Ron Kraus

The PCNCA’s own Ron Kraus was chosen by the County of Los Angeles to represent the docent organizations from the different nature centers. He will be our go-between during meetings to explain the docent points of view when the County is making decisions regarding the Nature Centers.

They could not have chosen a better docent for this new responsibility, and the Placerita Canyon Nature Center Associates are very proud for Ron.

Most of us who were lucky enough to grow up appreciating nature have great childhood memories of creek walks and knapsacks full of a day’s food. If we are really lucky, we carry these feelings we cherished into adulthood and seek to find a place we can relive those experiences as an adult.

Here at the Placerita Canyon Natural Area, we are fortunate enough to have more than 100 volunteers who find this park the perfect place to explore, learn, and rekindle those feelings.

Ron Kraus, after retiring from the L.A. City Department of Recreation and Parks, came to Placerita in 2002 to take a docent training class. He has boyhood memories of the Walker Ranch fireplace and Placerita Creek, as his mother allowed him to join his friends on hikes over from his home in Sylmar.

Ron is very involved at Placerita. He has held the position of vice president of the PCNCA board for seven years and in that capacity he coordinates the docent training program, arranging the lectures, hikes and materials.

Along with those official duties, he acts as the park’s unofficial historian and in-service coordinator.

Ron makes an annual year-end video for the holiday party, loaded with great photos  of the docents and staff. He has a contest called “Are You Smarter than a Placerita Fifth Grader?” for the summer Breakfast of Champions.

Where does Ron go for his daily walk? Placerita, of course. Every evening he comes for his daily exercise in or around the park. He takes pictures of plants to post on the website that he keeps updated with events and park information.

A photo Ron shot at Walker Ranch graced the cover of one of the local phone books. His fellow docents awarded him volunteer of the year in 2005.

Placerita is lucky to have Ron. The volunteers and staff appreciate and enjoy his interest and enthusiasm.

It may be said that Ron is lucky to have Placerita, too – it appears he really loves this park.

This article originally appeared in the March-April 2012 edition of The Rattler, the newsletter of the Placerita Canyon Nature Center Associates. The Nature Center is located at 19152 Placerita Canyon Rd, Newhall. For information or to volunteer, visit www.Placerita.org. Join the PCNCA Facebook group here: http://www.facebook.com/groups/pcnca.