Restoring Putah Creek was one of the Service Day Projects in 2010

Want to get your hands dirty, learn some new skills and take of the planet too? As part of the Festival in October, Cool Davis has linked up with different community organizations and set up various exciting projects where volunteers can learn to grow food, provide food and homes for bees and help restore some of Yolo County’s most beautiful wildlife habitats.

PROJECTS IN TOWN

Learn to Grow Food and Feed the Hungry, too
Volunteers are invited to help at the Davis Community Garden in the section of the garden set aside to grow vegetables for donation to Davis Community Meals. Organizer, Jane Schafer-Kramer, “Volunteers will get to perform seasonal tasks: that may include weeding, compost maintenance, removal of summer crops, planting of fall crops, and get to learn a bit about growing food, too.” The work party is scheduled from 9:00am to noon at the Davis Community Garden on 5th Street, half-block west of Pole Line Rd. To volunteer or for more information, contact Jane Schafer-Kramer at communitygardens@cityofdavis.org or 530-320-2109,

FARM Day on K Street
On October 15, volunteers are invited by Future Action Reclamation Mob (FARM) to be a part of the urban farming movement and help as they continue to transform a front yard into a highly productive vegetable garden! Organizer Robin Waxman, says “Volunteers will help turn the soil and plant winter crops, set up a new compost pile, and harvest the last of our summer crops.”
FARM serves the low income/no income Davis residents by providing them organic and local fruit and vegetables. The work party is scheduled for 10am to noon. For more information and to sign up, contact Robyn at 530-574-4844 or farmdavis@gmail.com.

Plant Trees to Improve Our Air
Tree Davis is looking for volunteers to help plant trees, either in a City Park or on School Grounds between 9am an noon on October 15. Organizer Keren Costanzo, “Volunteers will not only be doing a good deed for the city’s air quality, they will also learn how to best select and plant trees. Interested volunteers are encouraged to contact Keren at info@treedavis.org or 530-758-7337 to find out where to meet and other details about the project.

PROJECTS ON UC DAVIS CAMPUS

Learn to Charm the Bees and Help Them Out, Too
Volunteers for this Bee Charmers Apiary workshop will be planting flowers that will provide year-round nectar sources for the bees, building stands for the bee hives, etc. Organizer Derek Downey says, “The goal of the apiary is to provide the space and materials for new bee charmers to practice natural bee-keeping methods that will help the bees in their time of need.” The workshop will be held from 9:15am to noon on Saturday, October 16. To learn more or sign up, please contact Derek at 310-694-2405

Come Sew for Earth and Yourself
The Veggie Bags Sewing party is scheduled from 10am – 2pm in the Textile Studio, upstairs in the UCD Craft Center. Morgan Anderson, Textiles Student Manager says, “We will be sewing reusable cloth produce bags to use in place of plastic at grocery stores and farmers’ markets. We also hope to inspire people to make their own reusable bags, following the simple pattern included inside each veggie bag.” The bags will be given out at the Cool Davis Green Living Festival on October 16. Each bag can be reused hundreds of times. To sign up, contact Morgan at craftcenter_textiles@campusrec.ucdavis.edu or 415-233-0100.

Resident Garden Party
Both the campus community and city residents are invited to join the Resident Garden (outside Segundo Dining Commons) Party scheduled from 9am to 12 noon and enjoy the beauty of the plants and the butterflies that hover around. Those that come for this service project will get to plant seedlings in pots and hear garden talks so that they can be certified to use the resident garden. Sodexho Garden Intern Jeff Mailes hopes to “make students, faculty, staff, and community members aware of the presence of the garden and form a greater appreciation for where their food comes from and what is involved from farm to fork.” Volunteers may come for all or part of the time. To join the Garden Party, contact Jeff at (818) 235-2325.

OUT OF DAVIS

If you need transportation, check with the organizer about carpools.

FARM Day in the Country
Future Action Reclamation Mob (FARM), which is an urban farm in Davis, has branched out with a new farm project at 25450 County Road 95. Organizer Robin Waxman invites intrepid volunteers to venture out to FARM’s farm, from 10am to 2pm for a grand day in the countryside. She says, “Volunteers will get to work in the fruit orchard: harvest fruit, spread compost, do some weeding, and prune some trees. FARM serves the low income/no income residents of Cesar Chavez Plaza and some homeless camps on Olive Drive by providing organic and local fruit and vegetables. To volunteer or learn more, contact Robyn at 530-574-4844 or farmdavis@gmail.com.

Search for Acorns on Audubon Bobcat Ranch
With overgrazing in the past and climate change, many of the oak trees of the Coast Ranges have reproduced poorly. In order to help the oaks, the Society for Conservation Biology, UC Davis Chapter and Audubon California have joined together to lead volunteers on a hike at the Audubon Bobcat Ranch, which is now a preserve. Volunteers will have grand views of the hills while they collect up to 1000 acorns from blue, live, and valley oak trees. Spokesperson Emily Peffer says, “We hope to get the community engaged and excited about this outdoor restoration event! The oaks need our help, and they in turn help us. Once planted, the acorns will grow into mature oak trees that will remove carbon dioxide from our air!” The project takes place from 9am to noon. Teen and adults are welcome. Contact Emily at epeffer@ucdavis.edu or call her at 850-443-3103 to sign up and for more information. Carpooling will be encouraged.

Habitat Restoration for Putah Creek
Putah Creek Council does habitat restoration, but before seedlings can be planted after the rains come, they need greenhouse care. Organizer Sara Sevy Tremayne notes, “For this Service Project, we will work in our greenhouse in south Davis. We will weed, transplant, and get plants ready to be planted later in the fall.” The work is scheduled for two shifts: 9:30am – 12 Noon; and a second set 1:30-4:00pm. To sign up and receive details about how to get to the greenhouse, contact Sara at Sara@putahcreekcouncil.org or 530-795-3006.

Trail Work at Cold Canyon Reserve
For this project, Sierra Club will join Tuleyome. Volunteers will get to enjoy autumn in UC’s Cold Canyon Reserve just below Lake Berryessa, while they help will repair trails. Sara Husby-Good, Executive Director of Tuleyome, notes, “The trail network at Cold Canyon has long been a favorite of local hikers because of sweeping vistas from the chaparral-dominated ridgeline to quiet moments in riparian growth along babbling creeks. But these trails used by thousands each year, desperately need a little care for repair and upgrade.” Contact coordinator Andy Fulks at afulks@tuleyome.org for a day of hard but gratifying work or just a few hours. Carpooling is encouraged. Additional information may be found at www.tuleyome.org, www.motherlode.sierraclub.org/Yolano, or www.cooldavisfoundation.org.