OCTOBER 8, 2014
Volunteer Open House, Mesa Ranger District, Tonto National Forest on Saturday, Oct. 18
PHOENIX – The annual Tonto National Forest Volunteer Program Open House will be held on Saturday, October 18 at the Tonto National Forest, Mesa Ranger District office. Join us between 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Volunteer opportunities for Payson, central Phoenix, Mesa, Cave Creek, Globe, Young, and Tonto Basin areas will be displayed. “Whatever your interests or skills, we probably have an opportunity for you. For example, if you would like to work in the Wilderness, you might serve as an information host at trailheads and help keep the trailhead in good condition. At our lake recreation sites, you might weed and trim vegetation and help to maintain facilities, or you might repair or replace signs,” said Forest Supervisor Neil Bosworth.
“Regularly scheduled long-term volunteers desiring to provide leadership in volunteer event planning, volunteers with a skilled trade such as welding or facilities maintenance, educators that desire to attend conservation education events, and administrative secretarial type volunteers are in high demand for the Tonto. Groups that desire to take charge and Adopt-A-Site such as a trailhead or recreation site by providing monthly care and maintenance is the ideal scenario when you have more than 3-million acres of land to manage with only a handful of field staff,” said Patricia Bean, Mesa Ranger District Partnership Liaison. The Tonto National Forest includes the Superstition, Four Peaks, Mazatzal and other wilderness areas. Popular recreation sites include Bulldog, The Rolls, Sycamore Creek, the Salt and Verde River, and Roosevelt, Canyon, Saguaro, and Bartlett lakes.
Other agencies and partners, including Arizona Trail Association, Usery Mountain Park, Lost Dutchman State Park, Superstition Area Land Trust and others will be on site to share their volunteer opportunities. For off-highway enthusiasts, there are volunteer opportunities to help maintain off-highway vehicle (OHV) sites and educate forest visitors through Tonto Recreation Alliance (TRAL), one of the district’s partnership organizations. The Mesa Ranger District office is located at 5140 E. Ingram Street, Mesa, AZ 85205.
Can’t make the open house but still interested in volunteering? Go to http://1.usa.gov/Z94tnU for information about volunteer opportunities.
