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Santa Cruz County Parks & Recreation Articles



San Lorenzo Valley Post logo LOCAL NEWS
Lake Lompico: A Labor of Love

Restoration and Demonstration Project in Progress

Good Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Following the Fall Creek Fish Ladder Trail

There’s a cartoon in the 9/9/22 New Yorker that shows salmon jumping upstream over rocks with leopards, pelicans, crocodiles, raccoons, lions, alligators and wolves catching them in mid-air. In the foreground one bear says to another bear, “You just had …

Hilltromper Santa Cruz logo LOCAL NEWS
Is Cowell Beach the Best Beginner's Surf Break in the World?

A practical, user-friendly guide to learning to surf in Santa Cruz: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
A Call to Local Artists

The City of Watsonville has sent out a call to local artists to help create a mural for the new nature center coming to Ramsay Park.

Press Banner logo LOCAL NEWS
Summer Vibes Return to Skypark With Food Truck Fridays and Taco Tuesdays

You know that summer is almost here when the convoy of food trucks comes back to Skypark. Starting Friday, April 26, Food Trucks a Go Go presents Food Truck Fridays, the area’s largest food truck festival with new owners Josh …

Good Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Hiking in a Storm in the Byrne-Milliron Forest

“Take a Hike With Richard Stockton” appears weekly on the Good Times website.

KSQD logo LOCAL NEWS
Low-Impact Camping Ordinance Raises Questions in Fire Zone

The Low Impact Camping Ordinance drafted by the Santa Cruz County Planning Commission took some rural residents by surprise. On one hand, people are already renting out camping sites on their private properties, sometimes with negative impacts on neighbors, sometimes …

Good Times logo LOCAL NEWS
Fall Creek Hike

It’s dawn and I’m the first to park in the Henry Cowell State Park parking lot up Felton-Empire Grade Road. I had to use my phone alarm to wake up. I hope hiking will get my circadian rhythm in alignment …

Hilltromper Santa Cruz logo LOCAL NEWS
Castle Rock SP: The Crown Jewel on Santa Cruz’s Skyline

Ten recreation options available at Castle Rock State Park, just north of Boulder Creek, from climbing to horseback riding to picnicking with a view.

Santa Cruz Local logo LOCAL NEWS
Rail-Trail Money Threatened After Santa Cruz County Supervisors Vote

A rendering shows a version of Segment 11 of the rail trail on Cliff Drive in Capitola. (Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission)
SANTA CRUZ >> A Santa Cruz County supervisors vote on Tuesday shocked county staff and left an …

San Lorenzo Valley Post logo LOCAL NEWS
Big Basin Redwoods State Park Update

California State Parks staff continues to move forward with the Big Basin Redwoods State Park Facilities Management Plan (BBFMP). Site planning and design considerations are in the works with the Reimagining Big Basin project team engaging stakeholders and the public …

The Pajaronian logo LOCAL NEWS
A “Jewel in the Community:” Ramsay Park Project Moves Forward

In a little more than a year, Ramsay Park in Watsonville will boast a new dog park, a new multi-use synthetic sports field, a new state-of-the-art nature center and new lights for its pathways, parking lots and athletic fields.

Hilltromper Santa Cruz logo LOCAL NEWS
Land Trust of Santa Cruz County Protects Habitat for Rare and Endangered Santa Cruz Long-Toed Salamander

The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County acquired 14 acres of core habitat critical to the recovery of the Santa Cruz long-toed salamander.

Hilltromper Silicon Valley logo LOCAL NEWS
The Wildflowers of Coyote Ridge

A conversation with Dr. Stu Weiss about the Máyyan 'Ooyákma-Coyote Ridge Open Space Preserve, and why it is one of the Bay Area’s premier wildflower hot-spots.

Image caption: Kindergartners during recess at Redwood Heights Elementary School in Oakland.
Our Students Need More Recess

More frequent outdoor breaks can improve student attention, reduce behavior problems. Over the last decade, a growing list of U.S. states—including Missouri, Florida and New Jersey—have mandated daily recess. California joined the trend in late 2023.

Hilltromper Santa Cruz logo LOCAL NEWS
Product Launch: Find & Protect Wildflowers With BloomTracker

Hilltromper announces an online resource that tells you where your favorite flowers are blooming right now, and helps preserve these wonders of nature.

Press Banner logo LOCAL NEWS
Skypark Tot Lot Grand Opening Set for Sunday

City of Scotts Valley has announced the grand opening of the inclusive Skypark Tot Lot Playground on Sunday, March 17, from 11am-1pm.

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