Santa Cruz County Parks & Recreation Digest

Get the details about the California State Parks prescribed burns at Wilder Ranch State Park over the next two weeks and resulting temporary trail closures.

The Peninsula Open Space Trust this week announced the purchase of over 1,300 acres of land on the southeast edge of Santa Cruz County, southwest of Gilroy.  

Your donation to County Park Friends will help raise $30,000 for scholarships so local youth can participate in Santa Cruz County parks and recreation programs. Click to learn more.

A project to restore native plant species and sensitive habitat has led the City of Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation department to close the San Lorenzo Park Benchlands to public access.

The 41-acre Año Nuevo Vista parcel has been acquired by the Sempervirens Fund land trust providing a possible future link between Año Nuevo and Butano state parks.

A public forum about the future of Seacliff and New Brighton state beaches will be held on September 26, hosted by California State Parks and Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks.

The completion of a project to improve the floating walkway and signs on the Neary Lagoon Wildlife Refuge Interpretive Trail is being celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony on September 17.

In their August 27 meeting, the Watsonville City Council approved moving forward with a complete restoration of the City Plaza gazebo.

The Santa Cruz City Council voted unanimously to approve $400,000 in funding necessary for the reopening of the Harvey West Pool by Memorial Day 2025.

The recently restored Capitola Wharf is preparing to reopen soon, and a community work day is scheduled for September 7 to install some crowdfunded final items.

In their August 21 meeting, the Scotts Valley City Council approved the first update to the Parks Master Plan since 1996.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held on August 12 celebrating upcoming upgrades to Floral County Park in Pleasure Point.

Public comment is being solicited on mural designs for the Ramsay Park Nature Center in Watsonville.

An interview with Boulder Creek resident Luka McClish, recently rescued after 10 days lost int he Santa Cruz Mountains.

Nearly every major environmental group in California opposes a bill that would modify the state’s signature environmental law to speed up upgrades to power lines. Supporters say it would help free the state from fossil fuels and make the grid more reliable, but opponents fear it would damage state parks.

On June 19, California YIMBY announced support for the California Forever project going to the Solano County ballot in November.

Young Great White sharks are convening in the warm waters of Soquel Cove off Seacliff State Beach between Capitola and Rio Del Mar.

Photos spotlight the beauty of the Big Sur community.

Plans are underway to open 5.7 acres of riparian land around the Rispin Mansion to the public by October.

The Capitola Aptos Rotary Club presented a check for over $90,000 to County Park Friends which is fundraising for the Treasure Cove Inclusive Playground at Jade Street Park.

The City of Santa Cruz cleared an encampment used by 30-40 people from the Harvey West Friendship Park on May 1.

The Sempervirens Fund has purchased two adjacent parcels to be transferred to park ownershipfor use as a new entrance and to replace other facilities destroyed in the CZU Fire.

California State Parks and partner Friends of California State Parks are working together on a project to rehabilitate a number of dunes at Rio Del Mar State Beach to reduce erosion, increase resilience and restore wildlife habitat.

In the planning stages since 2021, a new inclusive and accessible playground opened at Skypark.

Local opposition is growing in response to a petition before the California Fish and Game Commission to establish a new marine reserve off Pleasure Point and expand an existing reserve next to Natural Bridges State Beach.

The over 2,000 page final environmental impact report for the Coastal Rail Trail Segments 10 and 11 is on the agenda for the March 26 County Supervisor meeting.

In this regular Our Ocean Backyard column, UCSC Professor Gary Griggs tells the story of the building of the Santa Cruz Small Craft Harbor.

Forbes Advisor experts have compiled a list of the 50 best places to travel.

California State Parks has recommended $6.7 million for seven local nonmotorized trail projects in various cities, including Galt and Gilroy.

One of Watsonville’s most recognizable and historic community hubs could be getting a new look as the city plans a comprehensive revitalization of its downtown City Plaza.

Disneyland’s plan to reimagine the theme park into a more “immersive” experience may require up to $2.5 billion and a plan to privatize some Anaheim streets.

Richmond Ranch in south San Jose may be preserved as open space if multiple government entities succeed in a quest to buy its thousands of acres, public documents show.