Post-shutdown Power-up: We Need YOU for Planting Season

The parks are open and many of you are already back in action, keeping the parks spectacular and engaging our community at large. THANK YOU!
Thank you for your tireless support and dedication, and thank you for your patience while the parks were closed due to the federal government shutdown.

It was a tough time for all of us, and we definitely lost some momentum on vital park work over the course of three weeks—critical raptor counts, seed collection, planting site preparation, trail restoration, groundskeeping and gardening, public walks and talks, community outreach, and much more. Collectively, during the 2½-week shutdown, our park projects suffered a loss of over 1,250 individual volunteers who would have contributed nearly 10,000 hours of service to the parks. This is how much we need your vital volunteer support!

But you kept your spirits high and made it clear to us that you were ready to roll up your sleeves and head back to the parks as soon as possible. With your tremendous understanding and encouragement, we continued to make slow but steady progress on the highest priority projects, like Muir Beach restoration and Hawk Hill raptor counts, with the help of our Parks Conservancy colleagues. And our enthusiastic crew of interns offered their expertise and volunteer service to our neighboring local and state parks.

But we still have a lot of catching up to do.  With your re-engergized help, we’re confident that we can get back on track. So, let’s dust off our boots, shake out our gloves, pull down our volunteer caps, and head out to our favorite volunteer program (or programs) in the Golden Gate National Parks. Help us make up for lost time and let’s double our efforts into the new year!

Right now we’re gearing up and getting sites prepped for planting season. We have to  get out into the parks in force to plant nearly 200,000 plants grown in our plant nurseries over the last year (also with tremendous volunteer support) while Mother Nature (hopefully) blesses us with nourishing winter rains.

So, again, we need your help! There’s lots to do—now and over the next few months. Check out our calendar, check out your schedule, and make a date with the parks. Come solo, bring a date, bring a crew—the more the merrier.

Visit www.parkconservancy.org/volunteer to learn more, or contact us at volunteer@parksconservancy.org or (415) 561-3044.

Thanks, again! As volunteers, you are the life blood of the parks and you are our heroes! Here’s to many happy park days ahead.