BE PREPARED

Much has been written about safety in the deserts and mountains.

Nevertheless, reminders are good. No matter what time of year you go, take plenty of water and a small first-aid kit, wear layered clothing, follow a map, be aware of snakes on trails, take a whistle, dispose of trash properly, respect wildlife, and let someone know where you're headed and when you expect to return. Read up on what you can expect to experience.

Books and guides are available at the Bobcat Bookstore at the Visitor Center on Highway 74.

Also, take binoculars. You may be in for some surprises. If you plan to camp or hunt (in season), ask about permits at the Visitor Center.

Most of all, consider yourself a trustee of the environment. This land is ours, and its future condition is in our hands. Check out the Leave No Trace Web site at www.lnt.org

GIVE BACK

The Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument is developing a volunteer program as well as a nonprofit foundation to support conservation, education, and research. Meanwhile, enthusiasts should check the Visitor Center Web site (www.ca.blm.gov/
palmsprings) for volunteer opportunities or work with organizations such as the Friends of the Desert Mountains and the Forest Service Volunteer Association.

Opportunities include working at the Visitor Center or the Bobcat Bookstore, helping with guided walks, participating in special events to "meet and greet," giving nature talks, and joining cleanup groups.

For information, call Vic Scott, Friends of the Desert Mountains volunteer coordinator, at (760) 862-9984, or Melinda Lyon of the U.S. Forest Service Volunteer Association at (909) 382-2929.

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Santa Rosa & San Jacinto Mountains National Monument

Generation Trail :

The monument
Encircled with Mountains
Warm sand
A young desert flower
untouched
Coyote prints still
fresh from night

A visitor center
Artifacts of history displayed
Travelers come to see from everywhere
A few trails
Tired, used
but needed
Appreciated
Seen, from generation
to generation
Wandering on preserved land
Beaten trails already made
thoughts
stepping off the trail
But wait

Should
      You
             Really
                  Step
                       Off
                            The
                                 Trail

The consequences
A young desert flower            dead
Coyote prints                        gone
A new trail
Worn out and unappreciated
Seen, from generation
To generation

Heather Stokes, 14 a freshman at Nova Academy in Palm Desert, won the Earth Day 2003 National Monument, Poetry with Public Places, and Leave No Trace Contest.