Volunteers pull weeds at Calavera Preserve

By:Erika Ayn Finch - For the North County Times | Saturday, September 20, 2003 11:42 PM PDT ∞

CARLSBAD ---- More than 60 volunteers picked up beer bottles and pulled weeds at Calavera Preserve on Saturday in honor of National Public Lands Day.

Volunteers spread out and worked on portions of the 110-acre preserve and the adjacent 1,300 acres owned by the city of Carlsbad and the state Fish and Game Department's Carlsbad Highlands Ecological Reserve.

"Our goal is to get people involved and expose them to a beautiful place," said Kevin Skjei, volunteer coordinator for The Environmental Trust, the nonprofit organization that manages Calavera Preserve. "We want to show people what a big difference they can make and give them a sense of ownership. Through their ownership, they can help every user be a good user."

The ninth annual event, with the theme "Lend A Hand To America's Lands," called for volunteers to refurbish and restore parks, forests, lakes and wildlife refuges. This year, 80,000 volunteers were expected at 500 sites across the United States.

Many volunteers came from the surrounding Carlsbad neighborhoods, including children from Calavera Hills Elementary School, members of the Boy and Girl Scouts and teens from the Carlsbad Juvenile Justice Program.

Valerie Garza brought her daughter, 5-year-old Samantha, to the preserve for a lesson in conservation.

"We picked up trash because it's all dirty," Samantha said, clutching a diary her mom said she takes everywhere. "People are going to make other people get sick because of the trash."

Another group of volunteers worked alongside Lake Calavera, where a flock of protective geese squawked when volunteers got too close or dogs became too boisterous.

"I've been coming out here for 40 years, ever since I was a kid," said Rick Wessels of Vista. "You know, you work all day, then you sit on the freeway with rude people. It's nice to be able to come out here, unwind and meet nice people. These pockets of open space are so important."

The city provided volunteers with trash bags, water, tools and snacks. Local businesses such as Adventure 16, Timberland, The Running Center and Dippity Dog provided treats and raffle prizes.

Skjei said the group filled nearly two industrial-size Dumpsters, donated by Coast Waste Management, with trash and weeds. He said volunteers pulled invasive plants such as tree tobacco, fennel and castor bean.

"Sometimes it takes years to get all these plants cleared," Skjei said. "Without a volunteer effort, this wouldn't happen."

Kim Rose was vigorously pulling up castor bean plants and collecting them in trash bags. Rose lives in the area and said her son fishes in the lake.

"I hike and run in this area," Rose said, pausing between pulling plants. "I heard about it through the Preserve Calavera group and decided to come help out."

Skjei said the change in the area over the past few years has been amazing. Skjei began cleaning up the area on his own five years ago, hauling away old vehicles, refrigerators and debris that people illegally dumped.

This was the second year volunteers worked at the preserve in support of National Public Lands Day. Last year, Skjei said seven people volunteered.

Mary Butterfield and her son Ian, 10, said they didn't realize the area was open to the public, but they read about the clean-up in the newspaper and decided to get involved.

"Living in an urban area, it's nice to come to a place that's rural, beautiful and unique," Butterfield said.

While temperatures climbed and hikers and mountain bikers came out to enjoy the trails, volunteers reported no rattlesnake sightings. John Woods, a representative of the national Leave No Trace program, said the wildlife appreciated the volunteer efforts.

"The snakes have been cooperative," Woods said. "They understand that it's national cleanup day and they like the idea of us cleaning up their area. In fact, you know how you see snake tracks on the trails? Well, we saw some that said 'thank you.' "

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