Salinas youths restore Monterey’s coastal dunes

The mission of Return of the Natives is to bring nature closer to people, and people closer to nature, through hands-on experiences.

Students and teachers from Santa Rita Elementary School join Return of the Natives staff at Monterey State Beach to plant native coastal dune plants and learn about the western snowy plover. Credit: Ashley Spratt/USFWS

“Our biggest goal is to get people out in their community, helping with habitat restoration, helping clean up their local parks - giving them that [feeling of] ownership that where we live is a very special place,” said Marina Maze, program coordinator with the Return of the Natives Restoration Education Project.

By involving the entire community through both public and school planting events, Return of the Natives is committed not only to propagating native plants to restore the dune ecosystem of Monterey Bay, but to growing future generations of environmental stewards.

To learn more about this project and the community's contributions:

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