California Native Plant Society -- Marin Chapter Meetup

California Native Plant Society Marin
Chapter Picnic at China Camp’s Miwok Meadows with Field Trips
Sunday, May 17, 2026, 10:30 am to 3 pm
Please sign up for this event on Meetup or just show up.
Potluck Picnic
Get together informally with your CNPS friends and acquaintances for a potluck picnic. Share your recent wildflower discoveries, garden additions and visits, botanical insights, restoration achievements, and advocacy goals.
We will gather at noon and plan to start eating around 12:30.
Please bring:
· A potluck picnic dish to share w/ serving utensil.
· Reusable picnicware (the Chapter has plates & flatware to share, too)
· Picnic tablecloth if you have one.
· Your favorite beverage (no running water available at site)
Dress in layers for hot sun and cool shade. If it threatens showers, bring your beach umbrella.
Optional Field Trips
Let’s take advantage of the proximity of Turtle Back Hill. It is a lovely, varied trail traversing grasslands, scrub, and mixed evergreen forest, at the edge of saltmarsh of the San Francisco Bay Estuary. Docent led hikes begin at 10:30 am and 2 pm.
You can walk or drive to or from the trailhead (~ 1 mi. from Miwok Meadows). The Turtle Back Hill loop trail is fairly level and less than a mile.
Listen to the Turtle Back Trail Interpretive Audio Tour before or after the hike.
Here is an interesting article: “Tidal Marsh Vegetation of China Camp” by Peter Baye.
If you have not done so already, please sign the CNPS Marin 2026 Waiver
Practice clean trail etiquette. Pocket Guide - Every Step Counts and Cleanliness Tips for Hikers
Directions:
Picnic: We have reserved Miwok Meadows which is accessed by a dirt road off North San Pedro Road (the main park road) about .6 mi east of the China Camp Campground entrance. (Best access is from the north due to road work.) Parking is included in our rental.
Turtle Back Hill trailhead is on North San Pedro Road about .3 mi east of the campground entrance. (Best access is from the north due to road work.) Park along the road there or walk about 1 mile from Miwok Meadows picnic area along Shoreline Trail.
Email Ann Elliott with any questions.
Text for day-of-trip questions or issues: 530-588-2555
Limit: 100

Park on North San Pedro Rd near the Turtle Back Nature trail entrance. Parking is included in our rental of Miwok Meadows from Friends of China Camp for the CNPS Marin Chapter Potluck Picnic which follows at noon. You are welcome to stay for the picnic.

To get there, take Highway 101 to the North San Pedro Road/Marin Civic Center exit in San Rafael. Head east on North San Pedro Road and follow it through the Santa Venetia neighborhood until you see the sign for China Camp State Park. Turtle Back Nature Trail will be on your left about a half mile up the road.

Size limit 25.
If you have not done so already, please sign the CNPS Marin 2026 Waiver

Join a group of enthusiastic volunteers for our monthly Tuesday morning at the Marin County Parks and Open Space District Nursery. Each month we help maintain the native plants that will be used in restoration projects across Marin, from intertidal marsh wetlands to redwood forest. No prior nursery experience is required; Nursery Manager Aja Wylder will demonstrate nursery methods, including pruning, potting seedlings, transplanting plants into larger pots, pot washing, and working in the native plant garden.

Volunteers should wear sturdy, closed-toed shoes and clothes they don't mind getting dirty. Please bring sun protection and a water bottle. Gloves and tools will be provided.

Limit: 12 Attendees

Heavy rain cancels, cancellation will be posted on Meetup.

Directions to the Marin County Native Plant Nursery:
From the south, drive north on Highway 101 to the San Pedro Rd. exit. Take the San Pedro Rd. exit and stay to the right. At the light, turn left onto Civic Center Drive. Turn right onto Matthew Hymel Drive, just before the Lagoon Park. This looks like a big parking lot, but you’re in the right spot. Follow the road to the end of the parking lot and park. There is a gate in the fence on the north, walk through the gate and the nursery will be on your right.

From the north, drive south on Highway 101 to the Manuel T. Freitas Parkway exit. Turn left onto Manuel T. Freitas Pkwy and follow it over the highway, then go left to stay on the Manuel T. Freitas Pkwy and make an immediate right onto Civic Center Drive. Follow Civic Center Drive past the Lagoon Park and then turn left onto Matthew Hymel Drive, just after Lagoon Park. This will look like a big parking lot. Follow the road to the end of the parking lot and park. There is a gate in the fence on the north, walk through the gate and the nursery will be on your right.

Transit: The Nursery is accessible by a short walk or bike ride from the Civic Center SMART station and Marin Transit buses #35 and #49.

Please:

• Sign the Waiver for Marin Chapter 2026, if you have not done so already.
• Email marinCNPSvolunteers@gmail.com with questions.
• Sorry, no dogs at the nursery.

If you have not done so already, please sign the CNPS Marin 2026 Waiver

Note: Destructive invasive plant pathogens and weed seeds can be transported to sensitive plant habitats when contaminated soil or plant material is shed from footwear, equipment (such as hiking poles), and other personal items. See these 2 brochures for how you can minimize your impact. Pocket Guide - Every Step Counts and Cleanliness Tips for Hikers