Punta Gorda Elephant Seal Hike
2025-05-10 10:00 - 15:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | CA
Punta Gorda is a favorite Lost Coast destination offering stunning coastal scenery, an historic/recently renovated lighthouse, and a thriving elephant seal colony – and, on Saturday, May 10, join Friends of the Lost Coast & BLM King Range for this Summer Hike Series kickoff! Featuring Dr. Dawn Goley, Professor of Zoology at Cal Poly Humboldt; and her graduate student, Ashley Jacobs; this outing will offer an opportunity to learn about the thriving and ever-growing elephant seal colony at Punta Gorda. The group will meet at 10a.m. at the Mattole Beach parking area, located at the end of Lighthouse Rd near Petrolia, before caravanning a short distance to Windy Point Rd for a 1.8 mile steep downhill hike.
Participants should bring water and a snack, dress in layers, and wear sturdy/waterproof footwear, and are also encouraged to travel in a 4WD vehicle. Email info@lostcoast.org to register or for more details, including carpool opportunities from Whitethorn.

Mother’s Day Celebration & Native Plant Sale
2025-05-11 10:00 - 15:00 | Lost Coast Nature Center & Native Plant Garden, 768 Shelter Cove Rd, Whitethorn, CA, 95589, United States
Spring is a perfect time for planting, so come stock up on native plants for your garden at Friends of the Lost Coast’s special Mother’s Day Celebration & Native Plant Sale on Sunday, May 11 from 10a.m. to 3p.m., weather permitting. The nursery has a wide selection of flowering native annuals, perennials, shrubs, trees and grasses available for donation. Professional landscape designer and native plant expert, Cheryl Lisin, will be on hand to consult about your planting needs. Activities throughout the day include fun stuff for kids and families, plus refreshments, FOLC merchandise, garden tours, free coloring books and live music. Pack your own picnic lunch too!
Come discover the Lost Coast Education Center and celebrate spring (and Mother’s Day!) with native plants, while supporting the environmental education & stewardship programs of Friends of the Lost Coast. Native plants are beautiful, resilient and many are drought tolerant, perfect for any garden, so come stock up at Friends of the Lost Coast’s Mother’s Celebration & Native Plant Sale. The Lost Coast Education Center & Native Plant Garden is located at the BLM King Range complex at 768 Shelter Cove Road. Look for the sign that says Native Plants! Email info@lostcoast.org for directions or more information.

Birds of the Lost Coast Hike
2025-05-17 08:30 - 14:00 | Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, CA, United States
Join FOLC, Sanctuary Forest and CA State Parks for this free birding hike with Tess McGuire in Sinkyone Wilderness State Park. We’ll learn about meadow, shore, and forest birds found along this remote stretch of coastline, plus talk about their nesting and parenting habits. Spanish translation will be provided by Erika Granadino, interpreter with CA State Parks. Space is limited and advance registration is required. We’ll meet at 8:30am at the Sanctuary Forest office in Whitethorn to carpool/caravan to the trailhead, with return at approximately 2pm. Bring binoculars if you have them! Email info@lostcoast.org to RSVP. Stay tuned for more event details soon.

Shelter Cove Workday at Mal Coombs Park
2025-05-18 10:00 - 13:00 | Cape Mendocino Lighthouse at Mal Coombs Park – Shelter Cove, 1176 Lower Pacific Dr, Shelter Cove, CA, 95589, United States
Join Friends of the Lost Coast and BLM for a day of service at Mal Coombs Park in Shelter Cove from 10a.m to 1p.m. Work will consist of weeding and planting in the native plant gardens surrounding the Cape Mendocino Lighthouse, plus invasive plant removal in the surrounding area. Meet 10am at Mal Coombs Park, 1176 Lower Pacific Dr in Shelter Cove. A limited number of youth stipends are available to ages 10-17. Bring your own water and a snack. Gloves and tools provided. Rain cancels. To RSVP or register for a youth stipend, email justin@lostcoast.org.

Trailhead Hosts - Memorial Day Weekend
2025-05-23 07:00 - 2025-05-26 16:00 | Black Sands Beach, 865 Beach Rd, Shelter Cove, CA, 95589, United States
Friends of the Lost Coast and BLM King Range’s Trailhead Hosts program organizes volunteers to assist BLM with engaging visitors at Black Sands Beach in Shelter Cove on the weekends of highest summer usage – Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day. Our Trailhead Hosts answer questions and share information about the King Range, beach safety, park rules/regulations, and Leave No Trace principles. This Memorial Day Weekend event runs 4 days, May 23-26 and will be held at the Black Sands Beach trailhead, located at 856 Beach Rd in Shelter Cove. Email justin@lostcoast.org for more information or to volunteer.

Stranded Marine Mammal Lecture w/ Dr. Dawn Goley
2025-05-23 17:00 - 19:00 | Shelter Cove Clubhouse, 1555 Upper Pacific Rd, Shelter Cove, CA, United States
FOLC & BLM are excited to host a free lecture at the Shelter Cove Community Clubhouse on Friday, May 23 with Dr. Dawn Goley, Cal Poly Humboldt Professor of Zoology and Director of the Stranded Marine Mammal Monitoring Program. In this lecture, she will highlight the work of/data collected by the Shelter Cove Community Hub of the Stranded Marine Mammal Monitoring Program, and will share what we learned through this effort and how this relates to the larger data her team collected from over 200 miles of northern CA coastline. The Shelter Cove Community Clubhouse is located at 1555 Upper Pacific Dr. in Shelter Cove. Doors at 5pm with lecture at 5:30 and Q&A to follow.
* photo by Pamela Lauer

Stranded Marine Mammal Volunteer Training
2025-05-24 09:30 - 13:30 | Shelter Cove Clubhouse, 1555 Upper Pacific Rd, Shelter Cove, CA, United States
Those who enjoy walking Shelter Cove’s beaches and are interested to contribute to the conservation of local marine mammals are invited to join Friends of the Lost Coast, BLM and Dr. Dawn Goley, Director of Cal Poly Humboldt’s Stranded Marine Mammal Monitoring Program, for a volunteer training on Saturday, May 24. The training will start at 9:30am at the Shelter Cove Community Clubhouse, located 1555 Upper Pacific Dr., and will be followed by a field outing that will feature an opportunity to collect data on an actual stranded marine mammal. The training will conclude at approximately 1:30pm.
Local residents are currently being sought to join the Shelter Cove stranding team, which conducts at least once-monthly monitoring of area beaches. Travel stipends for beach monitors are available. For more information or to RSVP for the free training, email justin@lostcoast.org.

Geo-Ecology of Red Mountain Hike
2025-05-31 09:00 - 15:00 | CA
Join Friends of the Lost Coast and the Bureau of Land Management for this special Geo-Ecology of Red Mountain hike in the South Fork Eel River Wilderness, a little-visited BLM holding east of Leggett. Featuring BLM Geologist, Sam Flanagan; local ecologist, Kyle Keegan; and local resident, Jeff Hedin; the hike will highlight the unique serpentine geology and ecology of Red Mountain on this moderate hike. Space is limited, with advance registration required. Email info@lostcoast.org to RSVP or for more information, including meeting and carpool information.

Native Plant Garden Volunteer Work Party
2025-06-01 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-08-03 10:00 - 13:00 | Lost Coast Nature Center & Native Plant Garden, 768 Shelter Cove Rd, Whitethorn, CA, 95589, United States
Join us in the Native Plant Garden at the Lost Coast Education Center in Whitethorn for our First Sunday of the month volunteer work party! Please bring your own water and snacks. Tools will be provided. Rain cancels. Email cheryl@lostcoast.org for more information, to RSVP, or to register for a youth stipend.

Shelter Cove Workday & Public Lands Day of Action
2025-06-07 10:00 - 12:00 | Black Sands Beach, 865 Beach Rd, Shelter Cove, CA, 95589, United States
On Saturday, June 7, ahead of the 119th anniversary of the Antiquities Act (June 8, 1906), communities across the country will unite to show support for our monuments, parks and public lands. Advocates and enthusiasts will gather at national monuments and other beloved public lands – and on the Lost Coast, we’ll be supporting this effort with an event/workday from 10am to 12pm at the Black Sands Beach monument site in King Range National Conservation Area. Whether you want to lend a hand in stewarding this popular site – or rock a sign to show your support for keeping public lands in public hands – this is a great way to join in solidarity with other public lands advocates and get some needed work done too! Contact info@lostcoast.org for more information about the event or to RSVP.

Sinkyone Wilderness 50th Anniversary Celebration
2025-06-14 11:00 - 14:00 | Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, CA, United States
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Sinkyone Wilderness State Park! Join CA State Parks and Humboldt Redwoods Interpretive Association for this special milestone event highlighting the natural and cultural history of this remote park and nearby Marine Protected Areas. Check out interpretive exhibits, create a nature journal, spot some critters, and more! Friends of the Coast will be there tabling and FOLC’s own Cheryl Lisin will be offering native plant walks. The event is on Saturday, June 14 and runs 11am to 2pm at the Needle Rock Visitor Center in Sinkyone Wilderness State Park. Shuttle service is available between Whale Gulch School and the event site.

Native Plant Garden Volunteer Work Party
2025-06-15 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-07-20 10:00 - 13:00, 2025-08-17 10:00 - 13:00 | Lost Coast Nature Center & Native Plant Garden, 768 Shelter Cove Rd, Whitethorn, CA, 95589, United States
Join us in the Native Plant Garden at the Lost Coast Education Center in Whitethorn for our Third Sunday of the month volunteer work party! Please bring your own water. Snacks and tools provided. Rain cancels. Email cheryl@lostcoast.org for more information or to register for a youth stipend – $10/hr for ages 10-17.

Art In The Garden Workshop
2025-06-22 10:00 - 12:00 | Lost Coast Nature Center & Native Plant Garden, 768 Shelter Cove Rd, Whitethorn, CA, 95589, United States
Want to learn about art techniques in a beautiful outdoor setting? FOLC’s annual Art In The Garden Workshop is for you! A free opportunity to learn from professional artists at the Lost Coast Education Center in Whitethorn – our 2025 event is “California Wildflowers – sketch, explore, and learn” with Venessa Kay & Darcie Maassen.
Meeting in a 100 year old barn, we will be focusing on California’s wildflower legacy, the ecological role of wildflowers in their native environment, and our human relationship with them. Each participant will receive a ‘Home Spun Urban Sketchbook’ made by Venessa & Darcie – a homemade field journal and keepsake for continued drawing at home. Also supplied will be watercolor pencils, pens and erasers, along with water brushes and paintbrushes.
While students are sketching and painting, they’ll also learn about the importance of native wildflowers and their relationship to the local environment, plus FOLC’s work in this area and how to get involved!
Space is limited and often fills quickly, so don’t delay in registering with cheryl@lostcoast.org.

Summer Adventure Camp - Week 1 Begins
2025-06-23 10:00 - 16:00 | Lost Coast Nature Center & Native Plant Garden, 768 Shelter Cove Rd, Whitethorn, CA, 95589, United States
2025 Camp Schedule:
WEEK 1: June 23 thru 27 – 10am-4pm 10-13 year olds
WEEK 2: July 7 thru 11 – 10am-4pm 7-9 year olds
WEEK 3: July 14 thru 18 – 10am-4pm 4-6 year olds
WEEK 4: July 21 thru 25 – 10am-4pm 10-13 year olds
WEEK 5: July 28 thru August 1 – 10am-4pm 7-9 year olds
WEEK 6: August 4 thru 8 – 10am-4pm 4-6 year olds
To Sign Up Contact
Michele Palazzo, 707-223-0112/mamapalazzo@yahoo.com

Guardians of the Lost Coast Lecture
2025-06-26 19:00 - 20:00 | Online only
The history and modern operations of US Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay is the topic of Guardians Of The Lost Coast, a virtual lecture presented via Zoom by Friends of the Lost Coast and the Bureau of Land Management on Thursday, June 26 from 7-8p.m. Offered as part of the Lost Coast Lectures series, it will feature USCG Deputy Sector Commander and Executive Officer of Air Station Humboldt Bay, Christopher McAndrew. The USCG Sector Humboldt Bay serves the public along 250 miles of rugged coastline of Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte Counties. Cold Pacific currents, powerful Alaskan winter storms, towering offshore rocks, fog, and dangerous harbor entrance bars threaten commercial and recreation vessels in the area and the USCG Command Center monitors for distress 24 hours a day and directs Coast Guard boats and aircraft to respond to maritime emergencies both off shore and inland. This lecture will feature historical tales and photos, stories and videos of modern-day rescues, and give an overall picture of the work Sector Humboldt Bay – the Guardians of the Lost Coast – does daily to protect lives and safeguard the waters of the Lost Coast region. The free Zoom lecture will feature an approximately 45 min talk, followed by a Q&A. Click the Zoom link below to view the lecture live. The lecture room opens at 7pm on Thursday, June 26. For more information, contact info@lostcoast.org.
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Trailhead Hosts - July 4th Weekend
2025-07-03 07:00 - 2025-07-06 16:00 | Black Sands Beach, 865 Beach Rd, Shelter Cove, CA, 95589, United States
Friends of the Lost Coast and BLM King Range’s Trailhead Hosts program organizes volunteers to assist BLM with engaging visitors at Black Sands Beach in Shelter Cove on the weekends of highest summer usage – Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day. Our Trailhead Hosts answer questions and share information about the King Range, beach safety, park rules/regulations, and Leave No Trace principles. This July 4th weekend event runs 4 days, July 3- 6 and will be held at the Black Sands Beach trailhead, located at 856 Beach Rd in Shelter Cove. Email justin@lostcoast.org for more information or to volunteer.

Shelter Cove Adopt-A-Beach Cleanup
2025-07-05 12:30 - 15:00 | Cape Mendocino Lighthouse at Mal Coombs Park – Shelter Cove, 1176 Lower Pacific Dr, Shelter Cove, CA, 95589, United States
Join FOLC and BLM on Saturday, July 5th from 12:30pm to 2pm for our second Adopt-A-Beach Cleanup of 2025! Timed to occur the morning after Shelter Cove’s massive July 4th festivities, this is perhaps the most important beach cleanup of the year. FOLC will offer a limited number of $10/hr stipends for youth, ages 10-17 (ages 10-12 must be accompanied by an adult). For more information, to RSVP, or register for a youth stipend, email taylor@lostcoast.org.

Summer Adventure Camp - Week 2 Begins
2025-07-07 10:00 - 16:00 | Lost Coast Nature Center & Native Plant Garden, 768 Shelter Cove Rd, Whitethorn, CA, 95589, United States

Exploring Gilham Butte Hike
2025-07-13 09:00 - 15:00 | CA
Join FOLC & Sanctuary Forest on Sunday, July 13th for the Exploring Gilham Butte Hike, as we get an exclusive tour of this little-visited BLM holding with adjacent landowner, John Miller, high up in the Salmon Creek watershed. We’ll summit Gilham Butte (3050ft) and experience the old-growth ridge-top forests of the holding’s Late Successional Reserve. Co-leader and local ecologist, Kyle Keegan, will also be on hand to teach us about the native plants and wildlife we see on the 3+ mile round trip, moderately difficult hike. Bring a lunch, water and dress in layers and sturdy shoes. Space is limited – with advance registration required. There will also be an opportunity to carpool. Please drive a high-clearance, 4-wheel drive vehicle if you are able. This hike is free of charge, with donations gladly accepted. For more information or to RSVP, email info@lostcoast.org or anna@sanctuaryforest.org.

Summer Adventure Camp - Week 3 Begins
2025-07-14 10:00 - 16:00 | Lost Coast Nature Center & Native Plant Garden, 768 Shelter Cove Rd, Whitethorn, CA, 95589, United States

Summer Adventure Camp - Week 4 Begins
2025-07-21 10:00 - 16:00 | Lost Coast Nature Center & Native Plant Garden, 768 Shelter Cove Rd, Whitethorn, CA, 95589, United States

Sinkyone Tansy Ragwort Bash
2025-07-26 10:00 - 14:00 | Sinkyone Wilderness State Park, CA, United States
Friends of the Lost Coast, Sanctuary Forest and CA State Parks are teaming up again this year on Sunday, July 26 from 10am-2pm to remove invasive Tansy Ragwort in Sinkyone Wilderness State Park. Meet at the Needle Rock Visitor Center at 9:50am. Email justin@lostcoast.org to RSVP for the workday. Tools and gloves will be provided. Please bring water and a snack and wear sturdy shoes and layers. Heavy rain cancels. To reserve a free volunteer campsite, email Michelle.Forys@parks.ca.gov.

Summer Adventure Camp - Week 5 Begins
2025-07-28 10:00 - 16:00 | Lost Coast Nature Center & Native Plant Garden, 768 Shelter Cove Rd, Whitethorn, CA, 95589, United States

Summer Adventure Camp - Week 6 Begins
2025-08-04 10:00 - 16:00 | Lost Coast Nature Center & Native Plant Garden, 768 Shelter Cove Rd, Whitethorn, CA, 95589, United States

Trailhead Hosts - Labor Day Weekend
2025-08-29 07:00 - 2025-09-01 16:00 | Black Sands Beach, 865 Beach Rd, Shelter Cove, CA, 95589, United States
Friends of the Lost Coast and BLM King Range’s Trailhead Hosts program organizes volunteers to assist BLM with engaging visitors at Black Sands Beach in Shelter Cove on the weekends of highest summer usage – Memorial Day, July 4th and Labor Day. Our Trailhead Hosts answer questions and share information about the King Range, beach safety, park rules/regulations, and Leave No Trace principles. This Labor Day Weekend event runs 4 days, August 29-September 1 and will be held at the Black Sands Beach trailhead, located at 856 Beach Rd in Shelter Cove. Email justin@lostcoast.org for more information or to volunteer.

Exploring the Night Sky - CANCELLED
2025-08-29 20:30 - 23:00 | Lost Coast Nature Center & Native Plant Garden, 768 Shelter Cove Rd, Whitethorn, CA, 95589, United States
This event has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances. If we are able to reschedule, we will make an announcement as soon as a new date is confirmed.
Join local astronomer and science educator, Mark Bailey, for Exploring the Night Sky on Friday, August 29 at the Lost Coast Education Center in Whitethorn. Presented by Friends of the Lost Coast & BLM King Range, this free event offers an opportunity to learn about the moon, stars and celestial phenomena, with multiple telescopes available for public viewing. The event runs 8:30pm to 11pm with desserts and refreshments available. The Lost Coast Education Center is located at 768 Shelter Cove Rd. Space it limited and advance registration is required. Email info@lostcoast.org to RSVP.

King Peak Moonlight Hike w/ Paul Sever
2025-09-06 15:30 - 23:30 | CA
Join FOLC & BLM King Range Manager, Paul Sever, on Saturday, September 6 for a pre-full moon hike to King Peak, highest point in King Range National Conservation Area and one of the tallest coastal peaks in the Lower 48 States! Meet at the BLM office in Whitethorn at 3:30pm to caravan to Lightning Trailhead (high clearance 4WD recommended). We will then summit the peak (4088 ft), enjoy sunset, and start our journey back under the light of the rising moon. This 4.8 mile round trip hike includes nearly 2000 ft of elevation gain and will be strenuous for some. Returning in the moonlight presents additional risks, a factor that should be considered before signing up. Space is limited for this popular hike and pre-registration is required. Email info@lostcoast.org for more info or to RSVP.
