If you have an innate love of nature and the gift of gab, the San Francisco Botanical Garden needs you as a volunteer. Volunteers interact with visitors as well as lead talks about the garden’s exotic collections.
A 10-session Garden Volunteer Training Program kicks off Sept. 13; classes are Saturday mornings from 9:30a.m. to 12:30 p.m., plus one evening session. For $75 (with materials and textbook included), you’ll learn the ABCs of ecology, botany and horticulture until you’re conversing like a conservationist pro.
The SFBG isn’t just for adults; nearly 6,000 schoolkids are expected to tour the grounds this year, hence the need for more volunteers to lead three themed children’s walks. Classes for those begin Sept. 23; they will be held Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Pre-registration is a must, so sign up now by calling (415) 661-1316, ext. 412, or visit www.sfbotanicalgarden.org. The garden is at Strybing Arboretum in Golden Gate Park, at Ninth Avenue and Lincoln Way.