Formed in 1975, nonprofit helps keep park ready for visitors
Published in the Feb. 19 – March 4, 2014 issue of Morgan Hill Life
By Marty Cheek
Photo by Marty Cheek
Henry W. Coe State Park volunteer John Thatcher talks to two visitors at last October’s Tarantula Fest.
Spreading across more than 87,000 acres in the Diablo mountains east of Morgan Hill, Henry W. Coe State Park has for many decades served as a wilderness escape from the stresses of Silicon Valley. And since it was formed in 1975, the nonprofit Pine Ridge Association has led the fight to preserve this ruggedly tranquil landscape for the enjoyment of generations of day-hikers, backpackers, mountain bikers, equestrians and other users.
Only two rangers patrol the vast wilderness, and so the PRA members and uniformed volunteers support nearly every aspect of the park experience, said Ron Erskine, the PRA’s vice president. Besides patrolling and maintaining trails, PRA volunteers staff the visitor center, lead the popular spring-time wildflower walks, and host public events such as the Mother’s Day Breakfast, the family-oriented Ranch Day and the Tarantula Fest programs, and the popular Back-country Weekend that lets people gain access to the Orestimba Wilderness in the park’s far eastern sections. The park map and many of the books in the visitors center are also produced by the PRA.
“Our purpose is to enhance the experience of every visitor to Coe Park, and these volunteers bring their passion to their work,” Erskine said. “The PRA is critical to keeping the park ready and fit for visitors.”
Like many South Valley residents, Erskine lived in Morgan Hill for several years before he ventured into the park with friends and discovered all it offered visitors.
“I felt like a kid on Christmas morning,” he said of his initial Coe explorations. “I couldn’t wait to join the PRA and become a volunteer. I have gotten far more than I have given through the experience.”
Every fall, PRA members put on an extensive program that trains a group of “uniformed volunteers” about the state park and how to add to visitors’ enjoyment and safety. The highlight of this program is a weekend camping adventure where the trainees ride in caravans to distant parts of the mountainous park. On Feb. 1, 14 new uniformed volunteers graduated from the program at a ceremony at the PRA’s annual member meeting held at the Morgan Hill Community Center.
Palo Alto resident Libby Vincent discovered Coe in 1974 when she went on a 10-mile hike down a steep canyon with friends. She wore a pair of Birkenstock sandals – “I must have been mad,” she admits. But she fell in love with the park and has served with the PRA for 22 years. It is PRA volunteers like Vincent who have made it possible to keep Coe open despite financial cutbacks from California state legislators and limited ranger staff. The Coe Park Preservation Fund raised the money to keep the park open when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger threatened to close it several years ago, she said.
“The PRA contributed a large amount to the Coe Park Preservation Fund, as did many PRA members including one particularly generous PRA member who was also active on the board of the Coe Park Preservation Fund,” she said.
“PRA volunteers, especially those in leadership positions, tend to be articulate and politically savvy,” she said. “They have spoken out on occasions to stop the state from doing foolish things like plan a route for high-speed rail along Robison Creek Canyon and across the top of the park, or flood the Pacheco Creek drainage to help solve low-point water issues at Los Banos Reservoir.”
PRA volunteers who interact with the public are full of enthusiasm about the park and all it has to offer in terms of natural beauty, remoteness, hikes, rides, and events, Vincent said.
“Even the newest volunteers usually know more about the park than a lot of visitors,” she said. “Sharing what we know – without lecturing – is of huge value to visitors, pointing them to particular routes or places they think the visitor might enjoy, such as a bench on the Flat Frog Trail or a particularly statuesque valley oak on the Corral Trail.”
Participating at Coe Park is a very large part of Vincent’s life and for many of the nearly 400 PRA members, including about 100 who are active in the uniformed volunteer program, she said.
“It’s my major commitment beyond working full time,” she said. “Contributing to the Pine Ridge Association in many ways helps me continue to give back, and contribute to the ongoing support for the park – and keeping it open.”
For more information, visit www.coepark.net/pineridgeassociation.
