Pacific Southwest Region

Take Pride In America Kick-Off Event -- Volunteers Gather to Help Restore Fire Damaged Areas

• San Bernardino National Forest
• San Bernardino National Forest Association

The Take Pride in America (TPIA) Kick-Off event brought together many partners to address the needs of post-fire restoration projects on the San Bernardino National Forest, located in the mountains east of Los Angeles. Partners in this effort were the USDA Forest Service, the Department of Interior's Bureau of Land Management, San Bernardino National Forest Association, Student Conservation Association, American Recreation Coalition, San Gorgonio Girl Scouts Council, community volunteers and the Mountaintop and Front Country Fire Safe Councils.

This event allowed existing partners, local communities, and government to become more informed about the fire restoration projects needed on the San Bernardino National Forest and to seek their participation. By emphasizing the long-term purpose of the TPIA program, the event generated awareness around TPIA as a way to help meet fire recovery and resource objectives in 2004 and 2005. This event was made possible by 2004 Congressional earmark funding to USDA Forest Service State and Private Forestry in California.

Held on May 15, 2004, the Kick-Off Event included several projects on different sites. While this event was only a day long, the restoration projects conducted will continue through 2005. One focus was post-fire restoration at Stockton Flats in the Lytle Creek Canyon of the Front Country Ranger District. The volunteer's helped with the establishment and success of over 3,000 seedlings planted in the fall of 2003 in a 20-acre area high intensity burn area. In another project, volunteers helped restore two miles of wildfire damaged trail, including some heavy maintenance work and re-establishing erosion control structures, on the Mountaintop Ranger District. All volunteers were welcomed and celebrated with appreciation meals.

If you would like more information on the Take Pride in America Program, please contact Paula Cote, Volunteer Coordinator, San Bernardino National Forest (909)-382-2600.

Success Stories

• Barton Flats
• Breaking Barriers
• Burn Area Restoration Projects
• Carveacre Community Protection
• Charlton Flats
• Crystal Lake
• Evacuation Route Clearing
• Forest Area Safety Taskforce
• Grant Successes
• June Aerial Flight Results
• Kuffel Canyon Road
• Laguna Mountain Community Protection
• Lake Arrowhead Log Storage Facility
• March Aerial Flight Results
• Mistletoe Eradication
• North Lake Arrowhead Fuels Reduction
• Seeds for Forest Renewal
• Skyline Fuels Reduction Project
• Student Conservation Association Partnership
• Take Pride in America

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