- 2009 VOLUNTEER WORKDAY HIGHLIGHTS -
CSERC had a number of excellent workday projects in 2009!
 Groveland Meadow restoration
CSERC volunteers worked at this large meadow in the Groveland District to help the Forest Service: 1) erect a fence around the perimeter (to prevent cattle from accessing); and 2) to construct small swales to prevent the meadow's stream from downcutting. This day was incredibly productive, and all the volunteers agreed that this was one of the best projects they had participated in to date.
Read CSERC's blog entry covering the highly productive workday at this meadow restoration project, to see the kind of work that our volunteers get done!
Control Burn Research Project In this unusual project, CSERC staff and volunteers helped Forest Service researchers with a project analyzing the effects on old-growth conifer health from built -up layers of pine needles (duff) on the forest floor during control burns. Volunteers raked back deep layers of duff down to dirt around the bases of over 50 selected trees in the Stanislaus Experimental Forest to be used as a comparison group (for after control burn analysis) to other old growth trees with built up duff around their bases.
Calaveras Meadow Restoration
In the Calaveras District, CSERC had several workday projects working to: 1) protect young sun-loving aspens from small conifer encroachment and cattle grazing; and 2) construct a post and beam fence to stop cattle from damaging a large fen filled with special status plant species in an adjacent meadow. We had a great turnout and were able to work with Calaveras residents who normally are too far away from many of CSERC's projects to participate.
Willow Planting project: 
CSERC volunteers participated in a willow-planting project at two meadow sites near the border of Yosemite Park. Willow trees are an important meadow species, serving as shelter and food for many birds and mammals, but are vulnerable to environmental impacts such as meadow degradation. The meadows had recently undergone intensive rehabilitation to restore their hydrology, and our volunteers came in to replant hundreds of willow trees to encourage the regrowth of natural vegetation.
Do any of these projects sound like something you or someone you know would be interested in being a part of? Participating in volunteer projects is a great way to help make a difference for the environment. In addition, workdays are a fun way to meet other like-minded folks who share similar conservation ethics.
If you want to know more or if you are ready to sign up, please contact our staff and let us know. We'll be sure to keep you up to date on important details of upcoming projects. Just email us at: julias@cserc.org, or call Julia or Lindsey at: (209) 586-7440.
You can help CSERC to make a difference
by lending a hand! |
