California
Volunteer Opportunities
Red Hills Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC)
Enjoy working outdoors? Would you like to get more exercise? Got some free time? Then consider volunteering some time to the Bureau of Land Management in the Red Hills ACEC.
As a BLM Volunteer in the Red Hills you could.....
- Help with trail and sign maintenance, as well as litter control.
- Design and install interpretation markers for several historical sites existing within the Red Hills.
- The Red Hills is known for its wildflower display during the springtime. For the photography buff, you can create a photographic wildflower inventory, to include scientific names, best viewing locations as well as best times to view. Your work will be available for public review.
- Help rehabilitate several old road scars that need to be seeded to help improve appearance.
- Equipment to maintain Serpentine Loop road and the trail access/parking areas is also needed.
Join the Partnership!
The 1993 Designation of the Red Hills as an ACEC increased public awareness of the special resources of the Red Hills. Increased visitation created new concerns. The need to accommodate the publics ability to access and experience the Red Hills spawned a partnership between BLM, the Tuolumne County Trails Council, the California Native Plant Society, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Having resource protection as a common goal, these groups, and many individuals, worked together to create a non-motorized trail system to allow the public to experience the unique beauty and quiet solitude of the Red Hills.
What's Been Done?
Beginning at an improved parking area along Red Hills Road, 17.5 miles of non-motorized trails have been built by volunteer labor. Volunteers have installed trail markers throughout the trail system, transported materials and supplies with the help of a mule, built horse watering troughs, built public information kiosks in the parking area, installed picnic tables, and donated equipment use and time to improve the parking area surface and install culverts. In addition, dilapidated interior fencing has been removed and boundary fence has been built to protect adjacent private landowners from inadvertent public trespass. Other individuals and groups, such as People For Health Forests, have adopted the Red Hills for litter control. Since 1994 over 3,300 hours of time and labor, and $5000.00 worth of equipment and materials have been donated by these groups and individuals to the preservation and protection of the Red Hills ACEC.
Would you like to be a Red Hills Volunteer?
Public participation is key to the preservation and protection of our public lands. As you can see, volunteer participation has dramatically improved access to and and protection of the Red Hills ACEC. BLM encourages public participation. Volunteers can work alone or join organized work days to accomplish specific projects. BLM provides volunteers with uniform identification, certain work supplies and equipment, as well as a stipend to cover travel costs to and from the Red Hills.
If you would like to volunteer contact:
Bureau of Land Management, Mother Lode Field Office
Volunteer Coordinator: Barbara Williams @ (916) 941-3145
Call Your comments and ideas are always welcome!
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