Thornton Vista Habitat Restoration – 9am to 11am

January 14th, 2024	February 11th, 2024	March 10th, 2024
April 20th, 2024 – Earth Day	May 12th, 2024	June 9th, 2024
July 14th, 2024	August 11th, 2024	September 21st, 2024 – Coastal Cleanup day
October 13th, 2024	November 10th, 2024	December 8th, 2024

Please note that the cleanups happening for Earth Day and Coastal Cleanup Day happen off schedule.

About Thornton Vista Habitat Restoration in Daly City: Thornton Beach Vista is an overlook offering sweeping views of the ocean and bluffs below.

Site Captains: Myrna, Cynthia & Rick.

About the Event: Weeding and watering this year’s latest batch of introduced native plants at two Thornton Vista sites. Because we are never sure of the weather, make sure to bring extra layers, a hat, sunblock, water and snacks.

Where to Meet: Parking lot at westmost end of John Daly Blvd. in Daly City. Our team will be waiting for you at the native garden found adjacent to the beach cleanup meeting space.

Supplies: Volunteers are invited to bring their own favorite planting tools, a shovel or hoe, and reusable garden/work gloves. To help even further, volunteers can also bring jugs/bottles of water to help the plants get through the dry seasons.

Restrooms: Public restrooms are not available. For urgent needs we recommend locating a bathroom in the mall along John Daly Blvd.

Weather: Rain cancels though light rain/drizzle does not. Please dress appropriately.

Focus Area: Habitat restoration guides will be on-hand to guide you through the day’s activities. Learn about our local habitat heroes such as the Silver lupine (Lupinus albifrons) and Summer lupine (Lupinus formosus) and the Mission Blue Butterfly. Interested in what native plant species have been planted at this site? Want to learn about what can grow in your backyard? Check out our Thornton Vista plant list when you come for more info.

Litter: The team picks up litter as we find it, although this is not the main focus of habitat restoration.

Special Regulations:
Dogs: Pets are permitted on leash on walkways, but they are not invited onto habitat restoration sites. Be mindful of the post fencing that protects the native plants garden. Please be responsible and pick up your dog waste.

Wildlife & Habitat Protection: Post and cable fencing is installed to protect sensitive plants and wildlife from errant canines or humans. The center round island is bordered by a ring of native ice plants as a deterrent from random dog and human visits to protect vulnerable native plant installations.
More questions? Read our Native Habitat Restoration FAQs.

Our Volunteers:
The Thornton Vista team is often joined by members from our habitat restoration partner, the California Native Plant Society, Yerba Buena Chapter in addition to neighborhood groups and individuals. Volunteers of any age can participate in habitat restoration.

Site Captain: Meet Myrna Faulds. An active volunteer and member, she began cleaning at our beaches during a life-changing work volunteer day in 2012. After a year volunteering at a variety of PBC beach cleanups, she joined the Mussel Rock Stars at their monthly cleanups and now helps with cleanup and habitat restoration activities at Mussel Rock Park. Believing that the worst effects of climate change can be diminished in significant, impactful ways by the environmental work done in the next 5 to 10 years in particular, Myrna has made a commitment to establish local coastal habitats rife in native plant biodiversity while also looking at developing opportunities for native plant-based erosion control along the coastside bluffs and shoreline. Volunteers of any age can participate in habitat restoration. The Thornton Vista team is often joined by CNPS-YB chapter members in addition to neighborhood groups and individuals.

More about Thornton Vista: Making a resurgence at the entrance to the “Gateway to the Peninsula,” this readily-accessed coastal native plants garden was installed in March of 2023 by a band of dedicated Thornton Beach cleanup volunteers, which included advisory help and native plant donations from the California Native Plant Society (CNPS). Initially developed during a monthly Thornton Beach Cleanup (2nd Sunday of the month), restoration at this site involved removal of non-native invasive plants in the form of ubiquitous highway ice plant, oxalis, and other entrenched weeds, followed by habitat restoration in the form of lupines, coastal buckwheat, and evening primrose; for a full listing check out our Thornton Vista plants list! The garden planting areas have grown to include the center round hill and indeed, the initial native plants site by the parking lot has more than doubled in size this last year. Coastal habitat restoration aims to take advantage of long, deep roots specially evolved in California native plants to draw water to the growing plants in times of drought as well as assist in stabilizing this very unstable portion of the coast. Through continued habitat restoration we aim to maintain, increase and sustain local biodiversity. Native plants are believed to host up to 400% more insects by mass as a food source than non-native plants. Restoration of our local native plants is vital to a healthy ecosystem and at Thornton Vista Coastal Gardens involves protecting the land, pollinators, and wildlife. In Daly City, restoration is critical for preserving habitats for the threatened Mission Blue butterfly and coastal bee populations along the Pacific coast.

Would You Like to Join Us? To make sure we bring the right amount of supplies, to be more efficient and conserve paper, please complete our online form. It will only take you a few seconds. Sign up here!