Check out our latest story! 'Salinas children restoring Monterey’s coastal dunes'

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page. Check out our latest story:  Salinas children restoring Monterey's coastal dunes Second graders from Santa Rita Elementary School follow in the footsteps of Return of the Native program coordinator Marina Maze as she leads them on a recent spring morning to a planting site at Monterey State Beach. Return of the Natives, a non-profit organization dedicated to dune restoration run by California State University, Monterey Bay, seeks to bring nature closer to people, and people closer to nature, through hands-on experiences. Credit: Hazel Rodriguez/USFWS   By Ashley Spratt May 24, 2017 Seven-year-old Mairenee delicately places the tiny coastal dune plant into the sand with care not to damage its fragile roots. In her eyes one can see determination, admiration, and even hope in returning this small patch of earth back to its natural state. Mairenee joins more than 30 of her classmates on an early spring morning at Monterey State Beach as part of the Return of the Natives volunteer brigade, a non-profit organization dedicated to dune restoration run by California State University, Monterey Bay. "Our biggest goal is to get people out in their community, helping with habitat restoration, helping clean up their local parks - giving them that [feeling of] ownership that where we live is a very special place," said Marina Maze, program coordinator with the Return of the Natives Restoration Education Project. Continue to full story...   Stay Connected with U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Pacific Southwest Region     This email was sent using GovDelivery, on behalf of: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Pacific Southwest Region · 2800 Cottage Way · Suite W-2606 · Sacramento, CA 95825