Paradise>> The Upper Ridge Wilderness Areas program, a volunteer, non-profit, is in jeopardy of being discontinued without an infusion of new membership after 39 years of service on the Ridge.
The program is probably best known for its sponsorship and coordination of the annual program for Upper Ridge fifth grade students known as Trail Days.
URWA was incorporated in 1979 for the purposes of preserving the Upper Ridge as a wilderness area and wildlife refuge, and providing the public opportunities for the use of such areas for non-destructive recreation and environmental education.
According to URWA Board President John Hoffman, participation and general membership have been steadily declining for several years.
“Most active members have dropped out due to advancing age, other commitments and moving out of the area,” Hoffman said. “The only qualification for membership is an interest in URWA purposes and activities.”
The URWA built and has maintained self-guided public trails on the 120 acre Magalia nature preserve owned by the Bureau of Land Management.
Trail Days was designed to provide education and practical experience in fire prevention and protection, identification and conservation of native plant and wildlife species and promotion of community service.
In 1998 ‘Trail Days’ won the President’s Environmental Youth Award from the Environmental Protection Agency.
This year, it’s uncertain whether Trail Days will be provided. Sponsoring agencies BLM, California Conservation Corps and Cal-Fire continue to support the program, but it comes back to a matter of volunteers.
Annual membership dues in the URWA are $5 per individual or $10 per family which directly benefit maintenance of the nature preserve and ‘Trail Days’ expenses.
The public is welcome at annual meetings of the members of the URWA, at which directors are elected. The next meeting will be at 10 a.m. Friday, Feb. 9 at the Paradise Pines POA village, 14211 Wycliff Way, Magalia.
For more information please call Mr. John Hoffman at 873-6396 or write to the URWA at
P. O. Box 154, Magalia, CA 95954.
