[PCNCA] – RuthAnne Murthy has been named 2017 Volunteer of the Year by the Placerita Canyon Nature Center Associates board of directors.

RuthAnne was a third-grade teacher in the Castaic Union School District, and we knew we had found a rare pearl when she started her docent training at Placerita in 2014. She brought the same dedication, intense focus and a beautiful sense of organization to her new job as a volunteer.

She decided rather quickly that her interest was in native plants, and she immersed herself in research, asking questions of the experts and acquainting herself with all of the plants in Placerita Canyon. Because she is a true teacher at heart, she wanted to share this knowledge with park visitors, so she happily started a new program called Blooms of the Season where the public could learn about native plants and know what was blooming along the trail at the time of their visit.

The class meets on the patio on the fourth Saturday of every month at 9.30 a.m. for a one-hour stroll. The public is invited to come and join the walk; bring your camera and questions. As it turns out, a few visitors are becoming regulars and have bit bitten by the same desire to learn and become experts. Everybody shares their knowledge and gives each other support. It is quite an extraordinary development and a fun group, too – they really have a great time.

RuthAnne had conquered one topic, but she did not stop there. She noticed the docents also needed a support group to keep learning all year, to become more at ease with new topics, to support each other and to be able to develop friendships. She started a program called Docent Enrichment Training where docents discuss topics in which they are particularly proficient and share their special knowledge. RuthAnne schedules trips to expose the docents to new plants and new environments.

Five nominees were proposed for 2017 Volunteer of the Year: RuthAnne, Glenda Perl, Sue Wallander, Robert Grzesiak and Sue Sutton. All five have worked hard to make Placerita a better place, and the choice was not easy. We’re delighted that RuthAnne was selected, and she has our warmest congratulations.

She will receive her official recognition at a special countywide ceremony at the Eaton Canyon Nature Center in September.