Park Champions on the Loose
Volunteer Program to Focus on Beach Cleanup
The California State Park Champions volunteer program is holding an upcoming volunteer workday at Carpinteria State Beach on Saturday, April 25. The volunteers will help with carpentry projects at the park and removal of invasive plants at Carpinteria State Beach.
“The volunteers support is critical to us being able to maintain the park in the condition that visitors expect,” explained Phoebe Oelheim, Park Champions Program Coordinator. “But unfortunately there is a $1.2 billion deferred maintenance backlog facing our state parks right now. The volunteer program provides consistent, sustainable, ongoing support for the park staff that is really important.”
Oelheim also is working to build an ongoing program at Carp State Beach to support the park with general park maintenance (mostly carpentry and painting projects), as well as ongoing beach habitat restoration efforts. The Park Champions Program was founded in response to the deferred maintenance backlog facing our state parks right now. The main goal of the program is to provide consistent, sustainable, ongoing volunteer support to park staff. Projects range from fence and bridge construction to invasive plant removal, trail building, park beautification, and other maintenance projects.
The Saturday work will take place from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Materials and training will be provided and a nutritious and delicious lunch will be served. Volunteers are asked to register for the work day through the Park Champions Program website. Kids ages 12 and up are welcome with a legal guardian. 20 volunteers are needed to complete these projects.
In addition to seeking volunteers who can help out on a one time basis, the program plans to hold a leadership training to empower a core group of volunteers with the skills to help plan and lead future Park Champions events at State Beaches on the Channel Coast. For more information about volunteer leadership opportunities, or regarding this upcoming work day, contact Program Coordinator Phoebe Oelheim.
