Northern CA PPSR Projects 1

Weed Watchers - Golden Gate

• Organization Name

  Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy
• Project Website

  http://www.parksconservancy.org/get-involved/volunteer/drop-in-programs/weed-watchers.html
• Organization Website

  http://www.parksconservancy.org
• Partners

  National Park Service
• Contact Name

  Eric Wrubel, Weed Watchers Volunteer Coordinator
• Contact Email

  Eric_Wrubel@nps.gov
• Contact Phone

  (415)331-5023
• Other Contact Information

  NPS website: http://science.nature.nps.gov/im/units/sfan/vital_signs/Invasives/weed_watchers.cfm

• Project Purpose (taken from project materials)

  Discover weeds before they become well-established to reduce damage to ecosystem integrity, prevent the loss of habitat for rare plants and animals, and prevent costly natural resource management. 

• Participant Activities

  Weed Watchers survey trails and roads in spectacular locations throughout the Golden Gate National Parks to identify and map weeds as they first invade. Join staff and lead volunteers on excursions to search for the priority weeds of the park. Gain expertise on the native and invasive plants of the Bay Area, and learn to use your digital camera, smart phone, or GPS unit to report weed sightings to park managers via the Internet.

• Data Entry

  • Website
  • Cell Phone
  • Other
• Other Participant Activities

  N / A
• System Studied

  • Invasive Species
• Geographic Scope

  Regional
• Region

  Northern California
• Location

  Golden Gate National Parks throughout San Mateo, San Francisco, and Marin counties.
• Location - Map

  201 Fort Mason, San Francisco, CA; 1 Bear Valley Road , Point Reyes Station, California
• Time Commitment

  • Specific dates (see Other Information below)
  • Other (see Other Information below)
• Volunteer Qualifications

  Age, Skills, What to Bring:

  • Adults and youth are welcome. With young volunteers, adult chaperones are encouraged.
  • No experience necessary. Training will be provided. Fulfills community service requirements.
  • Bring the appropriate waiver forms (see website).
  • Please wear comfortable hiking clothes, long pants, closed-toe shoes, layers for changing weather, and rain gear if necessary.
  • Bring your own lunch, plenty of water, binoculars (if available), pen/pencil, and field notebook/blank paper.
• Volunteer Training

  Extended training in invasive plant identification and mapping is available (but not required for group hikes). Trained volunteers conduct independent surveys, and report new weed occurrences to the parks. 
  See website for calendars of upcoming hikes and trainings in Golden Gate and Point Reyes. 

• Cost to Participant

  N / A
• How will the findings be used?

  Newsletters with Weed Watcher updates are published on the web and volunteers and public can download Google Earth weed map. 
  Project is part of the San Francisco Bay Area Network Inventory and Monitoring Program (SFAN I&M) which aims to "improve park management through greater reliance on scientific knowledge" by working to "collect, organize, and make available natural resource data and to contribute to the Service's institutional knowledge by facilitating the transformation of data into information through analysis, synthesis, and modeling."

• Other Information

  See invasive species map and pictures at "What's Invasive": http://whatsinvasive.com/index.php/welcome/park_page

• Photo

  N / A
• last update:

  N / A