Welcome to Greenspace Guardians, a certification from the Civic Garden Center (CGC)! If you’d like to learn how to play a leadership role in conservation projects on public lands, this series will teach you. Our goal is to train the next generation of stewards to restore and protect our region’s public greenspaces. Keep reading for all the details and application information.
Greenspaces come in many shapes and sizes. From a neighborhood pocket park to your local forest preserve, every greenspace is important. They provide crucial ecosystem services and give people a place to play, relax and connect with nature. However, managing these spaces can be a challenge. Greenspace Guardians gives people the resources and know-how to start and sustain greenspace projects in their community.
What’s a Greenspace Guardian?
Greenspace Guardians are highly trained volunteers who are passionate about preserving local greenspaces of all sizes for the benefit of wildlife, soil health, water conservation and the human spirit. Greenspace Guardians invest time developing the skills needed to lead restoration efforts, maintain greenspaces through the seasons and engage fellow community members as advocates and volunteers for greenspace preservation.
Our Greenspace Guardians are tackling some of the greatest environmental threats of our time by taking action at a local level! Here’s just one example of what the 2025 cohort did with their new skills.
About the Greenspace Guardians Program
The Greenspace Guardian Certification program equips volunteers with the skills and knowledge required to effectively support the restoration and long-term maintenance of public greenspaces. As a participant, you’ll learn about our region’s native ecosystems, plant identification, how to work with volunteers, management strategies for invasive plants and what it takes to maintain projects over time. You’ll spend time in the classroom as well as in the field, where you’ll hear from greenspace professionals about best practices and lessons learned.
To earn certification as a Greenspace Guardian, you’ll synthesize the knowledge received during classroom and field sessions into a capstone project to benefit the community. Our experienced staff will guide you and your fellow future Guardians through each step of the process and connect you with additional resources as needed to bolster your success.
The cost of Greenspace Guardians is offset by our amazing donors, and we are pleased to be able to offer this robust training for just $300 per person. A limited number of partial scholarships are available. Please signify on your application if you require a scholarship. Additional details will be provided based on availability.
Achieving Certification
To earn the Greenspace Guardian Certification, participants are expected to attend each of the classes and in-field sessions listed below as well as complete (or be in the process of completing) a capstone project by October 2026. Expand the sections below for more details.
For questions, please contact Mary Dudley, CGC Director of Education: mdudley@civicgardencenter.org
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Thursday, February 26, 6-8pm: An Introduction to SW Ohio Ecosystems. In this class, you’ll learn to identify the key characteristics and types of ecosystems found in southwest Ohio, review the historical and current human impacts on southwest Ohio ecosystems, and learn to describe the value healthy ecosystems have for sustainable communities.
Thursday, March 5, 6-8pm: The Impact of Invasive Plants. During this class, you’ll learn to identify common invasive plant species in southwest Ohio and how they were introduced, understand the ecological and economic impacts of invasive plants, and explain the mechanisms through which invasive plants spread and dominate.
Thursday, March 12, 6-8pm: Exploring & Managing Urban Greenspaces. In this class, we’ll explore what an urban greenspace is and how such spaces are managed. CGC staff and local partners will provide examples of different kinds of urban greenspaces throughout the region. We will look at how those projects came together, how the community is engaged in the space, and what it takes to upkeep those spaces over time.
Thursday, March 19, 6-8pm: Community Engagement & Greenspace Activation. Greenspaces provide so many benefits to residents, including ecosystem benefits, places to recreate and a space to connect with nature. While the mere existence of a greenspace is beneficial, those benefits can be amplified when the local community is actively engaged in the space. In this class, we will consider ways to engage people in local greenspaces and the opportunities and challenges this type of engagement presents.
Thursday, March 26, 6-8pm: Capstone Project Brainstorming. All participants must complete a capstone project as part of the CGC’s Greenspace Guardians Certification. During this session, we will brainstorm capstone project ideas and bounce ideas of fellow participants. We will work together in groups to flesh out ideas and look for opportunities to collaborate with one another.
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The dates, times and topics of field sessions are subject to change. You will be notified during the first classroom session of any changes to the field sessions.
April 4, 10am-2pm: Site Assessment & Planning
April 18, 10am-2pm: Getting Projects Started
May 9, 10am-2pm: Long Term Maintenance & Upkeep
May 30, 10am-2pm: Greenspace Activation & Volunteer Management
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The Greenspace Guardians capstone project is an opportunity to take what you learned during classroom and in-field sessions and apply it to a real-world conservation project in your community. Projects can include a wide variety of activities including the installation of native gardens, organizing restoration activities, developing educational materials, leading participatory science efforts and advocating to decision makers. You’re encouraged to develop your own idea that fits your interests and works with your schedule.
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Participants who complete the listed requirements will earn their Greenspace Guardians Certificate during the graduation ceremony on Thursday, November 5 from 6-8pm at the Civic Garden Center.
Benefits of the Greenspace Guardian Certification
The Greenspace Guardian Certification will introduce you to conservation organizations in the region and provide you with a pathway to get involved. Through the program, you’ll receive:
Connection to a community of fellow conservation advocates and volunteers
10 hours of classroom education
16 hours of in-field instruction
Ongoing educational opportunities
The opportunity to put your new skills to work in a project benefitting the community
Next Steps
Registration for the 2026 Greenspace Guardians program is now open! After your application has been submitted, you will receive an email with next steps.
If you have questions, please reach out to Mary Dudley, CGC Director of Education: mdudley@civicgardencenter.org