Central Coast Students Cultivating the Climate

Story by CCW staff, photos by teachers, parents, and staff.

This May, Central Coast Wilds nursery (CCW) provided 100 CA native trees to Janet Stahl's first grade class at San Lorenzo Valley Elementary School in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The students planted these trees at their homes, many of which were affected by the CZU Lightning Complex fires this past summer. A funny coincidence is that one of Janet's students is Holden Hansen, our own Garrick Hansen's son. And also a big shout out to Richard Gessner at Monarch Consulting Arborist for purchasing the trees...another great class dad!

The students have named their trees and are keeping nature journals, following their growth by measuring plant height, counting leaves, and doing field sketches throughout the remainder of the school year.

Sam Adelson with the Coastal Watershed Council runs an after school program at Bay View Elementary called Watershed Rangers in which 3rd and 4th graders learn about watershed science and advocacy. They do fun activities focusing on erosion, steelhead trout, native plants, water conservation, pollution prevention, and the list goes on!

The students will follow their growth by measuring plant height, counting leaves, and doing field sketches throughout the remainder of the school year. Sam creates opportunities for Action Projects so students can make a difference and implement what they've learned. They've made and posted flyers, passed out native seed packets courtesy of Central Coast Wetlands Group, and this time around, the students wanted to plant native species to attract more butterflies and ladybugs to their Life Lab garden and protect the soils!

Central Coast Wilds often works with UCSC students, giving them volunteering and employment opportunities so they can develop skills for careers in botany or horticulture while they grow the plants that will be used to restore habitats.