Natural History of Trails Panel featuring Three Local Experts April 29
Join us in exploring the natural history of trails on Wednesday, April 29 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.! Santa Cruz County’s many parks and open spaces contain hundreds of miles of trails, and especially during this pandemic, as parks open and close, we’ve all become acutely aware of their importance to our own well-being. Join three local experts for a panel presentation that will provide a broader context for trail users and volunteers to understand the open spaces where we work and play. Learn more about the rocks, soils, topography, plants, animals, and other aspects of the ecosystem that land managers must consider in addition to human uses, and become a more informed trail user and steward.
The panel is free, online and open to the public, donations suggested.
Meet the Speakers
Ben Blom, Field Manager, Central Coast Field Office, Bureau of Land Management
Ben Blom is the field manager for the Bureau of Land Management’s Central Coast Field Office, which is responsible for managing 300,000 acres of public land across 11 counties in central California. Ben has previously held positions with the BLM in the Grand Junction (Colorado) and Arcata (California) Field Offices. He holds a master’s degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Alex Jones, Campus Natural Reserve Manager, University of California, Santa Cruz
Alex (UCSC ENVS 1998) works as the UCSC Campus Natural Reserve Manager and supports education, research, and stewardship activities on campus natural lands. He brings his passion for natural history, ecology, and stewardship to UCSC students through undergraduate course field trips, internships, and volunteer opportunities.
Valentin Lopez, President, Amah Mustin Land Trust
Valentin Lopez has served as Chair of the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band since 2003, and the President of the Amah Mutsun Land Trust since its inception. Valentin is a Native American Advisor to the University of California, Office of the President on issues related to repatriation. Valentin is actively involved in efforts to restore tribal indigenous knowledge and ensure Amah Mutsun history is accurately told.
As always, we want to extend a big thanks to our Trail Academy partner, REI for making this program possible! We’ve hosted our Trail Crew Leader training series for over five years but saw a demand for even more in-depth education on trail construction and maintenance. To fill this gap, we created our Trail Academy program through a grant from REI. Remember when you shop at REI you’re supporting programs like these.
