Morro Coast Audubon will be hosting its final TogetherGreen Volunteer Days at the Sweet Springs Nature Preserve on Saturday, June 13th from 9am to 12pm. This is the last in a series of six events that were made possible through a generous grant from National Audubon and Toyota. Since last September - when we kicked off TogetherGreen Volunteer Days - more than 175 volunteers have contributed in excess of 525 hours of their time making Sweet Springs a better place.  Some key accomplishments include:

·                     Planted, mulched & watered over 300 native plants

·                     Seeded native wildflowers such as poppies, lupine and clarkia

·                     Installed over 1500 feet of drip irrigation 

·                     Removed over 150 cubic feet of invasive weeds, such as veldt grass & vinca

·                     Installed new sitting rounds at the kiosk area

·                     Spread a new layer of mulch over Ramona & Broderson entrance areas

·                     Removed eucalyptus debris that was increasing pond sedimentation

·                     Cleared logs and slash from the felling of 10 dead cypress trees

·                     Weatherized all memorial benches and signs

And these are just the results the local chapter achieved!  There were 39 other Audubon chapters throughout the nation holding similar events. Collectively, all of the Together Green events brought in over 5,800 volunteers that contributed over 28,000 hours to make the world a greener, healthier place for all of us.  Projects included everything from lake shore cleanups to planting butterfly gardens to making bird houses. The events are designed to connect people with ways to make a conservation difference in their local community and to demonstrate how much can be accomplished when we come together to make a difference for the health of the environment. Each of us can have a tremendous impact on the community, the region, the nation and even the planet when we combine our efforts with others to work towards a common goal.

There's still time to make your mark!  Although some people have volunteered over and over again, we have new faces every time we meet.  So give it a try and you'll be glad you did.  We provide the munchies, tools and tips on what needs to be done. You'll learn about both native and non-native plants that are common to our area, and why restoring natives is so important. You'll even have a chance to win a free Together Green t-shirt, cap, or shopping bag and tour the new addition to the preserve. For more information, call Holly at 239-3928.