Do you have a passion for plants and a desire to make a lasting difference for California's native habitats? We'd love to have you join our Core Nursery Volunteer team at CIR! Core Nursery Volunteers play a truly special role in our work. You'll receive hands-on, specialized training and learn all aspects of growing native plants — from seed propagation and soil prep to watering, transplanting, and plant care. This is a wonderful opportunity to deepen your knowledge of native plants while directly supporting restoration efforts in our community.

For the past three years, we’ve been working with Elings Park and Santa Barbara Botanic Garden to transform a one-acre plot into a thriving California-native habitat for plants and wildlife. This long-term restoration project will ultimately include approximately 1,400 native plants, creating valuable habitat while tracking changes in plant and animal diversity over time.

Join Channel Islands Restoration for an unforgettable day of conservation, adventure, and island exploration at Catalina Island Marine Institute! Imagine boarding a boat in the morning, crossing the channel with the possibility of seeing dolphins, seals, seabirds, and other marine life along the way—and then spending the day surrounded by the incredible scenery of Catalina Island while helping restore a native plant habitat. This is more than a volunteer day. It’s an island adventure with a purpose. We’ll travel from Long Beach aboard the Catalina Express to Avalon Bay, then transfer to a smaller boat for the scenic trip to Toyon Bay and the Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI). Just a few miles from Avalon—but feeling worlds away—you’ll spend the day helping care for native plants in this spectacular coastal setting.

The Santa Clara River Preserve spans almost two miles of this amazing waterway and encompasses nearly 1,000 acres of upland habitat and riverbed. There are few locations on the Santa Clara River that are accessible to the public. Now with the opening of this preserve, TNC has provided a beautiful space for outdoor education, community gatherings, wildlife viewing, and hiking. On the preserve, we want to give everyone a chance to connect with the dynamic Santa Clara River. 

In this webinar, biologist and science communicator Hale Garcia-Dean shares findings from their master's thesis research following newly metamorphosed frogs as they took their first steps out of the water.