Saturday, September 26, 2026 | 9:00am–3:00pm
Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument, Davenport, CA

What: Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship is teaming up with the Bureau of Land Management's Central Coast Field Office to celebrate National Public Lands Day — the nation's largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands and a fee-free day on federal lands. Join us for a full day of trail work followed by a guided hike and community celebration at one of the Central Coast's most spectacular landscapes: Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument. 

All participants receive a FREE 2026 NPLD t-shirt and FREE National Parks day pass!

Volunteer Trail Work | 9:00am–12:00pm
Led by SCMTS trail stewardship coordinators Mati and Mason, roll up your sleeves for hands-on trail maintenance — clearing brush, repairing tread, and improving drainage. No experience necessary; all tools, gloves, and instruction provided. 

Parking Lot Spruce-Up | 9:00am–12:00pm
Join BLM rangers for some parking lot beautification! We will do some light weeding, signage upkeep, and general tidying in the parking area, in addition to an exciting seeding project. 

Volunteers receive a free lunch, a free 2026 NPLD t-shirt, and a free National Park day pass.

Hike with the Scientist: Snap, Identify, Explore! | 12:30pm - 3:00pm
Join a BLM scientist-led exploration of coastal grasslands, oak woodlands, and redwood-lined creeks, keeping an eye out for red-tailed hawks, quail, deer, and more along the way. Along the trail, we'll use iNaturalist to document the plants and wildlife we spot, contributing real observations to community science as we go. No experience needed, just bring a smartphone. 

All participants receive a free 2026 NPLD t-shirt and a free National Park day pass

Please download the free iNaturalist before the event here: https://www.inaturalist.org/ 

Register: Use the form on this page to choose an event and sign up!
The first 100 registrants get a fee-free pass and NPLD t-shirt.

Bring water, sun protection, and comfortable closed-toe shoes. We can't wait to see you out there!

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All-Day Tabling
Stop by all day and say hi! SCMTS will be tabling alongside BLM, CAL FIRE CZU (featuring our own Trail Crew Leader Michael Horn sharing fire info), the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County, California Department of Fish & Wildlife, and California State Parks.

Come build your own electrolyte cocktail at our table! We'll have Grillo pickles and other pickled veggies and fruits, their new electrolyte packet collab with Liquid I.V., and fresh local kombucha on tap from our sponsor Living Swell Kombucha — poured by the SCMTS events team.