The Last Mile Habitat

The Last Mile is part of Watsonville Slough Watershed. This watershd is composed of six individual sloughs: Watsonville, Harkins, Struve, Hanson, West Branch Struve and Galligan.  The Last Mile is part of the Watsonville Slough and is known as the Lower Watsonville Slough. The watershed encompasses 800 acres of land stretching from Larkin Valley to the north through the city of Watsonville and connecting with the Pajaro River and Monterey Bay.  It is home to a wide variety of native plants and animals.   The watershed not only includes the sloughs, but the surrounding land from which it receives freshwater run off.

Wetlands Terminology

• Wetlands is an environment which includes both land and water.
• Uplands are the land above a wetlands area.
• A slough is a waterway edged by marshy ground. It can contain both fresh and salt water.
• A watershed is all the land area that drains to a specific body of water.
• A habitat is a natural place where plants and animals live.
• A riparian habitat is a plant community along a waterway providing food, cover and water for birds.
• A marsh is a land area which is frequently under water.
• An estuary is a waterway that meets the sea and mixes fresh and salt water.

Native Plants

The Watsonville Wetlands is home to many native plants. Native plants provide food, cover and nesting spots for the diverse population of animals that live here. These plants are referred to as “natives” because they naturally occur here.

In particular, many bird species depend on the riparian habitat of the Watsonville Wetlands as a resting spot during their annual migration along the Pacific flyway.

Non-native plants also inhabit the wetlands. Examples of non-natives along the last mile are ice plant, poison hemlock, mustard and wild radish. Many of these plants appeared after the European settlers arrived. These plants have no local predators, diseases, parasites or competitors. Without these natural controls, non-native plants (often referred to as “invasives”) can spread like weeds choking out natives and growing in pure stands.

Non-native plants can jeopardize the delicate balance of the wetlands habitat by taking over entire areas. When this occurs, the animals who depend on the native plants for their habitat may no longer be able to live here.

Habitat Zones

Habitat Zones

Habitat Zones	Attributes	Plants	Animals
1: Waterway	· Salt water · Water levels influenced by daily ocean tides, river flow and seasonal rains · Freshwater influence from upper slough system and surrounding watershed run off	Algae Phyto-plankton	Fish: Anchovies Smelt Sardines Herring Birds: Pelican Cormorant Mallard Coot
2: Mud Flats	· Plains of mud on both sides of waterway channel between water and vegetation · Exposed by low tide · Composed of fine sediment from uplands · Can be up to 20 feet deep · Protects dwellers from predators and environmental extremes · Daily tides replenish food supply to dwellers	Pickleweed Dodder	Invertebrates: Slugs Snails Clams Crabs Birds: Stilt Egret Heron Avocet
3: Salt Marsh	· Mud flats that have risen above average tidal reach · Salty, spongy, springy and wet ground where only specialized plants can survive · Tangled mass of vegetation provides cover for insects and animals · Upper marsh above highest tides dries out, rain washes out salt and provides transition to next zone	Lower: Salt Grass Alkali Heath Upper: Coyote Bush Blackberry Gum Plant Lupine	Birds: Marsh Wren Blackbird Sparrow Swallow Red-tailed Hawk Mammals: Mice shrew
4: Uplands	Dunes · Terrestrial habitat of packed sand and dirt which holds little water from rain · Drought-resistant chaparral terrain · Plants have fleshy leaves covered with fuzz or waxy skin to conserve water and silvery color to reflect sunlight Agriculture · Cultivated and irrigated fields and crops · Salt water intrusion into groundwater aquifer · Pesticide and fertilizer run off · Salt water gates at Shell Road attempt to control salinity levels	Poppy Artemesia Heather Verbena Buckwheat Primrose Strawberries Artichokes Lettuce	Birds: Pelican Gull Sandpiper Godwit Tern Plover Mammals: Raccoon Fox Rabbit