Marin Chapter California Native Plant Society

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Volunteer Opportunities in Marin County

Save Native Plant Habitat at Point Reyes
with the “Third Thursday Weeders”
A contingent from the Alameda Coast Guard giving the Weeders a big assist at Abbott's Lagoon Would you like to help improve plant habitat with your own two hands?
Join the “Third Thursday Weeders” -- a collaboration of the Marin chapter of CNPS and the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin -- to tackle invasive weeds that threaten important plant habitat in the Point Reyes National Seashore.

The Weeders meet regularly on the Third Thursday of every month, either in the Seashore or at other locations in West Marin. The locations of each session are set in consultation with Seashore staff. Last summer, we made great progress on the iceplant infestation at the Outer Point, while our September work party focused on European beachgrass seedlings that are threatening to get reestablished at Abbott’s Lagoon.
Upcoming work day:
April 19
Send an email to Ellen Hamingson at Ellen_Hamingson@nps.gov to be notified of the time and place to meet. Tentatively, we are planning to weed around the edges of the Point Reyes Lighthouse Parking Lot, an area which supports numerous species of unusual native plants. Ehrharta grass and other invasives are trying to displace these species so the area needs our attention!

Please let us know if you plan to join the group by emailing Ellen as mentioned above. Ellen will send out a reminder and instructions on where to meet. For more information, contact Carolyn Longstreth at cklongstreth@gmail.com. Bring plenty of water, lunch and snacks, warm and wind-stopping layers, sturdy shoes, and work clothes. No shorts or open-toed shoes. The Park provides tools and gloves.



More Volunteer Opportunities in Marin:
Mt. Tam - Marin Municipal Water District
Point Reyes National Seashore
SPAWN
Marin County Parks and Open Space
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
Save the Bay
Richardson Bay Audubon Center & Sanctuary
Audubon Canyon Ranch

Marin County Parks and Open Space Volunteer Opportunities

Ring Mountain 'drop-in' volunteer days

Saturday, April 28th 10am-1pm the first 'drop-in' volunteer day on Ring Mountain.
Join Marin County Parks to volunteer to help restore the native grasslands of Ring Mountain. The 28th will mark the first workday in a new initiative to hold regular "drop-in" volunteer days on the preserve. These workdays will focus on removing weeds, collecting seeds, and planting natives, all in an effort to protect and restore habitat for a variety of rare and endangered species. Workdays will be held the last Saturday of every month. Meet at the top of Taylor Road, in Tiburon, CA. For more information contact Sam Abercrombie at 415-473-2128 or sabercrombie@marincounty.org.

Saturday, May 26th 9am-1pm Join Marin County Parks to help restore Ring Mountain. For several years, volunteers have helped remove tocalote, an invasive plant related to yellow star thistle, from sensitive habitat on the Ring Mountain Preserve. This event will directly benefit the preservation of the threatened Tiburon mariposa lily, and volunteers will likely be able to see this flower first hand. Please dress with sturdy shoes, layers, and bring water. The work will be moderately strenuous, and is a suitable event for families. For more information, please visit our events page or contact Sam Abercrombie at 415-473-2128 or sabercrombie@marincounty.org.

SPAWN" (The Salmon Protection and Watershed Network)


Every Saturday, 10am - 1pm, Creekside Habitat Restoration
Join us as we plant, prune, remove invasives, and improve endangered coho habitat in the San Geronimo Valley! Its a wonderful opportunity to learn more about salmon and share rewarding experiences with like-minded folks of all ages while restoring our local ecosystem. Location varies, please visit SPAWN"S upcoming events for more details!

Every Friday, 10am - 1pm, Native Plant Nursery Day
Come out and help SPAWN volunteers at our very own Native Plant Nursery! We cultivate beautiful plants destined for restoration sites throughout the valley - everything from native blackberries and grasses to majestic redwoods and Douglas fir. Be a part of transforming creekside habitat from the ground up!
Point Reyes National Seashore Volunteer Opportunites
At Point Reyes Seashore, we have a very great need for volunteers. There are thousands of known species here, 131 of which rare, endangered, or threatened. Nearly 20% of the State's flowering plant species are represented on the peninsula and over 45% of the bird species in North America have been sighted here. That's a lot of plant and wildlife to protect, and plenty of habitat to restore. That is why we need you to come and lend a hand. This great and beautiful planet we call our home belongs to all of us and therefore everyone must do his or her part to maintain its vibrance, diversity and health. The greatest opportunity we will ever have to save our planet's ecosystems is right here, right now. Come to Point Reyes and fulfill your sense of stewardship and express your love for the environment. A volunteer will find few places more beautiful, captivating or rich in diversity than Point Reyes National Seashore.

National Park Week & National Volunteer Week Sunday, April 15 through Saturday, April 21
Point Reyes has organized a number of special events this year in honor of the convergence of these celebrations (and to begin the celebration of our 50th anniversary!). We'd love to have you join us for any of these events. Thanks for your support of our park.

Invasive Plant Removal Program

Native Plant Seed Collection

Habitat Restoration Program
We are currently meeting either the second or the last workday, not twice a month. Unless we find funding for another intern or a seasonal position, this schedule is likely to continue.
The next three upcoming workdays are: May 13, June 10, and July 8.
Come out and join us for a day of work and friendship!
California Academy of Sciences Volunteer Opportunites

The California Academy of Sciences is looking for volunteer plant mounters to prepare California botanical specimens for research. Plant mounters glue dried plant specimens and accompanying labels onto acid-free paper. We will provide training in the techniques used at CAS. Once adept, volunteers can schedule their time here on weekday mornings.
Volunteers will need good manual dexterity, good eyesight, the ability to sit for long periods; it helps to be free of plant allergies. You do NOT need a science background to participate.
We are asking for a regular time commitment of at least 2.5-3 hours, one morning per week. Volunteers may come more often if their time permits.
New to CAS? Please call or email Rosalind Henning; 415-379-5111, rhenning@calacademy.org
Questions? Please call or email Rebecca Peters: 415-379-5392, rpeters@calcademy.org
Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy Volunteer Opportunites

Redwood Creek Restoration at Muir Beach We are looking for eager volunteers to join us for invasive-pulling and native-planting. We are also looking for longer term volunteers that know their native and non-native plants (or would be willing to learn them!) to focus on the more sneaky plants.
Our team of three is out (almost) every Saturday and would be willing to lead a group any day from Tuesday to Saturday. If you are interested either as individuals or as a group, lets work out some dates that you could come out to help. It’s a rather amazing and inspiring project.


The Golden Gate National Parks Volunteer Program is a cooperative parkwide effort of the Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy, the National Park Service, and the Presidio Trust.
We need your help! Come out and lend a hand while enjoying the scenic landscapes of the Golden Gate National Parks. Whether it be protecting endangered species habitat, restoring historic features, improving trails, or caring for native plants in one of our nurseries, you'll get to explore beautiful areas of the park, make a lasting impact on the protection of your national park next door, and meet new people in your community.
Volunteer opportunities are available throughout Marin, San Francisco, and San Mateo County. Individuals and groups of all ages are welcome.
For more information, contact us at: (415) 561-3077 or volunteer@parksconservancy.org.
Marin County Programs:


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