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October 2020
Dear Volunteers
Although this year has been more stressful than most, I hope the Garden can be a place of refuge. I know it has been a sweet space for families and kids participating in our after-school program (click here to register!).
I'd love to hear about how the Garden has played a role in your life, especially this year. Click here to share a few words, and I'll include these stories in a future newsletter.
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Checking in
On weekdays, starting in October, we will no longer have a separate entrance for members and advance tickets at the Main Gate. All visitors, members, and volunteers will need to check in at the kiosk, on the right side of the gate. Please be patient- if there is a line, you'll need to wait with other guests at the appropriate 6' distance marks before entering the Garden.
On weekends, volunteer can check in at the Member Table at the Main Gate.
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Volunteer Opportunities
Last call for fall volunteer programs!
Bean Sprouts Family Days seeks volunteers available from 12-3pm on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday to assist families in the Children's Garden.
The Green Team has openings for volunteers to join the regular Tuesday at 9am or 9:45am shift. Please plan to commit to weekly support. We will also have volunteers on six Saturdays this fall, starting Saturday, October 10, from 9am-12pm. You do not need to commit to all six Saturdays.
Docents and Guides: Roving is fun! Spend a few hours connecting with visitors in the Garden and exploring the collections as they change through the seasons.
Look for Welcome Table shifts on Saturdays and Sundays, as well as on selected weekdays. This is an excellent way to welcome all visitors, especially those who might be coming to the Garden for the first time. Volunteers who speak Chinese, Spanish, Russian, and Tagalog are particularly encouraged to help at the Welcome Table.
Event Hosts and Plant Arbor volunteers play a critical role in assisting guests. Thank you!
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Volunteer Workdays
The Garden will host 3 workdays this fall, open to all volunteers, plus family and friends (must be 18 or older). We have space for up to 20 people to sign up, but you'll be split into smaller groups to enable adequate social distancing during the session.
- Friday, October 9. 10am-1pm
- Wednesday, October 21. 9am-12pm
- Friday, November 6, 10am-1pm
While we have had amazing support from the Green Team this summer, the Garden has not hosted large volunteer groups since March. Join us for one of these sessions to get your hands in the dirt, move your body, and help our horticulture team prepare for the next season. No experience necessary, but be prepared to kneel (weeding), lift up to 30 pounds (mulch loading and spreading), and assist with other physical tasks.
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Garden Explorer
We are very excited to now have Garden Explorer operational on our website. Replacing Plant Finder, Garden Explorer is the web component of IrisBG, the Garden's new plant database, that will allow the public to look up names and locations of plants in the collection along with photos. I encourage everyone to take advantage of this new user friendly tool to learn more about our living collection.To find this tool, visit sfbg.org, then click on Plant Collections, and Garden Explorer. If you have questions, contact our Plant Records Manager, Tory Stewart.
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ICYMI (In Case You Missed It)
There are two locations to view recordings of presentations and talks given by the Garden.
Public programs have been shared on sfbg.org/at-home. Scroll toward the bottom to find the Virtual Programs section. This is where the recent talk by Curator Ryan Guillou, "Protecting Plants through Partnerships", is posted.
Programs hosted primarily for docents and volunteers are shared on the Docent Central videos page. This includes last week's presentation, "From Plant Scents to Perfumes", with Greti Séquin.
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Upcoming Programs
The past two Octobers, the Garden has been thrilled to partner with Litquake and host programming in the Redwoods and Garden of Fragrance. This year, we’re continuing the partnership virtually and are co-sponsoring two events.
Forest: Obi Kaufmann with Leslie Carol Roberts
Sunday, October 11, 7pm – 8:15pm
From the author of the bestselling California Field Atlas, comes a major work that not only guides readers through the Golden State’s forested lands, but also presents a profoundly original vision of nature in the 21st century. Obi Kaufmann's newest release The Forests of California (Heyday Books) features his signature watercolor maps and trail paintings, weaving them into an expansive and accessible exploration of the biodiversity that defines California in the global imagination. FREE, $5-10 suggested donation
The Daily Dose: Feminist Writers Respond to the Climate Emergency
Tuesday, October 20, 7pm – 8:15pm
In March 2020, three Bay Area women writers started the blog The Daily Dose with a simple mission: to spread the message of the Green New Deal, help other activists stay encouraged in the face of unrelenting challenge, take concrete action, and stay grounded. This group of feminist writers, majority women of color, a mix of sexual orientation and gender identities, uses all the means at its disposal—essays, poetry, fiction, interviews, traditional journalism, images, videos, and more—to support and spread the vision of a freer, greener, more just future for us all. Join Daily Dose founders for Litquake Out Loud, as they discuss this writing-as-climate-activism project. With Aya de León, Vijaya Nagarajan, Mary DeMocker, Elizabeth Stark, and Susan DeFreitas. FREE, $5-10 suggested donation
ENRICHMENT: 'Cradles in the Sky': Plant Diversity, Habitat Recreation & Conservation Management in the Mesoamerican Cloud Forest
Thursday, October 22, 10am-12pm
David Kruse-Pickler began his botany career at SFBG in 2002, volunteering as a docent. His passion for plants originated with his grandmother in Florida as a boy, but blossomed on his first visit to San Francisco, seeing the wildly unique and diverse flora at the Garden. He worked as a Curatorial Assistant, Plant Collections Manager, and Associate Curator at SFBG until 2013, supporting collections management in many ways, including seed collecting trips in Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Indonesia, and participation in a Magnolia habitat and floristic study in China with former horticulturist Jason Martinez. David currently lives in Florida and will be conducting a virtual tour of the Mesoamerican Cloud Forest.
Click here to register in advance for this event:
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
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Remember! Last entry to the Botanical Garden changes to 5pm on October 1, and to 4pm on November 1 to adjust for available daylight. Last entry for the Japanese Tea Garden changes to 4:45pm on November 1. And, the Conservatory of Flowers is now open! Visit their website to learn more and plan your visit.
Recent monthly newsletters are posted on Volunteer Central, so if you missed an update, view them here.
Wishing everyone a safe and pleasant week!
Best,
Chloe
Chloe Wieland | Director of Volunteer Engagement
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San Francisco Botanical Garden
P (415) 661-1316 Ext. 400
C (415) 629-2010
9am-5pm, M-F
cwieland@sfbg.org
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