Blind Brush-Up / Touch-Up Volunteer Work Day a Big Success

There was a good turnout on Saturday, September 27th for the San Jacinto Wildlife Area’s volunteer blind brush-up touch-up day. 7:00 AM found the volunteers waiting at the check station parking lot to help finish up the preparations for the upcoming duck season. Tom Trakes, from San Jacinto Wildlife Area, reported that about 20 volunteers, composed of hunters that utilize San Jacinto, were present and quickly dispersed to their assignments to work on the blinds.

Today’s work party was tasked with the final touch-up of the area’s blinds to finish brushing them up for the season to come. The volunteers also moved about 20 tons of gravel to, in effect, “pave” the walkways to the mobility impaired blinds. This was a huge task as most of the gravel had to be moved one wheelbarrow at a time and smoothed out with shovels. The result of all that work culminated in walkways that almost resemble the driveway in front of your house. Excellent work by the volunteers!

Moving and smoothing the gravel.

Even the youngsters did their share!

The “driveway” (but not in front of your house).

One of the mobility impaired blinds. (2)

The majority of volunteers had obligations after the work was done so the group passed on the usual post work party lunch at Casa Mexicana Restaurant.

The flooding of the ponds is pretty much near completion and there is already a good number of birds, including some geese, using the wildlife area so it’s really shaping up to be a good opener on October 18th!

Obviously the next thing on the calendar for San Jacinto Wildlife Area is opening day of the waterfowl season on the above-mentioned date. Everything is shaping up for a great season to come. The opening day reservations have already been posted by the DFW (hope you got one if you put in for the opener) so things are pretty much set to begin the season.

For those that follow SoCalHunt’s hunting reports, just so you know, I won’t be out on the opener due to work obligations…again…but myself and my usual hunting partner plan on being there for the first Wednesday of the season on October 22nd (hopefully with a reservation in hand if the ressi gods are kind to us).

Hope to see you out at San Jacinto some time this season.