the Heritage Herald
Volume
3, May 2007, an on-line newsletter
for those who cherish our natural and historic resources on the Angeles
National Forest
Spring
Events 2007 at Mt. Baldy & San Gabriel
The Future of "Our" Natural Places
Teaching environmental stewardship to urban children is an immensely
rewarding experience. Although every day and each child are different,
some common themes inevitably play out. One of the first questions we
often hear is, "Will the wild animals get me?" It doesn't take long
for our teachers to convince them that "nature" is not the threat they
think it is. And soon little observations are fast sprouting into big
discoveries. Senses are turned on and tuned into the sights, sounds
and rhythms of the natural world. And the personal horizons students
bring with them are broadened and deepened to include wild places.
It is one of the curious byproducts of our cyber-information age that
many of our children can tell you why it is important to save the rain
forest, and why global warming is bad. But, in listening to them, it
is also apparent that many would in no way be surprised if they were
to visit the Angeles National Forest and come upon a twenty-foot
anaconda, or an African male lion with a big bushy mane chasing a
wildebeest.
Nearly all children know what nature is conceptually. But more and
more are growing up without "knowing" the natural places immediately
around them. "Their" place. "Our" special places. Writers like
Wendell Berry, Wallace Stegner, and Ed Abbey have sounded this alarm
for years. We are raising a generation at risk of knowing nature in
the abstract, but not personally.
The presence of a personal sense of place bears rich rewards
not only
for the new student, but for the future of all of us. Every school
program we do here at the Mt. Baldy Visitor Center begins with the
same question: "Welcome, boys and girls. By the way, where have you
come to visit today?" When we all agree that we are indeed in the
Angeles National Forest, we can move on to, "Can you tell me who this
forest belongs to?" There is not enough space to share all the
fascinating responses we hear. But because this one aspect of our
program is so crucial to our philosophy of education, we do not
conclude until one of our young visitors informs the entire group that
the forest indeed "belongs to all of us." At this point the goal of
our naturalists is to introduce our students to "their" forest. We
know that if we do our job well, they will grow to love it, and after
they love it, they will work to preserve and take care of it. Each
time that we begin a new day in this same way we like to believe that
we are planting a seed of hope for the future not only in these young
lives, but for the rest of us as well. And just perhaps one or more
seeds will take root and become the next generation's Leopold,
Thoreau, Muir, or Carson . -- Rick Dean (RD)
The Take a Virtual Hike
Through the cyber-world expertise and real-world
generosity of
Volunteer Steve Diffenbacher, you can now take a hike in the San
Gabriels without leaving your computer chair. Check them out at
http://sgmha.org/virtualhikes.html. Thank you, Steve D. - Jane Strong
Mark
A Pathway through the Past
(Celebrating "Our" Place)
On June 9th and 10th from 10 to 4 Mt. Baldy Visitor
Center will again
be visited by our historical cast of colorful characters. Make plans
to join us for A Pathway Through the Past living history event. Your
trip will begin at Joatngna, our native-American Tongva Village, wind
through a camp of rowdy gold miners, visit with an early park ranger
saddling his horse for a patrol into the backcountry; all with an eye
towards not being tardy for the first day of class in our 1920's
one-room Camp Baldy Schoolhouse. Join us for a celebration of our
local history; and if you fancy yourself as one of our period actors,
don't pass up the opportunity to star. Once again, count on those
great chili dogs; and this year local Baldy Village artisans will be
offering crafts for sale. - Karen Fortus (KF)
Last year's flyer can be read at http://mtbaldyeducation.org/flyer50.jpg
Welcome to Summer! (changes in
the educational seasons)
As everyone connected to the education program knows,
Mt. Baldy
Environmental Education operates on a calendar much like our public
schools. Through the school year programming is geared to school field
trips, CA State Standards, and the needs of our hardworking teachers
teaching in our public and private schools. During summer the pace
slows, and four-day summer camps (Summer Institute) allow for deeper
long-lasting bonds between Baldy teachers and student participants. It
is very rewarding to have participants from earlier Summer Institute
sessions return to become mentoring interns for our new participants.
In the next issue of the Herald we'll introduce you to some of these
awesome young people. (RD)
Consider Giving Something Back
As the saying goes, big dreams have big needs. Those of us working
with the education program have a dream of preserving our historic San
Gabriel Mountain habitats far into the future. We realize that
education is a key component to this. But the need is large. The
Angeles National Forest, a relatively small area, accomodates
approximately two million recreational visitors annually.
As we enter into summer, and continue our plans to spread the message
of "wise use" in new forest facilities, through new programming across
our forest, be thinking about what you might contribute. Become a
docent, offer a skill to our new non-profit organization, or make a
donation. Each of us has something to offer. (RD)
Introducing Carolyn Summers
It is a unique experience to work with a program where the volunteer
docents bring a greater wealth of knowledge and experience than the
paid instructors. But such is the case at Mt. Baldy. The latest in our
impressive line of docents is Carolyn Summers, a retired educator who
spent her career teaching in the Ontario-Montclair School District.
Born and educated on the Nebraskan prairie, Carolyn migrated to
southern California early in life. A bundle of energy and creativity,
none of us who work with her have any illusions of being able to keep
up with her. In her short time with the education program Carolyn has
already added curriculum to nearly all of our programs. But our
hands-down favorite has to be the interactive tree costume which
transforms one of our younger students into a tree before the
surprised eyes of all, as we teach forestry and plant anatomy. (RD)
San Gabriel Canyon News
Over the past couple months visitors to the San Gabriel
Canyon
Educational Center have noticed a whirlwind of activity. We now have
a reproduction of a Tongva summer camp, and a California Gold Rush Camp
with a working sluice. New native plants are adding spring color.
Inside the
classroom we have a new animal room with built-in cages displaying
native reptiles, and soon - rainbow trout. If you haven't been to
the
education
center lately, make plans to visit. You will be surprised. -
Steve Segreto
Lessons in Tongva
Ethnobotany:
"Otsur" (California Rose)
With the coming of the rain season, the
Gabrieleno-Tongva prepared for
"Hayamo Pako Ororevay or "Paratsoson", Springtime. "Yarma", the month
of big tree sprouting or March as we know it was one of the great
sacred times. At the equinox, the shamans of the Tongva and visiting
Chumash counterparts would gather in the sacred Yovaar to sing the
Chant for Spring Equinox, the great "Hayamo Paka Ororevay Yowke Mare
Horoora Tarame Cheayeesh". For three months, since the long night
Winter Solstice festival and the putting to sleep of the sacred bear,
the people had withdrawn into their spiritual journeys. Now on the
21st, the Bear would be awakened and the second phase of the great
year would begin ....- Mark Acuna.
The full article can be read at http://mtbaldyeducation.org/californiarose.html
On Stepping up to the Challenge
While Sunday, May 20th will mark the dedication of our "new"
environmental education facility in San Gabriel Canyon, we have not
waited for this date to kick things off. Already this year 5,000
students and teachers have gained a new appreciation for their
"backyard" forest by participating in programs at this site. By next
year we anticipate the number growing to 8,000 students.
On the 20th we will celebrate the individuals and groups who helped us
renovate this historic Forest Service Fire Station to make it student
and teacher friendly. Just some of the folks, which you will hear more
about later, include: all our Eagle Scout award winners, notably the
Eagle Scout who supervised the tear-off and construction of a new
roof; Azusa Rotary, who underwrote and then painted our new garage
doors; and our two local fly fishing clubs (Flyfishers Resource
Volunteer Corps and Fly Fishers of Orange County), who are responsible
for all of the interior remodeling. (KF)
An ongoing
thank you
goes out to all those individuals and groups
who contribute their time
and financial resources to assist us at Mt. Baldy
and San Gabriel
Environmental Education Centers. Indeed the work and
contributions of
all our dedicated supporters does not go unnoticed. We
realize that our
vision to spread the message of "wise use" throughout
the Angeles
National Forest is possible primarily because of your dedication.
In
coming issues of the Herald we hope to list and thank each of you. (KF)
Grizzled and Gray, Curious and Carnivorous
Early arrivals at San Gabriel Canyon may be lucky enough to view the
dependable visitor, the gray fox. Its sign has been evident on the
nature trail for quite a while, but the animal has become more
accustomed to people and now watches them as much as they watch it.
The sign which marks its territory shows it eats as much plant as
animal material.
The gray fox is peppery gray on top,
reddish-brown on its sides, chest
and the back of its head. Its legs and feet are also reddish. The gray
fox has pointed ears, a pointed muzzle and long hooked claws. It is
smaller than a coyote with short legs and a long bushy tail with a
black stripe on top. The gray fox is a member of the dog family, the
only one that can climb trees.
The gray fox is the most common carnivore in the chaparral, but are
rarely seen because it is primarily crepuscular and nocturnal. It does
not hibernate, nor migrate. It is a curious, playful animal. Often
when hiking I've watched it move away and then stop, turn around and
watch me, just like it does the folks at San Gabriel. (JS)
produced by the San
Gabriel Mountains Heritage Association
in partnership with the USDA Forest Service, Angeles National Forest
Mt. Baldy Visitor Center
P.O. Box 592, Mt Baldy, CA 91759
Phone (909) 982-2829 FAX: (909) 931-7130
Email: info @ mtbaldyeducation . org [remove spaces]
Web Site: http://mtbaldyeducation.org
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