Our native plant nursery and interpretive gardens at Lake Natoma is FOLFAN’s newest initiative, reflecting a strong collaboration between FOLFAN and our state park, Folsom Lake State Recreation Area, and the California State Parks Gold Fields District. We’ve also received valueable support from the California State Parks Foundation, the Folsom Area Rotary Clubs, and the Folsom Garden Club. We are also fortunate to call the SacValley Native Plant Nursery and the Laguna Foundation Native Plant Nursery our “big sister” nurseries.
The mission of our nursery and gardens program is to develop, grow and maintain a native plant nursery and public interpretive gardens that serve two purposes:
- Grow healthy native plants for eco-restoration and fire resiliency projects within our state park(s), and
- Public education and enjoyment, including for children, about the importance of native plants and the habitats they provide.
Karen Shaffer is our nursery and gardens coordnator. She can be reached by email or phone:
kshaffer27@gmail.com | 916-834-6390
Volunteer Workdays
Nursery/garden workdays are open to any volunteer who is interested in joining us. Many of our workdays will include a native plant or horicultural expert who will give a brief talk on an interesting and relevant subject. We want our volunteer days to be an opportunity to continue developing our native plant nursery/garden knowledge!
If you have physical limitations or are not able to perform heavy work, we’ll find something that you can do. Talk to Karen if you are concerned about this.
Volunteers under age 18 are welcome, but must be accompanied and supervised by a parent or guardian.
If you’re not yet receiving emails about our scheduled volunteer workdays, please complete the FOLFAN Volunteer Interest Form (which takes < 5 min): https://folfan.org/volunteer-form/
Once you decide when you will come out to volunteer, send Karen an email so that she knows how many volunteers to expect on that date and can contact you if we have to cancel or adjust the start time.
ACCESS AND DIRECTIONS
If you need a volunteer parking pass to get in the state park, let us know in your email. We always have water on hand to refill your water bottles and we will have all the necessary tools. We have gloves, but feel free to bring your own. If it’s your first time and you need directions, request that in your email.
