Community volunteers are invited to welcome the monarch butterflies back to Ellwood Mesa by helping to plant trees and native plants that will provide food and shelter for overwintering monarchs.

The season’s first volunteer day will be Aug. 30. Five monthly opportunities will follow, and volunteers can participate in as many days as they’d like.

Complete all five days and earn a limited-edition Ellwood Mesa T-shirt.

The events are part of a larger conservation effort to restore monarch habitat at Ellwood Mesa — one of the most important overwintering sites for Western monarchs, according to the city of Goleta.

With butterfly populations declining due to drought and extreme weather, this project will plant hundreds of trees and thousands of native plants to create the shelter monarchs need to survive, the city said.

Volunteers will meet at the Main Grove. Park at the Sperling Preserve (across from Ellwood Elementary) and allow 10-15 minutes to walk to the Main Grove (meeting location may change so stay tuned for updates by email). 

Bring comfortable shoes, a water bottle, sunscreen, snacks, and gloves (if you have them). Tools will be provided.

Sign up here to volunteer. For more, visit the project page, or contact George Thomson, Parks and Open Space manager, at gthomson@cityofgoleta.gov, or 805-961-7578.