How would you like to
spend a relaxing weekend in the desert without having to do any hard work? You
can do it, and still help BLM to establish new trails in a wilderness area. You
can even bring your friends, and family, and do it at your own pace and your
own time.
Anna and I did this a couple of weeks ago. We documented two
potential trails by taking photos and describing them in writing. The BLM in
Barstow needs people to explore potential trails in the Rodman and Newberry
Mountain Wilderness Area. David Frink, of BLM, is In charge of this project. He
told me to pick up the film in the Desert Information Center in Barstow, and
look at some sample trail descriptions, and then select some marked areas on
the map and follow suit.
We just took the first ones in line and
started filming. It was very Interesting, and somewhat challenging, because you
had to select the shots that would later be used to determine the impact of use
after several years. We also took notes about the surroundings, such as plants,
rocks, etc.
The area Is located 20 miles east of Barstow, off of Hwy.
40. If you wish to help, please call me at (213) 379-8592, or call David Frink
directly at (619) 256-2729. |
Angeles
Chapter
Council
by Tom Armbruster
HPS
Rep- |
during
the next calendar year; the officers then need not be group representatives.
The Chair of the Council is an ex-officio, non-voting member of ExComm.
My first meeting was at the end of January, at the Chapter office. Fifteen
members were present. About half the time was spent listening to our Chair.
Robin Eves, report on matters he picked up at ExComm meetings. The remainder
was spent on concerns voiced by group representatives, and on procedural
matters.
Ives' Reports:
Robin made the following points:
It's
important to wait until the trailhead to have trip participants sign in. That
helps legally isolate the carpooling from the hike itself, in case there's an
accident during the driving.
There's an effort afoot to require us to get
permission from the Club chapter in another state when we lead hikes in that
state. Bight now, we need only notify that chapter, not get permission. This
possible new permission requirement is under study by the Club's national
Council. The national Council is made up of representatives from each chapter's
ExComm. The Angeles Chapter rep to national Council is Vieve Weldon (an HPS
member'), but she's not on |
the
committee considering this new requirement.
In the current supervisor's
race, the Chapter thought all four challengers were better than the incumbent
We decided to endorse Art Torres as the best of the four, with Gloria Molina
our informal second choice. Happily, the runoff will be between Torres and
Molina.
There will be an Eco-Fair in April, a fundraiser to benefit the
Friends of the Angeles Chapter Foundation.
There's a new outhouse at the San
Antonio Ski Hut.
Mountaineer George Shinno has died, following injuries
sustained a while ago In a skiing accident.
Members' Concerns:
Council
members brought up the following.
Some weeknight workout hikes, like those
in Griffith Parks, haven't been using sign-in sheets or sweeps. Orange County
Sierra Singles recently cracked down on this practice, perhaps other groups
will do the same.
One member complained that some groups have run expensive
fundraisers, charging $75 or $150 per night This practice excludes poor people,
whom we're trying to reach with a more inclusive Club. But most council members
thought |
this
wasn't a problem, since nearly all outings are free.
Leaders are required to
have first aid and CPR certificates, but they need not be renewed after their
expiration dates. Many members wondered why this isn't required. We'll schedule
a meeting around the topic of leadership and safety for later this year.
I
emerged from all this as chair of the by-laws committee, which recommends
approval or change in group by-laws.
FEBRUARY COUNCIL - R Jones
Ernest Kirk, Chapter omnibudsman is reported very ill, 'critical but
stable.
Ron Jones spoke on Safety Com approval of Griffith Perk Hikes and
several other 'conditioning type' outings needing only one leader / no sign-in
sheet. The Safety Com., headed by Bob Hicks, monitors these outings closely for
safety.
Ron was asked why the Angeles Chapter does not require a current 1st
aid card for its leaders and his reply was that there has not been a need &
we would loose too any leaders.
Robin Ives reported that newly elected
Governor Wilson seems to be more environmentally friendly than his
predecessor. |
This year, I'm
your representative to the Chapter Council. So far, I've been to just one
meeting, so I'm hardly expert. But here's my report anyway.
In the Angeles
Chapter, we have two governing bodies, the Executive Committee and the Council.
The executive Committee has nine members, directly elected at large by the
65,000 Chapter members each fall. The members serve staggered two-year terms.
It functions like a board of directors: It receives and spends Chapter funds,
rents an office, hires staff, creates sections and groups, publishes the
Southern Sierran and the Schedule.
The Council is made up of members from
each section, group, committee, and task force in the Chapter. In contrast to
ExComm, where each member is responsible to the whole Chapter, each Council
member is responsible to the group that sent him or her to it. The Council has
a potential membership of about 45, but in practice, many groups have no one
present to represent them.
Each November, the existing Council elects
officers to serve |
|