San Gabriel Mountains Heritage Association a California 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation

ANF VOLUNTEER NATURALIST PROGRAM      Agenda for Informational Meeting on October 27, 2007      Purpose and Requirements      November 2007 Schedule of Events Checklist      Application      Why I Volunteer on the Angeles National Forest      Original Draft      How to Subscribe to the Yahoo Discussion Group      Return Why I Volunteer I am nine. We are camping at Tuolumne Meadows on the Fourth of July with the obligatory watermelon chilling in the snowdrift behind the tent. Early in the morning we gather around the ranger who leads us on a nature walk. He stops at a spring bubbling through the meadow and fills a collapsible metal cup which he passes around urging us all to take a sip. Wow! My head jerks back and my eyes open wide! Without that interpretive guide, I would have never known the taste of soda water straight out of the ground. That ranger was the legendary Yosemite ranger-naturalist, Carl Sharsmith. Some fifty years later, I still remember the sensation of that cold, sharp, sparkling water. And today, I am the interpretive guide showing folks around Chilao, Baldy and the High Country of the Angeles. I like being the one who introduces folks to the wonders of the forest nearest to home. I like it when a gentleman upon seeing the butterflies along the Angeles Crest says, "I've been all over the world, the Himalayas, the Alps, photographing birds, but I never knew this was here, right in my own backyard." I like it when a birder coming from New York State sees the Mountain Quail at 6:45 am and waits until I arrive at the Visitor Center at 9 to tell me how happy he is to get this life bird. I like it when I can show some rare plant enthusiasts a flower in Switzer Creek that hasn't been seen on the forest since 1910. The native golden-colored rainbow trout in the pools are an added bonus. I like it that I can show a group of inner-city kids the largest and heaviest pine cone in the whole world, the cone with the wicked claws, the widow-maker, our own Coulter pine. I like it that I can be a volunteer naturalist on the Angeles. Jane Strong, September 2007 The mission of the San Gabriel Mountains Heritage Association is to provide support for environmental education, interpretive and heritage programs on the Angeles National Forest. For how you can help, please call the USFS Mt Baldy Visitor Center at 909 982 2829 or email us at In partnership with USDA Forest Service