Volunteers Have Big Impact on Parks State's unsung heroes give time,raise money for the greater good by Paul McHugh July 6, 2000 - San Francisco Chronicle When you seek solace, beauty, discovery, workouts or recreation in most California parks, an army quietly stands close at hand, ready, willing and able to tender assistance. Often -- since its members may wear official-looking patches and blouses -- they are mistaken for park rangers or paid employees. But these people are rewarded only by sunsets, visitor smiles and fulfilled ideals. They are citizen volunteers, and members of cooperating associations. "It's hard to imagine California's state or national parks functioning well without help from our volunteers and associations," said John Mott, who coordinates activities of such groups for the state Department of Parks and Recreation. Mott enjoys special insight into the state's cooperative program. He watched it get launched by his dad, parks guru William Penn Mott, 30 years ago. "Association members work as docents in environmental education and park interpretation," Mott said. "They also raise funds for park improvements, staff our kiosks and shops, do habitat restoration, write and print publications and even run junior ranger programs." There are 81 such groups assisting California state parks, with a total of 23,000 members. Their economic activities netted $6 million to assist park programs in 1998 (the most recent available figures). Besides those figures, the department has numbers on the volunteers in state parks. These 11,400 citizens may or may not belong to a cooperating association -- not all of the 260 state park units are lucky enough to have one. But collectively, they donated 926,000 hours of work on everything from trimming brush to restoring artifacts last year, a contribution with an estimated value of $14 million. Who are these unsung people, who annually produce a $20 million contribution for the commonwealth? And who add still more value by infusing park operations with their own vitality and friendliness? They are volunteers like Jackie Schiedeck, who lives in Millbrae, yet often drives north to lead hikes for the Mount Tamalpais Interpretive Association (MTIA), simply because, she said, "I love this mountain." Schiedeck refused to state her age. She's short, slight, and gray-haired. But on a recent Sunday, she led a score of hikers up the Bootjack Trail at a pace that had their tongues hanging out. Atop the peak, artist Audrey Hulburd, 68, from Greenbrae, greeted people at the tiny visitor center staffed by the MTIA. She sells watercolored landscape prints and T-shirts which she designed herself. She also shows off informative binders crammed with lore on local history, geology and wildflowers, all crafted by other MTIA members. "I volunteer to work up here because it's a great way to give something back to our mountain," Hulburd said. "I joined the MTIA in 1994 because it's such a high-energy group. I love to go out hiking with them a few times a month. And a social life goes along with it. We throw great parties.'' Behind the visitor center desk sat Sandy Meltzer, 78, a traveling salesman from Albany who joined the 220-member MTIA when he retired 12 years ago. Meltzer, who's hiked every path on the mountain, responds to a visitor's request for a, "cool, mossy, deep forest experience," by promptly sending him down the Cascade Trail. "Fifty trails cover 200 miles up here," Meltzer preached. "Those who only drive up don't see anything. But walk one mile down a trail and you'll find flowers and different sights like you can't believe." Near the peak is a site where the MTIA plans its grand opus: a new barn that shall house replicas of the "gravity cars" which, in an earlier era, thrilled visitors as they careened on rails, back down the mountain. The barn will also serve as a learning center for school groups. Scheduled for ground-breaking by September, this new gem set on Mount Tam's tiara will be worth $350,000; but it's slated to cost less than half that sum, thanks to volunteer labor and donated materials obtained by the MTIA. Eight miles south of the Tamalpais peak stands another monument to the volunteer effort. The restored Fort Barry Chapel near Rodeo Lagoon is a visitor center for Marin County's portion of the 76,000-acre Golden Gate National Recreation Area. Erected by the U.S. Army in 1941, the chapel was abandoned 30 years later. But the Golden Gate National Park Association (GGNPA), a federal park cooperative group, made the dilapidated structure a project in 1992. Now it holds a tidy museum dedicated to the military past and a bookstore devoted to the natural present. Here, GGNPA volunteers work beside uniformed rangers to sell recreational items and provide guidance to park programs -- many of which are also run by the volunteers. Citizens' co-op groups and "Volunteers In Parks" programs help out at many of the 22 federal park units (including eight national parks) in California. Among this company, the GGNPA stands out as a phenomenon. Founded in 1981, the group has grown into a formidable institution in its own right, with 190 paid employees and nearly 12,000 dues-paying members. They help guide the 11,000 volunteers who contributed 365,000 hours to this park's well-being last year. Programs ranged from native plant nurseries to "site stewardship" (monitoring habitat restoration and protection). Current projects include restoration of the 100-acre Crissy Field dune-and-marsh expanse, the Lobos Creek Dunes, and Mountain Lake -- all in or near San Francisco's Presidio. Since its inception, the GGNPA has raised and disbursed nearly $40 million in direct financial aid to park activities. At both state and federal park units, the rangers and paid managers retain authority over all projects and programs. But these officials are freed up to focus on essential tasks like planning, law enforcement and rescues, thanks to the hefty involvement of citizens. "If we didn't have the MTIA, park staff could still keep open all roads, restrooms and trails on Mount Tamalpais," said Tom Lindberg, a ranger who serves as a liaison between the MTIA and the Marin district of state parks. "But it would be a lesser experience. With volunteers here, visitors more easily discover why Tamalpais is an important place. Not only that, but these citizen groups convey a message of stewardship: Nature is our home, and everybody has a stake in its well-being." ------------------------------------------------------------------------ PARK VOLUNTEER INFORMATION Not only state and federal park units have volunteers and cooperating associations. City and county parks and museums, as well as open space districts, can have them too. An easy way to discover your options is to contact the staff at any unit near you which captures your interest. -- Parks in California-- To find groups attached to individual parks, contact John Mott, cooperating association program manager, at (916) 654-5397. Or check the Web site, The California State Parks Foundation is an umbrella group dedicated to supporting the statewide system, but has links to many local groups. (415) 258-9975. -- Federal Parks -- General: Association of Partners for Public Lands, (410) 647-9001, or www.appl.org; Northwest Interpretive Association, (206) 220-4140. In Northern California: Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site in Danville, Eugene O'Neill Foundation, (925) 820-1818; Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Golden Gate National Parks Association, (415) 561-3000; John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, John Muir Memorial Association, (925) 229-3857; Lassen Volcanic National Park, Lassen Loomis Museum Association, (530) 595-3399; Lava Beds National Monument, Lava Beds Natural History Association (530) 667-2282; Pinnacles National Monument, (888) 569-7762, www.spma.org; Point Reyes National Seashore, Pt. Reyes National Seashore Association, (415) 663-1155; Redwood State and National Parks, Redwood Natural History Association, (707) 464-9150; San Francisco Maritime National Historic Park, National Maritime Museum Association, (415) 561-6662; Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, Southwest Park and Monument Association, (888) 569-7762, www.spma.org; Yosemite National Park, Yosemite Fund, (415) 434-1782 or www.yosemitefund.org, Yosemite Association, (209) 379-2646 or http://www.yosemite.org -- Local Examples -- The Mount Tamalpais Interpretive Association. Regular member, $25 annual dues, plus forty volunteer hours; or $40.00 (supporting member). (415) 258-2410, (415) 924-7887, or http://www.mtia.net The Golden Gate National Park Association. Regular membership, $35 annual dues; or $50 (sponsor), or $100 (steward). (415) 561-3000. or http://www.ggnpa.org.