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_...

By Suzanne Farwell for the Santa Barbara Foundation

Paul Cronshaw is a volunteer ranger with the Los Padres Forest

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 http://www.sbdons.org/Santa Barbara High School and patriarch of the http://lpforest.org/volunteer-rangers/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 http://lpforest.org/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 http://www.wyp.org/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 http://www.montecitotrailsfoundation.org/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! http://www.sbfoundation.org/manwoman2013Click here to fill out a simple online nomination form. Sponsored by the http://www.sbfoundation.orgSanta Barbara Foundation, http://www.noozhawk.comNoozhawk and http://www.kdb.com/KDB, nominations are open until Aug. 30.

­ Suzanne Farwell represents the http://www.sbfoundation.orgSanta Barbara Foundation.

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