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Santa Cruz County Parks & Recreation Overview



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The mission of Friends of the North Coast is to honor and preserve the natural and cultural legacy of Santa Cruz County’s North Coast.

California Local Pin Marker Local Parks & Recreation Digest

Prescribed Burns Scheduled for Wilder Ranch State Park

11/12/2024

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.

POST Land Trust Buys 1,300-Acre Pescadero Ranch in Santa Cruz County for Over $15M

11/05/2024

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.  

California Local Pin Marker Recent Articles

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Crowdsourcing Plans for Resilience

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

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Scotts Valley City Council Approves New Facility Rental Fees

Scotts Valley City Council has taken the next step in addressing a $700,000 deficit in recreation funding by approving new facility rental and special-event fees.

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Preschool Program Expands at Highlands Park Center in Ben Lomond

Community Bridges recently announced that Highlands Park Center in Ben Lomond, one of six sites in its Early Education Division (EED), has expanded its California State Preschool Program (CSPP) to offer free or low-cost early care and education services for …

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Building a Resilient Future at Seacliff State Beach

Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks helps the agency gather public input for a new vision at Seacliff and New Brighton State Beaches.

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Henry Cowell Observation Deck Loop Trail

A hike is not about completion. It’s about discovery.

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Controlled Burn Starts in San Mateo County, With More Planned for Santa Cruz County

A controlled burn at Wilder Ranch State Park is planned Oct. 28 to Nov. 5, depending on weather. A crew works at Wilder in 2023. (State Parks)
SANTA CRUZ >> Cal Fire started a 250-acre controlled burn on private land …

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New Plan Unveiled to Safeguard Iconic Redwood Parks in Santa Cruz County

California State Parks and Save The Redwoods League release report outlining actions needed to restore and protect Big Basin Redwoods, Año Nuevo and Butano state parks after CZU Lightning Complex Fire

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Monarch Butterflies Return

Natural Bridges State Park reclaims its name as visitors celebrate a second bridge formed in the sandstone cliff wall It will be on display during the annual celebration of the anticipated return of thousands of monarchs to the eucalyptus grove.

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Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument

A jewel on Santa Cruz’s north coast.

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Take a Hike: The Watsonville Slough Trail

Created in 1972, the DC Comic Anti-Hero Swamp Thing tells a story about the conflict between humans and the environment. When making decisions about the natural world, Swamp Thing challenges our human-centered belief that we alone possess intrinsic value. Godzilla …

Featured

There are more than 300 community service districts in California.
Community Services Districts, Explained
Areas that the county overlooks can form their own local governments.
The Baldwin Hills area in South Los Angeles is one region where a state conservancy would keep open land accessible to the public.
California’s 10 State Conservancies: How They Protect Parks and Open Land
Starting in 1976, the legislature began creating agencies to buy up open land, and keep it open.
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