CONTENTS:

1. 1. Upcoming Events
2. 2. Message from FSJMCP President, Roger Lasken
3. 3. Welcoming Anna J Maruca to the Activities Committee
4. 4. Upcoming Events in Detail
5. 5. A Rewarding Nature Center Experience - Mary Rider
6. 6. Nature Center Photos - Al Matta
7. 7. A Note from the Editor - Pamela Mayfield

UPCOMING EVENTS IN FEBRUARY

Spanish in the Wild (Spanish Nature Class)

Wednesdays 10 am - 12 noon

Feb.1, 8, 15, 22 Idyllwild Nature Center

https://fb.me/e/37pfEao4l?mibextid=RQdjqZ

Monthly STEAM Program  

Feb, 1 Wednesday 2 pm - 4 pm

"Watershed Ecology" Idyllwild Nature Center

https://facebook.com/events/s/steam-monthly-museum-meetup-wa/1458702424650934/

LEGO Play Date (Preschoolers and Seniors)

Thursdays 10 a.m. - 12 noon

Feb 2, 9, 16, 23 Idyllwild Nature Center

https://fb.me/e/3kd66k0yc?mibextid=RQdjqZ

FSJMCP Science Club 

Saturdays 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Feb 3, 11, 18, 25 Idyllwild Nature Center

https://fb.me/e/3g9F6xsSd?mibextid=RQdjqZ

Registered Volunteers are welcome to assist at events.

Please email bod@fsjmcp.org if interested in volunteering.

December was another great step forward in our efforts to launch new programs for kids and families. Most exciting is our collaboration with Anna Maruca, the newest member of the FRIENDS family. Anna is the founder of Creative Connections Community  https://www.creative connectionscommunity.org, a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that presents innovative educational activities for kids. I have been volunteering at some of Anna's events lately and have been amazed by the high energy, super fun, and educationally superb activities she brings to the kids and their dedicated parent helpers. From casts of dinosaur claws to catapult contests (made from ice cream sticks) the kids learned through play and played through learning.  

Meanwhile, Anna and her children attended some of the FSJMCP’s sponsored Science Clubs at the Nature Center and she learned that we share the same fundamental philosophy of teaching- “If it ain’t fun, I don’t want to hear about it”. Peter Kindfield (Co-Founder, Co-Director and Learning Guide, Hilltop Education Connections https://hilltopeducation.com) donated his time for three Saturdays to teach organic chemistry and molecular model building to the kids. I have a lesson on why butterfly fly wings look so beautiful. The answer is seen with our set of dissection microscopes (hint: instead of using pigments, butterflies take a somewhat “scattered” approach to creating colors).

Anna’s family was also the first to take advantage of our collaboration with Reba Coulter and the Forest Folk’s Shuttle service. By last Saturday we had grown to two runs of the Shuttle bringing a total of 14 kids and parents to the Nature Center for the Science Club. Thanks Reba! We love the Idyllwild Shuttle service.

Then, Anna and I had a great idea ... Let’s team up and work together. Anna’s people powered community of families and dedication to education met our programs vision to bring high powered real science to kids and families. In the next issue of the FSJMCP Newsletter, we will be giving much more detail on these activities and also announcing a fundraiser and membership drive to help us grow the programs. Please take a look at Anna’s article below to learn more about Creative Connections and her passion for education.

Introducing

Anna J. Maruca,

Creative Connections Community

I am delighted to be part of the FSJMCP Family by being invited to join the Activities Committee! Upon meeting Roger, Mary, Pamela, Reba, Mark, Jeff and the rest of the team, I knew instantly our mutual love for education and dedication in facilitating meaningful community events would allow us to create some extraordinary programs. 

We launched Spanish in the Wild, a Spanish nature course last week. This beautiful curriculum is broken down by season and combines nature learning, science, art, music and literature.

LEGO Play is the first of our inter-generational program geared for preschoolers and local seniors to serve both populations at once, creating a naturally therapeutic experience for both. Building LEGOS is an excellent way to stimulate the brain, improve manual dexterity and cognitive ability, while providing hours of fun! We have partnered with "Forest Folk" to provide free shuttle rides to the Nature Center and already have 3 riders signed up. 

Our last program is our monthly STEAM Museum Meetup in partnership with the San Diego Natural History Museum. Every 1st Wednesday of the month, we will bring in specially curated museum Teacher Kits filled with activities, books, specimens, manipulatives, games, etc., pertaining to one specific scientific theme. We also bring in our community art teacher, Teresa Halliburton, to teach a themed art project to the children, making the event a true STEAM program.

Please stay tuned for the additional programs that are in the works! I look forward to continue working with the wonderful families that have been instrumental in helping us develop these programs, and collaborating with the FRIENDS!

You can now join or renew your membership online at:

https://fosjmcp.org

A Rewarding Experience

at the Nature Center

By Mary Rider, FSJMCP Vice-President

The biggest snow play crowd I’ve ever witnessed occurred the third weekend of January 2023. I figured the new Idyllwild Nature Center Ranger could use some volunteer assistance. My ulterior motive was to learn and practice the duties a volunteer docent might have on a busy snow play weekend.

Two rangers were at the entrance to the park; Ranger Anthony Miller was near the highway keeping cars from blocking the road and Idyllwild Nature Center Ranger, Sonny Waldron, was at the kiosk collecting snow play admission fees. Ranger Richie was in the parking lots near the museum, directing traffic and notifying the kiosk when parking spaces became available.

The museum was closed, however, Ranger Sonny agreed to open it so that I could “hold down the fort” until he switched roles with Ranger Richie. During the three hours I spent in the museum there was never a minute I didn’t feel useful. I installed toilet paper in the women’s bathroom, answered the phone and many questions from museum visitors. 

During a period when Ranger Sonny was assisting a young hiker stuck in a boulder’s crevice, I became a co-conspirator in a marriage proposal plan. A relative called the museum to ask if there was a good site at the Nature Center, as Humber Park was closed. I recommended a venue to a friend doing reconnaissance work and soon after slipped a map with directions to Look Out Point to an anxious young man in the museum.

The best part of the day was getting to know Ranger Sonny. His ideas and enthusiasm for future events and museum features, plus an appreciation for volunteer assistance portends a robust FSJMCP Docent program. Volunteer docents will be able to play a vital role in creating a positive experience for Nature Center visitors. Please email bod@fsjmcp.org for more details about the Docent Program.

Thank you, Al Matta, for sharing your wonderful photos taken on your walks to work at the Nature Center.

"And now let us welcome the New Year

Full of things that have never been."

              ---Rainer Maria Rilke

Friends of San Jacinto Mountain County Parks

MISSION STATEMENT

To assist, promote, advance and develop the historical, scientific, educational and cultural aspects pertaining to the Idyllwild Nature Center and Idyllwild Regional Park Campground.