October 12, 2004

Pine Hill Preserve Volunteer Workday

RAINED OUT

A TAKE PRIDE IN AMERICA Workday will be held Sunday, October 24, 2004 to clean up the Ponderosa Parcel of the Pine Hill Preserve in El Dorado County. Participants will meet at 9:00 a.m. in the Ponderosa High School parking lot, 3631 Ponderosa Road in Placerville.

The Pine Hill Preserve is managed by a consortium of agencies who manage more than 3,900 acres in five units to protect unusual plants that grow in serpentine-based soil. According to Bureau of Land Management Volunteer Coordinator Barbara Williams, the Pine Hill Preserve may be one of the most botanically diverse areas in California. "You can see plants that grow nowhere else," she said, "Five plant species are listed as threatened or endangered under the Federal Endangered Species Act, and three of those are found nowhere else in the world."

Volunteers will help remove trash that has accumulated on the site since a similar clean up last year. Williams advised participants to dress for the weather, and bring sunscreen, insect repellant, lunch, and water. Gloves and sturdy shoes are a must. The activity level will range from mild to strenuous.

TAKE PRIDE IN AMERICA is a national partnership that aims to seek, support, and recognize volunteers who work to improve our public parks, forests, grasslands, reservoirs, and wildlife refuges, as well as cultural and historic sites, local playgrounds, and other recreation areas. TAKE PRIDE involves federal, state, and local governments; conservation, youth, and recreation groups; and top national corporations and organizations. To learn more, visit www.TakePride.gov.

For more information, please contact the Bureau of Land Management, Folsom Field Office, 63 Natoma Street, Folsom CA 95630, or call (916) 985-4474.