Palos Verdes Peninsula Land Conservancy (Southern California)

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• Volunteer Opportunities
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Volunteering with the Conservancy is a rewarding way to give back to the local community and environment. The peninsula is a green oasis in L.A. County, providing volunteers with the opportunity to escape the hustle and stress of the city and enjoy the natural beauty of the area. By giving your time and energy, you will be rewarded with the knowledge you have made a difference and helped the Conservancy fulfill its mission. Whether you are interested in helping a native plant take root or assisting in our office, there are a variety of ways for people of all walks of life to get involved.

Click on the links to discover all the ways to volunteer with the Conservancy:

• Outdoor Volunteer Days
• Team Leader Program
• KEEPERS Program
• Corporate/Group Volunteering
• HERO Club
• Trail Crew
• Native Plant Nursery
• Scout Projects
• Birding Research Project
• Education Docents and Nature Center Volunteers
  • Third-Grade Docents
  • George F Canyon Nature Center
  • Saturday Nature Walks
• Internships
• Indoor Volunteers
• General Volunteer Forms

Outdoor Volunteer Days
Help the Conservancy restore vital habitat by planting natives and removing invasive species in various preserves around the peninsula. All volunteer work days are on Saturdays from 9am. Training, tools, camaraderie and beautiful scenery are provided, but bring close-toed shoes, water and sun protection. Outdoor workdays will be cancelled if it rains. The volunteer interest form is not required to participate in outdoor volunteer days. Please contact Jill Wittman at (310) 541-7613 or jwittman@pvplc.org to sign up or receive more information.

Spring/Summer 2013 [PDF: 239KB]

Team Leader Program
Interested in going above and beyond your average outdoor volunteer? Then the Team Leader program is for you! Learn more about native plants, habitat restoration, and growing plants in the nursery through exclusive training workshops held throughout the year. Contact Adrienne Mohan at amohan@pvplc.org or (310) 541-7613 to sign up or learn more.

Team Leader Application [PDF: 81KB]

KEEPERS Program
Keeping an Extra Eye on the Preserves for Environmental Review and Stewardship spells out KEEPERS, an all-volunteer program for helping us manage the preserves. Our KEEPERS hike a designated section of a preserve on a monthly basis and report their findings. Through these extra eyes on the preserves, we learn more quickly about areas that can be addressed to improve the conditions of the preserves. Volunteers are asked to commit to a full year of monthly surveys. Training will be provided and is bolstered by semi-annual KEEPERS meetings held at different locations throughout our preserves. If you are interested in hiking a section of one of our beautiful preserves, contact adalkey@pvplc.org.

KEEPERS Flyer [PDF: 113KB]

Corporate or Group Volunteering Opportunities
Volunteer as a group! We love coordinating with volunteers from local businesses and organizations to get together for a day of fun in the field. Contact Adrienne Mohan at amohan@pvplc.org if you would like to coordinate a special event or register your group for an Outdoor Volunteer Day.

HERO Club
The Palos Verdes HERO Club [HERO stands for Habitat/Environmental Restoration Organization] is a nonprofit organization driven by students of Palos Verdes Peninsula High School and Palos Verdes High School. The HERO Club works jointly with the Palos Verdes Land Conservancy to restore and preserve land on the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Check out their website if you would like to get involved: www.theheroclub.org

Trail Crew
Become a member of this trail-blazing volunteer crew dedicated to improving the trail systems around the peninsula's preserves. An introductory class is followed by hands-on field training taught by a nationally recognized trail expert. This free 50-hour program teaches such skills as trail assessment, outsloping and grading techniques, building retaining structures, switchbacks, and more. At the end, class participants become official Trail Crew members certified to propose, organize and facilitate trail projects with the PVPLC. To register or find more information, contact Adrienne Mohan at amohan@pvplc.org or (310) 541-7613.

Native Plant Nursery
Located in San Pedro, our native plant nursery produces more than 60 species native to the Peninsula. Typical volunteer projects include seed germination, plant propagation, transplanting seedlings, sorting and cleaning seed, and removing weeds from plant containers. To volunteer at the nursery, contact Adrienne Mohan at amohan@pvplc.org or (310) 541-7613 to schedule your participation.

Scout Projects
Several options are offered to meet badge requirements of Cub Scouts, Brownies and Junior Girl Scouts. Some of the relevant Scout programs include:

• Wolf Cub Outdoor Adventure (2nd grade)
• Bear Cub Wilderness Wanderer (3rd grade)
• Webelos Forester, Geologist, Naturalist Badges (4th -6th grade)
• Brownie Legacy, It's Your Planet, and It's Your Story Badges (2nd-3rd grade)
• Junior Legacy, It's Your Planet, and It's Your Story Badges (4th -5th grade)

Read more on Scout Badges [PDF: 23KB]

Eagle, Silver and Gold Award Projects - The Conservancy very much appreciates the contributions made to our work by Scouts for Eagle, Silver, and Gold Awards. Unfortunately, due to limitations of staff time, particularly on weekends, we cannot accommodate all of the people who contact us with a project. A Scout award project needs to have at least 120 days notice before the project deadline. The Conservancy will make every effort to respond within two days of submitting the application form provided below. If the Conservancy can accommodate your proposal, the Scout will need to organize a meeting with the staff member who will assist with the project. This meeting will establish the project type, timeline, and completion date.

To express your interest in completing a Scout project with the PVPLC, please e-mail the Scout Project Application to the office at info@pvplc.org.

Scout Project Needs [PDF: 140KB]

Scout Projects Application [PDF: 45KB]

Birding Research Project
Help the Conservancy and the Palos Verdes/South Bay Audubon conduct monthly bird surveys at Three Sisters Reserve. This is a five-year monitoring project that tracks the response of the bird community at a Conservancy restoration site. It also provides a great opportunity for people of all ages to learn and exercise knowledge of bird identification. Contact Ann Dalkey at adalkey@pvplc.org to get involved.

Education Docents and Nature Center Volunteers

Third-Grade Docents
Teaching docents are needed to participate in the education program, helping to guide nature walks as well as reaching out to youth in the classroom. The Third-Grade Naturalist program consists of a four-part, in-class educational unit covering local ecology, native plants, geology, history, Native-American culture, mammals, reptiles, birds and insects.

The program culminates in a field trip to a local open space where children are led on an interactive nature walk to use their in-class training. Lessons are taught by trained docents, with assistance from parent volunteers on the field trips. Almost all of the walks take place during the spring. A moderate stipend is offered for the time spent working in the classroom, but it's mostly a volunteer effort. The docent group meets several times per year, and optional monthly training walks with our Education Director and Program Manager are available.

George F Canyon Docent
The charming George F Canyon Nature Center needs a variety of volunteers to staff the center or help with special events. The Nature Center is located on Palos Verdes Drive East, just south of Palos Verdes Drive North. The hours required are minimal; here's your chance to make a difference with a small amount of time.

Saturday Nature Walk Docent
The Conservancy holds nature walks on the second Saturday of every month and two Saturdays a month at George F Canyon, and additional leaders are needed for these walks. Walk Program Leader hikes take place about a week before each scheduled public walk to help train and orient docents to the site.

If you are interested in becoming a docent or want to know more about any of the education programs, please contact the Education Director Siegrun Storer at sstorer@pvplc.org or (310) 541-7613 x205.

Internships
The Conservancy offers internships for high school and college students with opportunities to learn alongside staff in the field around the Preserves or native plant nursery, or in the office. Please fill out and submit the interest form to info@pvplc.org and we will get back to you. Click here for internship applications.

Indoor Volunteers
We need help in the office preparing mailings, doing computer work, research, and with special events. Our office is located at 916 Silver Spur Road, #207 (across from CVS) in Rolling Hills Estates. If you would like to get involved, contact Mary Lopes at (310) 541-7613, ext. 206 or mlopes@pvplc.org.

Other Volunteer Forms

• General Volunteer Form [PDF: 47KB]
• Potential Committee Member Information Form [PDF: 19KB]