New B.A.R.K. Ranger Program brings pet etiquette to BLM's Headwaters Forest Reserve
A two-student team from Cal Poly Humboldt assisted the BLM California Arcata Field Office with implementing a new pet etiquette program at the Headwaters Forest Reserve in California. The program, inspired by other DOI pet etiquette programs throughout the nation, launched this spring.
Nick Salgado-Stanley and Nizhoni (Niz) Kears, fellows in the Cal Poly Humboldt and AmeriCorps College Corps Program serving as interpretive interns, obtained support for the new “B.A.R.K. Ranger” program at the Reserve. The program teaches visitors appropriate pet behavior and owner responsibilities.
The B.A.R.K. Ranger program provides guidelines designed to minimize the impact of pets in sensitive ecosystems. Salgado-Stanley's and Kears' project aims to support a community education initiative that encourages pet owners to visit the Headwaters Forest Reserve responsibly.
Visitors with pets will take the B.A.R.K. Ranger pledge, which allows them to receive a tag for their furry friend’s collar to display. B.A.R.K. stands for the program's principles: Bag your pet’s waste, Always leash your pet or keep under voice control, Respect wildlife, and Know where you can go.
Salgado-Stanley and Kears spend their hours working with Arcata Field Office park rangers, providing interpretation and education to the visiting public at the Headwaters Education Center and Trinidad Head Lighthouse, and leading field trips and other events on BLM-managed lands.
In addition to their required duties, both have gone above and beyond to support BLM resource and recreation staff, focusing on projects related to education, wildlife, fisheries, and maintenance across the field office's area of responsibility.
The Headwaters Forest Reserve is a 7,472-acre area managed by the BLM in coordination with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The Reserve was established in 1999 to preserve the world’s last unprotected, intact, old-growth redwood ecosystem.
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