Moran Lake County Park's Restoration, Access Plan

Press release from Santa Cruz County:

Aug. 12, 2021

Under a State Coastal Conservancy grant, the Santa Cruz County Parks Department is pleased to begin a new Restoration and Public Access Plan for Moran Lake County Park.

The Department wants to hear from community members about the most important aspects of the park and priorities to consider in the upcoming planning process. The Department will hold two community meetings at the Park, where members of the public are invited to drop by and give input.

"Moran Lake County Park is one of the most significant parks managed by the Department for both community access and natural resource value," Santa Cruz County Parks Director Jeff Gaffney said. "Through this process, we are excited to work with the community to guide future investment and improvement for a more climate resilient open space."

The Plan will include needed public access and accommodation improvements such as restroom and parking area renovations, accessible trail improvements, interpretive features, drainage improvements, and improved seating and picnic areas. The Plan will also assess short- and long-term park restoration concepts such as coastal habitat enhancements, invasive plant management, lagoon bank stabilization, treatment of park stormwater, and other strategies to improve lagoon water quality, climate change resiliency, and wildlife habitat for important
species such as the monarch butterfly and tidewater goby.

Moran Lake County Park is an 11-acre regional park in the Pleasure Point area on East Cliff Drive, providing access to coastal and lagoon areas that serve as important parts of Pleasure Point’s coastal landscape. After being acquired by the County in 1975, the park underwent its first restoration effort in 1981, when tidal flow was restored to the lagoon and the parking area and restrooms were constructed. Moran Lagoon receives runoff from an entirely urban watershed, and has poor water quality. The coastal lagoon and watershed have undergone many environmental alterations which have caused degradation including the placement of fill in the lagoon during construction of the harbor in the 1960s.

Funded through a State Coastal Conservancy grant and SB 1, the Planning process will build from previous plans and studies developed for the park, which represent extensive community effort and input given into the previous park design. In addition to County Parks, County Environmental Health, the Santa Cruz County Sanitation District and the County Planning Department, as well as
community and environmental groups such as the Resource Conservation District, will participate in the planning process, which is expected to be completed over the next two years.

The Parks Department is soliciting public feedback through an online survey and two upcoming community meetings. Tables will be set up near the Moran Lake parking area on East Cliff Drive during the following dates and times (Spanish translation available):

• Thursday, August 19, 3 p.m.- 6 p.m.
• Sunday, August 22, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

To take the online survey, go to https://bitly.com/MoranLake.

To sign up for updates about the project, go to https://bitly.com/MoranEmail

For more information, visit https://www.scparks.com/moran

This press release was produced by Santa Cruz County. The views expressed here are the author’s own.