watsonville wetlands watch

Climate Change Challenge: rising seas

Grant Award: $162,822; Year Awarded: 2015

The Upper Watsonville Slough Habitat Restoration Project will restore and enhance significant wetland habitat to support climate change adaptation in the largest freshwater wetland complex on coastal California’s Monterey Bay. The work will serve as a pilot to initiate climate adaptation driven planning and restoration techniques in the region. These techniques include prioritizing freshwater wetland habitat restoration higher in the watershed where freshwater wetland habitat is anticipated to persist, and utilizing re-vegetation methods that include increased use of native plants that tolerate both freshwater and brackish conditions lower in the watershed where freshwater wetlands are expected to increase in salinity. By restoring coastal wetland habitat in this manner, this project will support the climate adaptation goal of sustaining productive and resilient coastal wetland habitat resources, wildlife and ecological services within a framework of climate driven environmental changes associated with sea level rise, changes in hydrology in coastal wetlands, and changing weather patterns.