The Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Department hopes to recruit up to 75 volunteers for the first large-scale trail volunteer day of 2024, taking place 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, April 13 on the Jesusita Trail.

Volunteers of all experience levels are invited to attend the event to learn about trail restoration and maintenance while helping improve trail conditions and addressing heavy vegetation growth after an exceptionally wet winter.

Three people wearing hard hats and holding long-handled tools stop for a snapshot on trail where they are working. (Courtesy photo)
Tools and instructions will be provided to volunteers working on Jesusita Trail. (Courtesy photo)

Volunteers will gather at the Cater Water Treatment Plant trailhead, 1150 San Roque Road, for a safety orientation and instruction before taking to the trail. The event will wrap up with a group lunch for volunteers, 1-2 p.m.

Tools and instructions will be provided, and volunteers will be assigned to small work teams based on experience. Work will include repairing and regrading trails, and clearing overgrown brush, annual grasses, and tree branches to ensure trails are safe for all users to navigate.

“Assembling a dedicated and skilled volunteer pool is instrumental in offsetting the wear, tear and love our trails receive,” said Steve Biddle, parks supervisor who coordinates the trail volunteer days.

“Jesusita Trail is a great trail for first-time volunteers because it’s well-defined and less rocky and steep than some of our previous worksites,” he said. “I’d encourage anyone who uses our trails and is interested in learning what it takes to keep them in good condition to join us.”  
 
RSVPs are required for the event. To sign up, contact Biddle at SBiddle@SantaBarbaraCA.gov or 805-564-5439. 
  
The Parks and Recreation Department coordinates multiple large-scale volunteer events each year across city, county, and Forest Service properties to help maintain the community’s network of trails.

The upcoming event is held in partnership with Santa Barbara County Parks, the U.S. Forest Service, Montecito Trails Foundation, Los Padres Forest Association, and SAGE Trail Alliance.

Future large-scale trail volunteer days are scheduled for Saturday, June 8, and Saturday, Sept. 28.

Learn more at SantaBarbaraCA.gov/TrailWork