John's Notes
Thank You for Your Support
Equestrian & Tulake News
Adopt-a-Highway
Spare Pack Parts

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4-VICTOR is published by the San Gorgonio Volunteer Association, 34701 Mill Creek Road, Mentone, CA 92359. A non-profit organization in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service, San Bernardino National Forest. The goals of the partnership are to educate the public to preserve and conserve our natural resources.

4-Victor newsletter edited by Teri Cappuccio and Ann Robinson

Portions of this newsletter may have been edited to present material applicable to the general viewing public.

APRIL 2000
Volume 4 - Issue 2

Services provided by the SGVA are supported by the U.S. Forest Service, your National Forest Adventure Pass, Alpine Meadows Camp and Conference Center, and public donations

The start of another summer season on the mountain is shaping up fast and very well. As usual, most of our veterans are about to return and we have many new volunteers anxious to join our ranks.

I thank everyone for keeping your first aid training up to date. Also, many of you have completed your annual safety training and others will take care of that requirement at our May 13^th training day.

The public developed camps are opening a little earlier this year. And while there is still some snow on the north sides of our wilderness mountains, the number of day and overnight hikers is rising rapidly. So I’m sure the public is eagerly awaiting your return to take care of things at the Barton Flats Visitor Center, Horse Meadows, and out on the trails in and around the wilderness.

I hope you are getting your hearts, lungs, and legs in shape to serve the thousands of visitors who are on their way to enjoy their forest. I’ve started my spring training and hope to lose about 10 pounds soon. I know I’ll gain it back when we SGVAers start getting together to eat. I look forward to seeing you all soon in our beautiful mountains.

Many who know the great value of our forest and wilderness areas may not have the time, but have the monetary resources to help the SGVA continue to "Serve, Protect, and Educate." Recent contributing members to whom forest visitors and we owe many thanks are:

Regular Contributing Members ($20 or more annually)

• Terry & Pat Lavely

President's Club ($100 or more annually)

• Aztec Concrete Accessories -Jeff Church, President

• High Desert Trail Riders

Equestrian and Tulake News
Val & Danny Silva - Equestrian Coordinator/
Tulake Manager

Our horsey activities have already started. In March Tom Robertson and his able assistant Jeannie presented a program for equestrians and their use of horses in the forest. Twenty-seven people and no horses attended, everyone picked up some new information. The presentation raised our awareness about minimizing impact on the land and helping relations with non-horse people (You know who you are!). Running them off the trail is apparently not what we're supposed to do, darn, that's always fun.

After seeing Tom’s pictures and talking about where to camp, I was ready to leave on a pack trip right after the program, and I think everyone else was too. Makes work a little easier to know summer is coming. (I'm excluding you retired people. I can't imagine making retirement any easier.)

We have new uniforms for our horses, so be sure to tell the horses how nice they look when you see them. You know how those new uniforms make you feel--a little flattery always helps.

Danny and I are looking forward to seeing everyone at Tulake this summer. We will be staying Saturday night after the training if anyone wants to enjoy the first campfire of the season with us. Of course, on Sunday we will require help raking pine needles, putting up tent cabins, cleaning the kitchen and bathroom, then off to Barton Flats for more of the same. If we run out of things to do, we can always go to Horse Meadows to clean up. Forget about Mother’s Day on Sunday and come spend it with us.

If you haven't been able to attend the safety training yet, you must attend the May 13 training day at Alpine Meadows Camp. No safety training--no volunteering--you'll miss a lot of fun and good food.

Adopt-a-Highway
Cindy and Joe McGregor - Adopt-a-Highway Coordinators

Hi everyone! Here we are, looking forward to another summer in our beautiful mountains. Our first Adopt-A-Highway/Adopt-A-Trail was held on April 22. We worked on the Whispering Pines trail and also picked up trash.

Our next Adopt-A-Highway will be on June 10, 9:30 a.m., at Heart Bar Fire Camp. Please bring water, lunch, gloves, etc.

We hope to see you there!

Spare Pack Parts
Stan Haddox - Volunteer Wilderness Ranger

While volunteering at the Horse Meadows interpretive site, I have observed many first-time hikers, and some veteran hikers, with packs missing pins and straps. I would like to put together a small box of extra parts to provide free to hikers in need. This could make a difference in those hikers enjoying their hike and their forest. We can keep the box with our other Horse Meadows equipment for the use of all volunteers staffing the site.

If you would like to help by bringing in any extra pack parts, please contact me. Thanks, Stan Haddox 909-794-2437.

The use of trade, firm, product, or corporation names in this newsletter is for the information and convenience of the reader. Such use does not constitute an official endorsement or approval by the San Gorgonio Volunteer Association concerning the quality of any product or service or to the exclusion of others that may be suitable.

Every effort is made to provide accurate and useful information. However, the San Gorgonio Volunteer Association and its volunteers, employees, and contractors assume no legal liability for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed herein. Neither the San Gorgonio Volunteer Association, nor its employees and contractors, make any warranty, express or implied, including the warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose with respect to information available in this newsletter.

The US Forest Service and the San Gorgonio Volunteer Association prohibit discrimination in all their programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs and activities.) The US Forest Service and the San Gorgonio Volunteer Association are equal opportunity providers and employers.

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