Dear Volunteers,
Happy Spring Equinox! As we welcome spring, we eagerly anticipate the opening of our new nursery. To prepare for the launch of the nursery volunteer program later this summer, we will host Information Sessions on April 16 & 19 at 9:30am. By joining an Information Session, community members will learn about the types of volunteer opportunities available with the nursery team, along with an overview of the phytosanitary practices that will be crucial as the Gardens grows plants that will both enhance our collections and help us support global conservation efforts.
While existing Gardens volunteers will have the first chance to register for these Information Sessions, these events are open to the public. If you know someone who may be a wonderful candidate to join the nursery volunteer program, please help us spread the word.
Register for an April Nursery Volunteer Information Session >>
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Welcome Our New Chief Experience Officer |
We are elated to welcome our new Chief Experience Officer (CXO) Sarah Marsh. Sarah will serve as a key leadership team member making strategic decisions and helping define how visitors connect with our mission through innovative engagement, education, interpretive opportunities, and visitor experience. Sarah will lead the team responsible for education, interpretation, the Library, public programs, volunteers, retail operations, events, visitor experience, and admissions.
Sarah’s most recent role is founder and principal of Real Matter, a strategic consulting firm helping global brands and startups deliver physical environments and digital spaces that nurture strong customer bonds. She has also worked as the CXO of The Void, an immersive virtual reality experience; as the VP Customer Loyalty/Minister of Citizenship at KidZania, a fast growing educational and entertainment center for kids. Sarah is a native of the Bay Area and grew up performing piano and violin with the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra. Sarah notes that the Gardens and San Francisco parks are an integral part of her life and she is excited to contribute to the future success of the Gardens. Please join me in welcoming Sarah to the Gardens!
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Training: Interpretive Volunteering
Five Tuesdays from April 15-May 13, 5:30-8pm
In person
Our next session of training for new volunteers to learn how to lead interpretive stations will begin next month. To learn more about this training session and express your interest, visit the link below. We have just a few more spots left before the training begins.
Apply here >>
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Teen Service Learning Events: Exploring the Sensory Garden
April 5, 10am-1pm
San Francisco Botanical Garden, Children's Garden
Why and how do plants make scents? Make sense of the scents by helping our team care for the Sensory Garden and make a small bag of tea to take home. This is a fun opportunity for youth who are 14 -17 to learn about our unique living collection with a hands-on activity and learn about new ways to engage with the Gardens.
Existing volunteers: register here >>
New youth volunteers: register here >>
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Information Session: Nursery Volunteering
Wednesday, April 16 and Saturday, April 19, 9:30am
San Francisco Botanical Garden
If you are interested in becoming a nursery volunteer this summer, join us for an upcoming in-person information session. Attending this in-person event will provide you with an opportunity to learn more about the new nursery volunteer roles, schedule, and training. You will also have the opportunity to meet Plant Propagation Manager, Jessica Fernandez, and Nursery Specialist, Eli Feldman, to ask your questions about this new volunteer opportunity.
Register here to attend an Information Session >>
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Bean Sprouts Family Days
Tuesdays & Thursdays
San Francisco Botanical Garden, Children's Garden
Join us in the Children's Garden for some family fun. Dig, water, pick, build, explore, and investigate this "yes!" space for kids.
Register here >>
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Earth Day Event: Volunteer Potluck & Celebration
Tuesday, April 22, 12pm-1:30pm
San Francisco Botanical Garden, Bookstore & Plant Shop
Join fellow volunteers and staff to celebrate Earth Day and the important work that we do to steward the living collections of the Gardens for our community and visitors. In celebration of the Earth, this event is inspired by creative solutions to sustainably source and present food with minimal impact to the Earth. What does that mean? There will be room for creativity as we explore that.
RSVP here >>
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Interview with Jack Walsh, Horticulturist |
Photo and writing contributed by Valeria Avila Lopez, SFSU Fellow |
This month we are excited to introduce Jack, one of our San Francisco Botanical Garden horticulturists. He tends to the Temperate Asia collection and has just completed his first year at the Gardens of Golden Gate Park! With a history in horticulture and a passion for plants, Jack has quickly created an impact within the Temperate Asia collection.
Prior to joining the Gardens, Jack graduated from UC Berkeley and followed a career in wetland restoration. He since then has worked as a gardener, contributed to zero waste initiatives, and now works for the City and County of San Francisco. He believes that the unique urban space that the Gardens are located in is something special, and he feels fulfilled serving the community by nurturing and enhancing the Gardens' plant collections.
Over the past few weeks, Jack has dedicated time to meticulous weeding and has planted 40 new specimens, with many more to come. In addition to helping to plant irises for the pond and continued clean-ups of blackberry and ivy, volunteers have also restored key areas, including the “Emperor Stone”, which was revitalized to expose vibrant hibiscus, peonies, and camellias—plants that will soon thrive in their lush new environment. For Jack, he hopes that volunteering at the Gardens is more than just work—it’s about leaving a personal fingerprint on the Garden. “It’s significant to see the change you’ve contributed to,” he reflects. One of his favorite aspects of his role is the opportunity to connect visitors to plants with rich histories. “Without the collection, there are no plants to connect people to,” he notes. Jack leads a volunteer Green Team in Temperate Asia each Wednesday from 9:30am-12:30pm. Temperate Asia is just a short walk from the Library Terrace and Main Gate Kiosk in the Botanical Garden. If you wish to volunteer for one or all of these events for April, register here >>
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Volunteers for Nature joined Section Supervisor Lisa Graves and SFSU Fellow Valeria Avila Lopez for a morning volunteer service event to plant 141 plants which included three magnolias and two rhododendrons! Volunteers for Nature is a new program from the California Academy of Sciences that connects college students and early career professionals with nature-based volunteer opportunities across the Bay Area - including the Gardens! We are proud to be a participating partner and look forward to inviting them back in the future.
Catherine Archbold and Karen Lundin led volunteers through an engaging and personalized Magnolias in Bloom Walk this past February. Highlighting the beauty of this season, their extensive knowledge of the Magnolia collection allowed for an enriching afternoon. Catherine and Karen's walk was perfectly timed to enjoy the blooms and over 30 volunteers enjoyed this event. Thank you Catherine and Karen for leading this walk.
Education Coordinator Nichole and Garden Educator Erick recently visited two classes at El Dorado Elementary, bringing garden fun to the classes who participate in our Multi-Visit Program. This in-class visit connected with their fall program in the Children’s Garden and excited students about their upcoming spring visit. Activities for the day were dissecting seeds and talking about their parts, exploring how seeds disperse, and doing a seed sorting activity with seeds from the Children’s Garden. This is the first of 13 in-class visits to classes unable to visit the Garden in winter.
Chief Nursery Specialist Kristen Natoli received a Vision Award from Recreation and Park Leadership for her service to San Francisco and the Conservatory of Flowers. The award is one of the highest accolades in staff recognition for alignment of her work with the core identity of the Recreation and Park Department to Inspire, Connect and Play. Please join us in celebrating Kristen and her ongoing contributions to the Gardens!
The Gardens were featured in Forbes “9 Gardens In California That Wow Visitors With Their Colors And Beauty.” In addition, San Francisco Botanical Garden was voted a top ten Best Botanical Garden in 2025 by Newsweek Reader's Choice Awards! These ten botanical gardens were selected by featured panelists and contributors and voted on by readers as the best of the best. Read the article here.
Donna Culpepper led a refreshing Rhododendron walk for volunteers, sharing highlights in the Rhododendron Circle and surrounding area this March. This walk allowed volunteers an opportunity to look closely at the collection as Donna shared her insights from conversations with horticulturist Dolores Gamez and Director of Collections & Conservation Ryan Guillou. Thank you Donna for leading this event - and also thank you to Dolores and Ryan for sharing your perspectives!
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I look forward to seeing you in the Gardens!
Best wishes,
Crystal
Crystal Lee Stone | Volunteer Program Manager
Gardens of Golden Gate Park
(415) 661-1316 Ext. 400
clstone@gggp.org
P.S. Did you miss an update? Catch up by viewing past newsletters.
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