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AGWA's History

AGWA History

In the early 1990s, several groups and agencies recognized the need to address the health of the watershed in the face of increasing development pressure.  Friends of Arana Greenbelt, an advocacy group promoting open space and biodiversity, began meeting in 1994.  Two years later, the Coastal Watershed Council's Volunteer Water Monitoring Program began in Arana Gulch.  The collaborative efforts of these two groups initiated a Coordinated Resources Management and Planning (CRMP) effort for the Arana Gulch watershed in August 1996 with the support of the Santa-Cruz County Resource Conservation District (RCD), the Santa Cruz Port District, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), and a University of California Santa Cruz Environmental Studies intern, all of whom continue to participate actively.  A watershed steering committee was formed and a list of resource issues and community concerns was generated.  In February 1998, the group became known as the Arana Gulch Watershed Alliance (AGWA).

In addition to monthly meetings, the group has held two well attended formal public information meetings, and four public watershed tours.  AGWA has mapped watershed boundaries and generated land use demographics, and has collected two years of water quality monitoring data with the Coastal Watershed Council.  In 1998, AGWA, the RCD, and the Natural Resources and Employment Program completed a pampas grass eradication program. AGWA, NRCS, and dedicated volunteers completed the repair of the orchard erosion gully using in-kind services.

AGWA has also supported the efforts of Eric Jarmie, a fifth grade school teacher at Green Acres Elementary, to actively involve students in restoration projects.  Mr. Jarmie was awarded a 1998-99 Monterey Bay Salmon and Trout fish rearing grant and the students plan to release steelhead fry into Arana Creek at an appropriate place and time.

While continuing their efforts along Arana Creek, the members of AGWA recognize the need to take a watershed-wide approach to fully document what is needed to ensure steelhead restoration and reduce sedimentation.  A comprehensive watershed enhancement plan will allow AGWA, the RCD, and others to prioritize projects and develop a restoration strategy for the next decade.

Independently of AGWA, the RCD has written and managed several grants over the last three years, including grants from the California Department of Conservation and the Central Coast Resource Conservation and Development.  The RCD is currently managing a grant from the Regional Water Quality Control Board addressing sedimentation in the San Lorenzo River Watershed by promoting Best Management Practices (BMPs) to reduce erosion from roads and culverts.  In addition, the RCD provides support for CRMP groups in five other watersheds and hosts the popular "Blue Circle" forums where agencies, conservation groups, scientists, and local residents exchange information on watershed issues.