Many students graduate from UC Santa Cruz without ever stepping foot in the undeveloped North Campus, also known as Upper Campus. North Campus is a hundred-year old redwood and chaparral forest that provides spectacular habitat for a wide range of flora and fauna, many of which are listed as endangered or declining species. Even though many students are not familiar with this portion of the university, there are other students, as well as Santa Cruz locals and outdoor enthusiasts from around the world that make use of the trails in North Campus for research and recreation.
The beautiful forest in North Campus, and the creatures who live there, are under threat by UCSC’s controversial 2005 Long Range Development Plan. Recreational use of North Campus and land management decisions have been a long standing concern for the survival of rare species on the UCSC campus, but the 2005 LRDP may have a more damaging and lasting impact than anything in history, as UCSC plans are in motion to develop 120 acres.
The following photographs were taken on July 9th, 2008. Read More and View Photos
On June 2nd, UC Santa Cruz students were joined by the legendary Raging Grannies of Santa Cruz and other community supporters in the celebration of 200 days of tree-sitting resistance to UCSC’s 2005 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP). The gathering was called to fortify spirits, resupply the tree-sit, and plan for summer. Activities included a native plant workshop, songs by the Raging Grannies, discussions and a piñata. 
The second public meeting to save the Beach Flats Community Garden took place on April 3rd. At the meeting, the gardeners put forward a plan for the garden to be managed by the gardeners. Reyna Ruiz of the Beach Flats Community Center said that the plan was something that she could work with and present to the Santa Cruz City Parks and Recreation as well as the Seaside Company which claims ownership over the land. The gardeners asked Brent, a supportive neighbor of the garden, to accompany Reyna when she presented the plan to the Santa Cruz City Parks and Recreation Department on April 4th. 
At the March 27th meeting to discuss the Beach Flats Community Garden, Reyna Ruiz of the Beach Flats Community Center passed out flyers encouraging people to “spend the day outside making the neighborhood beautiful” by participating in a Community Clean-Up (Día De Limpieza en La Comunidad) on March 29th. Some people lent a hand or two by picking up trash throughout the neighborhood and other folks gave their time to beautify the Beach Flats Community Garden. Everything was going really well until Reyna arrived at the garden insisting that everyone stop gardening until the next meeting about the Beach Flats Community Garden on Thursday, April 3rd. 
On March 27th, a meeting was convened at the Beach Flats Community Garden to preserve the special community space and support it’s gardeners. The well-attended meeting was a discussion between various concerned parties, including Santa Cruz City Parks and Recreation Superintendent Carol Scurich, Reyna Ruiz from the Beach Flats Community Center, about a dozen community gardeners, neighbors and other local supporters. Translation between English and Spanish was important, though there were times when Spanish was not translated and other times when English was not translated. It is not completely clear why there is pressure to evict the gardeners from the land they have been cultivating, and where the pressure is really coming from. People were able to express their concerns and ideas, and the main decision was to meet again on April 3rd, 5pm, at the Beach Flats Community Garden. 
