VENTANA
WILDERNESS
WATCH
ventanawild.org
Newsletter of the
Ventana Wilderness Alliance Volume 16 Number 1 I Spring 2015
Watercolor on paper by Julie Himes, 2015 I
Smith’s Blue Butterfly
juliehimes.com
New Update
Special Map Insert
Volunteer Spotlight
on the Old Murry Mine
Carmel River Trail Network
Erik Gandolfi
Protecting the Big Sur Backcountry
V E N T A N A
W I L D E R N E S S
W A T C H
VENTANA WILDERNESS WATCH
Newsletter of the Ventana Wilderness Alliance
PO Box 506 I Santa Cruz, California 95061
(831) 423-3191 I ventanawild.org
The mission of the
Ventana Wilderness Alliance
is to protect, preserve and restore the
wilderness qualities and biodiversity
of the public lands within California’s
northern Santa Lucia Mountains
and Big Sur coast.
BOARD of DIRECTORS
Tom Hopkins, President
Dennis Palm, Vice President
David Jacobs, CPA, Treasurer
Al Budris, Secretary
Betsy MacGowan, Director-At-Large
Maria Ferdin, Director-At-Large
David Knapp, Director-At-Large
Greg Meyer, Director-At-Large
STAFF
Mike Splain, Executive Director
Richard Popchak, Communications and
Development Director
Bryce Winter, Youth in Wilderness
Program Manager
Julie Anne Hopkins, Botanist/Biologist
Betsy MacGowan, Trail Crew Chief
Steve Benoit, Lead Wilderness Ranger
and Trail Crew Leader
Maria Ferdin, Trail Crew Leader
Sharol Sevilla, Trail Crew Leader
Mike Heard, Trail Crew Leader
NEWSLETTER PRODUCTION
Editor: Richard Popchak
Design: Lynn Piquett
Printing: Community Printers, Santa Cruz
Printed on 100% post consumer waste recycled paper with Agri-based inks.
ON THE COVER
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Illustrator Julie Himes
has a background in
biology and works in the
Life Science Division of
Monterey Peninsula
College. She moved to
Monterey after finishing
her Master’s in Ecology
and Evolutionary Biology at UCLA. After
graduate school, she discovered the world of
science illustration and now spends her free
time painting organisms and diagrams for
biological research. Check out her work at
juliehimes.com and her Etsy site at jehimes.
etsy.com.
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Executive Director’s Message
On March 7, 2000, the newly formed Ventana Wilderness Alliance filed its Articles of Incorporation with California’s Secretary of State. Things were different then in a lot of ways. The
Ventana and Silver Peak Wilderness areas were much smaller. Cattle hoofed across seven
grazing allotments on the Big Sur coast. The US Navy was quietly gearing up for a practice
bombing range in Stony Valley, just outside the wilderness boundary. Advocacy was the name
of the game. But even then
stewardship was a concern too.
The backcountry was recovering from the 86,000 acre Kirk
Complex Wildland Fire. Trails
and camps were in shambles
and it had been 12 years since
a full-time Wilderness Ranger
set boots on the ground in the
entire District.
To founding VWA members,
each one of these challenges
provided opportunities. Careful
inventories of unprotected
public lands throughout the region became recommendations for thousands of acres of new
wilderness. Documentation of aggressive grazing practices and damage to coastal watersheds
built a strong case for the removal of cattle from this fragile landscape. Efforts to monitor
proposed actions on Fort Hunter Liggett that might compromise the character of the adjacent
wilderness revealed the Stony Valley plans to a very concerned public. The burgeoning VWA
Trail Crew took advantage of the Kirk fires and began resurrecting a remote wilderness trail
that hadn’t been passable in twenty years.
The Big Sur Wilderness and Conservation Act of 2002 was unquestionably the early VWA’s
crowning achievement and the passage of this legislation was a defining moment. With the
stroke of a pen the Ventana Wilderness became the most expanded unit in the National
Wilderness Preservation System. Its self-appointed watchdog group didn’t take this
distinction lightly and so was immediately faced with the daunting question of how to care
for these newly protected lands. In an environment of ever-shrinking Forest Service budgets,
the challenge was threefold: The Ventana Wilderness Alliance would need to overcome a
longstanding agency aversion to volunteers, keep up with a decades-old trail maintenance
backlog, and do so without losing sight of its core advocacy mission.
So how have we done? Suffice to say, several grazing allotments have been retired. The
Navy was ultimately convinced that the central coast was no place for bombing practice.
Volunteer Wilderness Rangers now patrol the backcountry and Trailhead Volunteers
make visitor contacts at bustling Big Sur Station. Volunteer and paid trail crews combat
encroaching brush, deadfall and creeping tread throughout the hiking season. The Youth
in Wilderness program provides natural history and service learning outings designed to
engage and inspire the next generation of wilderness advocates.
Of course, the VWA can’t claim all the credit. Indeed, without an incredibly generous
coalition of partners, volunteers, business supporters, grant makers and an ever-expanding
membership, none of this work would be possible. So thank you, and special thanks to
the visionary folks who signed those Articles of Incorporation. It’s an honor to carry the
wilderness torch a little further, all the while standing on the shoulders of giants who
founded the organization fifteen years ago.
Happy Birthday, VWA!
Mike Splain
I Executive Director
The Old Murry Mine I by Tom H o p kin s
In 2008, Boon Hughey led me to the Old Murry Mine (OMM) in the
Silver Peak Wilderness. Having successfully completed the cleanup
of old mining and habitation detritus in the Willow Creek drainage
a few years earlier, we were looking to see if the OMM site
warranted similar VWA stewardship action. What we found was
more than we bargained for.
The OMM is the northernmost developed mercury mine in the
Santa Lucia Mountains and the only such mine in Monterey
County. Abandoned in the late 1950s, the OMM produced very
limited quantities of refined mercury.
The site is a jumble of old mining paraphernalia. Boon and I
observed scattered junk piles, old fuel drums, shacks, and the
retort where mercury was extracted from the cinnabar ore. Of
significant concern is a drain pipe under the old calcines (spent
ore that was heated in the retort to extract the mercury). This
pipe is releasing liquid discharge into a tributary of Dutra Creek.
Acid mine discharge into a seasonal tributary of Dutra Creek.
The Preliminary Assessment calls for the removal of the mercury
contamination because of the health risk to humans and the
environment under CERCLA authority. (CERCLA is the acronym
for the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation
and Liability Act, the federal law more commonly known as
“Superfund”.)
At a recent Forest Service briefing by Assistant Regional Environmental Engineer Belinda Walker, VWA leadership was advised that
the removal of the contaminants will be undertaken by the Forest
Service with a completion goal of two years. The Forest Service
has conducted a Preliminary Site Investigation and will now
prepare an Engineered Evaluation/Cost Assessment (EE/CA).
When completed, the EE/CA will be available for a 30-day public
comment period.
Retort at the Old Murry Mine.
Our initial 2008 observations were photo documented and reported
to the US Forest Service. The following year two well-qualified
VWA volunteers – environmental health professional Betsy
MacGowan and biologist Julie Anne Hopkins – gathered soil,
water and other samples at the calcines drain and around the
retort. Lab analyses of those samples, indicating the presence
of unhealthy concentrations of mercury, were also forwarded to
the Forest Service. In 2011, Forest Service mineral specialists
Jerry De Graff and Yonni Schwartz, guided by USFS Resource
Officer Jeff Kwasny and VWA leaders Paul McFarland and Mike
Splain, visited the site and collected more extensive soil samples.
The results of the Forest Service sampling, including the prior
VWA reporting and sampling, have now been published by the
Forest Service as Removal Preliminary Assessment for the Old
Murry Mine Mill Site (De Graff, 2014).
Going forward, new VWA leadership has gathered around this
issue. VWA volunteer Lisa Wallender, a recently retired water
quality chemist with SLO County and member of the Technical
Support Group (TSG) for the Klau-Buena Vista mercury mine
Superfund site, will co-lead VWA participation in the OMM
cleanup. Lisa has also assembled a Technical Support Group
for the OMM project. The OMM TSG, composed of scientists with
relevant experience, will help the VWA support the removal action
that is being pursued by the USFS.
After the removal action is completed, VWA may become directly
involved in dealing with some of the scattered junk piles, old fuel
drums, and shacks that Boon and I first observed on that 2008 visit
to the site. VWA is also considering a longer term study to assess
potential downstream impacts from mercury contamination to the
Dutra and San Carpoforo drainages in partnership with the
Monterey Bay area marine science community. Look for updates
and volunteer opportunities on this important VWA stewardship
initiative in future issues of Ventana Wilderness Watch and
on our website. ■
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Super Saturday
On Saturday, March 7, VWA staff members and volunteers
descended on Big Sur. Through sheer coincidence, three distinct
stewardship events were scheduled at Big Sur Station that day.
The VWA folks were joined by students, Forest Service staff, and
hundreds of visitors seeking everything from a day at the beach to
a genuine wilderness experience. The serendipitous nature of this
convergence made for a happy and productive day.
The day’s first event was led by US Forest Service Recreation
Officer Tom Murphey; Youth in Wilderness program leaders Bryce
Winter and Franco Guzman; and Christian Lamonea, a teacher at
Rancho Cielo Youth Campus. They guided students from Rancho’s
Silver Star program through the installation of a new kiosk at
the bustling Pine Ridge Trailhead. The kiosk highlights Leave No
Trace ethics and the Wilderness Act and includes a detailed map
of the backcountry. The Rancho Cielo students, along with Bryce,
Franco and Christian, enjoyed camping at Pfeiffer Big Sur State
Park the previous evening. The new kiosk looks great. Please
check it out the next time you are at Big Sur Station.
In the nearby meadow, eight Volunteer Wilderness Rangers
(VWRs) kicked off a Wilderness First Aid certification course.
Rangers learned skills ranging from basic first aid to high-risk
evacuations. This valuable knowledge (which we hope they never
need to use) makes them qualified to handle emergency situations
far from the security of civilization. The eight Rangers certified
that day were Beth Benoit, Stuart Carlson, Chris Hensley,
Esperanza Hernandez, Betsy MacGowan, Joe Radoslovich, Bobby
Steger and Dave Wachtel. We thank them for their expertise and
dedicated volunteerism.
Meanwhile, inside Big Sur Station, VWRs Sharol Sevilla, Lynn
Moncher, Maria Ferdin, Anne Canright and Steve Benoit
conducted training to address the stewardship challenge of
overuse at Sykes Camp. This new and innovative aspect of the
Ranger program enlists Trailhead Volunteers (TVs) to provide
Leave No Trace and fire safety information to visitors BEFORE
LEFT TO RIGHT I Tom Murphey of the USFS with VWRs Maria Ferdin,
Sharol Sevilla, Steve Benoit, Anne Canright, Mike Heard and
Lynn Moncher.
they head out on the Pine Ridge Trail. The prospective TVs
learned how to best engage with visitors, provide recreation
information, and collect visitor data. We are very excited about
the potential of these new volunteers to protect the wilderness
character of this all-too-popular destination.
Boots on the ground, visitor education and a consistent trailhead
presence are essential to keeping the Big Sur River and Ventana
Wilderness wild. Thanks to everyone who made this watershed
weekend possible! ■
Super Saturday
Special Thanks to:
National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance
National Forest Foundation
US Forest Service, Monterey Ranger District
California State Parks, Monterey District
Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics
Rancho Cielo Youth Campus
Big Creek Lumber
Patagonia Santa Cruz
Backcountry Medical Guides
Youth in Wilderness program leaders
Volunteer Wilderness Rangers
Trailhead Volunteers
Rancho Cielo students painting the kiosk at the Pine Ridge Trailhead.
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VWA members like you!
The Trail Ahead in 2015
VWA Trail Crew Leaders, along with over 150 active volunteers, are greatly improving access in the Ventana and Silver Peak Wilderness
areas. The VWA is fortunate to have Betsy, Maria, Mike, Sharol and Steve as dedicated Trail Crew Leaders. Their multifaceted role includes scheduling outings, recruiting and managing volunteers, planning the overall work strategy, ensuring the work is done safely,
and reporting accomplishments. Let’s take a look at some of their key achievements and their vision for the trail ahead.
Betsy MacGowan
Accomplishments
■Marble Peak Trail – With help from many, many volunteers, plus pack support from the US Forest Service, maintained accessibility of the Marble Peak Trail to stock and opened the difficult section west of Tan Oak Camp to hikers. Also, guided several paid crews in the recovery of the Black Cone Trail.
■Proposed and supported construction of five backcountry toilets by VWA volunteer David Hirsh. Thanks to VWRs, two are in place at Ventana Camp and, thanks to USFS staff, one is installed at Terrace Creek Camp.
Goals in 2015
■Continue work on the Marble Peak Trail to restore tread in the Tan Oak Creek drainage.
■Work to clear the Lost Valley Trail to Higgins Camp and maybe Pelon.
■Support the other Trail Crew leaders in the many excellent projects underway to clear the critical main trails before they become completely lost.
Mike Heard
Accomplishments
■Cone Peak Trails Project – With help from Volunteer Rangers, Mike installed five signs at junctions along the North Coast Ridge Trail.
■Silver Peak Trail Project – Thanks to two professional crew hitches, the Cruikshank Trail is now stock passable from Highway 1 to Upper Cruikshank Camp.
Goals in 2015
■Complete Cone Peak area sign installations at Trail Spring Camp, Goat Camp and Vicente Flat Camp.
■Work off deferred maintenance on Stone Ridge and Kirk Creek Trails.
■Deploy four professional crews at Upper Cruikshank Camp to clear the Buckeye Trail to Buckeye Camp.
Maria Ferdin
Accomplishments
■Ventana Double Cone Trail – Cleared heavy brush from sections between Little Pines and the shoulder of Uncle Sam Mountain. Trail opened to Puerto Suello.
■Big Sur Trail – One mile of trail is cleared of heavy brush from Cold Spring Camp.
Goals in 2015
■Big Sur Trail – Clear it to stock passable down to Cisco Creek before the start of summer. Begin overnight trips into Rainbow Camp in late fall.
■Ventana Double Cone Trail – Clear the first three miles beyond Puerto Suello. Make connection to Lone Pine Camp obvious and replace sign.
Steve Benoit
Sharol Sevilla
Accomplishments
■Reestablished the Miller Canyon Trail.
■Continued annual work on key sections of the Pine Ridge, Little Sur, Skinner Ridge, Ventana Double Cone and Miller Canyon Trails and the Pine Valley Connector.
■As a C certified sawyer, Steve supported other crew leaders with log removal on other trails.
Goals in 2015 and Beyond
■Continue annual work on the above trails, pushing ever further into the Forest.
■Steve’s dream goals include tackling the Puerto Suelo Trail and working the Lost Valley Trail from the Marble Peak Trail to Lost Valley.
■Remove the remaining deadfalls from the Big Pines Trail.
Accomplishments
■Completed the training necessary to become an official
Trail Crew Leader.
■Recruited and trained Trailhead Volunteers to engage hikers
and backpackers at Big Sur Station and teach them Leave No
Trace principles before entering the wilderness.
Goals in 2015
■Leverage experience as Trip Leader on the Santa Lucia Trail in
March to lead more trips in 2015 and beyond.
Join us on
meetup.com/VentanaWilderness-AllianceMeetup/
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Special Places of the Santa Lucias I The Milpitas Special Interest Area (Part 2)
b y Mike Splai n
Beautiful yet formidable chaparral pea.
Photo: Aaron Schusteff
Our visit to the storied and scenic Milpitas Special Interest Area
has been long and luxurious but it’s time to get back on the trail.
Accustomed to wildflower-clad meadows and gently sloping rock
formations, the pavement of Milpitas Road is harsh underfoot. But
as the road ascends to the head of the Arroyo Seco drainage, we are
greeted by a seemingly limitless expanse of Vaqueros Sandstone.
From here we descend into the San Antonio watershed and soon
make our way across its namesake river. With some skillful navigation, we shortcut to the Carrizo Trail and begin our journey to the Coast
Ridge, following a migration literally thousands of years in the making.
Initially meandering through pleasant savannahs shaded by blue oak
(Quercus douglasii) and interior live oak (Q. wizlizenii), our trail
reaches the first of several sandstone rims. Foot traffic is scarce
nowadays but eons of travel have worn these ledges into entrenched
passageways hemmed with stony bannisters. A bit farther we are treated
to an expansive overview of Salinan sacred places, from the summit of
sta’yokale (Santa Lucia Peak) to the meadows of tc’amakám (part of the
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Wagon Cave Plains). A familiar sound piques our interest but it’s too
distant to discern. Traversing north-facing slopes, dense shrublands
dramatically reduce our pace. Owing to the moisture of recent rains,
an understory of California broom (Acmispon glaber) teems with ticks,
but even this doesn’t slow us so much as the thorny chaparral pea
(Pickeringia montana). In a few places the plant forms barbwire
thickets and progress is respectfully slow.
The familiar sound is much closer now and careful inspection
reveals the source. Carrizo Spring is a sight for sore eyes. Plunging off of a sandstone precipice, it’s not long before we reach its
attendant stand of enormous canyon oaks (Q. chrysophylla) and an
apparently ancient fire ring. It takes careful maneuvering to fill a
bottle from this frigid mountain spring and the reward is well worth
the effort. Historians presume that “Carrizo” is derived from the
Spanish word for sugar cane. Salinan Indians may have gathered a
grass near tc’ahal (their name for this place) for similar purposes.
Whatever the case, there’s no denying the sweetness of Carrizo
Spring. But we’ve got miles to cover and must continue the climb.
A relentless ascent brings us to the Salsipuedes saddle, a stunning
watershed divide at 4,000 feet. The pragmatism of our predecessors
is immediately apparent here; there is no other way to reasonably
surmount this jumbled country. Soon the sandstone takes on an
otherworldly, iron-rich redness, and the occasional Coulter pines
(Pinus coulteri) that have thus far punctuated the chaparral are
joined by an unusual occurrence of sugar pine (P. lambertiana).
After a somewhat unpleasant push through encroaching chamise,
we enter the shady headwaters of the Arroyo Seco amid a majestic
forest of canyon oak, sugar pine and incense-cedar (Calocedrus
decurrens). Approaching the coast ridge, shadows grow long and,
with great relief, we negotiate a steep cross-country traverse to
Cook Spring Camp. This high mountain spring yields a life-sustaining trickle just shy of the Santa Lucia crest. After a hot meal and
a quick scan of the distant Salinas Valley, sleep comes easy on an
aromatic bed of pine needles. ■
Volunteer Spotlight I Eri k G a n d o l fi
The VWA is blessed to have many dedicated volunteers. Some folks get involved in stewardship efforts while others help out with special
events. Still others support the office or sit on the board of directors and special committees. Erik Gandolfi is a unique volunteer in that
he donates his time and expertise to tell the VWA story using video. His work has been featured in each of our last two Wild & Scenic Film
Festivals. You can see these films by searching “Ventana Wilderness Alliance channel” on YouTube. Let’s learn a little bit about the man
behind the camera.
Q:
First off, please tell us a little about yourself, your education and your career.
I was born in Santa Cruz on May 11, 1963. At that time Santa Cruz was not yet known as a mecca for social activism nor was anyone
trying to keep anything “weird.” All that changed, of course. After high school, I attended Santa Clara University as a theatre major. I also
studied theatre arts at Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts. My goal was to become a working actor in stage, TV and
film. That was the plan at least. I worked in theatre all over California and in recent years I’ve
directed and acted at Jewel Theatre in Santa Cruz. In 1992, I got lucky and landed a national
television ad for Alka-Seltzer. Because this gig paid particularly well, I was able to invest
in my hobby, which was learning about video cameras and editing on videotape.
Ironically, it was at this point that my career began shifting towards producing,
shooting and editing videos and acting became a hobby.
Q:
What attracted you to doing videos about the VWA?
I’m attracted to doing videos about the VWA because it is a
non-profit organization that actually does something extremely
valuable. They do not sit around and talk about how important
they all are. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone from the VWA,
whether it’s the staff, volunteers, founders or board members,
sitting around talking much at all about themselves. They
always seem to be doing something out in the field or in the
office documenting data from trail work or planning Youth
in Wilderness excursions. It seems the only time any one of
them talks about themselves and their work is when I am
interviewing them.
But what really draws my eye to making videos for the VWA
is the area they protect, the Big Sur region. The Ventana
Wilderness is a challenge to film. With its steep-sided,
sharp crested ridges and precipitous canyons and peaks,
much of the Big Sur backcountry is truly hidden from the
naked eye. One has to walk into it to see how wild, rugged
and spectacular this area is. My goal is to raise enough
interest and capital to spend more time out there and
tell the stories that need to be shared.
Q:
What have you learned about the VWA
(and yourself) from this experience?
The VWA experience has taught me that much of their work
is not for wimps. One can romanticize about how wondrous
Big Sur is but unless you’ve walked in the shoes of a Volunteer
Wilderness Ranger or a Trail Crew volunteer and experienced
the kind of work they do, it is hard to describe the true nature
of the region. I suggest that if you are capable, go there and
experience it. The wilderness is there for all of us to enjoy,
respect and learn from. I was one of those guys who grew up
in the Monterey Bay area boasting how well I knew Big Sur
and how fantastic and unique it all is. When I started working
with the VWA in 2013, I realized just how much I don’t know
about that stretch of coast between Carmel and San Luis
Obispo with the high peaks and steep cliffs. With any luck at
all, I will learn more. ■
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Essential to the Mission: Our 2014 Members and Funders
Thanks to each and every one of you for your enduring support! Together we are making a difference.
FOUNDATIONS
Arkay Foundation
Barnet Segal Charitable Trust
Community Foundation
for Monterey County
Community Foundation
of Santa Cruz County
Fernandez Pave The Way Foundation
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey Peninsula Foundation
National ForestFoundation
Neraida LLC
Norcross Wildlife
Foundation Inc.
Patterson Family Foundation
Rose Foundation
Save the Redwoods League
Sierra Club SF Bay Chapter – Backpack Section
Tides Foundation
Volunteer Center
of Santa Cruz
BUSINESSES
1st Capital Bank
BRE Properties
Chiorini, Hunt and Jacobs
Down Works
Gandolfi Productions
Great Expeditions
Johnson, Fantl & Kennifer
Juniper Ridge
Mariquita Farm
National Geographic Maps
New Camaldoli Hermitage
Old Capital Books
Patagonia Inc.
Scharf Investments LLC
Scudder Roofing Sun
Energy Systems
Tassajara Zen
Mountain Center
Torras Leasing Company
INDIVIDUALS
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Stuart Abel
Ted Ackley
Jeanne Adams
Michael Adams
Fran Adamson
Frank Adamson
Sue Addleman
Mark Alderson
Anne Alderson
Benjamin Allen
Michele Allen
Pauline Allen
Spike Alper
Roy Anderson
Carl Anderson
Susan Anderson
David Anderson
Gene Anderson
Kerry Anderson
Mark Anicetti
Jesse Arnold
Steven Arnwine
Brian Asher
Michael Atkinson
Richard Averett
Cecelia Azhderian
Larry Bacon
Dan Baldwin
Nola Barnick
Richard Baumann
Jo Ann Baumgartner
Alan Beck
Doug Beck
Rich Becker
Paul Behan
Leif Behrmann
Edward L. Bennett
Steve Benoit
Beth Benoit
Sally Bentz
Maria Berek
Carol Bernthal
Simon Bertrang
Len Beyea
Ann Binns
Mary Blackler
Janet Bloom
Marguerite Blum
Dan Blunk
Tom Boehme
Michael Boone
Susan Boone Smith
Karen Boothroyd
Bert Boothroyd
Larry Born
Alicia Borowski
Renie Borowski
Wayne Boss
Jeanne Boss
Celia Bosworth
Anne Bourdeau
Robert Boyce
Christopher Brady
Rene Bravo
Debra Bravo
Mary Jo Brazil
Eric Brazil
Savanna Brinker
Linda Brodman
Bonnie Brooks
Patric Brown
Natascha Bruckner
Wendy Brule
Steve Bryant
Linda Bryant
Brad Bryce
Austin Buck
Alfred Budris
Debbie Bulger
James D. Burden
Mark Burden
Linda Burnett
Donald Burnett
Jan Burns
Richard Burton
Gene Bush
Nancy Callahan
Jim Campbell
Rick Campbell
Lynda Campbell
Tricia Campbell
George Campion
Michael Campos
Miranda Canestro
Don Canestro
Judith Canner
Roger Cannon
David Canright
Anne Canright
Peter Carley
Stuart Carlson
Steve Carr
Diane Carr
Sean Carroll
Gabrielle Carroll
Michael Casey
Cameron Chabre
Mark Chaffey
Marc Chaney
Max Chaplin
Jessica Chase
Deborah Chirco-MacDonald
Yvon Chouinard
Carl Christensen
Ellen Christian
Nicole Chupka
Alan Church
Dawn Zinser Church
Mary Clark
Nadine Clark
Dan Clark
Eileen Clark-Nagaoka
Mark Cohen
Alex J. Cole
Stephen Collier
David Collins
Mary Cominos
Andy Cominos
Christopher Connery
Mark Conover
Gina Marie Contolini
Willis Costello
David Courrejou
Carol Courtney
Janet Covell
Paul Crafts
Bonita Zisler Crafts
Steve Craig
Tom Cravens
Karla Cravens
Robert Creek
Martha Crewe
Sheilah Cummings
Kate Cunningham
Mary Cunningham-Welsh
Mary Cunov
Jane Curtner
John Cusick
Mary Dainton
Rita Dalessio
John Dalessio
Jordan Daniels
Paul Danielson
Margaret Danielson
Susanna Danner
Raziel Davison
Dan Dawson
Robert Dawson
Alexandra De La Vega
Sherry de Leuw
Tom Deetz
Sonia Deetz
Bruce Delgado
Anne Schwartz Delibert
Arthur Delibert
Stacy DeMatteo
Susan Denny
Liliana Diaz
Barbara Dickinson
Sue Burden-Dickman
Alan Dickman
Margaret Dilfer
Charles Dixon
Jan Doelman
Olaf Domis
Carolyn Donlin
Steve Dorrance
Joshua Drews
Mary Duan
Vicky Duke
Robert Dunn
Peter Duveneck
R. G. Early
Philip Easton
Angela Eccles
Robert Echols
Mark Edelbrock
Tom Edell
Don Edwards
Marc Eldridge
Michael Elliott
Peter Ellis
Carole January Erickson
Twylla L. Erickson
Irene Espinoza
Keith Evans
Steven Evans
Meg Evans
Jennifer Fahrion
Jim Fairchild
William Falor
Celeste Falor
Daria Farnsworth
Catherine Farrant
Barry Farrara
Jamshid Faryar
Arno Featherstone
John Fedak
Gary Felsman
Darlene Felsman
Ronald Felton
Katrina Fendrych
Maria Ferdin
Daniel Fernandez
Alisa Fineman
Meade Fischer
Denise Fischer
Bruce Flatow
Michele Flom
Patrick Foley
James Foran
Paul Foster
Michael Foster
Sam Foster
Catherine Fournier
Charles Franklin
James Franks
Alan French
Letty French
Calvin French
Gernot Friederich
Kimmy Gal
Mary Gale
Paul Garneau
Diana Garneau
Guilbert Gates
Dan Gearhart
Steve Genest
Elisa Gensberg
Jennifer Gerard
Margot Gerritsen
Gina Gianfala
Jake Glazier
John Glendening
Jessica Glenn
Josh Goldberg
Sam Goldeen
Karen Gomez
Marie Goulet
George Gowman
Mike Grail
Cindy Grail
Stephen Graner
Nick Gravem
Shelley Gravem
Lyn Graybill
Dick Graybill
Matthew Greenfield
Carol Greenstreet
Kenneth Griest
Andy Griffin
Jacquelyn Griffith
Arlen Grossman
Jacqueline Grubelnik
Ed Grumbine
Paul Grunland
Rob Gularte
Susie Gularte
Gerhard Hahne
Vinzenz Hake
Barbara Hake
Marilyn Halberg
Bob Hale
Samuel Hale
Andrew Hall
Brianne Hall
Heidi Hall
Michelle Hamerslough
David Hamerslough
Robert Hanley
Penny Hanna
Carl Hansen
Ben Harbert
Ginger Harmon
Steven Harper
Chris Harrington
Morgan Harris
Anthony Hartfelt
Daniel Hartmann
Dawn Hartsock
Shari Hastey
Kim Hastings
Richard Havenik
Michael Hawk
Anne Hayes
Charles Heard
Matthew Heath
Gero Heine
Anne Helms
Alexander Henson
Esperanza Hernandez
John Hickey
Dale Hillard
Steven Hillyard
Julie Himes
David Hirsch
Sarah Hirst
Breta Holgers
Mark Holman
Roxane Holman
Fletcher Holst
Christina Holston
Laura Hooper
Victoria Hoover
Heidi Hopkins
Tom Hopkins
Julie Anne Hopkins
Heather Horton
Susan Hubbard
Walter Hughes
Boon Hughey
Samuel Huntington
William Hyman
Tary Beth Hypes
Colleen Iermini
Stacey Iverson
David Jacobs
David S. Jacobs
Lindsay Jeffers
Brennen Jensen
Daniel Jensen
Laura Jensen
Dru Jensen
Brian Jerlow
Gordon Johnson
Cedar Johnson
Danielle Johnson
William H. Johnston
Paul Jones
Lloyd Jones
Hali Jones
Tamara Jones
Kelsey Jordahl
Joseph Jordan
Robert Kafka
Janet Kamiya
Judith Karas
John Kasik
Renee Kasik
Kara Kasunich
Susan Kauffman
Lawrence Keller
James Kelley
Bill Keye
Vivian Key-Foster
Tom Killion
Lois Kimple
Ellie Kincade
Martha E. King
Julia Kinst
Adam Kirchner
Sue Kirkpatrick
William Kirkpatrick
Mary Ellen Klee
Richard Klein
Robert Knapp
David Knapp
Gregg Knapp
George Koenig
Jacob Koff
Martin Kolsky
Carol Kolsky
Mari Kool
Robert Korstanje
Ellen Korstanje
Bart Kowalski
Brook Kraeger
Arlene Krebs
Vernon Kuska
Kevin Kutcher
Jennifer Langford
Lawrence Laslett
William Lauster
Katherine Lauster
Amy Lauterbach
Laureen Lazarovici
Barbara Lebeck
Jean LeBlanc
Karl Leek
Jeffrey Lehr
David Lemon
Carol LeNeve
Brian LeNeve
Mabel Lernoud
Valerie Levulett
Jonathan Libby
Molly Lindquist
Brady Lindsey
Kirsten Liske
Skip Lloyd
Mary Anne Lloyd
Lorri Lockwood
Gary Lopez
Barbara Louthan
Jolene Loving
Keith Loving
Pamela Lowry
Erik Lundgren
Steve Lustgarden
Betsy MacGowan
Salem Magarian
Laurie Magarian
Larry Manes
Christopher Manke
John Marcroft
Margaret Marcroft
Flo Martin
Rebecca Martone
Laura Masana
Mark Maslow
Dorothy Massey
Patricia Matejcek
Elenita Mathew
Mary Ann Matthews
Lisa Max
Randy May
Cam McAra
Sarah McCandliss
Victoria McCay
Bob McCay
Ross McClenahan
Susan McDonald-Brodey
Christine McEnery
Paul McFarland
Mickey McGuire
George McInnis
Karla McIntyre
David McMillan
Stan Mellin
Michelle Menczkowski
Bruce Merchant
Ed Mercurio
Ted Merrill
James Merz
Ted Meyenberg
Greg Meyer
Christine Miller
Gordon Miller
John G. Miller
Kevin Miller
Jazz Mimoun
Akim Mimoun
Elizabeth Mirante
Mark Moehling
Lena Molinari
Lynn Moncher
Richard Montgomery
Judith Montgomery
Andrea Moore
Mik Moore
Nancy Moore
Steve Moore
Drew Morden
Mike Morgan
Pam Morgan
Virginia Morgan-Scott
James Morris
Ryan Morris
Carla Moss
Judith Mostyn
David Moyer
Caroline Moyer
Hans-Georg Mueller
Richard Mueller
Marjorie Munson
Laura Murphy
Gary Nagaoka
Joseph Narvaez
Holly Naylor
Jessica Neafsey
Nicole Nedeff
David Nelson
Jack Nelson
Thomas Neu
Dylan Neubauer
Janet Newman
Jeanette Nicely
Mark Nicolson
Douglas C. Nienhuis
Mardi Niles
David Norris
Joe Nugent
Daniel O’Brien
Colette O’Connor
David Ohanesian
Louie Okamoto
Jean Olson
Rachelle Onishi
Stuart Organo
Viviene Orgel
Karen Orso
Jim Ostdick
Irene Osterbrock
Lynn Overtree
Ollie Palm
Dennis Palm
Michael Palmer
Elizabeth Panetta
Chris Panetta
Leor Pantilat
Robert Parks
Larry Parrish
Logan Parsons
Gary Patton
Philips Patton
Robert Patton
Daryl-Lynn Paul
Christa Peacock
Vicki Pearse
John Pearse
Marian Penn
George Pepper
Rachel Perpignani
Regina Pettus
Julia Pinsky
Lynn Piquett
Carl T. Plescia
David Plescia
Jim Plourd
Joe Pokrifka
Jessica Pollatsek
Mary Pommerich
Nancy Popchak
Richard Popchak
Jim Preston
Annette Prieto
Elizabeth Proctor
Elizabeth Quinn
John Radford
Joe Radoslovich
Whit Rambach
Darcey Rambach
Spencer Rand
Marc Randolph
Ana Rasmussen
Joanne Ratcliffe
Adarsh Ravivarma
Abhi Ravivarma
Mack Ray
Kathryn Rayne
Sandra Reel
Alison Reitz
David Reneau
Katherine Reneker
Norma Reyes
Julianne Rhodes
Serge Richard
Angela Richman
Neil Richman
Susan Riddle
Chris Rife
Susan Rindermann
Christian Rindermann
James Ringland
Eugene Rizzo
Maya Rizzo
David Roberts
Elliot Roberts
Elliott Robinson
Gary Robinson
Matthew Robinson
Terry Rockwood
Bill Rodgers
Rogelio Rodriguez
Jan Roehl
David Rogers
Randolph Rogers
Tanja Roos
Marc Rothmeyer
Rosemary Rovick
Michele Rowlett
Brian Rowlett
Charles Rowley
Steve Rubin
Elliot Ruchowitz-Roberts
Joshua Rude
Nancy Ruhle
Adam Rumack
Susan Russell
Mark Ryan
Jennifer Sabado-Rios
Jon Sagen
William L. Salmon
Diane Salmon
Adam Sanchez
Parker Santiago
Giuseppe Savona
George Schaaf
Jeffrey Schaffer
Craig Schieding
Marion Schild
Betty Schlothan
Daniel Schlothan
Beverly Schmidt
Cailyn Schmidt
Bill Schoenbart
Laura Schulkind
Robert Schumacker
Dougald Scott
Peter Scott
Pauline Seales
Jacqueline Sedgwick
Michael Sedgwick
Chris Selmer
A.J. Semtner
Monica Severson
Joel Severson
Sharol Sevilla
Cathy Seyferth
Charles Shane
Melody Sharp
Jason Shaw
Greg Shawver
Ying Shiroma
Alice Shumate
Burkhard Siedhoff
Vince Silva
Jan Simek
Art Simon
Gary Sims
Ron Sissem
Sara Skinner
Mary Skipwith
Giuseppi Slater
Amy Slay
Cara Sloman
Henry Smith
Tim Smith
Joe Sortais
Renee Sosa
Mia Sosa
William Soskin
Terry Spitz
Michael Splain
George St. Clair
Sarah Stacy
Lee Staley
Bob Stallard
Ann Stanislawsky
Catherine Steele
Brian Steen
Kim Chi Steger
Bobby Steger
Annette Steiner
Henrietta Stern
Merrin Sterns
Joyce Stevens
Kenneth Stewart
James Stiefel
Richard Stover
Brian Stratman
Meredith Stricker
Morgan Stryker
Abigail Stryker
Carol Stuart
Deidre Sullivan
Matthew Sundt
Shannon Swanston
Bernice Swartley
Erik Swedberg
Melissa Swedberg
Robert Swedberg
Adrian Taron
Brent Taylor
Katsuaki Terasawa
Antony Tersol
Sue Thomas
Donna Thomas
Holly Thomas
Cathy Thome
Cole Thompson
Stephen Thompson
Daniel Tichenor
Cathy Toldi
Francis Toldi
Tony Tollner
Brian Tomasini
Cameron Torgenrud
Vincent A. Torras
Breck C. Tostevin
Sara Townsend
Chuck Tremper
Mary Trotter
Hillary Trout
Paul David Tuff
John Ueberrhein
Ellen Uhler
Steve Underwood
Susie Unseld
Ruth Updegraff
Lois Van Buren
Keith Vandevere
Michele Vanhentenryck
Richard Veum
Michael Vizza
Paul Vizza
Cindy Vizza
Einar Vollset
Adam Wachtel
Rosann Wachtel
David Wachtel
Elissa Wagner
Phil Wagner
Jeannine Wahl
Lisa Wallender
Kymm Ann Wallin
John Walton
Priscilla Walton
John Wandke
Marilyn Ward
Donald Ward
Thomas Ward
William Waycott
Diana Waycott
Elizabeth Weber
Joseph Weintraub
Brittany Whalen
Gordon Wheeler
Margie Whitnah
Alan L. Whittemore
David Wikander
Julia Wiley
Laura Wilkerson
Michael Williams
Mike Williams
Chelsea Williams
Derek Williams
Scott Wilson
Lynnelle Wing
Jeff Winterhalder
David Wittrock
Eby Wold
Jonathan Wolf
A. Wood
Reid Woodward
Karen Woodward
Suzanne Worcester
Darby Worth
Barbara Woyt
Ehren Woyt
Christy Wyckoff
Harry Wyeth
Karen Wyeth
William Wyman
Vern Yadon
Robert H. Yang
Rei Yoshinobu
Ann Young
Carol Young
James Yurchenco
Marsha Zelus
Bradley Zeve
Darryl Zimmerman
Patagonia Supports the VWA
Since our earliest days, the VWA has enjoyed the support of
Patagonia. As a retailer of clothing, gear, provisions and
books, Patagonia’s dedication to social and environmental
responsibility is inspirational. The VWA’s efforts to protect
wilderness and biodiversity align perfectly with Patagonia’s
commitment to supporting groups that work on the frontlines
of the environmental crisis.
At the corporate level, Patagonia has supported the VWA with
Environmental Grants to aid programs like the Volunteer
Wilderness Rangers. This fall, Bryce Winter will be the third
VWA staffer to attend Patagonia’s Tools for Grassroots Activists
conference. This five-day event provides practical skills training that
helps people to more effectively conserve our wild places. Patagonia
provides the training, lodging and meals at no cost and has delivered
this program to more than a thousand people since 1994.
At the local level, Patagonia Santa Cruz Outlet enthusiastically
engages with the VWA. Employees volunteer to support VWA
special events like the
Wild & Scenic Film Festival and the Annual
Gathering. Since they know our work well, invitations to apply
for Environmental Grants originate at the local outlet. “We look
across the Monterey Bay and see the Santa Lucia Mountains.”
says Patagonia Outlet Environmental Donations Co-coordinator
Jenny Garcia. “Knowing that the VWA is dedicated to protecting
270,000 acres of wilderness there inspires us to get involved.
We recognize the critical importance of our public wildlands
and our responsibility to ensure they remain unspoiled for
future generations.”
Please join us in thanking Patagonia employees locally and globally for making environmental activism part of their business. ■
2014 Annual Report
In terms of funds raised and programs delivered, 2014 was the VWA’s best year ever. We take the trust placed in us by grant makers,
supporters and members like you very seriously and continue to maintain maximum efficiency when delivering our mission of wilderness
conservation. For every dollar raised in 2014, over 88 cents went directly to programs on the ground. ■
PROGRAM EXPENSES
2014PERCENT
EXPENDITURES OF TOTAL
Advocacy
$81,080
24%
Stewardship$213,535 64%
Fundraising$19,2136%
Management$20,051 6%
& Governance
TOTAL
$333,879100%
SUPPORT AND REVENUE
2014PERCENT
CONTRIBUTIONS OF TOTAL
Grants
$481,07683.0%
Gifts & Membership $38,998
6.7%
Annual Appeal
$34,401
5.9%
Event Income
$14,252
2.5%
Ventana Trails
$10,2281.8%
Forever Endowment
Interest Income
$527
0.1%
TOTAL
$579,482100%
YEAR-END BALANCE SHEET
Cash$362,032
Reserve Fund
$21,662
TOTAL$383,694
$250,000
$200,000
$150,000
$100,000
$50,000
$0
Advocacy Stewardship Fundraising Management
& Governance
nGrants
n Gifts & Memberships
n Annual Appeal
n Event Income
n Ventana Trails Forever Endowment
n Interest Income
11
Post Office Box 506
I Santa Cruz, CA 95061
ADDRE S S S E RV IC E R E Q U E S T E D
NON PROFIT ORG
US POSTAGE PAID
SANTA CRUZ, CA
PERMIT NO. 150
EVENTS
May 30
VWA Annual Gathering
Toro Park, Salinas
RSVP to [email protected]
June 27
LPFA/VWA Wilderness Celebration
Big Sur Station, Highway 1 in Big Sur
Details TBA
October 1
Special Film Event
Del Mar Theatre, Santa Cruz
I Details TBA
October 3
Wild & Scenic Film Festival
Golden State Theatre, Monterey
Details TBA
October 5–12
Leave No Trace Hot Spot Program
Details TBA
Please like our fan page on
Be sure to join us on
The Silver Peak and the Smith’s Blue
Late last year, the VWA was awarded a $185,000 grant to restore (over the next four years) a truly stunning network of coastal trails in the Silver
Peak Wilderness. Along the Buckeye, Cruikshank and Salmon Creek Trails, hikers traverse through iconic Big Sur scenery amid seven species of
conifers, including the southernmost redwoods, a maritime stand of foothill pines and a serpentine-dependent grove of Sargent cypress. The
Silver Peak is also the transition zone between northern coastal scrub and southern sage scrub, and close inspection of this low-growing
vegetation reveals critical habitat for one of the central coast’s rarest denizens.
Sightings of the federally endangered Smith’s blue butterfly (Euphilotes enoptes smithi) are few and far between, but the food source upon
which its survival depends is common here. Whether as developing caterpillars or full-fledged adults, Smith’s blue butterflies rely on mature
seacliff buckwheat (Eriogonum parvifolium) flower heads and nectar; the insects return the favor by pollinating the buckwheat plants.
Ecologists call this relationship a mutualism, and since the Smith’s blue can live nowhere else, they refer to seacliff buckwheat as its obligate
host plant. Such dependence on a single habitat is perilous, as we’ve seen with the highly publicized decline of monarch butterflies when
milkweed is plowed under to advancing development.
Fortunately, this is wilderness, where development is restricted, and “where man is a visitor who does not remain.” Of course, these coastal trails
were built decades before the Silver Peak was protected, and long
before this tenuous ecological relationship was understood. So it’s
up to us to ensure that improving trail access for the visitor who does
not remain won’t degrade habitat for the home team. To that end, the
US Forest Service has partnered with the VWA Trail Crew to develop a
protocol that protects buckwheat plants and butterflies alike. Several
VWA Trail Crew Leaders have been trained and at this writing, they’re
putting the protocol to use carefully restoring the first two miles of the
Cruikshank Trail.
Thanks to Sean and Alexandra Parker/Neraida, LLC for the funding that
made this project possible, and thanks to the wise individuals who had the foresight to protect this beautiful swath of coastal wilderness. ■
The coastal slopes of the Santa Lucias are ideal habitat for
seacliff buckwheat and the endangered Smith’s blue butterfly.