Native Microforest Plantiversary: BioBlitz and Weeding Club

Join Santa Monica Mountains Fund's California Climate Action Corps Fellows as we celebrate the Two-Year Plantiversary of the Olympic Median Microforest!

This volunteer-powered urban greening project has grown into a thriving pocket of nature in the city. After two years of regular care, the microforest is becoming self-sustaining. We need your help to give it a proper send-off into its new chapter of growth!

Come be part of the mini-forest revolution: a global movement to boost biodiversity by bringing native plants back to our communties. Immerse yourself in towering Toyon, fragrant sagebrush, and blooming penstemmons. Whether you're a longtime volunteer or visiting for the first time, this is a chance to connect with community, plants, and tangible climate progress.

Help us honor this special milestone. Everyone is welcome. Take a free plant home after weeding!

About the Microforest:

Located in the center median of Olympic Boulevard between 18th and 19th Street, the Olympic Median Microforest is the first microforest planted on a major U.S. thoroughfare.

Inspired by the Miyawaki Method of afforestation, the site is home to more than 750 California native trees, shrubs, and perennials. Planted in June 2024, the forest has grown rapidly, with some of its tallest trees now reaching over nine feet.

As it matures, the microforest will continue to provide habitat for birds, pollinators, and other local wildlife while helping build climate resilience by providing essential ecoystem services. Microforests have the potential to mitigate the urban heat island effect, sequester carbon, filter stormwater, and more.

Plantiversary Itinerary:

🌿 9:00 AM — Check-In & iNaturalist Overview- Volunteers check in and download the iNaturalist app (if not already downloaded). iNaturalist and BioBlitz demonstration begins promptly at 9:15 am.

🦋 9:30–10:00 AM — BioBlitz Bash - Help us document bees, butterflies, beetles, birds, and other critters. No scientific experience required!

🌱 10:00–11:30 AM — Final Microforest Maintanence - Our last weeding club meeting ever! Volunteers will help pull invasive grasses and non-native plants from the microforest and mulch, preparing the microforest for its next chapter.

🎉 11:30 AM–12:00 PM — Volunteer Appreciation & Celebration - Stay for refreshments, conversation, and a celebration of the microforest's two-year journey to establishment. We'll also recognize the dedicated volunteers whose care helped make this project successful.

About the BioBlitz:

A bioblitz is a fun, investigative search for biodiversity in a specific location. We’ll look for beetles, bees, , butterflies, birds– all the critters we can find in the accessible areas of the microforest! We are aiming to record as many species as possible in 30 minutes using the iNaturalist app.

What to Bring:

• Long pants
• Closed-toed shoes
• Hat and sunscreen
• Plenty of water
• Smartphone with the iNaturalist app (optional but encouraged). Find iNaturalist in the app store or go to iNaturalist.org
• Optional: pocket magnifier or macro lens for nature photography

Tools and snacks will be provided.

Location:

Volunteers will meet at the southern end of the Olympic Median Microforest near the intersection of 18th Street and Olympic Boulevard, Santa Monica. Additional details below.

Space is limited, so please register in advance. Feel free to contact CCAC Fellow Taylor Morales (taylor@samofund.org) with any questions leading up to event. We hope to see you there!

Accessibility:

Many levels of physical ability can be accommodated. If you have accessibility questions or would like to discuss accommodations, please don't hesitate to reach out.

This is a free volunteer event hosted by Santa Monica Mountains Fund's Urban Greening Fellows from California Climate Action Corps, an AmeriCorps service program dedicated to mitigating the effects of climate change. For more information about us and our projects, please visit @samofundfellows on Instagram.