Community Corner

Wanted: Volunteers at San Mateo Coast State Parks

There are opportunities available for everyone whether you prefer being active outdoors or you prefer sharing knowledge in an indoor setting.

California State Parks is currently seeking volunteers to help at Pigeon Point Light Station Historic Park, Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve, and Half Moon Bay State Beach. Volunteer activities at these San Mateo Coast state parks include nature walk guides, visitor center and bookstore operation, lighthouse keepers (docents), and school program leaders.  

Volunteers have an important role in state park educational programs. Each year, statewide, approximately 550,000 school children attend formal interpretive programs in state parks and over 48,000 students benefit from presentations that state parks staff and volunteers bring to the schools, according to the California Department of Parks and Recreation.

Pigeon Point Lighthouse receives more than 100,000 visitors from around the world. Lighthouse volunteers can contribute in several ways: conduct tours of the lighthouse grounds to share the natural and cultural history of Pigeon Point; answer visitors' questions about the lighthouse tower and its history; operate the lighthouse bookstore; lead a shore-based whale-watching program in the spring; help with the Annual Lighthouse Anniversary Celebration; or work on preservation and maintenance projects, including native plant restoration.

Pescadero Marsh volunteers are trained in the history and ecology of the marsh and become experts in its evolution, its habitats, and the species that depend on it. Trained volunteer docents can lead guided nature walks, act as roving naturalists who answer visitors' questions, lead school groups, participate as citizen scientists in research projects, and help create and maintain trails and informational displays.

Half Moon Bay State Beach volunteers operate a visitor center with displays on various cultural and natural aspects of local state parks. They answer visitors' questions about the parks, the local area, and the informational exhibits; they also handle sales of books and other educational materials. Volunteers may also conduct bird surveys or work in native plant restoration and the nursery. Volunteers may also receive additional training to help develop and present special programs for students, both in their classrooms and in the park.

If interested in becoming a San Mateo Coast State Parks volunteer, contact Nelle or Angie to reserve a space or find out more visit
HMBParksVolunteer@Parks.ca.gov or call (650) 726-8804 voicemail box 7#. New volunteers will learn all they need to know through a series of training sessions meeting on Tuesday evenings beginning Feb. 4, 2014, at 6:30 p.m. at 95 Kelly Avenue in Half Moon Bay.


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