Seventh-graders from Sequoia Middle School will go to Rancho Satwiwa in Newbury Park to begin their restoration work for this school year on Tues., Oct. 13.

The event is part of an environmental horticulture class taught by Allen Sauté, the TREE (Teens Restoring Endangered Eco-systems) program that has been responsible for planting more than 1,300 plants in the area since 2007.

“This school year my goal is to produce 2,000 plants for the program and for the school nursery,” said Sauté.

During the monthly field trips, students will study birds from the coastal sagebrush community, learn about various habitats and work toward restoring the plant community.

Seventh-grader Jordan Perez is looking forward to the first field trip. “I am excited to learn more about native California plants and restoration work. I expect it to be as good as the SHRUB (Students Helping Restore Unique Biomes) program that I was a part of in elementary.”

Fellow SHRUB alumnus and seventh-grader Corey Jones said, “I like helping the National Park Association, and I am eager to do my share again in restoring some of the plants in our environment.”

Partly funded by grants and donations, the TREE program is a collaboration between Sequoia Middle School, the National Park Service and the Conejo Valley Audubon Society.