Helping Hands for America’s Lands

Saturday September 26th

   

National  Public Lands Day 2014 at Cactus Flat Staging Area 

  

Fawnskin, California ____ National Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest daylong volunteer effort for public lands, garnering more than 175,000 participants.  The nonprofit Southern California Mountains Foundation in partnership with the United States Forest Service is staging one of 2,100 sites this year on America’s second busiest national forest, the San Bernardino National Forest.   Volunteers are needed to continue the ongoing restoration at Cactus Flat Staging Area, a popular family recreation area adjacent to State Route  18 with easy access to work site.

National Public Lands Day shows our community the importance of keeping our lands healthy and green,” shared Stacy Gorin, interim executive director, Southern California Mountains Foundation.  “We’re passionate about mobilizing families and individuals to get outdoors and give back to the mountains we love through community service.   We have fun and make a difference thanks to our co-sponsors REI, Outdoor Life magazine and Yamaha Motor Corporation USA,” she added. 

No experience necessary and volunteers of all ages are welcome.  Volunteers should wear long pants and closed toed shoes, as well as sunscreen and hats; supplies and gloves will be provided.   Outdoor Life magazine and Yamaha Motor Corporation USA will provide lunch and a gift bag to each volunteer.

Register at: http://mountainsfoundation.org/childrens-forest/forest-restoration.

Volunteers will meet at the Big Bear Discovery Center at 9:00 A.M., Saturday   morning and caravan to Cactus Flat for ecological restoration activities until 3:00 P.M.      

Activities will include planting shrubs and trees that have been grown at the San Bernardino National Forest Native Plant Nursery, collecting native seeds, creating rock check dams to prevent further erosion of soil, and water native plants from previous volunteer events.

The Cactus Flat Staging Area, established in 1988, is located within a matrix of endangered species habitat along the southern edge of the Bighorn Mountain Wilderness. It serves as the primary access point to a 25-mile system of designated off-road vehicle trails.  The Southern California Mountains Foundation in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service has dedicated great resources and community restoration events in the conservation and protection of this 5-acre project site. 

The primary focus of restoration activities at Cactus Flat Stage Area have included re-vegetation of several eroded hills and other unauthorized use areas within and adjacent to the staging area, seeding, planting and protection of impacted sites outside of the intended footprint.  These measures include the installation of barriers and signs to protect restored areas, and to better direct vehicle and off-road traffic to appropriate opportunities within and adjacent to the staging area. 

The Discovery Center is located at 40971 North Shore Drive/State Route 38 in Fawnskin nestled on the North Shore of Big Bear Lake. 

About the Southern California Mountains Foundation: 

The Southern California Mountains Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that believes connecting communities to its public lands is the key to their survival.  They mobilize individuals to inspire and engage in environmental citizenship.  The Mountains Foundation achieves its mission by raising money, organizing critical volunteer resources, and creating and managing programs focused on health, stewardship and sustainability of our Southern California mountains and urban “forests”.   Visit www.MountainsFoundation.org

About Outdoor Life:  

Outdoor Life is the go-to magazine for sportsmen, looking to improve their hunting and fishing skills. It is published by the Bonnier Corporation, one of the largest consumer-publishing groups in the United States and the leading media company serving passionate, highly engaged audiences through magazines, events, digital media and leading-edge products. Bonnier Corp. is the U.S. division of the Bonnier Group, an international media group active in television, newspapers, magazines, movies, books and digital media.