Bluegrass, Blue Jeans, and Beyond

Bluegrass, Blue Jeans, and Beyond

Bluegrass, Blue Jeans, and Beyond

The San Bernardino National Forest Association (SBNFA) haspartnered with presenting sponsor, Keller Williams, Big Bear Lake,to raise funds through a bluegrass music festival at the Big BearDiscovery Center on Saturday, July 26, 2008, to benefit forestrestoration on the San Bernardino National Forest. The SBNFAs summer fund raising campaign, Forest Aid, isdesigned to raise awareness of the mountain of restoration workto be done on the San Bernardino National Forest, recruit youth andcommunity volunteers and plant seedlings in the burned areas fromthe 2003 and 2007 wildfires. Dollars raised from this festivalalong with the SBNFAs 2008 summer concert series also staged atthe Discovery Center Amphitheater will purchase soil, sand, tools,safety equipment as well as fund transportation expenses to andfrom the designated restoration sites.

The event themed Bluegrass, Blue Jeans and Beyond will bringbluegrass, western and folk music to the Big Bear Discovery Center,one of six divisions managed by the SBNFA. Music is a powerfulmedium and bluegrass with its origin known as mountain music is aperfect fit to raise funds to help heal our forest, said SBNFAexecutive director, Sarah Miggins, We have two incrediblydedicated teams working passionately in rebuilding ecosystems andrestoring habitats; however, this is a multi-year project and willtake many cycles of volunteers and youth leaders to complete. Weneed people who want to get down and dirty while leaving a personallegacy on our national forest. Visit www.SBNFA.org for more information on how to get involved from an individualbasis, corporate sponsorships and teambuilding opportunities.

The first project wave has been completed this past spring bySBNFAs Great Seeds Youth Leadership Restoration Team and UrbanYouth Conservation Corps. Over 4,000 seedlings have been planted inthe Heaps Peak area burned during both wildfires this decade.Watering, monitoring and collecting data at these sites provide aunique field learning experience for these future science majors.The native species greenhouse at Childrens Forest, located inRunning Springs, has been launched by the youth leadership team inpreparation of planting to resume late fall in the Slide and ButlerPeak burn areas.

Fire and fuels suppression, long-term drought and bark beetleinfestation have contributed to the catastrophic wildfires thisdecade on the San Bernardino National Forest destroying over185,000 acres. Burn areas become vulnerable to opportunisticnon-native plants that disturb the balance of the ecosystem. Wildlife habitats are destroyed and steep slopes are prone toerosion. The SBNFA works hand-in-glove with the U.S. ForestService utilizing the expertise and direction set by the botanistswhile the SBNFA, as their lead nonprofit partner, supplies thepeople power and additional funding and greenhouse production tosupport the field work.

Bluegrass, Blue Jeans and Beyond festival hours are 9:00 am to10:00 pm with the music beginning on stage at 10:00 am featuringThe Millcreek Boys, Sligo Rags, Scott Gates and the Pacific OceanBand along with many local bands delivering a mountain bluegrassvibe. Headlining the evening program will be the Ramblin Rangers,a bluegrass ensemble of San Bernardino National Forest Rangers; theBlack Irish Band, hailing from the historic Gold Rush Country ofAmerica excelling at Italian, Irish and American Folk; and ridingin to close the fund raising will be Cody Bryant and The Riders ofthe Purple Sage, featuring tight harmonies and familiar melodies oftheir brand of bluegrass and western music.

Tickets are available online at www.SBNFA.org , the Discovery Center Adventure Outpost or via the ticket line at909-382-2780. Ticket prices are family-friendly at $10 for theday-fest, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm; $30 for adult evening-fest tickets,5:00 pm to 10:00 pm; or save with a combo day and evening pass at$35 for adults. Additional savings are available for teen tickets(ages 13-17); children 12 and under are free. Food, soft beveragesand a beer and wine bar will be available for sale; consequently,no outside food or beverages will be allowed. Parking is free.

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