Pictured above: Friends and members of the Omega Psi Phi fraternity organized a morning of stewardship in celebration of their Founders Day
Our Year in Review
A Force for Nature: Caring for Eugene's Parks and Natural Areas
The Parks and Open Space Volunteer Program, now in its 25th year, continues to play a crucial role in ensuring that the investments that have been made in Eugene’s park system are well cared for while advancing the City’s broader strategic goals around sustainability, climate resiliency and community well-being.
This incredible and growing volunteer force multiplies the City’s ability to care for and protect our assets. Each year, thousands of hours contributed by individual volunteers and community groups help achieve a higher level of park maintenance that would be impossible for City staff to accomplish alone.
Whether they’re removing invasive species, maintaining trails or planting trees, our volunteers’ commitment to stewardship has been invaluable in expanding and evolving our services to meet the growing needs of our parks and the people who use them.
This year’s report celebrates both our legacy partnerships and the new collaborations helping make our parks thrive. These dedicated community members don't just maintain our parks, they transform them into thriving hubs of recreation, habitat, and community connection.
As we look ahead, we remain committed to fostering collaboration and ensuring that these spaces remain a thriving, accessible part of our community for years to come.
Adoption Groups and Community Partners
Activating Alliances
Our Volunteer Program is proud to partner with neighborhoods, community groups and organizations across Eugene. A greater and growing list of park adoptions and partnerships helps us get work done and build connected networks of support. We'd like to extend our thanks to all the individuals and groups that are making Eugene’s green spaces thrive.
Where We Work
With over 60 developed parks and almost 5,000 acres of natural space, volunteerism plays a key role in beautifying, restoring and maintaining Eugene's diverse urban landscapes. The following section highlights detail the different areas and environments where volunteers make an impact on a regular basis.
Developed Parks
Celebrating the Park Next Door
Developed parks are some of our most visible, accessible and well-loved community spaces. They provide outdoor recreation opportunities, habitat for urban wildlife, and a space to gather and celebrate with neighbors, families and friends. Moreover, volunteering in parks creates positive feedback loops, helping to build community networks, enhance sustainability and increase our city’s climate resiliency.
Volunteer opportunities in developed parks are abundant and include removing invasive species, planting garden beds, tree care, playground stewardship and more. Through formal park adoptions and one-off events, we’re proud to partner with neighbors, businesses and community groups to steward these cherished public spaces. Through the combined efforts of volunteers, we’re able to create healthier, greener urban infrastructure and protect park resources for generations to come.
No matter where your interest in stewardship lies, there is a way to nurture your parks!
Pictured left: A neighbor joins the Friends of Milton Park for a morning of landscape maintenance
Natural Areas and Urban Forests
Connecting Hearts and Trails
Our natural areas, trail systems and urban forest are an invaluable resource to both wildlife and community health.
Volunteer projects in these areas have included restoration work, such as clearing out ivy, blackberries and other non-native species, restoring storm damaged trails and building new ones, as well as planting native shrubs and trees to help these natural areas thrive. In addition, volunteers are helping us increase our urban tree numbers and tree canopy. Biodiversity in our natural areas increases our environment’s resilience to diseases, pests and climate change, while helping to create safe and accessible spaces for the community.
We’re grateful for the continued support of our longstanding adoption groups such as Friendly Area Neighbors Sustainability Team, Friends of Hendricks Park, Friends of Jefferson DOLA, and Wayside Park, and Friends of Wendover Park. With their help, we continue to provide opportunities for youth, families and community members to become park stewards.
Pictured: Bushnell University softball team graveling trail in the Hendricks Park forest
Waterways
Healthy Water, Healthy City
Urban waterways are essential to the vitality of cities, offering numerous environmental, economic and social benefits. They serve as natural drainage systems, mitigating the risk of floods by channeling stormwater away from urban areas.
These waterways also help improve water quality by filtering pollutants and providing habitats for various aquatic and terrestrial species, thus supporting biodiversity. Moreover, urban waterways enhance the aesthetic and recreational value of cityscapes, creating spaces for leisure activities like boating, fishing and walking along scenic riversides. They can also boost local economies by attracting tourism and investment in waterfront developments.
Overall, maintaining healthy urban waterways is crucial for sustainable urban living, fostering a harmonious balance between nature and urbanization.
Eugene has many waterways flowing through the city making them important urban resources, assets and destinations. They are also at high risk of degradation for those reasons as well.
Volunteers are imperative in making our waterways healthy and safe by picking up trash, removing invasive species, monitoring wildlife and restoring our riverbanks. We thank the hundreds of community members that participate in these activities each year and hope they feel an entitled sense of pride by doing so!
Pictured left: Trashy Tuesday volunteers on the Willamette River
Community Gardens
Seeding for Success
Community gardens provide fresh, healthy food, promote sustainability and create spaces to build lasting communities. With seven partnership organizations, 400 garden plots, and six garden locations across the city, our program also engages broadly with community members to provide educational and experiential opportunities that benefit the public and enrich our park system.
This year, we focused on honing our processes to provide more support and increased outreach to our gardeners. Volunteer site coordinators were essential to our goals, and helped us by troubleshooting challenges, fostering community, and coaching gardeners with support and encouragement. Volunteers also organized and led our most exciting garden events this year, including seed swaps, workshops, potlucks, and a mural painting. It’s the commitment of our volunteers that has helped create such a vibrant and inclusive community gardens program. We look forward to continuing to support their grassroots efforts in the 2025 season.
Native Plant Nursery
The City of Eugene Native Plant Nursery located in Alton Baker Park supports our urban restoration projects with plants and seed, and cares for hundreds of trees and shrubs slated for planting projects each year. This is in collaboration with internal teams such as Parks Planning, the Ecological Services team, Parks Operations teams and the Stormwater Infrastructure Management (SWiM) team, but could not occur without the help of our dedicated weekly volunteers, community volunteer groups and interns.
Aside from providing plant materials to enhance Willamette Valley habitat, it is also a site that provides many community engagement opportunities for all members of the public.
In 2024, staff hosted multiple tours, workshops and educational opportunities focused on a variety of interests such as general plants and seed information, pollinators, ethnobotany, production nursery operations, restoration processes, landscaping and planting consultations. If you have interest in visiting or volunteering at the nursery, please contact Kelsey Irvine or join our weekly work party on every Friday from 1 – 4 p.m.
The highlight for 2024 was the first season use of our new upgraded, eco-friendly, ADA and waterwise raised beds. In late 2023, 37 new beds were constructed in place of the original and degraded wooden beds using a wood chip and concrete composite material. We chose to heighten each bed up to two feet, making it easier for anyone to work in and replaced the water-wasting riser irrigation with drip lines. They were also fortified from below with metal hardware to protect plants from rodents, a major risk to plants and seed yields.
Not only are the beds functioning better in a sustainable and environmentally sound way, but they look beautiful as well! We’d like to thank Shelter Works for the bed materials, Reese Landscaping for the installation and all of the amazing volunteers and staff who have helped with planting and seed collection this year making it a success!
Something for Everyone
Volunteering at a local park or natural area is a great way to get to know your community, hone your plant knowledge and support public green spaces. The Volunteer Program is proud to offer numerous weekly and reoccurring stewardship opportunities across the city. If you’re not sure where to start, be sure to check out these established volunteer events!
Our Weekly Volunteer Events
Every Wednesday 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Owen Rose Garden, Heritage Roses
Every Tuesday 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Hendricks Park Rhododendron Garden
Every Thursday 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Summer-Fall | Hendricks Park Native Plant Garden
Every Thursday 1 p.m. – 4 p.m., Winter-Spring | Hendricks Park Native Plant Garden
Every Friday 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. | Owen Rose Garden, Modern Roses
Every Friday 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. | Native Plant Nursery
Select Saturdays 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., February through June | Hendricks Park Free the Forest
Our 2025 Annual Volunteer Events (see website for details)
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Tree Planting | January
Spring for your River | April—May
Bee City | May
Willamette River Festival | August
Great Willamette River Cleanup | October
Trees for Troops | November
By the Numbers
1,000+ volunteer events
23,695 volunteer hours
valued at $793,546
140 cubic yards of trash picked up
1,146 trees planted
668 shrubs planted
4,820 forbs planted
483 cubic yards of vegetation removed
33 park adoptions
50+ community partners
Community Gardens
394 community garden plots at 6 gardens
7 community partner organizations
52 new gardeners
29 garden scholarships offered
Meet Our Team
Our team of Volunteer Coordinators is passionate about helping community members connect with their parks and natural areas. Whether you're interested in individual stewardship, workplace volunteerism, or finding a weekly stewardship event, our team is here to lend support!
Cait Wisbeski (She/Her)
Developed Parks Engagement Coordinator
Raised in Eugene, Cait joined the Volunteer Program in 2022 and still can’t believe she’s lucky enough to do this for a living! She’s worked in community outreach, planning, conservation and adaptive recreation, but has by far the most fun when she’s working with volunteers. Cait is passionate about bringing communities together through a shared love of nature. She is currently finishing her degree in Natural Resource Policy & Management at OSU. When she’s not working in her own gardens, she enjoys camping, bicycling and fly fishing.
Becca Daugherty (She/Her)
Community Gardens Program Assistant
Originally from Santa Rosa, California, Becca and her cat Peanut moved up to Eugene to so she could pursue a degree in Environmental Science at the University of Oregon. With over 10 years of gardening experience, she began working as a Community Garden Site Coordinator for three years at the University of Oregon's Grove Garden where she and her dedicated group of volunteers grew food for their community. She has also been an active volunteer at the Friends of Buford Park Native Nursery where she has assisted in research projects, day-to-day operations and leading volunteers. Becca has a passion for teaching, especially subjects revolving soil health, planting methods and lichens! Upon graduating with her degree in June 2024, she is excited to enter the position of Community Garden Program Assistant. In her downtime, she enjoys baking, gardening, painting, and learning the piano.
Joe Waksmundski (He/Him)
Natural Area and Tree Volunteer Coordinator
Joe was born and raised in northern Ohio, near Lake Erie, where he found his love for the outdoors. Before joining the City of Eugene in 2017 as a Park Ambassador, Joe spent nearly 20 years in the conservation corps field working in the Southwest and Northwest. He lead crews of youth, young adults and volunteers on restoration and maintenance projects on both public and private land. Joe is excited about his new role as the Natural Areas and Trees Volunteer Coordinator position because it allows him to work with dedicated members of the community on natural resource projects while also exploring new places in Eugene. In his free time, he enjoys whitewater rafting, gardening and crafting homemade hot sauces.
Kelsey Irvine (She/Her)
Native Plant and Waterways Volunteer Coordinator
A Minnesota native, Kelsey Irvine began her career at the city as a seasonal employee in 2014 assisting at the Native Plant Nursery. She joined the team full time in 2017 and now manages the Native Plant Nursery and coordinates volunteer efforts along waterways. This work is very fulfilling because it connects her to people around both plants (her passion) and restoration, with a focus on habitat and water quality (another passion) in the community she has committed to and loves. Her background includes degrees in art and restoration ecology, restaurant, retail, nursery and garden center work, landscaping and environmental landscape design. In her free time, she likes to hike, camp, play music, spend time with friends and is happy to have family finally here in Eugene!
Katie Boyles (She/They)
Native Plant Nursery Assistant
Katie is the Program Assistant for the Native Plant Nursery and Native Plant Garden, which help support urban restoration projects and showcase some of the area’s beautiful native species. She facilitates weekly volunteer work parties and oversees interns working at the nursery. Katie has a background in sustainable, native plant-focused gardening and landscape design, local floral agriculture and design, and natural areas restoration projects in California and Oregon. She holds a BFA from San Francisco State University. When not working in the parks, she is spending time with her dog or creating art with and for the community.