Local actions we are looking to help support the San Rafael Rewilding project include community engagement and making recommendations to other local bodies.
Community engagement refers to the ways in which members of a community act collectively to improve living standards in an area. Engaged community members will recognize themselves as part of a larger social fabric, and come to consider major societal issues as collective, shared challenges that also impact them as individuals, motivating them into action. This will encourage residents to learn about local ecological systems and processes, understand the local wildlife with whom they share urban space, take actions in their everyday lives to protect wildlife, and ultimately be better stewards of the urban landscape and larger environment. Community science programs, as well as local public school curricula can increase knowledge and interest in local wildlife, as well as support for rewilding projects. In the following section, we offer a set of strategies to encourage such involvement in urban rewilding projects proposed in the prior section.
Lessons from Past Community Survey
The City of San Rafael has conducted surveys to ascertain residents' opinions towards green areas. Residents indicate that they like the overall quantity and location of green spaces in the city, as well as their amenities such as tennis courts, restrooms, and well-established trees. Residents also generally feel safe within the city parks, and appreciate the range of programs offered at park locations. Suggestions included improving park maintenance, planting more native and drought-tolerant species, and providing more pedestrian access (such as hiking trails and biking pathways) in recreation areas, with walking listed as a priority. Synthetic sport fields were ranked the least important recreation amenity in one survey.