
If your children are getting restless a few days into their spring break, the Big Bear Discovery Center has a new opportunity that will get them outdoors and provide them with information on local history, botany, wildlife, geology and ecology. Expanding on the volunteer programs offered in the Rim of the World School District, the Discovery Center will now offer local volunteering opportunities to those as young as 11 years old. According to Marco Guzman, staff naturalist and volunteer coordinator for the San Bernardino National Forest Association, “An SBNFA volunteer is someone who donates their time to give other people a new experience, taking them on a guided hike or simply taking the time to answer questions about our mountains.” Youth volunteers will also have the opportunity to restore burned areas within the forest and help with special programs, while learning life skills to become young naturalists. Those interested in participating in the Discover Center’s new youth volunteer program are welcome to attend an information meeting next Tuesday, March 31. The hour-long program begins at 6pm, and will feature refreshments and the opportunity to meet, and ask questions of, the SBNFA staff. Says SBNFA Program Director Alison Bates, “There is so much to do out in the forest, especially if you love being outdoors and want to learn more.”