Trail maintenance: It's a great way to get exercise, help out Sequoia National Forest
| Tuesday, Feb 09 2010 08:03 PM
Last Updated Tuesday, Feb 09 2010 08:04 PM
Have you ever thought about volunteering? If not, come check us out. The Sequoia National Forest and Giant Sequoia National Monument are partnering with a local organization over the next year or two to bring a large number of volunteers to work on trails throughout the forest. Many of these trails have not been maintained for over 10 years, which means brush and weeds have grown over the tread of the trail, making it hard to find.
The High Sierra Volunteer Trail Crew, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Clovis, has worked for over 15 years, mainly on the Sierra National Forest near Fresno. The Volunteer Trail Crew is uniquely positioned to partner with various public land managers involved in the stewardship of the central Sierra Nevada mountains, thus the forest is seizing on an opportunity to extend partnership opportunities.
The Crew works on projects pertaining to trail maintenance, environmental reclamation of marijuana grow sites, facility or forest maintenance, and youth education. The partnership that the Sequoia National Forest has with the High Sierra Volunteer Trail Crew has been ongoing for over 10 years, but will be expanded over the next couple of years to focus on more areas in the southern part of the forest and monument.
In January, the Sequoia National Forest identified 12 different trails that need maintenance this year where the High Sierra Volunteer Trail Crew will coordinate work through their trail crews. These trails are located in wilderness areas (like the Golden Trout Wilderness or the South Sierra Wilderness) or in the backcountry near recreation areas. The High Sierra Volunteer Trail Crew is seeking volunteers willing and able to accomplish this trail work this year.
Volunteering is the backbone of what we do to manage your national forest. Volunteers help us accomplish our mission of caring for the land and serving people. Volunteers also help us in educating and promoting the citizen steward in each of us. Some volunteers want to preserve their recreation opportunities and spend time outdoors. Other volunteers love being outside and feel a sense of responsibility toward the land. Still other volunteers are retired and looking for something to do or want to continue using their experience and skills. Finally, other volunteers are seeking health benefits through exercise and physical activity. All are welcome to come and volunteer on the Sequoia National Forest.
If you haven't thought about volunteering on the national forest, check us out. We have many opportunities for you -- trail maintenance is just one area to get down and dirty. Others volunteer to give interpretative programs on the forest or volunteer to pick up trash along our beautiful rivers and streams.
Margaret Mead and Rhoda Metraux, writing in "Aspects of the Present," once said: "We live in a society that always has depended on volunteers of different kinds, some who can give money, others who give time, and a great many who will freely give their special skills, full-time or part-time. If you look closely you will see that almost anything that really matters to us, anything that embodies our deepest commitment to the way human life should be lived and cared for, depended on some form, more often many forms, of volunteerism."
I invite you to contact the director, Shane Krogen if you are interested in volunteering to help with our trail projects. If you are interested, you can contact the High Sierra Volunteer Trail Crew at www.trailcrew.org.
Come participate, get involved in something unforgettable, and create a lasting friendship with others who enjoy the national forest or national monument. Come enjoy adventures you never thought you could have, and come enjoy the outdoors. Do something good for yourself and the environment and come see the beautiful scenery that embodies the Central Valley and the Southern Sierra Nevada.
Mary Chislock is the public affairs officer for the Sequoia National Forest and Giant Sequoia National Monument.
