Volunteer Clean Up / Brush Up Work Day Set for San Jacinto Wildlife Area August 24th

Tom Trakes, from San Jacinto Wildlife Area, advised that the next volunteer work days for San Jacinto Wildlife Area would be Saturday, August 24^th.  This work day will be primarily to finish cleaning up the hunting area, to start brushing up the area’s blinds, and to build a few new blinds for the coming season.  Tom advised that volunteers should meet at the check station at 6:00 am and anyone coming out to volunteer should bring gloves, shovels and/or hoes, wire pliers and lots of water since it’s expected to be hot. Also, if anyone has access to palm fronds, they need a good supply of these, all they can get.  When it comes to palm fronds, we can’t have too many so if you can bring some along, please do.  After the work is done, we will get together at a local pizza restaurant “Marcello’s” for a well-deserved lunch (each person responsible for their own bill).

In the meantime, if you have any palm fronds you want to donate you don’t have to save them for the workday.  You can call Tom or the SJ staff at the number below and make arrangements to drop them off before the workday.  Make sure the palm frond are either the type with no thorns or, if you want to strip the thorns off before you bring them in, that kind is ok too.

Hopefully, we’ll have a good turnout so we can get the blinds brushed up for another waterfowl season.  As I always say, the more the merrier (and the less work for each person).

Also, if you do come out to help on the August 24^th work day there’s a potential bonus as this is just a week and a day before the opening of dove season.  The waterfowl side of the wildlife area will be opened for dove hunting the first two days of dove season (Sunday, Sept. 1 & Monday Sept. 2).  Dove hunting will only be allowed on the Upland Game side of the Wildlife Area after the first two days.  If you want to hunt SJ this would also be a good time to get a little scouting in for the dove opener while you lend a hand.  Just remember, if you do come out to hunt dove at San Jacinto it’s unleaded now, even for upland game on the wildlife area, and everywhere else in the state now for that matter, NON-TOXIC SHOT ONLY!

Hopefully, we’ll have a good crew of volunteers for this one to get the blinds looking good for the upcoming season and another great year of duck hunting.

If you have any questions contact Tom Trakes at the San Jacinto headquarters at (951) 236-3040, or the San Jacinto staff at (951) 928-0580.

San Jacinto’s Volunteer Blind Clean Up / Work Day Well Attended, Saturday, July 13th – Boy Scout Eagle Project Also Accomplished

On Saturday, July 13^th, about 25 volunteers showed up at the San Jacinto Wildlife Area check station parking lot bright and early at 0700.  In addition to the volunteers some of the Boy Scouts from Troop 337 were in attendance to work on Riley Garrett’s Eagle Scout Project, which was to repair and upgrade the kiosks next to the check station parking lot.  Tom sent the volunteers out across the Wildlife Area to clean-up several of the hunting area’s blinds.  In addition to the general clean-up and trash and shell pick up some of blinds required trimming of natural growth that was overgrown and cleaning out tumble weeds and other plants that had taken over the inside of a few of the blinds. Due to this past winter’s heavy rains there was an unusual amount of vegetation this year.

Heading out to the blinds

Getting ready to work on Marsh A

Mystic Lake lookin’ good!

Working on the kiosks.

After working hard all morning the volunteer crew, Scouts and the SJ staff retired to the awning at the check station parking lot for a great lunch of Carne Asada, rice and beans along with soft drinks provided by the Boy Scouts.

A well-deserved lunch…yum!

Once again, Tom and his team at San Jacinto would like to give a big thank you to everyone that came out and worked hard to start the process of getting things ready for the upcoming waterfowl.  Also, a big thanks to Riley Garrett and the other Scouts for their hard work upgrading the kiosks along with a big thanks to Shane Tucker and Carlos Gutierrez for lending their expertise and assistance on the hot roofs of the kiosks.   And finally, a big thanks to the Scouts again, from everybody, for providing a great lunch.

There will be at least two more blind brush-up/work days to finish getting things in ship shape for the coming waterfowl hunting season. The next one is scheduled for Saturday, August 24^th and the one after that in late September (date to be announced).  I’ll make a separate post with all the details for the August 24^th workday when I get all the info and the flyer from the SJ Staff, but for now, go ahead and mark it on your calendar.  The August 24^th workday will concentrate on working on and brushing up the blinds, so palm fronds are needed.  If you can get a hold of any palm fronds any time before the work day you can drop them off at San Jacinto. Just call Tom at 951-236-3040 and he’ll make arrangements for someone to be there so you can drop them off.  Please make sure you don’t bring in the type of palm fronds with the thorns on their stalks, unless you’re willing to strip off the thorns first. Those things wreak havoc with waders if the thorns aren’t removed.  Watch SoCalHunt for the “official” announcement and details of the next blind brush-up/workday.