Acting Locally – California Native Plant Society

 By Amina Sharma

CNPS chapters bring native plant love home

CNPS’s 35 chapters provide invaluable expertise on local native plant benefits to biodiversity and climate resilience. This past year, chapter volunteers throughout the state planted seeds, guided young learners, yanked out invasive plants, shook hands on new partnerships, handed out plants at sales, and met enthusiasts at native plant garden tours.   

Last winter, the Yerba Buena Chapter and community volunteers laid down cardboard, spread 120 cubic yards of mulch, and planted over 2,300 local native plants, expanding the experimental EcoPatch in San Francisco’s Potrero Gateway to over 5,000 square feet. This formerly blighted, weed-filled lot has been transformed to a year-round, color-filled highway hillside and welcoming sidewalk garden that provides native plant habitat for an increasing variety of local wildlife. “Our namesake Yerba Buena mint now thrives here along with other groundcovers, wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs under an expanding canopy of coast live oak,” says chapter leader Eddie Bartley. “Even in dense urban spaces, this garden shows that with community involvement, biodiversity grows.” The chapter engages the public with monthly events and activities, using this site as inspiration to revive other vacant or weed-filled lots with native plants. 

In the Sierra foothills, the El Dorado Chapter worked with the Cameron Park Services District to create the chapter-designed and directed pollinator garden along a newly created Powerline Bike Path. In Southern California, the San Diego Chapter expanded their Bird Park Native Garden, planting two additional plots with plans to expand to five more plots. The plots will eventually become a habitat learning garden. These public native garden spaces help provide habitat connectivity for wildlife in developed areas, give people immediate access to nature, and bring the beauty of California home. 

Enjoying and learning about native plants happens in the classroom too. With the School Garden Doctor, the Napa Valley Chapter secured a grant to support the creation of monarch waystations at local schools. The Santa Clara Valley Chapter’s Plants Grant program provides free plants and materials (like signage and books) to schools, colleges, and public native plant gardens. The chapter received a commendation from the City of San Jose in recognition of the work they’ve done to conserve local native plant species and habitat and provide exceptional educational outreach.  

“Even in dense urban spaces, this garden shows that with community involvement, biodiversity grows.”

Native plant gardening is also about having fun, finding community, and feeling inspired. Along with their Botany, Brews, and Bubbles events for members, the Channel Islands Chapter hosted an annual Wildflower and Weed Show in Santa Paula, drawing 300 people with native plant talks and garden tours. The Santa Clara Valley Chapter’s garden tour brought 4,400 visits to 47 native plant gardens in the chapter’s area. In partnership with the Native American Land Conservancy, the Mojave Chapter organized and co-led a field trip for Morongo Basin Conservation Association as part of their annual “Desert Wise Landscaping Tour.”  

Energized to learn more? Connect with your local CNPS chapter to find the events near you. 

 This story originally appeared in the CNPS 2024-2025 Annual Report.

Amina Sharma is the Communications Manager for the California Native Plant Society.