Laguna Mountain Volunteer Association
We officially incorporated as the Laguna Mountain Volunteer Association, Inc., (LMVA) in 1986, as a California 501 (c) (3) accredited non-profit organization. Our volunteers have been providing quality services to visitors to the Laguna Mountain Recreation Area, and supporting the Descanso District of the Cleveland National Forest, in the following ways.
Laguna Mountain Volunteer Association
Visitor Services
LMVA volunteers; operate the Mt Laguna Visitor Information Center on weekends. Visitor questions are addressed; Adventure passes are sold, area maps or sold, and issue disbursed camping permits.
Laguna Mountain Volunteer Association
Interpretive Services
LMVA volunteers; lead Nature Walks from the campgrounds, Conduct Campfire Programs, Provide children’s programs, and host an annual “Living History Program”.
LMVA volunteers; participate in the Trail Ambassador program. Volunteers on foot, bike and horseback take to the trails on weekends to answer visitor questions and monitor trail conditions.
Laguna Mountain Volunteer Association
Trail Maintenance
LMVA volunteers; provide maintenance for the over 50 miles of trails in the Laguna Mountain Recreation Area.
Laguna Mountain Volunteer Association
Interpretive Services
LMVA volunteers; lead Nature Walks from the campgrounds, Conduct Campfire Programs, Provide children’s programs, and host an annual “Living History Program”.
LMVA volunteers; participate in the Trail Ambassador program. Volunteers on foot, bike and horseback take to the trails on weekends to answer visitor questions and monitor trail conditions.
Laguna Mountain Volunteer Association
Trail Maintenance
LMVA volunteers; provide maintenance for the over 50 miles of trails in the Laguna Mountain Recreation Area.
Laguna Mountain Volunteer Association
Special projects
LMVA volunteers help LMVA volunteers; organize Special Projects are to assist the Forest service maintain their property, such as painting picnic tables.
LMVA volunteers; maintain the landscaping around the Visitor Center and the Volunteer Activity Center.
LMVA volunteers; regularly pick up the recycling from the Laguna Mountain campgrounds.
LMVA volunteers; have a permit with the County of San Diego for the removal of trash from mile marker 20.5 to 22.5 on Sunrise Highway.
The LMVA Trail Maintenance Crew maintains the approximate 35-mile trail system in the Mount Laguna Recreation Area, making it safer and more enjoyable for hikers, mountain bikers, and travelers on horseback. LMVA built the Big Laguna and Indian Creek trails, but we are currently in maintenance mode. Maintenance consists of removing brush encroaching on the trail, tread maintenance, repairing erosion, and removing root balls and rocks.
Safety is the Number One priority for the Trail Crew, and we are proud that our safety record is outstanding. Trail crew members wear safety gear including hard hats, sturdy and protective footwear, gloves, long-sleeve shirts and long pants. All maintenance outings start with a brief safety refresher. The work site may involve long-distance hiking while lugging trail tools. The dust and heat can be intense in the summer months, and it can be bitterly cold and windy in winter. Adequate advance preparation is key.
But there is nothing like a day out on the trail getting dirty, watching wildlife, working hard and receiving satisfaction from an appreciative comment by a trail user.
The Trail Crew meets on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of each month (holidays excepted), starting out from the Roost headquarters.
LITTER REMOVAL
There are typically only two or three winter storms in our mountains each year that are cold and strong enough to drop snow. When the storms move out, people flock to the mountain to frolic in the white stuff.
After the “snow-players” go away, members of the LMVA Mountain Area Removal Squad (MARS) move in.
It always amazes us how much litter is left behind after the snow melts. We have found virtually every article of clothing you can think of, money, electronics (cell phones), the remains of snow play toys, even half of a surfboard!
How did a coconut wind up at 6,000 feet? We don’t know, but we found it. Fast-food and drink containers make up the bulk of the remainder of the trash. But we once found a menu from a Chinese restaurant in Chula Vista, over 60 miles away. The trash left behind from just one snow-play event at just one of the snow-play locations on the mountain can completely fill up the back of a full-size pickup.
LMVA INTERPRETATIVE PROGRAMS
Campfire Programs
LIVING HISTORY IS ANNUALLY PRESENTED AT
LAGUNA MOUNTAIN VOLUNTEER ASSOCIATION HEADQUARTERS (THE RED-TAILED ROOST).
In the community of Mt. Laguna, at the 22.5 Mile Marker of Sunrise Highway, across from the Volunteer Fire Department headquarters.
Take a guided tour to Visit a Kwaaymii Indian, a Mountain Man, Turn-of-the-century Surveyors, Cowboys from the Campo Cattle Company, an Imperial Valley Farm family, and the Cleveland National Forest’s first Ranger, Carl Brenner. And be sure to watch out for Smokey Bear!
Sorry, no pets allowed on the tour, but we will gladly pet-sit them for you.
Trail Ambassador Program
Trail ambassadors will assist recreation area visitors acting as roving interpreters answering visitor’s questions and providing directions. The purpose of the position is to educate and inform the public, trail ambassadors will not enforce regulations or policy while on duty. In cases of emergency, trail ambassadors will contact dispatch and other emergency agencies as appropriate in accordance with emergency communication procedures. Ambassadors will not administer first aid unless they hold a valid First Aid Certification.
Children's Programs
Nature Walks
Campfire Programs
Laguna Mountain Volunteer Association
presents
2021 Summer Campground Activities
May 29, Sat. Walk on the Wild (Flower) Side. Meet in the Laguna amphitheater/overflow parking lot, 9:30
am for a 1 hour guided walk along Big Laguna Trail. (Viv)
May 29, Sat. Coyote Tales. Have a howling good time as you separate fact from folklore about America’s
Dog in this storytelling session. 7:00 pm, Burnt Rancheria amphitheater. (Viv)
June 5, Sat. Walk on the Wild (Flower) Side. Meet in the Laguna amphitheater/overflow parking lot, 9:30
am, for a 1 hour guided walk along Big Laguna Trail. (Viv)
June 5, Sat. Once Upon a Mountain Top: 100 years of Fun-filled Mount Laguna History, 7:00 pm, Burnt
Rancheria Amphitheater. (Viv)
June 19, Sat. Coyote Tales. Have a howling good time as you separate fact from folklore about America’s
Dog in this storytelling session. 7:00 pm, Burnt Rancheria amphitheater. (Viv)
June 26, Sat Cowboy Poetry. Enjoy a slice of old west poetry as seen through the eyes of a cowboy. 7:00
pm, Burnt Rancheria amphitheater. (Joe S.)
July 3, Sat. Coyote Tales. Have a howling good time as you separate fact from folklore about America’s
Dog in this storytelling session. 7:00 pm, Burnt Rancheria amphitheater. (Viv)
July 10, Sat. Discover the Forest in a New Way. Use your senses of sight, hearing, smell and touch to
increase your knowledge of our unique pine-oak forest. Meet at the Red-tailed Roost (on
Sunrise Hwy. 0.3 mile south of Burnt Rancheria. Turn right into free parking), 10:00 am, for this
1 hour guided walk. (Patti)
July 17, Sat. Once Upon a Mountain Top: 100 years of Fun-filled Mount Laguna History,7:00 pm, Burnt
Rancheria amphitheater. (Viv)
July 24, Sat. Coyote Tales. Have a howling good time as you separate fact from folklore about America’s
Dog in this storytelling session. 7:00 pm, Burnt Rancheria amphitheater. (Viv)
July 31, Sat. Cowboy Poetry. Enjoy a slice of old west poetry as seen through the eyes of a cowboy. 7:00
pm, Burnt Rancheria amphitheater (Joe S.)
Aug. 7, Sat. Once Upon a Mountain Top: 100 years of fun-filled Mount Laguna History, 7:00 pm, Burnt
Rancheria amphitheater (Viv)
Aug. 21, Sat. Coyote Tales. Have a howling good time as you separate fact from folklore about America’s
Dog in this storytelling session. 7:00 pm, Burnt Rancheria amphitheater (Viv)
Aug. 22, Sun. Discover the Forest in a New Way. Use your senses of sight, hearing, smell and touch to
increase your knowledge of our unique pine-oak forest. Meet at the Red-tailed Roost (on
Sunrise Hwy. 0.3 mile south of Burnt Rancheria. Turn right into free parking), 10:00 am, for this
1 hour guided walk. (Patti)
Aug. 28, Sat. Cowboy Poetry. Enjoy a slice of old west poetry as seen through the eyes of a cowboy. Burnt
Rancheria amphitheater, 6:30 pm. (Joe S.)
Sept. 4, Sat. Discover the Forest in a New Way. Use your senses of sight, hearing, smell and touch to
increase your knowledge of our unique pine-oak forest. Meet at the Red-tailed Roost, (on
Sunrise Hwy. 0.3 mile south of Burnt Rancheria. Turn right into free parking), 10:00 am, for this
1 hour guided walk. (Patti)
Sept.4, Sat. Once Upon a Mountain Top: 100 years of Fun-filled Mount Laguna History, 6:30 pm, Burnt
Rancheria amphitheater. (Viv)
SPECIAL PROJECTS
