Join us for the Sespe Cienega Nature Trail Restoration on April 28th, 2024, from 8:30am- 12:30pm on the Sespe Cienega Nature Trail near the Fillmore Fish Hatchery, in Fillmore, CA.

Volunteers should bring closed-toed shoes, long pants, water, and sun protection. Youth are welcome to attend, and the event is wheelchair accessible. Volunteers should park at 34.39423, -118.88500. Snacks will be provided, and a raffle for an REI gift card will occur at the end of the event. Interested volunteers will also be able to see Rainbow Trout at the hatchery, 0.1 miles from the restoration site. Volunteers may help out for as long as they like.

Southern California Steelhead Trout face steep obstacles, such as habitat degradation, that can prevent their populations from rebounding in local watersheds. Watersheds Stewards Program (WSP), a special program of the California Conservation Corps and AmeriCorps, is partnering with Channel Islands Restoration and Friends of the Santa Clara River to host an event aiming to improve habitat quality for the federally threatened Southern Steelhead Trout. This hands-on restoration event will involve pulling non-native plants, adding mulch, cutting back overgrown plants, and repairing the ethnobotany trail within the garden, helping to improve surrounding habitat and increase biodiversity by removing non-native plants and encouraging native plant growth. Native plants have multiple benefits for riparian ecosystems, as they can help improve water quality, stabilize sediment, provide habitat for organisms, and can be a food source for aquatic life. This is beneficial for Steelhead Trout as they require well-oxygenated, cool water and eat organisms that depend on native plants as their food source and habitat.

Contact Katerina Vicini for any questions or comments.

Work Email: katerina.vicini@wildlife.ca.gov

Personal Email: kvicini@umich.edu

Phone number: 248-408-9156