What we’re about
Want to learn more about Marin native plants? Join us for field trips, lectures, and work parties. Most of our events are free to our members and to the public. For more information, check out our website and subscribe to our newsletter.
For over 50 years, we have been dedicated to the conservation of California native plants and their natural habitats, and to increasing the understanding, appreciation, and horticultural use of native plants. Annual membership donations to the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) support our programs and conservation work. Additional benefits include our quarterly magazine Flora, our twice-yearly scientific journal Artemisia, and discounts at local nurseries.
Please:
- New: CNPS Marin Waiver for 2026
- Sign the Waiver for Marin Chapter 2025, if you have not done so already.
- Practice clean trail etiquette. Pocket Guide – Every Step Counts and Cleanliness Tips for Hikers
- Treat everyone with respect.
- No dogs at these events.
Upcoming events
5
Habitat Restoration at Mt. Burdell
488 San Carlos Way, Novato, Ca, USMt. Burdell Habitat Restoration Work Party!
Thursday, January 15, 2026, 10am-12pm
Leaders: Greg Reza, Marin County Parks and Open Space District Volunteer Program Coordinator Marin CNPS Coordinator: Stacey Pogorzelski
Location: Mt. Burdell Open Space Preserve, Novato
Join a community of habitat restorers! Marin CNPS is partnering with Marin County Open Space District staff to remove invasive species and improve native habitat at Mt. Burdell. Located at the northern edge of Novato, Mt. Burdell has serpentine grasslands with rare plants, an incredible array of oaks, and seasonal streams that support milkweed- the critical host for Monarch butterflies.
During the January workday we will continue hand removal of several invasive species, including Bermuda buttercup (Oxalis pes-caprae) and Himalayan blackberry (Rubus armeniacus). The Bermuda buttercup population is expanding rapidly, spreading from a small patch near the entry gate towards the nearby grasslands, and threatens to diminish wildflower diversity. Volunteers tarped a large area of Bermuda buttercup earlier this winter, and we will work on controlling other areas with manual removal. Himalayan blackberry grows along the stream channel and creates dense thickets that outcompete all other plants. Removing the nonnative blackberry protects habitat for milkweed and other pollinator plants, as well as native shrubs such as snowberry.
Marin County staff will provide tools and great snacks. Bring a reusable water bottle, sun and wind protection, long pants, sturdy close-toed shoes, and work/garden gloves (gloves provided if you don’t have them). We will work in light rain, please bring rain gear if it’s a wet day.
Limit: 15 attendees
Heavy Rain Cancels
Directions: Meet at the San Carlos Way entrance to Mt. Burdell OSP, north of San Marin Drive. Use 488 San Carlos Way for navigation. The work area is a short walk upslope from the San Carlos trailhead.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/A74nosMCMqWSyPDU9
Please:
● Sign the Waiver for Marin Chapter 2025, if you have not done so already.
● Practice clean trail etiquette. Pocket Guide – Every Step Counts and Cleanliness Tips for Hikers
● Email marincnpsvolunteers@gmail.org with questions.
● Sorry, no dogs on this trip.9 attendees
Habitat Restoration at Alder Creek Preserve, Inverness
Alder Creek Preserve, Inverness, CA, 105 Vision Rd #101, Inverness, CA, USJoin CNPS and Friends to weed the Alder Creek Preserve restoration site in Inverness.
In 2023, the Inverness Association (IA), cleared the site of a large acacia forest. Since then, an enthusiastic group of IA members, neighbors, and SPAWN volunteers have planted a mix of native trees and shrubs and watered them throughout the summer.
Now the focus turns to tackling the weeds: acacia seedlings, poison hemlock, vinca, African veldt grass, and others. We'd love to have your help!
Location: The site is located about a 1/2 mile north of Inverness village, at the corner of Sir Francis Drake Blvd and Vision Rd. For more information, contact Carolyn Longstreth at cklongstreth@gmail.com.
If you have not done so already, please sign the Waiver for Marin Chapter 2026
Bring: gloves, kneeling pads, and your favorite weeding tool.
Late registrants and walk ins are welcome.2 attendees
Mt. Burdell Planting Day
Mt. Burdell, 488 San Carlos Way, Novato, CA, USMt. Burdell Planting Day
Wednesday, January 21, 2026, 1pm-3pm
Leaders: Aja Wylder, Marin County Parks Nursery Manager Marin CNPS Coordinator: Stacey Pogorzelski
Location: Mt. Burdell Open Space Preserve in Novato, San Carlos Way entrance
Join a community of habitat restorers! Marin CNPS is partnering with Marin County Open Space District staff to improve native habitat at Mt. Burdell. Located at the northern edge of Novato, Mt. Burdell has serpentine grasslands with rare plants, an incredible array of oaks, and seasonal streams that support milkweed- the critical host for Monarch butterflies. During this workday we will be planting milkweed to provide food for Monarchs, as well as other insects and birds that bring our grasslands to life with a dazzling display of diversity.
Marin County staff will provide tools and gloves. Bring a reusable water bottle, sun and wind protection, long pants and sturdy shoes. The ground may be muddy, wear clothing that can get dirty.
Limit 10 attendees. Heavy rain cancels. Backup Rain Date is Thursday, January 29.
Directions: Meet at the San Carlos Way entrance to Mt. Burdell OSP, north of San Marin Drive. Use 488 San Carlos Way for mapping. The work area is a short walk upslope from the San Carlos trailhead. https://maps.app.goo.gl/A74nosMCMqWSyPDU9
Please:
- Sign the Waiver for Marin Chapter 2026, if you have not done so already.
- Practice clean trail etiquette. Pocket Guide – Every Step Counts and Cleanliness Tips for Hikers
- Email marincnpsvolunteers@gmail.com with questions.
- Sorry, no dogs on this trip.
10 attendees
Tilden Botanical Garden Tour
East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Wildcat Canyon Road at South Park Drive, Berkeley, CA, USA Mid-Winter Stroll through Tilden Park’s Botanic Garden
Wednesday, January 28, 2026 10 am to 2 pm
Leaders: Anna Gil and Kurt Rademacher
While many of the world’s plants basically “close shop” during winter, for those which evolved to thrive in California’s “Mediterranean” climate with its mild winters and long, hot, rainless summers, the early winter rains signal a spring-like resurrection! Long patient seeds germinate, ferns unfurl, and the mossy tree trunks and iconic yellow hillsides soon erupt into emerald green.
Join us for an intriguing walk through the Regional Parks Botanic Garden tucked into a valley in the Berkeley Hills. This is a “living museum” of California’s varied plant communities, from deserts and alpine meadows to chaparral and coastal rainforests. We will explore how various plants adapt to their unique habitats and seasons: their structures and ‘tricks’ to both thrive and survive the exuberant and the dormant times.
For now, winter uncloaks a surprising palette of variously colored seeds, twigs, and buds in reds, purples, yellows and greens on leafless plants like the various willows, maples and dogwoods. The garden’s scores of Manzanita species are in full, if dainty, bloom, as are some other early bloomers like the anxious milk maids and the secretive fetid adder’s tongue. Don’t expect to see anything abloom in the Sierran meadow section, though we will learn what their alpine colleagues are doing beneath their current snowpack.
Come prepared for a cold-weather walk on potentially wet trails and stony stairways for this peek into the winter world of our native plants. This walk will be about one mile long.
Directions: East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Tilden Park, via Shasta Road approach, Berkeley. Intersection of Wildcat Canyon Road and South Park Road.
Carpool Options: From Marin County, Meet at 9 am, leave by 9:15 to reach garden by 10:00. Meet near the corner of Larkspur Landing Circle and SF Drake Blvd. (east end of the shopping center near Design Within Reach). Riders will park on SF Drake Blvd. headed west, not in the shopping center lot.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/V4PAJ2viUwbdGVaZ6
Bring: Water, a snack/lunch. Dress in layers. A hiking pole and sturdy shoes are advised, as surfaces can be uneven. Rain cancels.
Email Ann with any questions: annonfire@gmail.com Text for day-of-trip questions or issues: 530-521-4402
Please:
- New Year, new waiver. Please sign the CNPS Marin 2026 Waiver
- Practice clean trail etiquette. Pocket Guide – Every Step Counts and Cleanliness Tips for Hikers
- No dogs on this trip.
12 attendees
Past events
181
Group links
Organizers
Members
1,325
