Channel Islands Restoration

Ready to get your hands dirty and support native plants and your local ecosystems? We have several exciting volunteer opportunities coming up where you can make a real impact on our local environment, spend time outdoors, and connect with your community. Volunteering is a wonderful way to give back, learn new skills, and meet people who share your passion for the outdoors. We hope to see you out there with us!

Register at https://cirweb.org/calendar

CIR’s EXPERT WEBINAR SERIES PRESENTS
From Recovery to Resilience: Ongoing Conservation of the Catalina Island Fox
With Katie Elder, Wildlife Conservation Manager for the Catalina Island Conservancy, on Thursday, June 11, 2026, from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm

The Catalina Island fox (Urocyon littoralis catalinae) is one of six subspecies of island fox endemic to California’s Channel Islands, and represents one of conservation’s biggest success stories. Following its near extinction in the late 1990s, the Catalina Island Conservancy has maintained a comprehensive recovery and monitoring program focused on long-term population health and stability. Learn about past and present efforts to protect and monitor this incredible species.

Katie Elder is the current Wildlife Conservation Manager for the Catalina Island Conservancy, and was initially hired by the Conservancy in 2023 as the island fox biologist. She did her undergraduate work at Humboldt State University where she received BS degrees in Wildlife Conservation Biology and Marine Biology. She completed her masters work at California Polytechnic State University, SLO studying density dependent island fox home range characteristics on Santa Rosa Island. She loves being a part of the island fox family!

Register at: https://cirweb.org/calendar/webinar-catalina-island-fox

Thanks to the incredible generosity of supporters like you, we are almost at the finish line of our May Matching Fundraiser. We have made tremendous progress toward our $25,000 goal, but we still need your help to get us across the finish line.

Five donors who believe deeply in this work have put $25,000 on the table. They will release those funds only when our broader community matches them. Every dollar you give—up to a total of $25,000—will be matched dollar for dollar. That means your gift today will have twice the impact.

We are in the final stretch, and every contribution brings us closer to unlocking the full $25,000 match. Whether you can give $25, $100, $500, or any amount that is meaningful to you, your support will help us reach our goal and strengthen the work that matters so much to our community.

Don't let these matching dollars go unclaimed. Make your gift today and help us finish strong. Together, we can unlock the full match and create an even greater impact.

Support CIR at: https://cirweb.org/donate

CIR’s EXPERT WEBINAR SERIES PRESENTS
Santa Clara River - Watershed Restoration and Protection Through Local Action with Candice Meneghin
Tuesday, May 26, 2026 | 5:30pm – 6:30pm

Candice Meneghin will showcase how Friends of the Santa Clara River protects environmental and cultural resources across Ventura and Los Angeles counties by balancing the needs of people and the environment through outreach and education, wildlife and habitat restoration, and preservation through advocacy and litigation.

To register, please visit: https://cirweb.org/calendar/santa-clara-webinar

Do you have a passion for plants and a desire to make a lasting difference for California's native habitats? We'd love to have you join our Core Nursery Volunteer team at CIR!

Core Nursery Volunteers play a truly special role in our work. You'll receive hands-on, specialized training and learn all aspects of growing native plants — from seed propagation and soil prep to watering, transplanting, and plant care. This is a wonderful opportunity to deepen your knowledge of native plants while directly supporting restoration efforts in our community.

What the commitment looks like:

-- 3 hours per session
-- Approximately once a week, as your schedule allows
-- Specialized training provided at our nursery
-- No prior experience necessary!

This level of dedication makes an extraordinary difference to CIR and our mission. Core Nursery Volunteers are the backbone of our growing program, and we are so grateful for every hour they contribute.

If this sounds like the right fit for you, we'd love to hear from you! Please register below, and we will invite you to a training session at our Goleta nursery soon!

Registeration: https://cirweb.org/calendar/nursery-volunteer-team

Five donors who believe deeply in this work have put $25,000 on the table. They will release those funds only when our broader community matches them. Every dollar you give — up to a total of $25,000 — will be matched one for one.
We have engaged more than 10,000 volunteers throughout our history and provided Channel Islands experiences to more than 2,500 young people. Many of our donors first found us through a volunteer trip. This community — the one you are part of — is what makes this work possible.
This is the most powerful giving opportunity we have offered. Please don’t let it pass. The Channel Islands have been called the Galápagos of North America — a place where species found nowhere else on Earth have quietly evolved for millennia. They are irreplaceable. The work of protecting them is urgent. And right now, that work depends on people like you.

Support Matching May at https://cirweb.org/donate

Join us for an unforgettable volunteer day on beautiful Catalina Island on May 19th.

Get ready for an incredible day at Toyon Bay with the Catalina Island Marine Institute (CIMI). You'll have the chance to make a real difference through rewarding restoration work while exploring the island's stunning natural beauty. We are planning to install a new native planting in the courtyard and w**d and water the plantings we installed at the beginning of this year. The plants will be provided by the Catalina Island Conservancy.

https://cirweb.org/calendar/catalina-island-volunteer-day-may-2026

Congressmember Salud Carbajal visits the Channel Islands Restoration booth at Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival

Assemblymember Greg Hart visits the Channel Islands Restoration booth at the Santa Barbara Earth Day Festival prior to receiving the environmental heroe award. Vista us the festival today (Sunday). We will be here until 5pm

We are all set up for Santa Barbara Earth Day. Come check out our booth and grab a T-shirt, hat, water bottle, or a pair of gardening gloves. We will be here all weekend, April 25-26.

Santa Barbara Earth Day