face=Arial>Contact: style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Joey Dorrell-Canepaor Mary
Wilson
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face=Arial>Location: style="mso-spacerun: yes"> "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags"
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face=Arial>Schedule:
Seed
Collection: style="mso-tab-count: 2">
Saturdays in August
Propagation
Demo: style="mso-tab-count: 2">
Saturdays in September
Outplanting of
Seedlings:
Saturdays in January and February
face=Arial>Description and goals: style="mso-spacerun: yes"> The Beach Garden Project is sponsored by
the Monterey Bay Dunes Coalition (California Native Plant Society, Sierra
Club-Ventana Chapter, Monterey Peninsula Audubon Society), the Monterey Bay
Natural History Association and the California Department of Parks and
Recreation.
Our goal is to
grow and plant native, site-specific seedlings to restore sand dunes around the
plants, saving tax dollars and promoting stewardship of our local state
parks. We enjoy our work, while
learning about a unique and fragile resource, the Monterey Bay Dunes.
What
volunteers do and learn:
Volunteers learn how to collect seeds from native dune plants and receive
instruction on how to propagate them.
The biggest thrill is returning the seedlings to their native environment
in the dunes. Time spent on this
project counts for volunteer or advanced training hours.
face=Arial>Testimonial: style="mso-spacerun: yes"> "This is a fun project for the entire
family! How many times have you
zipped by (the former)
even glanced at the dunes and what is growing there? style="mso-spacerun: yes"> This is a wonderful opportunity to go to
fragile "off limits" areas and find a whole new plant world that is eking out an
existence in a very harsh environment.
By collecting the seed, you really get to know plants you've never seen
before. At the propagation
demonstration we were given packets of various seeds we collected and seedling
trays and cells to grown them in.
My daughter and I dutifully planted over 300 cells on the back deck and
kept them watered for over a month.
Nothing happened. Then the
first rains came and BOOM, almost all of them "hatched". style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Such a feeling of accomplishment! style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Within four months (with very little
involvement on my part) the seedlings were ready to leave the cells and return
to the dunes. It's so rewarding for
me to look at the dunes now and be a part of what is growing there!" style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Kathy Herbermann, MG '00.