Neary's Lagoon
Map SatelliteLocated in the heart of Santa Cruz a few blocks from the Municipal Pier, this marsh area supports an astonishing amount of wildlife considering its location.
In the marsh proper, which occupies approximately half of the site, the dominant vegetation includes cattail, Typha latifolia and Typha angustifolia, with small stands of California tule, Scirpus californicus, and scattered water-hemlock, Cicuta douglasii.
A willow thicket bounds the area on three sides, with the arroyo willow, Salix lasiolepis, dominant, though there are a few yellow willows, Salix lasiandra, and box elders, Acer negundo, present. A variety of species, most of which are introduced, cover the remaining portions.
Some one hundred species of birds have been recorded in the area, many migrants or casual visitors.
A century ago the marsh was an open-water lagoon, possibly formed by the San Lorenzo River which lies a short distance to the east. On the west are sandstone bluffs.
Integrity: The site of dumping, filling, dredging, and various other activities, and surrounded by urban development, the area has been highly disturbed and radically altered from its original condition.
Use: Educational, research, observation.
Ref: Greenberg, R. and C. Schilt, 1973. Various papers on file at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
July 1975
Inventory of California Natural Areas
Revision © 2009 Steven Louis Hartman
