoyable, livable, and climate resilient place for the generations to come.

For the full version of the strategic plan, please go to: www.watsonvillewetlandswatch.org/strategic-plan-2024-2026

WWW envisions a wetland ecosystem that thrives within Watsonville and the greater Pajaro Valley, with our community at the center of its conservation.

Watsonville Wetlands Watch (WWW) has been a leader in environmental conservation and community engagement in environmental issues in the Pajaro Valley since our founding in 1991. WWW envisions a wetland ecosystem that thrives within Watsonville and the greater Pajaro Valley, with our community at the center of its conservation. Our education and volunteer programs serve thousands of youth and students, ensuring that the next generation of leaders is equipped to take on the complex environmental challenges our community faces. Our habitat restoration programs strengthen the natural resources of our region, cleaning our waterways, improving trails and greenbelts, and laying the foundation of the return of wildlife species whose future survival depends on thoughtful actions taken today. More recently, our work has expanded to urban forestry and other activities related to climate resilience. As we look towards a future of increasing climatic challenges, we will build on our significant accomplishments to strengthen wetlands and environmental health, environmental education, youth leadership and workforce development, and climate resilience for all community members.

Over the next three years, our Strategic Plan will guide the thoughtful implementation of environmental restoration, tree canopy expansion, community building, outreach and engagement, climate resilience and climate action, improved access to nature, and youth and community education and workforce development. This work will be aligned with the unique needs of our community and be done in ways that enhance community health as a guiding principle.

WWW is deeply aware of the growing impacts of the climate crisis and the key roles that community members and the wetlands can play in building capacity to mitigate climate impacts and adapt successfully to environmental changes. To advance our mission in the coming years, we will focus on strengthening community engagement, in partnership with the diverse and multicultural population in the Pajaro Valley, and assisting Watsonville and the surrounding region in addressing climate change with the wetlands as a key resource for climate resilience.

Hanson Slough Native Grassland Restoration Project

Community Partnerships This Strategic Plan is developed with the understanding that creating and preserving healthy natural and human communities in the Pajaro Valley requires many partners, each playing key roles in developing and implementing strategies and actions now and into the future. Education, restoration, and advocacy are key strategies of WWW’s work to achieve our mission and vision.

WWW’s 2024– 2026 strategic plan outlines the goals and activities that will provide our unique contribution to these communitywide efforts. We invite your participation and support. In partnership, we will advance critical conservation goals for our region.

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3 to 5 Year Vision Over the next few years, WWW will achieve important milestones toward the organization's 15-year vision.

• Integrate cultural relevance, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusivity in all aspects of the organization, including staffing, work culture, board, volunteers, programs, and community engagement.

• Increase focus on climate resilience and the impacts of environmental degradation and climate change on the area’s most vulnerable populations and the wetlands.

• Expand restoration work with more wetland corridors restored, greater geographic reach, new partnerships, greater engagement of the diverse and multicultural Pajaro Valley community, farmers, and businesses; increase tree canopy and expand organizational capacity for urban forestry work; enhance coordination between restoration work and educational work.

• Empower community-led conservation. Some elements may include: projects led by youth, programs responsive and more relevant to Spanish-speaking, low-income communities, Latino/a adult community participation and leadership program, and ongoing ways to listen to and engage with this community.

• Expand educational and community outreach work, reaching more schools, offering innovative programming to reach diverse, multicultural, and Latino/a community, hosting engaging programs on-site at the Watsonville

Nature Center starting in fall of 2025, increasing youth participation in camps and field trips, and significantly deepening community engagement throughout our work.

• Develop youth leadership and academic and career pathways: expand the pipeline of young environmental leaders with a focus on learning leadership and civic engagement skills, increase paid internship opportunities for youth environmental leaders in environmental fields.

• Forge stronger, more coordinated partnerships with local organizations, particularly those working with Latino/a, Spanish-speaking communities.

• Engage a broader range of voices in advocacy on environmental issues, in coordination with other partners.

• Involve more volunteers from diverse backgrounds, making volunteer activities more accessible through location and outreach; increase volunteer engagement and retention and re-energize WWW docent program.

• Increase work with science and research institutions and sharing of lessons learned through multimedia communications and published technical papers.

Middle Struve Slough Habitat Enhancement and Water Quality Protection Project

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2024 – 2026 Strategies and Goals Education

Restoration

WWW education programs increase their reach and impact on Pajaro Valley youth and community members while laying the foundation for further growth and expansion. Youth and community members have an increased understanding of the connections between the health of the wetlands and nature and the health of their community, and increase the actions they take to care for the wetlands and natural environment.

WWW makes significant progress toward a thriving wetland ecosystem, watershed, and natural environment that supports ecological and community health throughout the Pajaro Valley.

Community leadership in conservation work is fostered, developed, and celebrated to enhance the impact and sustainability of this work. Restoration work that most benefits community health outcomes is prioritized. Our work is recognized beyond our local region as innovative in urban greening, urban forestry, and advancing climate resilience to improve wetland, ecological and community health.

The following strategies will be utilized: • Sustain and strengthen existing education programs • Expand Wetland Stewards and Wetland Wonders Programs to more schools throughout the Pajaro Valley Unified School District (PVUSD) • Expand Green Schools programs to multiple schools in the PVUSD • Expand community education programs, with a focus on community leadership, especially for people traditionally not represented in environmental programs • Prepare for and open a new Watsonville Nature Center in Ramsay Park in 2025, in partnership with the City of Watsonville • Explore and develop leadership development pathways for program alumni • Share WWW’s successes, challenges, and lessons learned to leverage our work and support the community of practice outside of our geographic region

The following strategies will be utilized: • Expand areas restored and active stewardship sites within the Pajaro Valley • Scale up our Climate Resilience and Adaptation, Urban Greening, and Forestry Program • Advocate for and advance local policy measures and planning and conservation goals that increase environmental restoration and community health benefits for humans and nature in the Pajaro Valley • Lay the groundwork for community-led restoration through youth leadership, community engagement, workforce development, and diversification of our volunteer base

Organizational Capacity WWW ensures that equity is centered in organizational processes, decision making, programs, and the ‘way we work.’ WWW builds our administrative capacity and expands our organizational support structures and skills to enable the program growth anticipated in this plan. Staff and volunteers feel engaged and supported and have the skills, understanding, and commitment to successfully achieve the organization's goals.

The following strategies will be utilized: • Strengthen capacity to grow as an equity-centered, community-focused organization • Improve organizational brand and community awareness and recognition to increase support for the mission of WWW 4

Goals • Promote the health of the wetlands of the Pajaro Valley and all life forms, human, flora, and fauna, that rely on them.

• Increasingly incorporate cultural relevance, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusivity in all aspects of the organization, including staffing, work culture, board representation, volunteer participation, program content, and community engagement.

• Strengthen the focus on climate resilience and addressing the inequitable impacts of environmental degradation and climate change on the area’s most vulnerable populations and the wetlands.

• Foster a community-led conservation approach in which all members of the community are valued as key partners in program design and implementation. This includes work to thoughtfully engage all community members in participation and leadership opportunities, especially those who have been traditionally under-represented.

See full strategic plan at www.watsonvillewetlandswatch.org/strategic-plan-2024-2026 for action items for each strategy.

Watsonville Wetlands Watch Fitz Wetlands Educational Resource Center 500 Harkins Slough Road | Watsonville, CA 95076 831-728-1156 | watsonvillewetlandswatch.org Watsonville Wetlands Watch is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, Tax ID #77-0519882