
Photo by Jenny Kirchner.
Mary Austin Scholarship Fund
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This year’s Ernie Maxwell Community Spirit Award goes to Stephanie Yost. “I am humbled and honored by this community recognition,” said Yost. “As president of the Idyllwild Community Center, there is much we’ve been able to accomplish, but many more important projects and programs still lie ahead. Since coming to Idyllwild 33 years ago, I’ve…
In this column, my Riverside Mountain Rescue Unit teammates and I usually focus on safety on the trails and the overall beauty of the high country. Never have we talked about the safety aspect of the core sport that makes Idyllwild a destination for people from around the world — climbing!
Pipestem Clematis or Chaparral Clematis,(Clematis lasiantha), is one of the two native clematis in California (the other being C. ligusticifolia or Western Virgin’s Bower). Pipestem clematis is a beautiful deciduous vine that can be as long as 20 feet. This native vine can be found growing on hillsides, chaparral, and open woodlands in southern and central California. It blooms April to May, displaying many small, creamy white and fragrant flowers. This vine prefers shade for its roots, and sun for its top, and is completely drought-tolerant when established.
I was lucky to attend camp in the Idyllwild area during the years from 1967 through 1972. Camp Roosevelt was nestled about seven miles from Idyllwild in Garner Valley located right next to the Hurkey Creek campground. I was 10 ½ when I began attending the camp, which had been in existence for over 30 years. It was then owned and managed by Dan Slater. It was a co-ed camp that my brother Steve and I attended during the 60’s counter-cultural revolution. We had hippies as counselors and no parents at the camp, and seldom on parents’ weekend. It was an overnight camp where you could stay from three to eight weeks.
Butterfly Mint Bush, (Monardella antonina), a California native plant, is a real butterfly magnet.