Christina began her work with the Interpretive Association in February 1991.
”At that time,”she says, ‘”the Interpretive Associations were just developing. My background is that I used to work for the Parks. Before we moved up here I was a State Park Ranger at Lake Perris State Recreation Area, and prior to that a dispatcher at Orange Coast District, and prior to that I was a visitor services and maintenance park aide and worked at Bolsa Chica and Huntington State Beach.”
Her mother’s involvement was more gradual, she says.
”When she first came, it was because we had birthday parties for our kids here at the park. We lived in the park then. She loved the park, but didn’t think she could run the cash register. But then she
”Most of the RGIA volunteers have been working at the park for 15 years, Christina says. ‘”A couple have had to leave for health reasons or because a spouse passed away.”
Each month during the season, which runs from May 1 through September 30, three couples are given camping spaces in the park to act as guides and greeters for the many people who visit the park each year. Camp volunteers are very dedicated. Maria has put in over 3,000 hours of volunteer time. A camp host, Wayne Prentice, has logged over 12,00 hours of volunteering.
”They’re a wonderful group,”Christina says. ‘”This place is like home to them. And they are like family to us.”
In years past, the Visitor Center included a food concession, but a couple of years ago the concessionaire didn’t renew the contract and the RGIA took over the space to expand their educational displays. They now offer a half-hour video on the history and ecology of the park. They have also added a display of skulls of animals that are found in the park environment, and a row of touch and feel displays that are very popular with children. There’s also a display of pelts from larger indigenous wildlife.
”Usually, kids are told not to touch,”says Christina, ‘”but this section is meant for touching. Kids wouldn’t see a lot of these animals in the park.”
The dioramas at the Visitor Center feature stuffed animals that have died at the park, either from natural causes or from being hit by a car. The animals are sent to a taxidermist to be restored, Christina says. Animals are never killed for display. A cinnamon-colored Black Bear, struck by a car, was added to the diorama, along with an otter. A weasel and various pelts are the new additions for 2008.
”This is the type of park that people like coming back to year after year,”says Christina. ‘”Many visitors who come here remember being taken here when they were children. I’ve seen a lot of the same families for the last 15 years. They’re always excited to come in here and see what new animals have been added to the diorama.”
Christina says she especially enjoys meeting the people who are returning to the park to revisit their own past.
”We had the great-granddaughter of Friend Richardson, the 25th governor of California and the man the park was named after, come here at the end of last season and sign our guest book. The daughter of the Freedman family who once ran the concession here came and gave me a picture of her father taken here between 1922 and 1932. It was fascinating listening to her telling us what it was like then. She used to collect rocks from the river and give her own presentations to campers.
”This park is so special. People come here and see memories of their childhood and they come bringing their great-grandchildren. The waitresses who used to serve people in the ‘30s in the dining hall have come back to visit. Just in the last few years, we’ve been seeing people who used to camp here 50 years ago coming and bringing their grandchildren. Through them, we’re learning a lot about the history of this park.”
From all these special visitors, Christina is hoping to build a historical collection of photos and memories to add to the displays at the Visitor Center. The Freedman daughter is writing a book about her family’s time at the park, Christina says, and when it’s done, all the family photos will be donated to the Association.
The Interpretive Association exists to help the parks and raising money for park projects is what they’re all about. A good portion of the money they raise each year is earned at the Visitor Center through the sale of merchandise, including books on the ecology and history of the area.
”All the items we sell are interpretive in nature,”Christina says. The merchandise is carefully selected to reflect the ecology of the park.
”For being such a small association and only being opened from May through September, we’ve done very well,”Christina says. ‘”Every year the amount of money we’ve raised has gone up.”
Besides Richardson Grove, the RGIA supports eight other units of State Parks, including Benbow Lake, Standish-Hickey, Sinkyone Wilderness, and Council Madrone. The projects they have supported include the campfire center at Benbow State Park and the purchase of a projector and speakers for the Richardson Grove campfire, and informational panels on park trails.
Most of the folks who visit the park are campers who spend a week or two enjoying all the park has to offer. But more recently, they have been issuing one-hour passes for people who are driving through the area. These one-hour passes have proved to be very popular, a nice chance for travelers to take a break and view the wonders of the redwood forest before heading on to the Avenue of the Giants and other points north.
More recently, Christina says, she has seen an increase in the number of visitors from the Eureka area, indicating a trend for people to vacation closer to home.
Memberships in the Richardson Grove Interpretive Association are available at the Visitor Center for a $10 donation. Checks can be made payable to the Richardson Grove Interpretive Association and mailed to R.G.I.A., 1600 U.S. Highway 101 #7, Garberville, CA 95542.
Members receive a newsletter and a 20% discount on Visitor Center merchandise.
For those interested in receiving a visitor center volunteer interest application, please request this at the above address, so when there is availability we have some interested volunteers to contact. State Park staff, volunteers, and associations continue to work cooperatively to enrich interpretive and educational experiences that millions of visitors and school children greatly enjoy. Just in the Southern Eel River Sector, which covers Standish Hickey, Richardson Grove State Park, Benbow Lake S.R.A. and Sinkyone Wilderness, there were 5,138 hours of service contributed by volunteers to the working relationship the parks and associations share to better accomplish the missions of the association and Department of Parks and Recreation. In the visitor center at Richardson Grove State Park, approximately 14,415 visitors were served and 16 buses. Volunteers are an integral part in such a dedicated and successful Volunteer in Parks Program, and we greatly appreciate their volunteer service.
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