In the heart of Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, volunteers are doing more than just collecting seeds — they’re stewarding Southern California’s native landscapes.
With every handful of native plant seeds gathered, the Laguna Canyon Foundation is not only restoring vital habitats but also cultivating a community rooted in conservation and hands-on education.
Editor’s note: This is an occasional series where Voice of OC works with local community photographers to offer residents a first-hand look at the local sites and scenes of Orange County.
“The goal of our nursery is to teach people how to grow native plants in their home and how to grow native plants for habitat restoration purposes,” said Laguna Canyon Foundation Restoration Manager Marjorie Rhodes.
Starting in the field, volunteers collect seeds and place them in labeled bags, while exploring the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.
After about an hour and a half of seed collection, volunteers head back to the headquarters to clean the seeds for storage by removing any additional vegetation and placing them in a cool dry place.
Then, the foundation can use the seeds for future habitat restoration and grow their seed inventory.
Sanjay Yadav, one of the volunteers at the Laguna Canyon Foundation native plant nursery, mentions that he frequently volunteers at OC Parks events because of his love for the outdoors.
“I love nature, trees and birds, and I like poetry. So [the other volunteers], the trees and birds, they inspire me,” said Yadav. “And more importantly, I like to help and I want to volunteer whenever I can so that kind of inspires me [to keep volunteering].”
While the original goal of the foundation was land acquisition, it has now transitioned its mission to one of conservation and education. Through a partnership with OC parks, a Title I school program, and stewardship program, Laguna Canyon Foundation works to improve the land in which they work on.
Another volunteer, Ryan Gladych, mentioned that he was particularly interested in the volunteer event because of his passion for native plants. Gladych recommends that anyone interested in learning more about native plants volunteer at the nursery.
“If you like being out in nature, you know, being on a trail, I honestly don’t see a better way than to be with other volunteers that have some knowledge to share with you,” said Gladych. “and they’re passionate about sharing that knowledge.”
“I didn’t expect to actually learn as much as I did today, and I think that’s very much due to our kind of leader [Rhodes] today.”
Sunit Nangia, another volunteer, echoed what Gladych said and was impressed to learn about some of the plant seeds they were collecting.
“I just love meeting like minded people, getting out in nature and just learning,” said Nangia.
“I learned that [about] 90% of these [bush monkeyflower seeds] will germinate… that’s pretty impressive.”
Laguna Canyon Foundation Native Plant Nursery is just one of the many sanctuaries scattered across Orange County that house native plants and inspire volunteers.
With some volunteers saying each nursery they’ve come across has its own heartbeat, people like Yadav take advantage of the resources and education on California native plants.
“Volunteers are at the heart of the nursery… A lot of volunteers really come to learn things, and we really want to work on spreading that knowledge,” said Rhodes.
The nursery serves as an educational space for the public to learn these skills. Rhodes encourages volunteering for those interested in learning about native plant cultivation.
“I love both the energy of just all these people who are so excited and passionate,” said Rhodes. “but also people who want to come and learn, coming together to work towards stewarding land and also working towards something in their community.”
“Additionally, it’s just really cool to be able to work with people who all are working towards the same cause, or people who want to learn more about that cause.”
Laguna Canyon Foundation works towards educating residents and stewarding the South Coast Wilderness with various events and volunteering opportunities on their website.
“We are stewarding the canyons to the coast,” said Rhodes, “to protect the unique species that only call this place their home.”
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