National Park Week, National Volunteer Week, & Earth Day 2019
National Volunteer Week honors the individuals who dedicate themselves to taking action and solving problems in their communities. For 2019, National Volunteer Week will be observed from Sunday, April 7 through Saturday, April 13.
National Park Week is an annual week for celebration and recognition of your National Parks. National Park Week usually coincides with Earth Day (April 22). For 2019, National Park Week will be observed from Saturday, April 20 through Sunday, April 28.
Earth Day began when a U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson, called for an environmental teach-in in 1969, which was inspired by the teach-ins dealing with the Vietnam War. The first Earth Day was held on April 22, 1970, and drew an estimated 20 million participants. Tens of thousands of people filled New York's Fifth Avenue, Congress adjourned so members could speak across the nation, and at least 2,000 colleges marked the occasion. American Heritage Magazine called the first Earth Day "one of the most remarkable happenings in the history of democracy." Today, Earth Day is celebrated in 174 countries by over a half billion people, making it the most celebrated secular holiday in the world, a day on which people get outdoors, plant trees, clean up trash and lobby for the environment.
Your National Parks are living examples of the best this nation has to offer—our magnificent natural landscapes and our varied yet interrelated heritage. Parks can provide recreational experiences, opportunities to learn and grow, and places of quiet refuge.
This year, take a moment, an hour, a day to visit the national parks near you.
While entrance to Point Reyes National Seashore is always free, the opening day of National Park Week—April 20, 2019—entrance to all National Park Service sites is free. The National Park Service also offers a number of other fee-free days throughout the year.
Beach Cleanup
Date: Saturday, April 6 Time: 9:30 am to 1:30 pm Location: Meet at the Limantour Beach parking lot Description: Kick off National Volunteer Week (April 7–13, 2019) with a volunteer cleanup at Limantour Beach! Join us for family-friendly activities to pick up trash and debris washed in by the currents and tides to improve wildlife habitat and to provide for a safe environment for beach goers. We'll also learn about the impacts of beach trash, what we can do at home to minimize our impacts, and explore and appreciate Limantour Beach. Please wear appropriate clothing, dress in layers, and bring a lunch and water. Gloves and trash bags will be provided. Contact: May Slen, 415-464-5133, email
Yoga and Dune Restoration at Point Reyes
Date: Saturday, April 6 Time: 9:30 am to 2:30 pm Location: Meet at the "Antenna Farm" Wayside (Map) Description: Come spend a day at the beautiful and scenic Abbotts Lagoon in Point Reyes, where many of the dune plants are in bloom. Help the dune restoration team remove European searocket, an invasive plant that is threatening a thriving patch of Tidestrom's lupine (a federally endangered species). Afterwards, have lunch watching the crashing waves and spend about 30–45 minutes doing yoga on the beach with a certified yoga instructor. Come prepared to work hard, have fun and feel really good by the end of the day! Bring your own packed lunch and lots of water! Work gloves and tools will be provided. To sign up, please contact Michael Spaeth by email. more... Contact: Michael Spaeth, 415-464-5227, email
Ranger's Choice Programs
Date: Saturday, April 6; Sunday, April 7; Saturday, April 13; Sunday, April 14; Saturday, April 20; Sunday, April 21; Saturday, April 27; and Sunday, April 28 Time: 1:30 pm Location: Meet at the Bear Valley Visitor Center. Description: Visitors are invited to join a Park Ranger to learn more about Point Reyes National Seashore's natural and cultural history. Topics may cover earthquakes and plate tectonics, the Coast Miwok, Sir Francis Drake, the U.S. Lifesaving Service, or area flora and fauna. Some presentations may use the park's Science On a Sphere® to help explain complex environmental processes in a way that is simultaneously intuitive and captivating. Check the program schedule on our Schedule of Events: Weekends Ranger Programs page, or stop by or call the Bear Valley Visitor Center for information about the scheduled programs's topics. Contact: Bear Valley Visitor Center, 415-464-5100 x2 x5, email
Kule Loklo Open House & Workday
Date: Saturday, April 13 Time: 10 am to ~4 pm Location: Kule Loklo. Description: Visit a replica Coast Miwok village that offers a glimpse of life in pre-European California. Park staff or volunteers will be present from 10 am to about 11:30 am to talk about Coast Miwok history and culture, walk around the village with the public, and may be able to share or demonstrate activities representative of Coast Miwok life. Visitors to the open house are not required to participate in volunteer workday activities. All are welcome. Contact: Carlo Arreglo, 415-464-5146, email
Birdwatching and Dune Restoration at Point Reyes
Date: Saturday, April 13 Time: 9 am to 2:30 pm Location: Meet at the "Antenna Farm" Wayside southwest of the Cypress Tree Tunnel (Map) Description: Join us in exploring local avian communities while restoring the dunes of Abbotts Lagoon in Point Reyes. This event will entail hiking through grasslands and wetlands not normally accessible to visitors, with the group making its way into the Seashore's coastal dunes for an enjoyable and casual day of habitat restoration. Come prepared to encounter a variety of avifauna from birds of prey and passerines to shorebirds and waterfowl! Bring your own binoculars, packed lunch, water, and sense of wonder! All levels of birding experience are welcome. For more details about the event or to sign up, please contact Michael Spaeth by email more... Contact: Michael Spaeth, 415-464-5227, email
Habitat Restoration Program Workday
Date: Sunday, April 14 Time: 9 am–1 pm Location: Meet at the Bear Valley Visitor Center Description: HRP volunteers help protect and restore endangered plant and wildlife habitat at Abbotts Lagoon, the Lighthouse Bluffs, and other high value habitat areas at Point Reyes National Seashore. Participants are able to visit some of the most beautiful areas in the park and learn about local plant ecology while they work alongside park staff to carry out ecological restoration projects. more... Contact: Ellen Hamingson, 415-464-5196, email
Salmon Fest
Date: Saturday, April 20 Time: 10 am to 2 pm Location: Meet at the Turtle Island Restoration Network Headquarters at 9255 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Olema, CA 94950. Description: This Earth Day, join hands-on habitat restoration to save Marin County’s endangered coho salmon! The Salmon Protection and Watershed Network (SPAWN) is hosting a Salmon Fest at their headquarters in Olema—the site of their largest habitat restoration site.The event will begin with featured speaker Nick Tipon, enrolled member and elder of the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. Then, throughout the day, the event will focus on increasing the diversity of native vegetation in newly created channels along the Lagunitas Creek floodplain to create great habitat for butterflies, birds, amphibians, and fish.
This is a free, family friendly event. Snacks and drinks will be provided throughout the day. We look forward to seeing you on Earth Day!
For questions, please email SPAWN or call 415-663-8590. more...
Earth Day Beach Cleanup
Date: Saturday, April 20 Time: 9:30 am to 1:30 pm Location: Meet at the Limantour Beach parking lot Description: Kick off National Park Week (April 20–28, 2019) with a volunteer cleanup at Limantour Beach! Join us for family-friendly Earth Day activities and beach cleanup at Limantour Beach! We need your help to pick up trash and debris washed in by the currents and tides to improve wildlife habitat and to provide for a safe environment for beach goers. We'll also learn about the impacts of beach trash, what we can do at home to minimize our impacts, and explore and appreciate Limantour Beach. Please wear appropriate clothing, dress in layers, and bring a lunch and water. Gloves and trash bags will be provided. Please RSVP to May Slen by email or call 415-464-5133. Contact: May Slen, 415-464-5133, email
415-464-5100
This number will initially be answered by an automated attendant, from which one can opt to access a name directory, listen to recorded information about the park (e.g., directions to the park; visitor center hours of operation; fire danger information; wildlife updates; ranger-led programs; seasonal events; etc.), or speak with a ranger. Please note that if you are calling between 4:30 pm and 10 am, park staff may not be available to answer your call.
