In case you don't recognize Paul he is KF6TRT. Should you ever be so
inclined to bring up the buzz word of bees then you'll get another
experience of his talent.
Eyes and Ears of the Forest, Paul Cronshaw Tireless as Volunteer
Ranger
http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/paul_cronshaw_eyes_and_ears_of_the_forest_20130803
By Suzanne Farwell for the Santa Barbara Foundation
Paul Cronshaw is a volunteer ranger with the Los Padres Forest
Association, helping to keep an eye on forest conditions and wildlife,
including bees. “The wilderness area is vast,” he says. “Working together
like bees, everyone contributes a little to make a large impact.”
(Cronshaw family photo)
Working with Los Padres Forest Association, volunteer's activities
symbolize spirit of Man, Woman of the Year program
[Noozhawk’s note: One in a series of articles highlighting Santa
Barbara’s Man and Woman of the Year awards. The nomination period for
2013 honors is now open.]
Paul Cronshaw once spotted a bumper sticker on a local car that
exclaimed: Volunteers Live Longer! That vehicle belonged to Vie Obern,
Santa Barbara's 1989 Woman of the Year and a lifelong advocate for public
trails access.
Cronshaw eventually got together with Obern, helping her with several
projects. In addition to what he learned from her, he was also inspired
by Dave Weaver, a former counselor at
Santa Barbara High School and
patriarch of the
Volunteer Rangers,
Los Padres Forest Association. It didn't take long for Cronshaw to
sign up.
Born and raised in Santa Barbara, Cronshaw was fortunate to have parents
who taught him that people could be paid in lots of different ways. Both
teachers, they considered their salaries greatly enhanced by the
satisfaction of guiding young people toward success. Cronshaw followed
his parents into teaching and began to experience the value of that
alternative reward of satisfaction. Never one to sit still, he also
became a chiropractor and a renowned beekeeper.
Cronshaw calls the Volunteer Rangers “the eyes and ears of the forest.”
Working in pairs or teams of 12 to 14, volunteers collect important data
on the state of the forest, especially after fires; monitor the effects
of the current drought; and take note of the health of the wildlife
coyotes, bears, mountain lions ... and, in Cronshaw’s case, bees. They
walk the trails some established long ago by the Chumash clearing and
maintaining them, and picking up trash.
“Some hikers ignore the Leave No Trace ethos,” he said, “but we try to
teach them when we encounter them on the trails.”
After the 2007 Zaca Fire, Cronshaw and his colleagues collected enough
data for the Los Padres Forest
Association to receive a need-based grant of $500,000 for trail
maintenance.
Cronshaw revels in being a volunteer ranger.
“The wilderness area is vast,” he said. “Working together like bees,
everyone contributes a little to make a large impact.”
Cronshaw also volunteers with the
Wilderness Youth Project (WYP).
Last year, he took his class for a nature outing every two weeks
throughout the school year, teaching his students to notice and
appreciate the natural world instead of fearing it. He is gratified to
see some of the kids now giving back as counselors for WYP.
When he is not out in the back country, Cronshaw volunteers for the
Montecito Trails
Foundation, serving as a “member at large” for its advisory
committee. He also creates new maps of the front country. At age 60, he
is fulfilling the promise of that bumper sticker ... this volunteer will
live longer!
•
• •
Volunteers enrich all our lives.
Do you know a volunteer who has made a significant impact on the Santa
Barbara community? You can nominate that person to be the next Man or
Woman of the Year!
Click here to fill out
a simple online nomination form. Sponsored by the
Santa Barbara Foundation,
Noozhawk and
KDB, nominations are open until Aug.
30.
Suzanne Farwell represents the
Santa Barbara
Foundation.
http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/paul_cronshaw_eyes_and_ears_of_the_forest_20130803