The City of Watsonville and Watsonville Wetlands Watch (WWW) will host the annual World Wetlands Day celebration on Saturday from 9:30am to 1pm along Struve Slough.
The family-friendly event includes a habitat restoration project, educational activities and music.
Volunteers can help install thousands of native plants along Struve Slough as a part of the Middle Struve Slough habitat restoration and water quality improvement projects, funded by the Ocean Protection Council and the Habitat Conservation Fund, said WWW Development and Communications Director Brooke Sampson.
World Wetlands Day is celebrated annually to raise global awareness about the role of wetlands. The theme of World Wetlands Day 2025 is “Wetlands for our common future.”
“Coastal wetlands are among the most biologically diverse places on Earth and are on the front lines of climate change, protecting communities from flooding and sea-level rise and buffering them during coastal storms,” said WWW Executive Director Jonathon Pilch. “Wetlands also capture and store rainwater and recharge aquifers, and their vegetation filters pollutants.”
There are six interlinked sloughs in Watsonville comprising about 800 acres. They are one of the largest remaining freshwater wetlands in the California coastal region. The Slough System supports more than 270 species of resident and migratory birds, and 23 native plants and animals that are listed as state and federally threatened, endangered, or species of special concern, according to WWW.
“Watsonville’s World Wetlands Day annual celebration is a tremendous day for wetlands conservation, community building, and climate action in Watsonville,” Pilch said. “This work is having a major impact for local wetlands and climate resiliency in the Pajaro Valley at a time when the need for this work has never been greater.”Event registration begins at 9:30am by the butterfly statue near the Struve Slough trailhead, next to Watsonville Square (Nob Hill) Shopping Center, 1934 Main St. For information about the World Wetlands Day event or Watsonville Wetland Watch’s restoration efforts, visit watsonvillewetlandswatch.org.
