Stewardship & Citizen Science
Lost Coast Trail Stewards & Trailhead Hosts
The Lost Coast Trail Stewards & Trailhead Hosts programs organize FOLC volunteers to assist BLM King Range with trail maintenance projects and engaging visitors on busy summer weekends.
Lost Coast Trail Stewards offers ongoing volunteer opportunities for trail enthusiasts to assist with varied trail maintenance projects in the King Range. Generally hitting the trail on the 1st Sunday of the month, October through May, our crew works in coordination with BLM Rangers to conduct basic maintenance like brushing, raking, downed tree removal, trail tread and drainage work. This program is open to all ages, with youth stipends available to ages 12-17. Trail locations and work plans vary from month to month. Email [email protected] for the latest details.
Trailhead Hosts are deployed at Black Sands Beach on the weekends of highest summer usage - Memorial Day, July 4th & Labor Day - to count visitors, answer questions, and share information about the King Range, park rules/regulations, beach safety, and Leave No Trace principles. It is a lot of fun interfacing with visitors and our presence is well received by locals and tourists alike. The Trailhead Hosts program is conducted in partnership with the King Range Alliance & Mattole Restoration Council to offer trail hosting at the northern end of the Lost Coast Trail at Mattole Beach, also on the weekends listed above. Email [email protected] to get involved.
Shelter Cove Workdays & The SCiPP Program
Shelter Cove Workdays offer the community a monthly opportunity to help steward popular coastal accesses points. FOLC & BLM join forces in hosting these events, generally rotating between the native plant gardens at two destinations - the Cape Mendocino lighthouse at Mal Coombs Park and the King Range National Conservation Area monument site at the west end of the Black Sands Beach parking area. Workdays are generally held on the last Sunday of the month, September through June, from 10am to 1pm. Projects include weeding, planting, mulching, and general garden/site upkeep, plus invasive species removal in the surrounding area. The program is open to all ages, with youth stipends available to ages 10-17. Email [email protected] to get involved.
The Shelter Cove Invasive Plant Program (SCiPP) is a supplemental program to our Shelter Cove Workdays and is in the early stages of re-activation. Bringing the Shelter Cove community together to remove invasive plants from their own neighborhoods while helping preserve the natural biodiversity of King Range National Conservation Area, SCiPP’s approach is built around a 3-part plan: Community Awareness, Education and Volunteer Projects; Systematic Pampas Grass Eradication; and Continued Maintenance of Project Sites.
Earth Day & National Public Lands Day
BLM King Range, FOLC and the King Range Alliance annually partner on two popular standalone volunteer events - Earth Day and National Public Lands Day – both of which are open to volunteers of all ages and offer youth stipends for ages 10-17.
The Earth Day Stewardship Celebration is generally held on a weekend in late April and brings together local volunteers and the Shelter Cove community to conduct beach and roadside cleanups, invasive species removal, and a variety of maintenance and stewardship projects at popular BLM coastal access sites, with free lunch for volunteers and an annual Earth Day poster contest for elementary school aged youth.
National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is the nation’s largest annual volunteer event and is usually held in the King Range in coordination with the larger national event on the 4th Saturday in September. Event locations vary from year to year, depending on BLM priorities and project needs, often at sites in Shelter Cove or out of Tolkan Campground on King Peak Rd to work the Paradise Royale Mountain Bike Trail. NPLD volunteers receive a free t-shirt, public lands pass, and lunch at the end of the workday.
Sinkyone Wilderness Invasive Removals
FOLC, Sanctuary Forest, and CA State Parks annually partner on 3 invasive removal events in Sinkyone Wilderness State Park. Depending on weather conditions and road access, March and April each feature a “Broom Bash,” where volunteers help to eradicate invasive French and Scotch broom from the park’s coastal prairies and marine terraces. In July, the annual Tansy Ragwort Bash is focused on removal of a different pesky invasive that can be lethal to local elk populations.
FOLC and Sanctuary Forest also trained with State Park staff and are now able to conduct additional invasive removal events on an as-needed basis, so keep an eye out for more Sinkyone stewardship opportunities! Email [email protected] to get involved.
Shelter Cove Adopt A Beach Program
Launched by FOLC in early 2023, this program officially brings the beaches of Shelter Cove into the larger state and local Adopt A Beach network! The Shelter Cove Adopt A Beach program features 3 major coastal cleanup days - generally on Earth Day, the morning after July 4th, and in conjunction with the annual CA Coastal Cleanup Day event in September. All events include marine debris reporting to the Northcoast Environmental Center, stats which are then aggregated with larger statewide data to give researchers a picture of how marine debris is distributed throughout the CA coastline.
The program is open to volunteers of all ages with youth stipends are available to ages 10-17. Email [email protected] to get involved. Additionally, this program supports a rapid deployment team of Shelter Cove locals who conduct beach and community cleanups on an as-needed basis.
Lost Coast Phenology Project
Phenology is the study of life cycle events in animals and plants – i.e. leafing, flowering, fruiting, etc. The Lost Coast Phenology Project is a community science partnership between BLM and FOLC to monitor and record phenological occurrences in specific species at 3 diverse sites in King Range National Conservation Area - the Lost Coast Education Center, Bear Creek Nature Trail, and Black Sands Beach. No less than 3 native plant species are monitored at each location, all selected in coordination with BLM’s Arcata Field Office Ecologist for their significant cultural and/or research value.
Data is collected weekly using Nature’s Notebook and is then utilized by BLM resource managers to monitor changes in phenological occurrences over time. The program also supports the larger body of phenology tracking in the U.S. - and internationally - helping us better understand how local environmental conditions relate to global climate trends. Additionally, the Lost Coast Phenology Project is an educational resource, sharing the joy and science of phenology via a mix of interpretive events and trainings, trailside educational installations, school/youth programs, and numerous ways to get involved as a volunteer, home monitor, or King Range data collector. Email [email protected] for more information.
Stranded Marine Mammal Monitoring Program
Part of a national program, FOLC partners with Cal Poly Humboldt, BLM King Range, and citizen-scientists in our local community to conduct systematic stranded marine mammal monitoring of beaches in Shelter Cove and the southern Lost Coast region. Working with researchers from the North Coast Stranded Marine Mammal Monitoring Program, FOLC coordinates volunteer outreach and scheduling, plus organizes and uploads data collected by the Shelter Cove Community hub. The collected data is then aggregated with larger North Coast and national databases and used by researchers to describe patterns in the distribution, abundance, health and diversity of marine mammals.
Our local data is presented annually at a springtime event in Shelter Cove with Dr. Dawn Goley, Professor of Zoology at Cal Poly Humboldt and Director of the North Coast Stranded Marine Mammal Program. The event doubles as a recruitment and training opportunity, designed to educate the community about what is happening with local marine mammal populations while increasing volunteer interest/participation in this important citizen-science program. To get involved with the Shelter Cove Community Hub, email [email protected].
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