By Derek Johnson
Special to the Alpine Mountaineer
A mountain VIP had a landmark birthday party on May 17: The Heaps Peak Arboretum celebrated its 40th year of operation.
Heavy fog on the rim gave the occasion a unique aura.
After the originally planned celebration had to be scrapped because it was scheduled for the day the Line Fire started, things were rescheduled for May. For the rescheduled event, the Rim of the World Interpretive Association (ROWIA) decided to hold the festivities in a unique, fireproof location – inside of a cloud! Yes, it was one of the Rim’s hallmark pea-soup foggy days during the celebration.
The fog was heavy and, as always, drivers on the adjacent Highway 18 had their hazard lights flashing in a misguided (and illegal) attempt to remain more visible. Temperatures were in the low to mid 40s and tree rain was dropping all over the forest floor. While temps remained low, spirits remained high as dozens of people gathered to celebrate one of our mountain’s great treasures, a wonderfully accessible pristine natural landscape where we can learn all about our mountain ecosystem.
Heaps Peak was first settled by Fred Heaps (you will note the lack of an apostrophe in the name) in the 1880s, and the area was first protected by a federal program in 1893 as the San Bernardino Forest Preserve. Later, the area was transferred to the National Forest by President Theodore Roosevelt.
Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh congratulated the Arboretum on its 40th anniversary and presented ROWIA with a commemorative plaque.
Over the last hundred years, the area has been destroyed by fire three times: The Sugar Fire in the early 1920s, the Bear Fire in the 1950s and the Old Fire in 2003.In 1927, locally famous historical figure Mary Putnam Henck planted a sequoia grove in the area and bolstered the education of the public about the ecosystem.
All significant conservation and educational activities surrounding Heaps Peak ground to a halt with the advent of WW2; from that point forward, the area grew to become a local dumping ground – all manner of trash, old refrigerators, junk furniture, etc. started blanketing the forest. This lasted until 1982 when local conservationists put a stop to it.
Former Rim district schoolteacher George Hessman founded the Rim of the World Interpretive Association in 1984 and the grassroots effort to take care of Heaps Peak took off. Volunteers planted trees, built a parking lot and trails, and local Eagle Scouts made educational signs for visitors.
That version of the Arboretum existed until the 2003 Old Fire wiped it all out, necessitating another reboot. The rebuilding took a couple of years, and it reopened in its modern form in 2005. In 2010 Bob Reed opened the demonstration garden with its paved pathway populated only by native plants.
The 40th anniversary festivities were marked by a trivia game, a reading of John Muir’s “Come to the Woods” and speeches by State Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh, Ranger Joshua Direen and a staffer from Rep. Jay Obernolte’s office – each of whom presented ROWIA President Christine Smiley with tokens of appreciation for 40 years of ROWIA service to the mountain landscape.
The ceremony was capped off by a musical performance of “Rocky Mountain High” and a group sing-along of a lyrically altered version of “America the Beautiful” that paid tribute to the unique beauty of the Heaps Peak Arboretum. Volunteers handed out many souvenirs, including some beautifully decorated 40th anniversary cookies, refrigerator magnets and trail mix.
ROWIA had a prepared scavenger hunt for the attendees to walk the 0.8-mile loop trail in search of various natural phenomena but the trail was not well traversed that day – most of the attendees fled for their cars immediately after the ceremony to warm their frozen digits.
To join, contribute financially or to volunteer with ROWIA to keep this special place in operating condition for the next 40 years, visit www.hparboretum.com.
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