October News
Month's Highlights
September was a month of beginnings. We had our first weekend event of the Fall 2024 semester, the 40th annual California Coastal Cleanup Day! Many volunteers joined us as we picked up trash around Upper Carr Lake. New service learners and College Corps students helped the event run smoothly and added so much joy to the event. Our school program had its first field trips of the new school year and continues its mission of environmental education and experiences for all. The beginning of Fall is officially upon us as well! The autumnal equinox happened on September 22nd, the day after our first event. It doesn't quite feel like Fall yet, though, as the past few weeks have been very warm. But, as the days get shorter and colder, let's look forward to the rebirth of the Earth as the rains come and plants grow.
Upcoming Community Events
Everyone is welcome to our family-friendly FREE community events. We provide gloves, tools, and supplies. Sun protection, reusable water bottle, and closed-toe shoes are recommended.
We are currently in the process of planning upcoming community weekend events, keep checking our "Events Calendar" for updates or join us at DONS which runs year long!
EVERY TUESDAY | DONS (Docents of Native Species), greenhouse native plant volunteer group.
10:30AM-12:30 PM
Email Christina McKnew for more info.
SAT OCT 26th 2024 | Make A Difference Day! at Upper Carr Lake in Salinas.
10:00AM-1:00 PM
Email Azalea Wiley for more info.
A Successful California Coastal Cleanup Day!
by HSP team
We kicked off the Fall 2024 semester with our first weekend event on Saturday, September 21st. This event was in partnership with the California Coastal Commission for the 40th annual state-wide California Coastal Cleanup Day. We had over 40 volunteers, and in only 3 hours, we collected 842.2 pounds of trash!
California Coastal Cleanup Day is not only an event to make a difference in our communities all over California, but it is one of the largest data-gathering events in the country. According to the California Coastal Commission, this year's event brought in 28,751 volunteers, with a total of 242,312 pounds of trash collected. Volunteers keep track of what types of trash they find at their event sites, and this data is compiled and released to the public. This year, 75 percent of the trash that was collected was plastic. This type of data collection is crucial in research for how we can better help our oceans.
HSP Staff and volunteers stand in an opening circle in preparation for the annual coastal cleanup event.
Bringing 4th-6th graders to Natividad Creek Park
By Nancy Vielmas, Education Programs Coordinator
This past month, we’ve been visiting classrooms and taking students out on walking field trips to Natividad Creek Park. In the next month or so, we will be taking these same students out to the beach!
This is all thanks to the California State Parks Outdoor Equity Project and the California Coastal Commission Whale Tail Project. We are able to host educational, fun, and engaging field trips thanks to our funders and support from our community.
For the Natividad Creek Park field trip class visit,
we share historical photos of Natividad Creek Park and tell them that it was built by the community and that it was designed to be explored. When we get to the park, we take the kids on a little journey where they study plants and creekside habitats. They record observations in their journals. This month I thought it would be fun to share some historical Natividad Creek Park photos! These photos are from the late 1990s. Enjoy! Stay tuned for an article about the beginnings of Natividad Creek Park next month.