Placement Site Objectives & Organizational Needs:

Grassroots Ecologys mission, to engage and educate the public to restore local ecosystems, drives our goals of community-based habitat restoration across each site. Corpsmembers will spend most of their time in the field, at Foothills Nature Preserve and/or Midpeninsula Open Space District preserves, conducting hands-on restoration and stewardship of land and watersheds. Restoration field activities will include invasive plant removal, native plant revegetation, tree planting, willow staking, seeding, watering, restoration site monitoring and maintenance. Corpsmembers will also spend significant time leading volunteers in conducting all the afore mentioned tasks. Additionally, Corpsmembers will be responsible for planning and leading a weekly volunteer and educational program for high school students as well as additional programs for students from elementary school through college. Office tasks may include tracking and reporting on project metrics, entering and analyzing data, writing and presenting reports, planning for educational activities, creating curriculum or outreach materials, recruiting volunteers, or other projects as needed to assist their Project Manager. Corpsmembers will also spend about one day per week working in our Native Plant Nursery. Tasks here will include upsizing, propagation, and seed collection.

Grassroots Ecology has several restoration sites in the San Francisquito, Pescadero, and Steven Creek Watersheds. The work done within each watershed is described below:

San Francisquito Creek - Grassroots Ecology has multiple sites within this watershed - both in the urban environment in the lower watershed as well as in the larger open spaces in the upper watershed. Work done in the urban stretch of this creek involves engaging the public to improve biodiversity along the creek, upgrading green stormwater infrastructure, providing hands-on environmental education for local youth and monitoring water quality. In the upper watershed, Grassroots Ecology stewards Foothills Nature Preserve in Palo Alto, Hawthorns Preserve in Portola Valley, and Russian Ridge Open Space in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Activities at this site are engaging the public to remove invasive species and install native plants, providing hands-on environmental education for local youth and assisting at our Native Plant Nursery. Pescadero Creek - Grassroots Ecology has one site in this watershed, a habitat site on the border of Skyline Ridge and Russian Ridge Open Spaces in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Activities at these sites are engaging the public to remove invasive species, and seed collection surveys.

Grassroots Ecology has an additional restoration site along Stevens Creek at McClellan Ranch, a public open space preserve in Cupertino. During their term, Corpsmembers will participate in water quality monitoring and organization wide efforts in supporting stewardship projects. Corpsmembers placed with Grassroots Ecology will primarily work in the upper watersheds of San Francisquito Creek, Pescadero Creek, and Los Gatos Creek above the Lexington Reservoir. All members will have opportunities to visit and assist with various projects within the organization, as well as attend all-staff learning workshops, which take place 1-2 times per month.

Corpsmembers spend allocating the following percentage of their time across each restoration site:

Foothills Nature Preserve (Palo Alto) - 60%

Bear Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve (Los Gatos) - 20%

Hawthorns Area of Windy Hill Preserve (Portola Valley) - 10%

Russian Ridge Open Space (La Honda) - 10%

Mentorship Style:

As a community-based organization, Grassroots Ecology prioritizes making everyone feel welcomed and safe in nature. Staff use an "Art of Welcome" philosophy and practice to make Corpsmembers feel a part of the organization and excited to participate in the work. The organization has also invested in workforce development as a part of the 2024 - 2027 strategic plan. As a part of this effort, the organization supports Corpsmembers by investing in their individual growth. This is done through professional development trainings, networking opportunities, and supporting Corpsmembers in searching for jobs after their term is over. Some examples of these programs include career talks with alumni, resume workshops, and a professional development stipend for their term. Additionally, Grassroots Ecology makes communication a priority. Each supervisor holds weekly calls with Corpsmembers individually and as a whole team.

Tyler's mentorship philosophy focuses on building community within his team, the organization, and the region at large, while providing a high-quality educational experience. He uses his background in education to create a scaffolding structure so that Corpsmembers receive regular support while challenging themselves to learn and gain new skills in technical restoration and community engagement. Additionally, he works with Corpsmembers to develop projects that support their individual interests, while expanding the capacity of the organization and team. Some examples of this have included creating field guides in Spanish, rare species maps, and getting Corpsmembers involved with CalFlora data analytics.

Corpsmembers will spend most of their time on habitat restoration and environmental education projects, which will be supervised by the primary Mentor. The primary mentor will on board them to the organization, conduct regular team and individual check-ins, complete job performance evaluations, and oversee the day-to-day work and responsibilities of the Corpsmembers. The Field Leader will supervise the Corpsmembers in native plant nursery projects, which will occur regularly but less frequently than their main assignments.

Unique Characteristics of Placement Site:

The Bay Area provides a truly special balance between the excitement of urban cities and the solace of abundant open spaces. Working on environmental projects here ensures Corpsmembers will have an opportunity to interact with a diverse array of people, ecosystems, and partnering organizations. Our project sites span from urban creeks to city parks, to large open spaces in the Santa Cruz Mountains, so there is always an opportunity to study restoration from a new perspective.

Within WSP, our focus on plants and people makes us unique. Our Corpsmembers have the opportunity to work with and learn from the experienced botanists, ecologists, educators, and plant enthusiasts on our staff, and by the end of their term, they will be equipped with the plant identification knowledge they need to succeed in a career in vegetation management. Moreover, as a small grassroots nonprofit, our organization is committed to building a culture of empathy, creativity, and collaboration. We dedicate several days each month to work on a combined project together or learn technical skills from one another in a more formal setting.

Our WSP Corpsmembers do not just learn from us–-we learn from them and the ideas and fresh perspective they bring to the organization. From day one, our Corpsmembers become leaders in their community, and we invest significant time and intention to help them develop the skills and confidence they need to thrive in this role.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Desired in CM:

Our work revolves around education and community engagement - with a focus on inclusivity - so it is important that Corpsmembers have the desire and ability to connect with community members from a diversity of backgrounds and experiences.