Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteering with MSRP

Photo showing a volunteer group and MSRP staff during a planting trip on Santa Barbara Island.

Volunteers and MSRP staff during a planting trip on Santa Barbara Island.

Montrose Settlements Restoration Program (MSRP) biologists host several volunteer trips each year on the Channel Islands. Volunteers help plant native plants to restore nesting seabird habitat. Transportation to the islands is provided and a campsite is designated for volunteers when at the site. Volunteers need to provide their own food and camping gear. Specific information about these trips is provided below.

Santa Barbara Island

Santa Barbara Island is the smallest of the Channel Islands, about one square mile, and lies 30 miles from the southern California coast. This project helps to restore nesting habitat for Cassin’s Auklets and Xantus’s Murrelets. Opportunities to help with weeding in the Spring and planting in the Fall are available.

Information about the trips:

  • Trips are planned for 3-5 days since this island is remote and involves taking a 3-4 hour boat ride from Ventura Harbor.
  • Volunteers camp on the island and hike to the restoration plots during the day.
  • The work is physically challenging and volunteers must be in good physical shape.

To volunteer for these trips or to help with other types of restoration work, please email msrp@noaa.gov and specify that you are interested in volunteering. We will add your name to our volunteer email list!