The Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Department and the Friends of the Douglas Family Preserve are hosting a community planting day on Feb. 28 from 9 a.m. to noon to install 900 native plants at the Douglas Family Preserve.
The 70-acre Douglas Family Preserve has a variety of native habitat areas that include coastal sage scrub, coastal bluff scrub, oak woodland, and riparian and estuarine habitats. The planting will include monarch butterfly habitat in the dedication stone area of the park.
The city and the Friends of the Douglas Family Preserve are seeking community members to participate in the planting day. In addition to an opportunity to learn more about native plants, volunteers will receive training on restoration planting techniques.
Volunteers are encouraged to wear sturdy shoes. Garden gloves and tools are not necessary but welcome. Participants do not need specific knowledge of restoration or gardening techniques, just an interest in being part of a long-term program to restore the park’s natural environment. Volunteers will meet at the Medcliff Drive entrance. Refreshments will be provided.
This project is coordinated and funded by the Parks and Recreation Department and the Friends of the Douglas Family Preserve. The Friends of the Douglas Family Preserve receives funding from Southern California Artists Painting for the Environment and Yardi Systems Inc.
For more information, or in case of rain, contact Kathy Frye, Parks Natural Areas Planner, at 805.897.1976 or Susan Belloni, Friends of the Douglas Family Preserve, at 805.962.1492.
Adrienne Villa represents the city of Santa Barbara.