April was Earth Day Climate Action Month for all of us here at California State Parks Foundation, and as usual we spent the month advocating for and improving our state parks. Throughout the entire month, our staff fanned out across California to host volunteer workdays every weekend along with our amazing partners and Volunteer Core Leaders. We were thrilled to have the support of so many eager volunteers who came out to all of our 12 workdays and put in a total of 2,544 hours of service towards our beautiful parks. In addition to our in-person volunteer workdays, we again hosted our DIY Earth Day Climate Action clean-up so anyone in California could participate in preserving their community. Here is just a little snapshot of what some of our dedicated volunteers accomplished last month. 

• Our volunteers removed invasive species and planted native drought resistant plants at Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook. This park serves as an oasis in the urban environment of Los Angeles and many members of the community came out to help keep the park beautiful for all to enjoy. We worked with LA Audubon and the Nature Nexus Institute to plant white sage, black walnut, and California bush sunflower. 

• At Folsom Powerhouse State Historic Park, volunteers cleared overgrown brush and removed trash to reduce wildfire risk. This historic park dates back to 1895 and volunteers help to maintain its integrity. 

• At China Camp State Park, we worked to improve ADA access at the Shoreline Trail by removing invasive French and Scotch broom and cleaning the bridge. This work helps protect the trail from runoff events and further erosion. 

• At Half Moon Bay State Beach, we removed invasive species and planted native species to restore the natural biodiversity of the park. Sheet mulch was also placed in order to prevent invasive weed growth and retain water. 

• At Montaña de Oro State Park, volunteers added more soil and plants to the native plant garden.  

• At Crystal Cove State Park, volunteers cleaned the beach and created an ocean friendly garden to attract wildlife, reduce runoff, and filter out pollution.  

• At Silver Strand State Beach, we conducted a beach cleanup and provided an educational nature walk about the effect of sea level rise and erosion at the beach.  

• At Angel Island State Park, we replaced non-native grass with drought tolerant native grasses. We focused on Ayala Cove in order to provide native plants the opportunity to grow where they had previously been crowded out by invasive species. 

• At Candlestick Point State Recreation Area, we removed invasive plants, picked up trash, and planted seed bombs full of native wildflowers. This park serves as another one of California’s urban parks and is used by many members of the surrounding community. We worked with Literacy for Environmental Justice to bring native plants grown in their garden to the park. 

• At Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, we supported an event in the new Land of the First People exhibit which highlights the Kumeyaay approach to ethnobotany and land stewardship.  

• At Chino Hills State Park, volunteers removed 75 trash bags of invasive mustard to reduce wildfire risk.  

In addition to these in-person workdays, 6,080 volunteers also helped clean up their local neighborhoods and parks with our DIY Earth Day Climate Action kits! These kits were available for pickup at REI stores across California as well as mailed to volunteers. We want to thank each and every person that came out to help us this Earth Month. You all showed how much California and state parks mean to you.  

You can also revisit Earth Day Climate Action Month through our video series. Each Friday in April, we released a new video highlighting a way you can get involved with California State Parks Foundation. See all 5 now! 

Thank you to our incredible community of donors, volunteers, park staff, and partners for making this month of impact possible!