By Michael Gillogly, Preserve Manager
Dear Pepperwood Community,
The spring field season is upon us! As Preserve Manager and a leader of our Research and Preserve Management (RPM) team, I’m asking for your help this spring with critical management and restoration work on our preserve. Pepperwood’s 3,200 acre preserve is an incredible resource for our community, providing a venue for dozens of research projects and environmental education for all ages. As the headwaters of three local watersheds, our preserve also provides many important ecosystem services. This spring, we need your help stewarding it!
While there is much work to be done, at our workdays we enjoy camaraderie and end each day with a great sense of accomplishment. Of course many of you are already hard at work on other projects at Pepperwood—thank you for your time and dedication!
Please consider joining us in one or more of the following volunteer opportunities.
Wednesday Workdays
Foremost among the needs is eradicating invasive weeds. We are making tremendous strides on this front but weeds wait for no one. We must stay diligent and keep up the progress we have made over the last decade. It may be hard to notice with casual, intermittent visits to the preserve, but believe me; I have seen amazing changes on the ground during my 22 years at Pepperwood. The beauty and health of our preserve comes from hands on management—your hands! Every Wednesday we meet at the barn at 9am and work until noon removing weeds. The barn raising spirit we generate is a fulfilling experience. Please let us know if you are coming so we can plan accordingly. RSVP to Celeste Dodge, our Systems Ecologist, at cdodge@pepperwoodpreserve.org.
Monday and Friday Workdays
You can usually join Sonja Barringer, our Preserve Assistant, on Mondays and Fridays for additional management days. This season we need help managing burn piles, pulling weeds and collecting native seed. You can schedule directly with Sonja at sbarringer@pepperwoodpreserve.org or by calling me at 707-591-9310 ext. 206.
Weekend Workdays
The next way to contribute is to attend our Volunteer Workdays on Saturdays, May 7 and June 11. We will be collecting native grass seed for propagation in the new shade house and possibly other management projects as needed. RSVP to Celeste at cdodge@pepperwoodpreserve.org.
We are experiencing a fantastic return of wildflowers after 3 years of drought. Come enjoy the glory of spring, accomplish some important work and have fun with other like-minded nature lovers. I hope to see you in the field this spring!
Thank you to so many of you who make Pepperwood what it is today – a beacon of positive energy making a real difference in the world.
Sincerely,
Michael Gillogly
Preserve Manager
April 2016 Volunteer Workday, photo by J. Hibbard
