Seaside Pollinator Habitat Community GardensAt — Communities for Sustainable Monterey County (CSMC)
Students will support an ongoing community-based volunteer program that has established native plant pollinator gardens in eight public parks. There are opportunities to: participate in data collection, engage more community members (particularly those who are under-represented, such as people with disabilities, BIPOC and non-English speaking individuals) and gain experience in native habitat restoration and landscape management practices. Alongside natural resource conservation professionals and dozens of community volunteers representing a wide range of backgrounds and professions, the student/s will help the partners (including Friends of Seaside Parks Association, Sustainable Seaside, the Resource Conservation District of Monterey County and commissions and departments of the City of Seaside) increase native plant habitat for imperiled invertebrates, stabilize and improve soil health (sequestering carbon, reducing water use), and increase community resilience to natural and other disasters by fostering connections between neighbors across the city, fortifying a network of mutual support.
Students will have opportunities to:
- Collect plant survey data
- Gain experience working with California native plants and pollinators
- Learn about mixed coastal scrub and chaparral habitat species
- Gain experience in habitat restoration and landscape maintenance techniques and strategies
6 Service Learners
There are many potential activities in which the student may participate depending on their area of interest within the project. For students wishing to participate in any of the identified tasks/activities, they will be assigned to communicate with the appropriate project personnel to receive guidance and required training so that they may successfully complete an associated task.
The participants will be asked to work with hand tools and interact with plants, insects and soil to the extent that they are interested and comfortable doing so. Personal protective equipment should be used (gloves, glasses, hat) to maintain personal well-being when working in a natural outdoor environment.
Students may be required to work at night (after 6pm). Or, students may be supervised less than 50% of the time or the supervisor will be overseeing more than 8 people.
Contact the project lead:
Laura Murphy
laura.murphy@rcdmonterey.org
In your message, indicate:
- which types of tasks/activities (of those listed) interest you and
- what background you have in the subject area.
- your availability to participate regularly on Saturday morning volunteer work days in Seaside public parks for any amount of time between 9am-12pm.
- what about the opportunity inspires your application and what you most hope to get out of the experience of engaging with this project.