Rock Art Evening Hike at the Antelope Valley Indian Museum

Enjoy a summer evening at the Antelope Valley Indian Museum State Historic Park on Saturday, July 26. The museum will be open from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. Event admission is $10 for adults, $5 for ages 6-16, and ages 5 and under are free (cash only).

The event will feature a hike to visit to an American Indian rock carving site on Piute Butte led by Museum Curator Peggy Ronning. This site is normally closed to park visitors, so the hike will provide a rare and unique opportunity to view it. Visitors will also have an opportunity to see the art gallery in Joshua Cottage. The Joshua Cottage exhibit features rock art-themed paintings by Jean Chernoff and Charles LaMonk in addition to paintings by museum founder H. A. Edwards.

This event will be opening night for the new “Casas Grandes Polychrome Pottery” exhibit. This is part of a series of exhibits revealing Southwest pottery that has been hidden in a State Parks warehouse in Sacramento since the 1970s. A sample of pottery from this collection can be seen on the State Parks website at www.museumcollections.parks.ca.gov.

The museum will also be open regular daytime hours during the weekend. The museum is open every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Daytime museum admission is $3 for adults (cash only), and ages 12 and under are free. For more information, phone the museum at (661) 946-3055 (711 TTY relay service), or visit our website at www.avim.parks.ca.gov.

When: 6-9 p.m., Saturday July 26^th

Where: 15701 East Avenue M, in Lake Los Angeles, east of Lancaster.

From the 14 Freeway in Lancaster, go east on Avenue K to 150^th Street East. Turn right and go south for two miles to Avenue M. Turn left and go east on Avenue M for 1 mile to the museum.

Cost: $10 for adults, $5 for ages 6-16, and ages 5 and under are free (cash only).

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California State Parks 150th Anniversary Celebration at First Friday in Tehachapi

Join California State Parks at Tehachapi’s August 1st “First Friday” event for a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of California State Parks!  State Park Interpreter Jean Rhyne will present the program as Harriet “Petey” Weaver, the first female California State Park ranger, in a 1939 reproduction of the first official State Park Ranger uniform. The presentation will be offered at 5:15, 6:15, and again at 7:15, with historic photos of the birth and growth of the California State Parks System and the impressive diversity of natural and cultural features preserved.

Tomo-Kahni State Historic Park is also proud to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the park this year, and the Sierra Club is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act.  The Sierra Club, Tomo-Kahni volunteers, and local California State Parks staff will have displays and information about all of these significant anniversaries as well as the recreational opportunities available in the California State Parks of our area.

The First Friday event is from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.  Refreshments will be provided, and volunteers will have artifacts and displays illustrating the culture and life ways of the local Kawaiisu Indians.  The Sierra Club will have information and displays about the Wilderness Act, and local author and volunteer Cindy Waldman will read from her new children’s storybook, The Butterfly Basket.

The free presentations will be at the Community Congregational Church Fellowship Hall, 100 East E Street in Tehachapi at the corner of South Green Street. Visitors to Tehachapi can enjoy the popular First Friday Artist Receptions and Art Walks year round, with a wide variety of local Tehachapi art and services. For more information, call (661) 946-6900.

Where:  Community Congregational Church Fellowship Hall, 100 East E Street, Tehachapi (at the corner of South Green Street).

When:  Friday, August 1, 5-8 p.m.

Cost:  Free

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Red Rock Canyon State Park

Volunteer Training Workshops

Are you enthusiastic about our unique local desert? Want to get others excited about it too? Red Rock Canyon State Park is offering volunteer training workshops for outgoing, energetic people that are interested in learning more about our beautiful park and enhancing the experience of park visitors.

The Red Rock Canyon State Park volunteer program offers monthly maintenance and habitat management assistance projects, and we’re now expanding into outreach activities. Registered volunteers are needed to assist with staffing the park Visitor Center, lead tours for the public and school groups, and other services.  No prior knowledge or experience necessary, and volunteers of any age and ability are welcome! Trainees will be required to complete registration paperwork before beginning volunteer service, which includes a background check.  Upon completion of training and registration, volunteers are expected to work a minimum of once a month in the spring and fall seasons to maintain active status.

Training workshops for the following two outreach services are now being offered; applicants may sign up for either one or both. Workshops will be held at the Red Rock Canyon State Park Visitor Center, at the end of Abbot Road off Hwy 14 near Cantil, 22 miles north of Mojave.  Please contact Jean Rhyne at (661) 946-6900 or Jean.Rhyne@parks.ca.gov for an application packet and to RSVP for trainings.

August 2, 10 a.m.: Visitor Center Orientation & Training

People travel from far and wide to Red Rock Canyon State Park only to encounter a closed visitor center, with the professional-level displays hidden behind locked doors due to a very limited staffing budget. With the assistance of volunteers, we can expand the visitor center open hours. Staffing the visitor center is an extremely rewarding experience for both you and the park visitors!

Ranger Matt will give his excellent training on visitor center staffing; the typical questions people ask park staff, running the gift shop cash register, park rules and procedures, and many other things that will get you highly-qualified and confident behind the counter.  You don’t need to already be a wildlife expert to work at the visitor center- if you know where the nearest grocery store is and you can point to the bathrooms, you’re already ahead of most people that come in!

You’ll stay refreshed at the training with chilled pie and lemonade, courtesy of the Red Rock Canyon Interpretive Association.

September 6, 9 a.m.: Leading Hikes and School Programs

Do you enjoy going on guided nature hikes when you visit parks?  They’re most frequently led by regular people like you who are volunteering to share what they love with others!

Many people would be interested in leading hikes, but don’t feel they’re qualified.  Au contraire mon frere, leading hikes is fun and always a fulfilling experience- even if you’re not an expert!  Interpreter Jean will take you on a nature hike, and teach you interpretation skills, techniques, and logistics along the way. For those that enjoy working with kids, Jean will also explain how kids process information at different ages, and what they’re supposed to be learning in different grades so teachers are guaranteed to be impressed by your school program! Training includes assisting staff with future scheduled school programs before leading programs on your own.

Afterwards, you’re invited to celebrate with Jean at her mini 40-something birthday party.