Volunteers

On July 4, against the stunning backdrop of northern California’s rugged coastline, the Bureau of Land Management and local partners celebrated America 250 and Independence Day at Mal Coombs Park in the King Range National Conservation Area.

After learning about Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness as a former BLM employee, Geoff Walsh, now BLM Arizona’s volunteer Birder in Residence, experiences the canyon in a new way.

Around the country, volunteers and BLM staff once again demonstrated their unwavering commitment to stewarding America’s public lands for this year’s 34th annual National Trails Day, held on June 6th.

On June 6, BLM and a group of volunteers and adventurers hiked 34 miles across four trails in the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, retracing part of the historic Juan Bautista de Anza expedition route from Palm Desert to Anza. The outing celebrated America's 250th anniversary, National Trails Day, and the Monument's own 25th anniversary, with support from the U.S. Forest Service and Friends of the Desert Mountains. Each participant received a Forests 250 challenge coin as a pledge to keep giving back to public lands.

The morning air still carried a cool bite when the first young anglers arrived at the Kemmerer Community Fishing Pond on June 13. By 7 a.m., the banks were alive with the sound of reels spinning, lines sailing through the air, and the kind of barely contained excitement that only a kid with a fishing rod can produce.