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Volunteer at the Parks
Volunteering at one of our State Parks is an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Training is provided to prepare you for any of the positions available, from leading nature walks, participating in the Plover Watch program, hosting one of the Visitor Centers, to restoring native plants to the coastal habitat.
Join close to 300 other volunteers to improve the experience of the hundreds of thousands of visitors to our coastal parks each year.
Volunteer opportunities exist at the following parks on the San Mateo coast:
Año Nuevo*
- Lead elephant seal walks during the breeding season (December – March). Nearly 40,000 visitors participate in these walks, with approximately one third of them being school children.
- Act as roving naturalist/docent year round on the beaches where elephant seals haul out.
- Host the Marine Educational Center and park store.
Half Moon Bay*
- Host the Visitor Center and park store at this popular beach visited by hundreds of thousands of people each year.
- Participate in the Plover Watch program to monitor and protect this endangered shorebird, which nests on the coastal beaches.
- Participate in the beach restoration project to remove invasive non-native plants and replace them with natives.
Pescadero Marsh*
- Lead nature walks in the only extensive wetland along the coast of the San Francisco peninsula, which is an important link in the Pacific flyway.
Pigeon Point*
- Interpret the history of one of the tallest lighthouses on the West Coast, which is visited by up to 100,000 people each year.
- Host the Visitor Center and park store.
- Participate in the habitat restoration project to remove invasive non-native plants and replace them with natives.
* Volunteer opportunity contact information
For more information about docent/volunteer opportunities, please contact the docent/volunteer coordinator at the park:
Año Nuevo and Pigeon Point: Call the Año Nuevo Docent Coordinator at 650-879-2032, email anovolcoordinator@parks.ca.gov or fill out the Volunteer Application and mail to: Docent Coordinator, Año Nuevo State Reserve, New Year's Creek Road, Pescadero, CA 94060
Half Moon Bay and the Pescadero Marsh: Call Ranger Nelle Lyons at (650) 726-8804, voice mailbox 7#, e-mail hmbplovers@hotmail.com, or fill out the Volunteer Application and mail to: Docent Coordinator, c/o Half Moon Bay State Beach, 95 Kelly Avenue, Half Moon Bay, Ca. 94019
San Mateo Coast State Parks Habitat Restoration: Call Restoration Coordinator Ami Riley at 650-726-8801 or ariley@parks.ca.gov.
