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Friends Restores Monarch Grove Boardwalk Trail
Thanks to everyone who celebrated Welcome Back Monarchs Day at Natural Bridges! You can still see the Monarchs until they migrate in February. Guided tours available every Saturday and Sunday at 11 AM and 2 PM.
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Volunteers Pack the Trash & Find Happiness at Palm State Beach Cleanup
Local volunteers exceeded Earth Day cleanup expectations—planting natives trees, painting, pouring concrete, removing and recycling trash and, for some, earning Girl Scout badges. A cleaner, more vibrant Palm State Beach was the result.
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Wilder Ranch
Tackle renown mountain biking trails, explore coastal bluffs, visit the ParkStore and celebrate early 20th century life on the ranch. Friends funds the ongoing restoration effort at Wilder Ranch, including urgent roof repairs underway at one of the Victorian buildings.
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Mission POSSIBLE—Friends Fights For Santa Cruz Mission State Park
Built in 1822-24, and slated for closure by the State in 2012, the Mission Adobe is Santa Cruz’s oldest building. Stay tuned for updates on how Friends is fighting to keep it open. News Flash: Governor Brown signs bill to help nonprofits run state parks. Read more in the Santa Cruz Sentinel
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Advocacy—We can’t do it without you!
More people than ever visit our parks and beaches, even though the State keeps cutting the budget and plans closures: including Mission Santa Cruz, Twin Lakes Beach, Portola Redwoods and Castle Rock State Parks. To meet the challenge, Friends advocates for better funding and policies to sustain them.
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Pacific Migrations Center at New Brighton State Beach
Discover the hidden histories of unique local cultures — Portuguese, Chinese and other Pacific Rim societies — that migrated to this area. Also learn about today’s migrating bird, animal and aquatic species that return each season.
WELCOME!
To mark 35 years of community love for our parks, we created a short video in which visitors, staff and volunteers were asked, “What do you love about this park?” The answers are inspiring in their sincerity and depth. People shared that in the parks—besides biking, hiking, running, etc.—they also get married in them, watch their kids grow in them, build businesses around them and use them to discover health, peace and solace.
Watch the Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks 35th Anniversary Video!
If you’ve already donated to Friends this year, thank you very much. If you haven’t yet this year, or are inspired to give again, we hope you’ll consider a contribution. Your contribution will directly support our effort to sustain the legacy of our local state parks and beaches. Click here to donate.
With sincere gratitude,
Bonny Hawley, Executive Director
Make new Friends.
The parks and their programs give us all the chance to experience the outdoors and all that lives there.
