NON PROFIT ORG VENTANA Kafka on Jeffers at the Winter Gathering Turner Creek US POSTAGE PAID Post Office Box 506 SANTA CRUZ, CA WILDERNESS Once again, VWA members and guests rallied Ventana Creek, the Little Sur River, and “noble Trail Project Santa Cruz, CA 95061 PERMIT NO. 150 to a Winter Gathering at the UC MBEST Center Pico Blanco, steep sea-wave of marble.” Most WATCH Recently, the VWA led an important project in ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED in Marina on Saturday, January 30th, 2010. captivating of all was the closing verse, read www.ventanawild.org The program included a hike on the adja- from Bixby’s Landing- “Wine-hearted solitude, the northwestern corner of the Ventana Volume 11 Number 1 Spring 2010 cent Fort Ord Natural Reserve led by expert our mother the wilderness, men’s failures are Wilderness. Utilizing grant money secured I naturalist Bruce Delgado. Displays highlighted often as beautiful as men’s triumphs, but your from the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park EVENTS a number of VWA stewardship and advo- returnings are even more precious than your District (MPRPD), the VWA hired a professional cacy projects and inspired attendees to get first presence.” crew to rehabilitate the Turner Creek trail involved. As is customary, the VWA provided a April 22-26. This trail links designated June 12, 2010 The gathering concluded with the presenta- delicious catered lunch, skillfully prepared by wilderness to regional parklands which in Molera Wilderness Legislation tion of a plaque to former California Assem- VWA Spring Gathering Marina’s very own Wild Thyme Deli. turn border the Big Sur community on Palo blymember John Laird. John was honored Colorado Road near “The Hoist.” Long at the Big Sur Lodge in Introduced, then Withdrawn The featured presentation was delivered by as a “Wilderness Champion” by the VWA to under-used due to a lack of maintenance, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park Robinson Jeffers scholar Rob Kafka. Mr. Kafka commemorate passage of AB 2945 and the In February 2010, Assemblymember Bill Monning the Turner Creek trail is now a viable access guided Ventanaphiles on a cathartic journey subsequent establishment of the Limekiln (CA 27) introduced legislation to designate route to the spectacular areas above the Little through Jeffers Country and beyond. Historic State Park Wilderness on September 30, 2008. approximately 920 acres of the Andrew Molera Sur watershed. VWA members Steve Benoit photographs accentuated powerful readings The honorarium featured a Tom Killion Find us on State Park backcountry as a State Wilderness. and Mike Heard skillfully led the collabora- of poems invoking backcountry locales like woodblock print and conveyed the VWA’s Following a public meeting in Big Sur in late March, tive effort. A special thanks goes out to Pat tremendous appreciation of Mr. Laird’s efforts Monning withdrew the legislation. At that meeting Bailey and the US Forest Service for providing in shepherding this important legislation some Big Sur residents expressed concern that pack stock support for the hard working and through the State Assembly. ■ wilderness designation would make the area less hungry trail crew. We also would like to thank safe from wildfires. the brave American Conservation Experience (ACE) trail crew for their efforts in remov- Assemblymember Monning’s April 6, 2010 letter Photo Caption Left: Former State Assemblymember John ing huge amounts of poison oak that were announcing the withdrawal states in part: Laird was presented with a plaque at the Winter Gathering encroaching on the trail. honoring him as a “Wilderness Champion.” VWA President A wilderness designation only affects state lands, Tom Hopkins at right. Inside this edition of the Ventana Wilderness Watch not private lands, and the portion of the State Park that would be designated as wilderness does not Photo Caption Right: Trail workers don Tyvek suits to ■ Molera Wilderness Legislation Introduced, then Withdrawn adjoin any private land. Additionally, the designation protect against poison oak. of wilderness does not preclude motorized equip- Photo: Richard Popchak Photo: Richard ■ Youth in Wilderness Program Underway ment from coming into the area for fire fighting purposes, and measures can be taken, as neces- Ventana Wilderness Alliance Post Office Box 506 Santa Cruz, CA 95061 sary, to control fire, insects, and diseases, subject ■ An Inspirational Western Wilderness Conference PHONE 831 423 3191 EMAIL [email protected] to the conditions established by the state agency Map: Julie Anne Hopkins Proposed Molera Wilderness Map. Board of Directors having jurisdiction. The acreage to be designated PRESIDENT Tom Hopkins [email protected] ■ Milpitas Special Interest Area Update is also adjacent to the federal Ventana Wilderness VICE PRESIDENT The mission of the Dennis Palm [email protected] Photo: Mike Heard Area and would complement federal protection in Following the March meeting and discussions with TREASURER David Jacobs [email protected] SECRETARY Richard Popchak [email protected] ■ King City Fifth Grade Science Camp the immediate vicinity. the Assemblymember, VWA president Tom Hopkins DIRECTOR/TRAIL CREW LEADER Betsy MacGowan [email protected] We would like to remind our readers that a expressed disappointment with the decision and DIRECTOR/OUTREACH COORDINATOR Bob Dawson [email protected] consistently-updated VWA Event Calendar Monning’s letter continued: DIRECTOR/TRAIL CREW CHIEF David Knapp [email protected] ■ Kafka on Jeffers at the Winter Gathering offered that, “The VWA will continue to work with is to protect, preserve, Extended Leadership Group can be accessed from the VWA home page at I also want to acknowledge the work that members the local and regional communities to resolve any MEMBERSHIP & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Mike Splain [email protected] www.ventanawild.org. Please go to this cal- of the Ventana Wilderness Alliance (VWA) have and restore the wilderness ■ VWA Volunteer Profile – Jean and Philippe LeBlanc factual issues with the Molera Wilderness proposal BIOLOGIST/BOTANIST Julie Anne Hopkins [email protected] endar often to find opportunities to volunteer invested to enhance and protect California’s state TRAIL CREW LEADER Mike Heard [email protected] and will look forward to its reintroduction in 2011 qualities and biodiversity TRAIL CREW LEADER Steve Benoit [email protected] on the trail crew or to support special projects wilderness areas. I fully expect and encourage ■ Trails Projects Update – Cone Peak and Turner Creek and subsequent enactment.” TRAIL CREW LEADER Robert Parks [email protected] such as Youth in Wilderness. Also, we ask that members of the VWA to continue to work with all TRAIL CREW LEADER Mark Maslow [email protected] of the public lands you use the interactive VWA Forums and Trail Popchak Photo: Richard community members to address concerns and to Readers are encouraged to contact Assembly- Newsletter Production Reports pages (also accessed from our home promote the vision and objective of keeping exist- member Monning and voice support for the Molera within California’s northern EDITOR Richard Popchak Join our new and improved Forum at the VWA website, www.ventanawild.org. Click on “Forums” under the Search field. ing wilderness areas free from encroachment and ASSISTANT EDITOR Peggy Dilfer page) to alert us to trails that require work. Wilderness. More information can be found at: protected for future generations. It is my belief that DESIGN Lynn Piquett Let us know where there are downed trees www.ventanawild.org/advocacy/wilderness. ■ Santa Lucia mountains PRINTING University Graphic Systems the wilderness area of Andrew Molera State Park is and encroaching brush … and we’ll do our CAL POLY, SAN LUIS OBISPO BLDG. 26 SUITE 212-A 805.756.1140 Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo PRINTED BY worth protecting. and Big Sur Coast. best to address those challenges. ■ U NIVERSITY GRAPHIC SYSTEMS is a printing enterprise completely managed and operated by students. Philippe (then 7), on the Buckeye Trail. I instantly Youth in Wilderness performed trail work on the Pine Ridge trail VWA provides the tools, camping gear and Jean and Philippe LeBlanc VWA Volunteer Profile I saw that this was a different world from the one in from China Camp to the Divide, then from the expertise to outfit a crew of up to 17 students Milpitas Special which I had been hiking previously—it was rougher Program in Full Swing Divide to Pine Valley. This was the second and supervisors on weekend backpacking and steeper and quite awe-inspiring. Also, any trip VWA Youth in Wilderness (YIW) expedition and trips. One component of the program is to Interest Area Update to Cone Peak is great. There is one particular trip Led by Greg Meyer and Morgan Harris, the group finished trail work started on the restore and maintain trails and other re- that is my favorite of all, since it combined virtually 17 college students ‘from California State Those who frequent the Ventana Wilderness initial YIW trip. Assisted by Mark Maslow, the sources damaged by human use, erosion and everything that I love about the Wilderness. Early in University Monterey Bay (CSUMB) and the and surrounding lands have their special the morning on December 5, 2005, I set out with entire crew had great fun, learned about fire. In addition to experiencing the beauty of University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC) places, but few are as magical and spec- Philippe (then 12) and my daughter Camille (then 8) wilderness and the Ventana Wilderness with leaders that have tacular as The Indians in the Spring. It has up the Salmon Creek trail, destination, Mount Mars, performed gratifying extensive wilderness experience, the program elevation 2674’. We chose a circuitous route that been studied by academics and enjoyed by work in gorgeous offers youth a chance to work in the outdoors included fire breaks, ridgelines and pure cross- individuals, wilderness schools, and families Spring weather. on productive and meaningful service.