Facing a looming 36 percent budget cut over this coming year, the Washoe County Department of Regional Parks and Open Space is looking for cost-saving measures in all areas, including a regular volunteer force to help with basic park maintenance, said Bill Carlos, horticulturist for Washoe County at the Wilbur D. May Arboretum and Botanical Garden.

“All of our parks could stand a good grooming,” Carlos said. “We’re going to start asking for a commitment from our volunteers for the season.”

And as of Saturday morning, more than 60 volunteers answered that call, showing up for the first workshop and park maintenance program at Rancho San Rafael Regional Park to be trained on pruning trees and roses, planting techniques and general gardening.

Taking place from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. and sponsored by Rail City Garden Center in Sparks, Saturday’s event marked the first of many needed hours that the department just can’t afford to do on its own, Carlos said.

Cutbacks, which include reducing staff and hours as of July 1, will directly affect the upkeep of all six regional parks.

At Rancho San Rafael alone, there are 600 acres to cover making it one of the largest regional parks around, with nearly 21 acres of turf, Carlos said.

“The parks won’t be as well kept as we would like them to be,” Carlos said, explaining that fertilizing and mowing will have to be limited. “We’re a pretty skeleton crew.”

One such volunteer, Tina Nappe, is a member of the botanical society at Rancho San Rafael Park and has seen the parks department go through some devastating cuts.

“The parks system has taken the biggest hit,” Nappe said. “This is a treasure, this park (Rancho San Rafael). At this rate, I don’t know if there will be any parks left. It’s going to be more than helping out at parks. We’re going to need to adopt parks.”

While the parks department has called for volunteers in the past, Carlos said this has been the biggest demand he has seen in a while.

“I would like to see us averaging 400 volunteer hours a month for the arboretum,” Carlos said, explaining that this is a huge jump from only two years ago when the average volunteer hour rate was 30 per month. “I would like to see us achieve that through the summer months.”

Last year, the average volunteer hours per month peaked at 130 combined with the botanical society, Carlos said.

Volunteer Carol York, of Sparks, worked away on weeding some of the main walkway areas of the park on Saturday and said she felt compelled to help out.

“It’s a beautiful park,” York said. “It just needs some help right now with budget cuts and all.”

Other volunteers helped plant an arrangement of annual flowers like primroses, pansies and snap dragons in front floral baskets.

Miranda Faulkner, 10, and Allyson Albe, 12, joined the cleanup with their respective family members and planted flowers for most of the morning.

“It was fun because we got to learn how to plant,” Albe said.

For more information about volunteering for the Washoe County Department of Regional Parks and Open Space, visit www.washoecounty.us/parks.