Volunteer
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Habitat Restoration Opportunities
The following activities support our habitat restoration sites in San Francisco and the East Bay. Work is done on a monthly basis, so if you miss one, come to the next one! These are drop-in programs, so no need to RSVP, unless you are an organized group. If we have a large amount of individuals or groups attending a workday, we will post them as FULL. Directions are not always posted. If you need directions, or want to schedule a group workday, please contact the Volunteer Coordinator.
Native shrubs under cypress trees
Harding Park, San Francisco
Each month Golden Gate Audubon sponsors workdays where volunteers help restore habitat for the California Quail, the official bird of the City and County of San Francisco and of the State of California. We plant native species, remove invasives, and do general maintenance at Harding Park, next to Lake Merced. This program is currently a part of a National Audubon program called Together Green Volunteer Days, inspiring people everywhere to take action to improve the health of our environment.
Next Workdays:
- Saturday, March 27, 9 a.m. to noon; FULL
- Saturday, April 24, 9 a.m. to noon
- Saturday, May 22, 9 a.m. to noon
Directions: Meet in the large parking lot where Sunset and Lake Merced Boulevards meet. You will find us by the statue.
Dan Richman at Pier 94 Photo by Aubrie Pick
Pier 94, San Francisco’s Southern Waterfront
As part of our ongoing efforts to restore wetlands in San Francisco Bay , we will continue our efforts at Pier 94, throughout the year. Activities include invasive plant removal, trash pickup, monitoring, and planting in the fall. The site is home to native California Sea-blite, as well as nesting shorebirds.
Next Workdays:
- Saturday, March 6, 9 a.m. to noon. In honor of one of our most dedicated volunteers, Betty Berenson, our March 6 workday at Pier 94 will begin and end with birding. At 8 a.m., we will bird around the Pier 94 wetlands; at noon, when our work is over, we will bird at Heron’s Head Park. Please let us know if you will attend the birding sessions by contacting Jennifer Maddox at 510.843.5873 or jrobinson@goldengateaudubon.org.
- Saturday, April 3, 9 a.m. to noon.
Directions: Find your way to 480 Amador St. in San Francisco, which is a temporary office for a neighbor. Just ahead of you, you will see a small sign next to the left of white barriers. This is the entrance to Pier 94. Park in front of the barriers.
Public Transit: The Muni Metro T-Line stops at Marin, which is located a couple blocks before Cargo Way on Third Street. Please visit www.511.org for a transit planner from your location. Follow the directions above from Third Street turning onto Cargo Way.
View of Arrowhead Marsh from our site
Martin Luther King Jr. Shoreline, Oakland
Work to plant native shrubs and weed out the invasives at our site adjacent to Arrowhead Marsh in East Oakland. Arrowhead Marsh is a one-of-a-kind area to work. Northern Harriers and Brown Pelicans swoop down and Clapper Rails chatter in the marsh.
Next Workday:
- Saturday, March 20, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – FULL
- Saturday, April 17, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. – FULL
Directions to our site: Find your way to the intersection of Pardee Dr. and Swan Way. Off of Swan Way, enter at the Park District’s brown entrance sign. Head all the way down the road to the last parking lot by the observation platform.
UC Berkeley students work at the refuge
Proposed Alameda Wildlife Refuge, Alameda
Home to the endangered California Least Terns, who have left the site until next summer. Work with the Friends of the Alameda Wildlife Refuge to prepare habitat by removing invasive shrubs and groundcovers. Adults must be present to work with anyone under the age of 15, unless given special permission.
Next Workdays:
- Sunday, March 14, 9 a.m. to noon- FULL
Directions: Meet at the main refuge gate at the northwest corner of the former Naval Air Station in Alameda. Find your way to 2501 Monarch St. in Alameda, then drive toward the gates to the left of the Creative Technologies building. The far gate will be open, where a volunteer will have you sign-in.
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Other Conservation Opportunities
In addition to habitat restoration, we also offer the following opportunities in conservation.
Conservation Committee
Get together with other birders and wildlife enthusiasts on your side of the bay and find out about projects in your community. The East Bay Conservation Committee meets on the Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the GGA office in Berkeley. The San Francisco Conservation Committee meets the first Wednesday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Randall Museum, 199 Museum Way.
Southern Waterfront Monitoring
This survey starts the week of March 21 and runs through the end of August. The survey will be conducted once a week by pairs volunteers. We need one person with a spotting scope and a person that can record and submit the data collected. We are looking to capture information on the birds along this area which includes the identification of gull and tern species. The surveys will be scheduled to avoid traffic 1.5 hours before and after baseball games and other major events. Please contact nweeden@goldengateaudubon.org if you are interested in this survey.
Lights Out for Birds Monitoring
Working with the American Bird Conservancy, San Francisco’s Department of the Environment, PG&E, and other partners, Golden Gate Audubon encourages reduced night lighting of tall structures in the city, potentially preventing many bird collisions while conserving energy. Continuing this fall, the San Francisco Lights Out for Birds program offers an opportunity for volunteers to participate in citizen science by collecting birds that may have collided with buildings at night.
Volunteers Needed to Help Compile Observations
GGA seeks dependable volunteers to help compile data for the monthly Observations. An interest in bird distribution and movements is essential, but advanced knowledge is not required.Training will be provided and credit given in each Gull. If interested, contact Bruce Mast at observe@goldengateaudubon.org.
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Education Opportunities
Eco-Education Environmental Educators
Volunteer Environmental Educators Needed! Work with a team of naturalists, rangers, and high school mentors at a local salt marsh, a beautiful hidden creek in a redwood forest, in elementary school classrooms in East Oakland, Richmond, and/or at the beach. No previous experience necessary – all training will be provided! A six-hour monthly time commitment is required. Weekday and Saturday hours available.
For more information, please contact our Eco-Education Program Manager, Anthony DeCicco, at adecicco@goldengateaudubon.org or 510.635.5533.
Birding and Natural History Teachers and Field Trip Leaders
We need instructors for adult education classes in San Francisco and experienced birders to lead field trips around the Bay Area, across the state, and possibly internationally.
New Docent Program Along the Bay Trail!
For the second year of the TogetherGreen grant, Golden Gate Audubon received support for a new program that will train volunteers to be docents on the portion of the San Francisco Bay Trail between the Albany mudflats and the Richmond Marina. Walkers, joggers, bicyclists, and dog owners, as well as birders, frequent this part of the trail. With scopes in hand, GGA docents will show trail users the resident and migratory shorebirds, share information about the various species, and inspire people about the wildlife and the bayside habitat.
Become a Docent for Burrowing Owls at Cesar Chavez Park
We had a very successful winter in 2008-09 at Cesar Chavez Park , with four Burrowing Owls arriving AND departing – no losses! While we put up the fence after two of the owls had arrived, two more then joined them, and by the end of the over-wintering season all four owls were not only behind the fence, but as far back from it as possible.
This year, in order to plan more effectively, we started earlier with our activities, putting up the fence before the owls arrived, training docents, preparing brochures and other educational material, and setting up a more structured monitoring program.
To visit the docents, find them at the orange fence in the northeast corner of Cesar Chavez Park.
Other Ways to Help
Your skills, knowledge, and expertise can help us in dozens of ways. Lead a field trip, teach children about birds and wetlands, work in our office, write letters to elected officials, or join a habitat restoration work party. Whether you have a lot of time or a little, we welcome your participation. Contact us for more information.