Santa Barbara Botanic Garden

If you envision a world where every person understands the interdependency between people and plants and you're ready to act to preserve this precious natural world, we want to hear from you. The Garden is currently hiring for five full-time positions across several departments. Explore our available positions and apply today: https://bit.ly/3Hi91zI 🌿 Applied Conservation Ecologist: In this position, you’ll work with the Conservation Director and rest of the Ecology Team to implement, communicate, and design restoration ecology projects at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden. 🌿 Donor Relations Manager: $3.1M of Santa Barbara Botanic Garden’s $8.2M in annual revenue comes from donations and memberships. Overseen by the Development Director and reporting to the Sr. Donor Relations Manager, this donor-focused, full-time (40 hours) exempt position is at the center of securing funds for our essential conservation mission. 🌿 Director of Finance: The Director of Finance is a strategic, hands-on accounting specialist and financial analyst, providing dynamic support and guidance to the Executive Director, department directors, managers, and the Board of Trustees. 🌿 Plant Genomics Lab Manager: In this position, you will support the Garden’s Biodiversity Team by maintaining laboratory facilities and managing their use by research scientists, staff, and volunteers. You will participate in Biodiversity Team research activities and occasionally collaborate on projects with other staff of the Conservation and Research Department. 🌿 Rare Plant Technician 1: The Rare Plant Technician is part of a close-knit team that is focused on conserving California’s rare plants. In this position, you will assist with a range of field, lab, and office work supporting the inventory, conservation, and restoration of California’s flora.

In case you missed it, the Saints' Daisy (Erigeron sanctarum) has been rediscovered on Santa Cruz Island. Congrats to the Garden's Rare Plant Field Program Manager Sean Carson and The Nature Conservancy's Senior Scientist John Knapp on this incredible find! 👏 👏 This species occurs along California's central coast, but it hasn't been seen on the island since 1965. While there is still a lot of work ahead, locating this tiny colony, about the size of a tabletop, is a hopeful sign of the island's recovery. #ConservationWorks #GrowNativePlants

We are excited to announce a significant step forward for Santa Barbara Botanic Garden—the launch of our new Director of Impact and Advocacy role.  As we approach our centennial, this role marks a key milestone in our evolution from a traditional botanic garden destination to a conservation organization focused on biodiversity and environmental stewardship (that also continues to maintain a 5-star botanic garden celebrating California’s flora). Through this position, we aim to advance the use of native plants and strengthen advocacy efforts in support of biodiversity in the places where we live, work, and play across the Central Coast of California. After an extensive search, we are pleased to announce Eric Cardenas has been selected to lead this exciting new chapter. With more than two decades of experience in policy work, nonprofit leadership, communication strategy, and community engagement, Eric brings a proven ability to build partnerships that drive impact. His deep roots in conservation and environmental advocacy make him the ideal person to guide our efforts to form strategic alliances and influence policies that support native plants and biodiversity. Eric will officially step into this role on January 6, 2025, though he will participate in key meetings throughout the remainder of the year.  In partnership with our existing leadership team, we are confident Eric’s expertise and passion will position the Garden to engage even more effectively at the local, regional, and state levels. 

Conservation is not only about what we do today, but also about how we can work together to shape the future! Here’s the story of Selena Vengco, M.S., the Garden’s new rare plant technician. While earning her master’s degree at Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California, Selena was one of 17 students awarded the California Native Plant Society Student Research Grant Award. This scholarship helped Selena continue her research of the party-colored monkey flower (Erythranthe discolor) which ultimately led to its protection. Today, she carries on her work as part of the Garden’s Team of professionals who are working everyday to conserve California’s flora. If you or someone you know is working to protect CA’s native plants and habitats, pass this along! The California Native Plant Society’s student research grants program is still open and accepting applications until October 31. Click below to learn more.

Beautiful day on Santa Rosa Island with Channel Islands Restoration and friends from Santa Barbara Botanic Garden! So fun to see our well loved landscape plants in habtat. The red buckwheat is SO RED! And the toyons top out at just a few feet tall due to the high winds on the island. Can’t wait to go back (and hopefully see the foxes next time)!

Introducing our new exhibition, "In Bloom: Embracing Resilience in California’s Native Flora," in collaboration with Slingshot/Alpha Art Studio. This exhibition is the result of a year-long collaboration with Slingshot, a progressive arts studio that facilitates the creative practice and professional interest of artists with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). In this show, several artists from Slingshot took reference material we provided, such as plant clippings, herbarium specimens, line drawings, and photographs, and created artwork based on their own interpretations of that material. "In Bloom" celebrates the plants that flourish during the dry season, a deceptively dull time in California. Clearly drawn lines and crisp media highlight the intricate beauty of some of California's remarkable dry-season species and remind us that their adaptations allow them to thrive. The pieces employ a diverse range of media, including colored pencil on paper, glazed ceramic plaques, foam prints on paper, and embroidery floss on wool. Pictured above is artist Erica Miller working on her piece "Dudleya," using embroidery floss on wool. We invite you to visit the exhibition, on view through December 1, and see how these artists brilliantly capture the beauty of California's dry season.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for Forage & Feast this weekend! A special thanks to our partners, Terra @terrasantabarbara, Pali Wine Co @paliwineco, and Rock12 Distillery @rock12distillery, for creating a unique and utterly delicious garden-to-table dinner. And a huge thank you to our sponsors who made this event possible: Mark Funk & Jim Owens, The Allday Family, Bartlett, Pringle & Wolf, Daniel Nash & Maia Kikerpill, Frank & Leslie Schipper, Montecito Bank & Trust, Sally & Bill Russ, and The Sommer-Belin Family. If you missed this Forage & Feast or are already longing for more, the Garden is hosting another dinner on October 19—stay tuned for more details! If you are interested in sponsoring or attending, please reach out to our Senior Donor Relations Manager, Jenny McClure at Jmcclure@sbbotanicgarden.org. Images: Carly Otness Photography, @carlyotnessphoto

The countdown is on. Our Forage & Feast Silent Auction closes tonight at 7:30 p.m. PST. With only 5 hours left, don’t miss your chance to bid on a unique Garden experience! Carrying out our mission to conserve native plants and habitats is only possible with the support of our community. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who has participated in our silent auction. Place your bid here: https://bit.ly/4dmxZLZ. Follow our countdown event page on Facebook for hourly updates on the auction and a sneak peek into each of our unique experiences offered: https://bit.ly/4dkqzch

The Garden is hiring its first Director of Advocacy and Impact! We will be working to remove barriers, build incentives and enable everyone to use native plants to support biodiversity! Come join our team! https://lnkd.in/gmxaJhJ8

We're in the final countdown of our Forage & Feast silent auction, with only 3 days left to bid! [F&F Silent Auction: https://bit.ly/3zMsJTn] At the Garden, we have remained true to our founding principle - to conserve native plants and habitats for the wellbeing of people and our planet. To support this effort, we are excited to present our silent auction, featuring some very special one-of-a-kind auction items. Whether you're interested in a private full moon hike with our Director of Education or hosting an unforgettable birthday party in our Backcountry, your support is vital to our mission. With only a few days left, explore some of our favorite auction items. Place your bid today and join us in protecting our planet. Bid today: https://bit.ly/3zMsJTn