College Student & Young Professional Workday Series @ Byrne and Foothills

Restore and Explore!

Join Grassroots Ecology to restore and explore public preserves in Los Altos Hills and Palo Alto that are home to a diversity of ecosystems and wildlife! We will host 10 workdays from January to March to hold space for college students and young professionals (18-30) to create community with peers and participate in both restoration work and a nature walk at each volunteer workday.

All participants must register themselves on this page for each session they will attend.***Please double check location each week and refer to the directions in the reminder email.

Meeting Schedule:

1. Friday, January 23, 2026 - Byrne Preserve, Los Altos Hills
2. Friday, January 30, 2026 - Foothills Nature Preserve, Palo Alto
3. Friday, February 6, 2026 - Byrne Preserve, Los Altos Hills
4. Friday, February 13, 2026 - Foothills Nature Preserve, Palo Alto
5. Friday, February 20, 2026 - Byrne Preserve, Los Altos Hills
6. Friday, February 27, 2026 - Foothills Nature Preserve, Palo Alto
7. Friday, March 6, 2026 - Byrne Preserve, Los Altos Hills
8. Friday, March 13, 2026 - Foothills Nature Preserve, Palo Alto
9. Friday, March 20, 2026 - Byrne Preserve, Los Altos Hills
10. Friday, March 27, 2026 - Foothills Nature Preserve, Palo Alto

Example schedule:

9:00 - 11:00 Restoration

11:00 - 11:15 Snack

11:15 - 12:00 Nature Walk

Parking at Byrne Preserve: 27210 Altamont Rd, Los Altos Hills, CA 94022 at the Westwind Community Barn dirt parking lot. Please park on the side of the parking lot closest to Byrne Preserve. There are horses onsite; please drive slowly and quietly as you enter and leave the parking lot. The road up to the site is steep and curvy. Download driving instructions ahead of time, as there is little to no cell reception for some service carriers at Byrne Preserve.

Alternate Transportation to Byrne Preserve: The closest bus stop is at Foothill College, a 45-minute walk from Byrne Preserve. Strong bikers can lock their bikes to a rack on-site.

Meeting Space for Byrne Preserve: Enter the preserve through the green gate adjacent to the driveway. We will meet by the brown tool shed at the top of the hill. There are horses onsite. Byrne Preserve has no available drinking water. Volunteers will have access to an all gender, single user bathroom located in Westwind Community Barn.

Parking at Foothills Nature Preserve: Meet at the Interpretive Center within Foothills Nature Preserve, 3300 Page Mill Rd, Palo Alto 94304. Please carpool if possible. The road up to the site is very steep and curvy. Download driving instructions ahead of time, as there is limited cell reception up on Page Mill Rd. There will a kiosk at the park entrance, and volunteers will receive entry details in a reminder email.

Alternate Transportation to Foothills Nature Preserve: Foothills Nature Preserve is mainly accessible by car. Strong bikers can lock their bikes to a rack on-site.

Meeting Space for Foothills Nature Preserve: We will be meeting in front of the Interpretive Center. While there is limited cell service, there is public WiFi from the City of Palo Alto. There are water fountains and both gendered & all-gender bathrooms within a 10 minute walk from the meeting location

Prepare for Working Outdoors:

• Full reusable water bottle
• Snacks, if desired
• Long pants, long sleeves, long socks
• Sturdy closed-toed shoes that can get dirty
• Hat/sunscreen or rain gear/boots
• Epi-Pen or allergy medicine, if applicable
• Plan for potential exposure to sun, poison oak, ticks, prickly plants
• Prepare for limited to no cell reception

We will provide gloves, tools, and snacks.

Event Cancellations:

In the event that we must cancel a workday due to extreme weather conditions or poor air quality, a Grassroots Ecology staff person will reach out via email no later than 5:00 PM the day prior to this event.

Join Us!

Grassroots Ecology encourages people from all identities and backgrounds to participate in our programs. Many of our programs are outdoors and involve moving and working in a variety of landscapes. If you have accessibility concerns (e.g. allergies, limited mobility, learning differences), our projects are flexible and we are happy to work with you. Please reach out to the workday facilitator so we can prepare for your participation.

Accessibility concerns? Questions? Cancellations? Email [email protected]

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