Santa Cruz County Environment Articles

What does it mean when firefighters call a fire "contained?" Here's a brief guide to commonly used fire prevention terminology.

The local chapter of an international movement is working to bring back the darkness.

An inspirational creature card with a message of ‘fortitude, endurance, and badassness.’

The quaint little Santa Cruz we’ve known for decades has been booming in 2024, like no other time since the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.It’s been a boom year for construction all over the county. It’s also been a boom for …

A group of city workers and volunteers spent the afternoon cleaning massive amounts of trash from a wooded hillside in Watsonville one sunny day in early December, hauling away several full dumpsters.

There are two sides to a levee, but a conservationist and a farmer have found common ground at the swampy mouth of the Pajaro River.

By Dan Bacher Gavin Newsom continued his “California Jobs First” tour last week with a press event at a farm in Colusa in the Sacramento Valley where the...

A non-native invasive shothole borer beetle found along Zayante Creek south of Graham Hill Road in October has been identified as Euwallacea interjectus, a beetle originating from Southeast Asia.

The Coastal Watershed Council wants you to fall in love. Since 1995, this nonprofit group has sought to ignite Santa Cruzans with a passion for the San Lorenzo River and the desire to explore, enhance and protect this waterway that …

Conservation of 247 acres by the Pajaro River preserves habitat, safeguards farmland, and builds climate resilience.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing protection for one of the nation's most beloved species the monarch butterfly and is encouraging the public to be part of its recovery. The Service is seeking public input on a proposal …

The San Lorenzo Valley and the broader Santa Cruz County community are mourning the loss of Mary Hammer, a beloved founder and lifelong advocate for the region. Hammer died Nov. 6 after a brief illness, leaving behind a profound legacy …

The organization responsible for keeping Watsonville’s wetlands healthy joined forces with city officials and a herd of volunteers Saturday to spruce up the Struve Slough trail.

Seacliff State Beach was obliterated by storms in 2023. California State Parks is mobilizing the public to reimagine its future.

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – California's 30×30 goal was a topic at the Sierra Nevada Alliance Conservation Conference held at Lake Tahoe Community College, Nov. 7-8. In 2020, California Governor Gavin Newsom committed the state to conserving 30% of lands …

Former Surfrider president and his allies propose an offshore reef to protect Sharp Park Beach—and create a nice wave for surf competitions.

A “significant threat” to the Delta has been discovered in the Port of Stockton.The golden mussel (Limnoperna fortunei), an invasive, non-native freshwater bivalve, was recently discovered in the port by California Department of Water Resources staff while conducting routine operations, …

The County of Santa Cruz has begun installing surveillance cameras at key locations in unincorporated areas of the County to help prevent illegal dumping, a strategy to protect the environment and help keep Santa Cruz County clean.

The Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors Tuesday unanimously approved an ordinance that will, in a little more than two years, ban the sale of filtered cigarettes in unincorporated areas of the county.

With this property acquisition, the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County safeguards critical habitat for this endangered, federally and state-listed species.