Neary Lagoon is a small

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') a ...

located in the Lower Westside neighborhood of Santa Cruz,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. The lagoon is protected within Neary Lagoon Park, which serves as both a municipal park and wildlife refuge for migratory birds. The Santa Cruz Water Treatment Plant abuts the southwestern edge of the lagoon.

Hydrology

The 850 acre (344 hectare) Laurel Creek watershed feeds into the lagoon, the discharge of which varies seasonally. Water levels in the lagoon vary seasonally. Water from the lagoon then flows out through a channelized water gap before emptying into Monterey Bay at Cowell's Beach.

Wildlife

Avian wildlife that inhabit or seasonally visit the lagoon include

mallard The mallard () or wild duck (''Anas platyrhynchos'') is a dabbling duck that breeds throughout the temperate and subtropical Americas, Eurasia, and North Africa, and has been introduced to New Zealand, Australia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Arge ...

wood duck The wood duck or Carolina duck (''Aix sponsa'') is a species of perching duck found in North America. The drake wood duck is one of the most colorful North American waterfowl. Description The wood duck is a medium-sized perching duck. A typi ...

, pied billed grebe,

belted kingfisher The belted kingfisher (''Megaceryle alcyon'') is a large, conspicuous water kingfisher, native to North America. All kingfishers were formerly placed in one family, Alcedinidae, but recent research suggests that this should be divided into three ...

Canada goose The Canada goose (''Branta canadensis''), or Canadian goose, is a large wild goose with a black head and neck, white cheeks, white under its chin, and a brown body. It is native to the arctic and temperate regions of North America, and it is o ...

great blue heron The great blue heron (''Ardea herodias'') is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, common near the shores of open water and in wetlands over most of North America and Central America, as well as the Caribbean and the Galápagos ...

, red-tailed hawk, and a variety of

coot Coots are medium-sized water birds that are members of the rail family, Rallidae. They constitute the genus ''Fulica'', the name being the Latin term for "coot". Coots have predominantly black plumage, and—unlike many rails—they are usually ...

species. The western pond turtle and a variety of small fish species also inhabit the lake.

Park amenities

The park features approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) of wheelchair accessible gravel trails that encircle the lagoon, as well as a 1,076 ft (328 m) long floating

boardwalk A boardwalk (alternatively board walk, boarded path, or promenade) is an elevated footpath, walkway, or causeway built with wooden planks that enables pedestrians to cross wet, fragile, or marshy land. They are also in effect a low type of bridge ...

and pier that passes through the center of the lagoon. Informational signs and benches can be found along the trails and boardwalk. A single-stall public restroom can be found at the Bay Street entrance to the lagoon.

Access

The lagoon can be accessed via three entrances: Bay Street at California Street, the southern end of Chestnut Street, or Blackburn Street at Shelter Lagoon Drive. Due to the park's dual purpose of serving as a park and wildlife refuge, dogs are forbidden from entering the park.

References

External links