Eco Actions
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Local in-person volunteer opportunities, including cleanups and habitat restoration.
Reach out to decision makers online about dozens of local, state, and national environmental issues.
In-Person Local Action Opportunities
Rights of Nature is a growing legal and cultural movement that recognizes ecosystems — like rivers, forests, and oceans — as living entities with inherent rights to exist, thrive, and regenerate. Instead of treating nature solely as property, this framework gives communities a legal tool to defend the natural world when it’s threatened. We are a grassroots working group pursuing a ballot initiative to grant local ecological entities legal rights to exist and evolve. We're currently researching which ecosystem or species — such as the San Lorenzo River, salmon, or wildlife corridors — should be the focus of the policy. We need researchers now, and will need help with communications and signature collection as we move forward. We hope you will join us. Please visit our website HERE.
ndivisible Santa Cruz County is 4,000 members strong. Together we have incredible leverage and power, we are building a force against Fascism, and we are creating a brighter future! At the General Meeting, you will learn new ways to show up, take collective action, and prepare for what comes. A variety of volunteer opportunities and training sessions will be announced. Please mark your calendars for Saturday, February 28th, 10am - 12pm. There will be informational tabling during this time, in addition to presentations, so please consider attending in person. Register HERE as seating is limited.
We are a volunteer group working to restore native habitat in the parks and protected lands in Santa Cruz County. Our program provides an opportunity for people to learn about the natural systems that surround them while helping to restore special and wild places. No prior work experience is necessary, just show up at the park. Wear comfortable layered clothing, bring something to drink, and lots of enthusiasm! We work rain or shine, but if things get particularly unpleasant, we call it a day. Tools provided; bring gloves. Meet in the gravel parking lot on the left side of the entrance road. Program Leader, Linda Brodman 831.334.3858, redwdrn@pacbell.net
Support habitat restoration of popular day use areas and trails by planting native species and removing non-native vegetation. Target non-native species are Himalayan blackberry (Rubus armeniacus) and Ice plant (Carpobrotus edulis). Ages 8 and older welcome (minors must be accompanied by an adult and bring a signed waiver). Full opportunity address and directions will be sent to you by e-mail after you sign up. Info and signup HERE.
Maintain the Native Plant Demonstration Garden at the Wetlands Educational Resource Center which includes weeding, planting, pruning. Observe plants in their habitat and record findings as a group. Keep plant ID markers current and visible. Tools and Gloves provided. Bring kneeling pad if desired. Info HERE
Volunteer and make a difference in the San Lorenzo River ecosystem! Join us and plant and maintain native seedlings along the banks of the San Lorenzo River to increase biodiversity and revitalize the river ecosystem. Generally, we will meet on the east riverbank between the Laurel Street bridge and the Branciforte Creek pedestrian bridge. Sometimes we will meet near Mike Fox Skate Park. Free parking is available in the CWC parking lot at 107 Dakota Ave. Please RSVP below to receive up-to-date location information. Signup HERE.
Every 3rd Sunday of the month (except December) the Advocates meet in the park for trailwork days. Brushing back & spiffing up popular trails. Cleaning out culverts to prepare for winter rains. Possibly Remove invasive species, especially English Ivy. No experience necessary. Coffee, pastries, fruit and tools provided. Meet at Entrance Kiosk. Sign up HERE.
“It’s time to get your hands dirty at our 3rd Saturday of the month volunteer program in our native plant garden. Learn about local ecology, native plants, and sustainable gardening while coming together as a community to steward Tyrrell Park through the City’s Adopt-A-Park program. This native plant garden requires general landscaping, occasional watering, weeding, and replanting. All ages are welcome; children under 14 require adult supervision. Every third Saturday at the SC Museum of Natural History.” RSVPs are required. Email volunteer@santacruzmuseum.org to express interest. More info HERE.
Volunteers have been an essential part of our repair and regeneration efforts after the CZU August Lightning Complex fire burned through Pie Ranch. Designed by tribal member, Matthew Lopez, the Native Garden is shaped like a pie with pathways representing the four directions. Each “pie slice” represents different ethnobotanical native plants featuring grassland foods, fibers and basketry plants, nuts and berries, and personal care. Some of us will stay in the garden for the whole work shift and some will venture to other projects around the farm. Volunteers help with planting, weeding, harvests, culling and mulching. Volunteer work days are on the third Saturday of each month. Pie Ranch, 2080 Green Oaks Way, Pescadero.” To RSVP go HERE or email: aarganbright@amahmutsun.org
Mark your Calendar for May 9th, 2026 for the Third Annual Pitch In All County Cleanup Day. Working together we can make Santa Cruz the cleanest County in the State. Check back HERE for updates.
Online Opportunities for Taking Action
Muppet, an endangered red wolf, was struck and killed by a vehicle as he tried to cross the highway and reunite with his pack. There are more than 1 million vehicle collisions with large animals like Muppet in the U.S. each year, but it doesn't have to be this way. Instead of forcing wildlife to risk their lives by crossing busy roads and highways, wildlife crossings help animals safely get to where they need to go. When placed in areas of known wildlife movement, crossings with fencing to guide the animal to cross in the right spot have reduced wildlife-vehicle collisions by up to 97%. Tell your U.S. House representative to keep building wildlife crossings. Read ON.
Some really great news! The Fighting Fibers Act (HR 4694/S 2435) has been introduced in Washington mandating all new washing machines have built-in microfiber filters by 2030. With this implementation, microfiber emissions can be reduced up to 90% providing a way to wash our clothes without adding to microplastic pollution. Microfibers from synthetic clothing are microplastics. Microfibers are found in every part of our bodies - lungs, hearts, intestines, brains, and bloodstreams. Further, microfibers are coated with highly toxic chemicals designed not to wash off. Microfibers from our washing machines (up to 18 million can be released in a single wash) flow into wastewater treatment plants where millions escape into the ocean every day. Take ACTION.
The Trump administration just repealed the “endangerment finding” — the EPA’s long-standing scientific finding that greenhouse gases threaten public health and welfare — despite the devastating impacts of climate change we can see with our own eyes. This repeal has no basis in law, science, or reality. The Administration is officially denying both settled science and the government’s legal obligation to address climate change. The decision comes while Americans are facing increasing and intensifying wildfires, hurricanes, and other climate-change fueled disasters. The Administration also repealed carbon pollution standards for vehicles. Transportation emissions are the top contributor to climate change in the U.S. Reach your Representative HERE.
NOAA is about to decide whether or not to move towards deep sea mining that could demolish this area. Sitting on the seafloor are thousands of potato-sized nodules made of metals that act as anchors for sensitive sea life. Now mining companies want to vacuum up those nodules, which could kill everything that lives on them. And it's not just life on the seafloor that's in danger. The clicks of dolphins and songs of whales could be drowned out by underwater mining equipment. The area where The Metals Company wants to take the first steps towards deep sea mining is home to whales and dolphins. Extremely sensitive to noise, endangered sperm whales wouldn't be able to communicate with each other with the deafening sounds of underwater mining happening 24 hours a day. Take ACTION.
PFAS chemicals — otherwise known as “forever” chemicals, or perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances — are disturbingly persistent. They can build up in our bodies, contaminate water sources, and break down into a smaller chemical called trifluoracetic acid — which is considered one of the world's most pervasive water pollutants and threatens aquatic and semiaquatic life, including endangered Houston toads. Despite these risks the Trump administration has approved multiple PFAS-containing pesticides. These forever pesticides will treat massive swaths of food crops, resulting in polluted water and public health risks that last for generations. Now led by former chemical industry lobbyists, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is trying to rapidly approve more PFAS pesticides — all while concealing their unacceptable harms. Tell the EPA loud and clear: Stop approving forever pesticides. Act HERE.
In recent years, an unusually high number of mortality events and an elevated number of whale strandings have occurred. Whales are extremely sensitive to human activity in our ocean, especially the increase in global shipping and vessel traffic along United States coasts, which impacts whale calving grounds, feeding areas and migration routes. Encounters between whales and ships can lead — and have led — to fatal injuries. The Whale CHARTS Act would reduce ship strikes by amending the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) near-real-time monitoring and mitigation program for large cetaceans. In turn, our understanding of the location and extent of baleen and sperm whale migration routes as well as feeding, mating and calving grounds would be greatly improved. Urge Congress to support this Act HERE.
The Endangered Species Act (ESA) has been a vital lifeline of defense shielding these helpless creatures from outside forces threatening their survival. Without it, thousands of vulnerable animals, plants, and fish would lose critical safeguards. But (now ),,, the GOP has introduced the ESA Amendments Act of 2025 (HR 1897), a direct attack on the ESA that could make it harder to list new species and attempts to fast-track the removal of existing protections. The bill also seeks to undermine the science-based decision-making process that is at the core of the ESA – eliminating the checks and balances that are designed to ensure political agendas do not interfere with the best interests of threatened and endangered wildlife or habitats. Take Action HERE.
During the last 60-day public comment period, more than 270,000 people spoke out against offshore drilling, sending a powerful message before comments closed on January 23rd. But, instead of reviewing and acting on those comments, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has opened a new 30-day comment period, allowing oil and gas companies to nominate potential drilling sites along the Central and Southern California coast. These nominated areas include waters off Santa Cruz, Monterey Bay, and beyond. The public can still push to exclude these areas from future leasing—but time is limited. We urge you to submit a public comment opposing offshore drilling, focusing on the following key issues: Use conflicts (fishing, boating, recreation, and research); Sensitive areas and protected habitats; Coastal economies and community impacts; Environmental and biological factors; Cultural and archaeological sites. Submit COMMENT
House Republicans are preparing to dismantle our nation's critical chemical safety law. Their proposal would gut key provisions in the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), a move that would undermine an overwhelmingly popular law protecting Americans from the most dangerous chemicals. These rollbacks would expose our most vulnerable, including children, pregnant women and industrial workers to potentially dangerous chemicals. Take ACTION.
It's alarming enough that scientists are observing an increase in the number of "superbugs" -- bacteria that are resistant to multiple antibiotics, and cost 35,000 Americans their lives every year. What's worse, our current use of antibiotics in agriculture is making the problem worse. Pesticides containing antibiotics important to human medicine are sprayed widely on fields. It's time to put a stop to this dangerous practice and protect medically important antibiotics for use in human medicine. Tell the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban the use of antibiotic pesticides in agriculture today. Act HERE.
A remote, pristine wilderness of sprawling lakes and hiking trails, where fox pups play on the shore and bald eagles perch in trees that have been standing tall for hundreds of years -- can you picture a copper mine in a place like this? That's exactly what could happen if this proposal in Congress goes through, opening one of our nation's most visited wildernesses to toxic mining.1 And it could come to a vote in the U.S. House any day now. We need your voice: Send a message to your U.S. representative urging them not to strip back protections for the Boundary Waters. Take ACTION.
The Environmental Protection Agency is working to nix federal clean-car standards that protect the air we breathe and help save money at the gas pump. A rollback proposal could come any day now — and will be a blatant giveaway to Big Oil and auto executives. While industry stakeholders rake in profits, Trump's proposal will let more cars burn more gas, resulting in more oil use, higher gas costs, and worse air pollution that harms our health and climate. We need to keep the EPA's current standards in place to deliver cleaner cars that improve our quality of life and help protect the climate that wildlife needs to thrive. Take ACTION.
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum is reportedly considering reversing protections for Chaco Canyon — a move that could reopen this sacred, irreplaceable landscape to oil, gas, and other extractive industries. Chaco Canyon is not expendable land. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a center of Indigenous culture and history, and one of the most significant archaeological landscapes in North America. For thousands of years, Pueblo, Hopi, Navajo, and other Tribal Nations have maintained deep cultural, spiritual, and ancestral connections to this place. Tell Secretary of Interior Burgum to preserve Chaco Canyon's sacred glory. Act HERE.
Fifteen years after BP’s Deepwater Horizon — the most destructive oil spill in U.S. history — the same company is asking the federal government to approve a new, massive offshore drilling project in the Gulf. The proposed project, called Kaskida, would be BP’s first completely new oilfield in the Gulf since Deepwater Horizon.
Building more solar energy projects across the country can help meet rising demand, cut emissions, and keep costs down for working families. But instead, The Trump Administration’s Department of Interior (DOI) has frozen major solar energy projects on public and private lands. Meanwhile, the Administration has moved to reverse restrictions on dangerous fossil fuel projects on federal lands. Solar is the cheapest form of new energy across the US. Plus, it’s the fastest to build. Urge Congress to press Department of Interior Secretary Burgum to cut the red tape stopping new solar projects. Take action HERE
We shouldn't be able to get toxic, bee-killing chemicals shipped to our doorstep at the push of a button. Neonic pesticides are contributing to bee-die offs that put our entire food system at risk. Not to mention: They've also been linked to neurological issues in humans. But despite all the risks, neonic pesticides are still sold on Amazon in most states. Amazon can protect pollinators, our health and the planet by getting these toxic pesticides off their virtual shelves. Tell Amazon: Stop selling bee-killing neonics HERE.
Earlier this year, Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) pushed a proposed provision that would have put more than 250 million acres of public land on the chopping block and for sale, with a mandated sale of up to 2-3 million acres within five years. With your help, the provision was successfully thrown out. But now Senator Lee is back with an even more dangerous amendment...Lee Amendment #3972 would remove protections in the Interior appropriations bill that require the Department of the Interior to maintain our national parks. If it passes, it opens the door to selling off, transferring or giving away America’s most treasured public lands - including our national parks. Contact your Senator HERE.
The Forest Service plans to rescind the Roadless Rule, which protects more than 45 million acres of wild forest from logging and mining. These forests provide clean water, shelter hundreds of threatened and endangered species and are the sites of treasured memories for millions of Americans — losing them to logging and mining would be a travesty. Congress can permanently protect all roadless forests by passing the Roadless Area Conservation Act. Tell your U.S. House representative to protect millions of acres of wild forest HERE.
Former Rep. Steve Pearce of New Mexico spent his congressional career attacking public lands and endangered species. Now President Donald Trump has picked him to lead the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, where Pearce would be in charge of 245 million acres of public lands — all at extreme risk of privatization and annihilation. Pearce has long called for shrinking and selling off public lands to private and corporate interests. If he’s confirmed, he’ll greenlight extractive industry at the expense of clean water, wildlife, and public enjoyment across some of the most cherished landscapes in the U.S. West. He once said, these wolves — which will stalk for weeks and weeks and weeks at a time around local homes — it’s a matter of time until a wolf catches one of these children.” There have been ZERO documented cases of wolves attacking humans in New Mexico. Take ACTION.
We rely on EPA to enforce strict reporting requirements to ensure that we're protected from 'forever chemicals' like PFAS. But a new plan from the Trump EPA may put that critical transparency at risk. The agency's plan would gut reporting requirements giving nearly all companies the opportunity to skirt disclosing critical PFAS information, making it harder for states and regulators to protect us. Speak out before the Dec 29 deadline. Act HERE.
The Surfrider Foundation strongly objects to the federal administration’s proposed 5-Year Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil & Gas Leasing Program for 2026 - 2031. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management’s dangerous proposal would open up California, the Gulf of Mexico, including the previously protected waters off of Florida, and Alaska, including the pristine High Arctic, where drilling has never been attempted before because of the hazards — putting coastal ecosystems, communities, and businesses in these areas at serious risk. Surfrider calls on elected officials and members of the public to register official opposition during the current public comment period, which began on November 24. Act HERE.
The Trump administration has officially proposed sweeping new rules that would fundamentally weaken the Endangered Species Act, our nation’s most effective wildlife protection law. If these rules move forward, they will make it harder to protect species on the brink of extinction, easier to erase existing protections, and nearly impossible to safeguard the habitats, plants, and animals need to survive. This is one of the most dangerous attacks on wildlife we have ever seen. Learn more and act HERE.
Atrazine has been banned in more than 60 countries around the world due to its impacts on human health and the environment. It is a known hormone-disrupting pesticide linked to birth defects, multiple cancers, and fertility problems like low sperm quality and irregular menstrual cycles. Even the EPA itself concluded that atrazine is likely to harm more than 1,000 endangered species – and that its continued use could push some animals to Extinction! But now, under Trump, it’s trying sweep the danger atrazine poses to wildlife under the rug! The EPA is required to consider every single comment submitted during its public input period. Tell the EPA that instead of dismissing the harms of atrazine, it should BAN this dangerous chemical. Deadline is December 8th! Speak out HERE.
Castle Mountain Mine — a Canadian gold and silver mine in eastern San Bernardino County — is asking to QUADRUPLE its operation in an area where desert horseback riders love to ride and stargazers enjoy exceptional views of the Milky Way. The proposed expansion would build a new water pipeline to more than TRIPLE the mine's water usage – to up to 733.5 MILLION gallons per year, realign roads, and increase the mine's crushing rate from 17,123 tons per day to 52,055 tons per day. Please contact the Bureau of Land Management to tell them that you don't want them to allow the Castle Mountain Mine to expand and that instead, they should protect the recreational access and experiences, as well as the scenic beauty that this area provides. The comment deadline is November 20! Act HERE.
A House bill seeks to remove lifesaving protections for critically endangered Mexican gray wolves, already on the brink of genetic collapse! Mexican gray wolves are one of the most endangered mammals in North America with only 286 remaining in the wild. The genetic diversity of this iconic subspecies has now steadily declined for the fourth consecutive year – spelling grave danger for the future of this wolf population. Meanwhile, genetically valuable Mexican gray wolves like the presumed pregnant female Asiza, as well as a 3-month old male pup, have already been killed by federal agents in this year alone. Sign the petition to defend grey wolves by opposing H.R. 4255. Act HERE.
After the devastation of the 2020 CZU Fire, our community has worked tirelessly to make our homes and forests safer. Now, new statewide fire regulations could put that progress—and our wallets—at risk. The California Board of Forestry is finalizing new “Defensible Space Zones 0, 1, and 2” regulations that could require homeowners in rural areas to spend thousands of dollars on property changes with limited proven benefits. These costly measures would apply to everyone living within CAL FIRE’s CZU State Responsibility Area (SRA), regardless of risk level. Get informed about the many issues and how to speak up during the 45 day comment period. HERE
Did you know that leaving or repurposing fallen leaves in local landscapes creates vital overwintering habitat for vulnerable caterpillars, at-risk salamanders, and declining firefly populations? And even songbirds benefit by foraging for insects and seeds among the fallen leaves? When leaves are collected and thrown away or sent to the landfill, we eliminate this important microhabitat and disrupt the ecosystem.But local ordinances or homeowners associations often require the removal of fallen leaves from residential yards, commercial landscapes, and outdoor public spaces. Send a message today urging your local officials to lift or modify any existing fallen leaves removal requirements and to leave the leaves in outdoor public spaces. Act HERE.
The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) is the country’s main chemical safety law. It requires the EPA to evaluate chemicals’ risks to public health and the environment. If the EPA finds that a chemical poses an “unreasonable risk,” the EPA must protect against that risk by regulating the chemical’s production, use, distribution, or disposal. But now, Trump’s EPA has proposed to drastically rewrite our chemical safety rules in ways that would let it ignore the true dangers of toxic chemicals in our everyday products. There is an official public comment period open until November 7, and we need to mobilize as much opposition to this new Trump proposal as possible. Speak up HERE.
Millions of Californians could be drinking water contaminated by toxic PFAS, increasing our risk of cancer and other health threats. Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly called "forever chemicals" are increasingly seen as one of the most significant environmental and public health threats of our time. These man-made chemicals are used in everything from cleaning products to cookware to make things stain proof, water resistant and nonstick. The California State Legislature passed legislation in September that would prohibit PFAS from being used in cookware, cleaning products, food packaging, children's products, ski wax and dental floss. Tell Governor Newsom to sign this legislation! Act HERE.
The Trump administration is still moving forward with its attempts to revive the coal industry and gut regulations protecting us from toxic pollution from coal-fired plants. A comment period is open until November 3rd, and we need your voice on the public record showing your opposition to the Trump administration’s plans to put coal industry profits over our health. For decades, coal-fired power plants have treated our waters like open sewers. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency finalized improved wastewater treatment standards for these plants. Now, Trump’s EPA is trying to gut these stricter rules to bail out the coal industry.Tell the EPA today to protect our water from coal-fired power plant pollution by not delaying or weakening these wastewater treatment standards! Speak out HERE.