The Santa Cruz Mountains region, as we define it, extends from the San Francisco Bay area, south to the Pajaro River and is bounded to the east by the Santa Clara Valley and the Pacific Ocean to the west.
The region is comprised of a diverse array of ecosystems which include diverse natural features ranging from ridge tops to alluvial fans, old growth forests, saltwater lagoons, marshes, mudflats, and intertidal zones. Ownership and land use varies from park and open space preserves to privately held timber and agricultural lands interspersed with both rural and urban communities.

The Santa Cruz Mountains Stewardship Network (SCMSN) is a region-wide, cross-sector collaboration of organizations that are committed to working together to help cultivate a resilient, vibrant region where human and natural systems thrive for generations to come. Made up of public agencies, non-profits, and private landowners, the SCMSN represents a rare opportunity for people with very different perspectives to work together for this ecologically unique region.

Members

Amah Mutsun Land Trust, Big Creek Lumber, Cal Fire, California State Parks, Cal Poly Swanton Pacific Ranch, Girl Scouts of Northern California, Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve, Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, Peninsula Open Space Trust, Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County, San Lorenzo Valley Water District, San Mateo County Parks, San Mateo County Resource Conservation District, Santa Cruz County Parks Department, Save the Redwoods League, Sempervirens Fund, UCSC Natural Reserves, and US Bureau of Land Management.