WATSONVILLE — Several students from New School took garden tools in hand and ventured into Watsonville’s hinterlands on Nov. 8, where they uprooted unwanted plants and made way for beneficial native ones.
The work in Struve Slough, a rectangular swath of wetland just south of Pajaro Valley High School, was part of Watsonville Wetlands Watch’s overarching efforts to restore the slough system to the days before people claimed it for agriculture and habitation.
For New School, the trip was part of the Outdoor Science and Character Development program, designed to link agriculture to the environment, and students to the nature that surrounds them.
The students also took a trip to Driscoll’s berry company and toured Watsonville’s water treatment plant.
“It’s always great to get kids out of the classroom,” said Darren Gertner, who runs the Watsonville Environmental Science Workshop.
Beset for years by humans and their tendency to transform their surroundings, the land has variously held an apple farm and a peat growing operation, said Watsonville Wetlands Watch Director of Educational Programs Emily Howard.
Returning it to its original state offers several benefits.
In pre-human days, native plants sustained native wildlife and served as a buffer for the wetlands, in addition to helping to filter the flowing water on its circuitous journey to the ocean.
Student Karina León said she appreciated the hands-on portion of the work, which showed how much labor it takes to work the land, whether using it for agriculture or reclaiming it for a natural space.
“You get to learn things that some people take for granted,” she said.
