Urban Forest Watsonville Wetlands Watch adds greenery to Pajaro Middle School and beyond. By Erik Chalhoub O n a recent Saturday, more than 100 people, many of them children, gather at Pajaro Middle School to get their hands dirty. The volunteers are there to add green to the campus by planting trees and other plants, as well as building garden beds and creating an orchard. At the end of the day, they are able to take a tree home to plant in their yard, stretching out the green canopy beyond the campus. The work is part of the Watsonville Community Forest Project, organized by Watsonville Wetlands Watch. The project is an effort to plant thousands of trees throughout Pajaro and Watsonville to increase its tree canopy. “Trees are a tremendous tool for climate adaptation,” says Watsonville Wetlands Watch Executive Director Jonathan Pilch. “It’s one of the best tools we have to create shade, improve air quality and beautify the community in a way that makes it a much healthier place to live.” Trees now taking root in the ground at Pajaro Middle School are ornamental and fruit varieties, according to Pilch, including ginkgos, African fern pines and many different types of citrus. Planting at Pajaro Middle School began in late 2022. The trees and shrubs installed around the athletic field serve as a windbreak between the school and the adjacent farmland. That effort halted after the March 2023 flood washed through Pajaro, forcing the school’s closure for more than a year. Fortunately, many of the trees survived the disaster, Pilch says, and volunteers got back to work. Thanks to a grant from Cal Fire, Watsonville Wetlands Watch staff gathered input from students and their families, along with school teachers and staff, to help design the next phase of the greening project. A grant from the Community Foundation for Monterey County then helped implement that design. This project was also funded by Monterey County Gives! in 2024, which helped the nonprofit pay youth and young adult interns to maintain the trees and plants. The Big Idea for MCGives! is to expand this project beyond the confines of the campus and into Pajaro’s neighborhoods. Residents and businesses are encouraged to adopt a tree and help boost the urban forest. For information, visit watsonvillecommunityforest.org. Watsonville Wetlands Watch pays interns to maintain trees and plants on the Pajaro Middle School campus. The goal is to expand this program through the town. COURTESY OF WATSONVILLE WETLANDS WATCH Grow a Garden. Grow the Community. DONATE TODAY Support our Big Idea mcgives.com/mbmg No yard? No problem! Portable Edible Gardens bring fresh food anywhere. Thanks to your support and Monterey County Gives, Monterey Bay Master Gardeners partnered with Salinas Public Libraries to bring the joy of growing food into our neighborhoods through our Big Idea: Portable Edible Gardens. Now, you can help expand this program into Pajaro and South Monterey County, bringing hands-on learning, edible plants, and thriving gardens to more families and youth. Your support helps us share seeds, soil, and skills—cultivating connection, nourishment, and resilience across our communities —helping Monterey County grow, one garden at a time. mbmg.ucanr.edu mcgives.com Monterey County GIVES! 2025 121
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