Pajaro Valley Magazine December 16 2022

for all Trees

By JOHANNA MILLER

READY TO GROW Yesenia Jimenez (left) and Amanda Romo inspect young potted trees that are in line to be planted around Watsonville.

In 2017, Watsonville Wetlands Watch (WWW) and the City of Watsonville received a joint grant from the California Department of Fire and Forestry and the California Climate Investment Program. This boost of funding helped form WWW’s Forest and Climate Resiliency program, kickstarting a citywide tree planting effort.

As of December 2022, the program has helped plant 1,100 trees in both residential and commercial areas of Watsonville, and several other organizations and local private family foundations have contributed to funding the effort.

Now, WWW is encouraging residents and businesses to take advantage of their Adopt a Tree program, which offers free shade trees to local residents and businesses.

Jonathan Pilch, executive director of WWW, said there were two main factors that led them to lead the tree planting effort.

“The first was climate resiliency,” he said. “Here in Watsonville, we have less than 9% tree canopy. Our goal is to have 30, because of all the

benefits it provides: air and water improvement, carbon sequestration and capture, and resilience to extreme heat days–shading and cooling of the city.”

The unique wetlands habitats that flow through the Pajaro Valley are another driving force.

“Our desire is to grow tree canopy in a way that is complementary to this long-term environmental restoration effort that has been going on in the community for the past few decades,” Pilch said. “We want our urban forest and wetlands to go hand-in-hand.”

The free tree program began with WWW planting in parks and other public spaces. But most of the available land to plant is actually on private residences, Pilch said.

“If we really want to increase the amount of shade on sidewalks, the best way to do that is to have as many people as possible adopt and plant trees,” he said. “Planting within sidewalks is complicated and hard, but planting trees that benefit sidewalks and streets, in more open spaces like yards is ideal.”

WWW is offering more than 25 different shade tree types of different sizes, including evergreens, deciduous and some that flower. This includes native trees and non-invasive varieties from other regions. All trees offered are drought tolerant.

Residents and business owners can fill out a form or call WWW to schedule an onsite visit, where the organization surveys the property and calls 811 to check for underground utilities. They will then make a recommendation to the property owner about what kind of tree would be suitable.

Once a tree is chosen, WWW offers planting assistance, and

provides stakes, ties and a crossbar so that the tree will grow straight. For the first three years, they offer pruning assistance and also give out watering bags, which helps new tree owners know they are watering enough and in the correct way.

Yesenia Jimenez, watershed educator and restoration specialist at WWW, said that winter is a great time to plant shade trees.

“It’s easier for them to get established when the ground is moist,” she said. “You don’t have to worry about watering as much. It’s less stressful. The rain sort of takes that pressure off.”

Jimenez said the program requires that large trees are to be

planted in open spaces that do not have overhead wires or other obstructions.

“So far, we’ve only given away one large tree,” she said. “I really wish more people would be open to planting them.”

Added Pilch: “We are committed to planting the right tree for the space, and the biggest possible to increase the shade and carbon sequestration.”

WWW also offers free fruit trees for residents, community gardens and schools, and will be starting up their annual free pruning workshops soon. The City is also encouraging residents to take an online survey about how the city’s trees should be managed and protected.

Participate in the survey at publicinput.com/WatsonvilleTrees.

“I don’t think people really notice or question how few trees we have here,” Jimenez said, “especially if they’ve lived here for a while. But when you point out how low the canopy cover is in town, and ask them to think about it and compare it to other cities, they notice, and are excited to help.”

For information and to sign up for WWW’s Adopt a Tree program, and to learn more about the entire Forest and Climate Resiliency program, visit watsonvillewetlandswatch.org. Donate to the organization through this year’s Santa Cruz Gives campaign at santacruzgives.org.

TREES FOR ALL 5

DEEP ROOTS Yesenia Jimenez (left) and Amanda Romo plant shade trees in front of the Pajaro Village clubhouse in the spring.

TRAVEL

A journey north

By TARMO HANNULA

On Oct. 7 my wife Sarah and I set out on a road trip through Northern California, Oregon, Washington and to the top of Vancouver Island in British Columbia. We stacked up more than 3,400 miles in 17 days. Averaging around 50 mpg in our 2021 Honda Insight hybrid, we visited seven relatives and eight friends and took in an astonishing range of beauty and wonder.

We headed north from Watsonville on Highway 1 and over the hill on 17 to north Highway 280 and made our first lunch stop at The Falafel Stop. We heard about the place on the KQED TV show, Check

Please Bay Area, hosted by the lively Leslie Szabrako. While we weren't dazzled by the meal, the influx of customers—which we guessed were streaming in live from the surrounding dot-com arena, added a zesty glimpse into the click, drag and scroll world without having to get the app. Catching Highway 101 brought us in the backdoor of San Francisco on 19th Street which offered a refreshing but brief taste of Golden Gate Park, the Presidio and a glorious introduction to the north over the Golden Gate Bridge that was being swallowed by the clutches of a fog bank.

We sailed past Sausalito and wound through wine country and into Petaluma for our first night there

at the Hampton Inn which is set in the restored 1892 Petaluma Silk Mill.

Once we dropped our bags, we wandered along the Petaluma River into the old town and were welcomed to the rustic waterfront by the sprite and catchy live music of Spike’s Awesome Hotcakes Band.

We strolled through the downtown area and were taken in by the old brick store fronts, the busy streets and settled for an outdoor dinner at McNeary’s Dining House and Saloon.

After breakfast at the hotel, on day two we drove north to visit Sonoma State Historic Park that features the former home of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo (18071890), a widely known Californio who founded the city of Sonoma among other achievements. Next, we hit the History Museum in Petaluma and learned of the lumber, grain, fishing and oil industries of the past, all of which funneled their goods from the docks, some of which still remain, along the Petaluma River. For lunch we found the Bagel Mill which turned out an excellent meal.

In the afternoon we drove to Jack London State Park to pry into the American writer’s past. London was the highest paid author in the land around 1900. After dinner in Sonoma at El Dorado Kitchen where we savored their salmon and lamb chops, we caved in for the night back at the old silk factory.

In the next part of this travel story we head north to Fort Bragg, Klamath and into Oregon to Reedsport.

LANDMARKS McNear's Dining House Saloon (right), situated in an 1886 building, is a popular draw for customers in Petaluma. Next door is the Mystic Theater in a building built in 1911.

LOCAL FLAVOR Giant tea kettles are part of the outdoor artwork in downtown Petaluma at the train station.

Luxurious home on Strawberry Road

Five-acre property includes fruit trees, room to grow vegetables

This Royal Oaks home sits on more than five acres of oak tree-studded property.

Located at 368 Strawberry Road, the 2,539-square-foot home includes four bedrooms and three bathrooms.

The kitchen is equipped with granite counters, oak cabinets, stainless steel appliances, a pantry and breakfast nook. Also on the first floor is a family room with a fireplace and a bedroom next to a full bathroom.

The upstairs primary bedroom includes a walk-in closet and bathroom with double sinks, jacuzzi tub and separate shower stall.

A three-car garage features a workbench and attic.

Outside, the acreage includes mature fruit trees, raised garden beds and a 10-by-16-foot greenhouse.

The home, built in 2004, is listed at $1,160,000 by David Lyng Real Estate. For information, visit bit.ly/3b6mbDp.

Real Estate of Mind

Provoking thought since 1990

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Real Estate of Mind

Circling back to the subject of downsizing... that vague, catchall term we use to describe the strange place many people find themselves in these days, as card-carrying (social security) members of a rapidly aging culture.

Provoking

thought since 1990

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Most sellers in Santa Cruz are people of a certain age. There’s an even larger wave of would-be-sellers-of-a-certain-age waiting in the wings. Those are the folks who are still wrestling with existential questions about the last third of their lives and trying to trick themselves into “beginning to think about the possibility of getting on with the future”.

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Luptas di berisqui andi simi, quo essinulpa nimillaciam que molorem. Vel est, quibercima si dus.

Nominally, downsizing is about moving from a larger home to a smaller one after the kids leave and retirement beckons.

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Sounds like a normal part of the journey, right? Exactly what people work all their lives for, right? Then why is it so hard? And why are so many feeling so stuck? Therein lies the mystery, and the more stories I hear, the more I’m convinced people need better strategies for outsmarting themselves and questioning their own belief systems.

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Downsizing is the paradigm shift that tests all our long-held assumptions about success, comfort and the desirability of stuff. Whatever your life is like today - it’s a habit. Good or bad. Healthy or unhealthy.

Cepudandam quam si bea endusant. Pudis sim quis maiorrovitem corrum alit, cusam ium quo comniatiur aut im facepra verspel laciae suntem ipsamus, quam sed es es maximus asse volorerfero tem quod quo voluptaquos ex et is eic te lit volupti dolum iumquiatio exces erion nihit aut lat quam quis rem fugita consedi niet, eos eost alit late verum que coressin Voloreca turionsedit quo etur? Qui odit quisciis mo optatur? Quaspit aut volore doluptiis inus si qui voluptas nos modi ilibus.

Right-sized or not. It’s a series of ingrained routines and rituals that have grown together over time to support and perpetuate each other. That’s our nature. We’re always seeking the illusion of control. That habit is tough to break.

Here’s a collection of common phrases I’ve picked up over the years while helping folks work through downsizing. Maybe one of them will encourage you to hack into your own process a little more.

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Ique nulparum faccus, is a conestr uptat.

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There’s: “I’m glad we did all that traveling when we did.” And: “I’ll never be younger than I am today.” And then, of course: “You can’t ever get enough of what you don’t need. And everyone’s favorite: “I saved all that stuff for my kids but none of them want it now.” And then: “Will I have more energy and resources in five or ten years than I have now?” And the ever-popular: “When you decide not to make a change, you are making a choice.” And: “If you don’t choose to change, eventually life will make the choice for you.”

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Tom Brezsny

And finally, accompanied by the all-encompassing sigh I’ve heard on many occasions: “Who knew?”

Realtor® DRE #01063297 831-818-1431 getreal@sereno.com

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PHOTO GALLERY

WORKING ON THE RAILROAD

As one man rests along the railroad tracks in Pajaro, another fixes his bike.

PREHISTORIC SIGHTING A dinosaur strolls along Main Street in downtown Watsonville after taking part in a children’s reading event at the Watsonville Public Library.

QUICK SNACK This Anna’s hummingbird searches for nectar in a lion’s mane flower in Pajaro Village in Watsonville.