Advertisement

Column: Volunteering where the views are heavenly, the cause is critical, and the sea lions are barking

Cypress Grove Trail in Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
Tourists come to the seaside village of Carmel, Calif., for the quaint restaurants and lodging but they stay to see the Lone Cypress. The tree is located on a rocky ledge along a private 17-mile drive. Just south of Carmel, tourists also flock to see the ancient cypress grove among unique granite rock faces at Point Lobos.
(Courtesy Jim Hartmann)
Share via
? Volunteers at Pt. Lobos State Natural Reserve are cultivating ‘the next generation of conservationists.’

? ‘The first thing you want [visitors] to do is have fun… and if they can be impressed with the natural beauty, that encourages them to want to protect it.’

? For docents, like Doug Cambier, ‘it’s enough for us to be here in nature, with all of this beauty, and to give back a little bit.’ It never gets old.

Of the roughly 78 million people who volunteer in the United States, about 7.5 million of whom are in California, no one has a better view than Doug Cambier.

On a sun-drenched fall morning, Cambier strapped on his binoculars and began a 90-minute walking tour of the Cypress Grove Trail at Pt. Lobos State Natural Reserve, a heavenly stretch of seashore between Carmel-by-the-Sea and Big Sur. Massive winter waves exploded against rocks, sea lions barked and squawking gulls joined the symphony.

This is not a place that can be described, painted or photographed in any way that does it justice, though many have tried. Ansel Adams visited again and again with his camera. Australian landscape artist Francis McComas called this simply “the greatest meeting of land and water in the world.”

Advertisement

For Cambier, who wore a green vest with a Point Lobos Docent insignia, it never gets old.

California is about to be hit by an aging population wave, and Steve Lopez is riding it. His column focuses on the blessings and burdens of advancing age — and how some folks are challenging the stigma associated with older adults.

“So we have six habitats here,” the retired family physician said, giving a dozen of us a quick warning about poison oak before breaking down the marine, plant and wildlife glories that surrounded us.

Cambier mingles habitat and history, touching on the Ohlone, the European conquest, the destruction wrought by over-fishing and the resilience of Monterey pine and cypress trees. All of it in the service of greater appreciation that might lead to better stewardship of a planet in peril as climate change accelerates and biodiversity declines.

I was at the reserve not just to breathe in the salt air at one of my favorite places in the world, but to mark the season by acknowledging those who give back in one way or another. On some days, it seems like our culture is defined by isolation and self-interest, but the good will of nearly 80 million people, many of them serving their communities in retirement, tells another story.

Advertisement
Doug Cambier, 70, is a volunteer docent at Pt. Lobos State Natural Reserve. Cambier be
Doug Cambier is a volunteer docent at Pt. Lobos State Natural Reserve.
(Steve Lopez / Los Angeles Times)

For those who want to contribute, but don’t know which cause to support, Rick Stoff and a friend started a Los Angeles nonprofit five years ago called the Volunteer Collective, which lists opportunities ranging from working to support survivors of domestic violence to wellness programs to pet care support.

He doesn’t know of a volunteer who spends time, say, mentoring or reading to a child, and doesn’t feel enriched by the experience. “You’re getting out of your house and you’re doing something for someone else,” said Stoff, for whom running the nonprofit is his own form of volunteering.

“I have a purpose,” said the 76-year-old, who was profiled in 2021 by my colleague Robin Abcarian. “I feel like a young man.”

Advertisement

I was surprised to find that more than 27,000 Californians are committed to helping out at state parks. According to a state website, those volunteers devoted 780,000 hours of time in 2023. Point Lobos alone has more than 200 docents, all of whom go through a months-long training course and commit to a minimum of six hours of service per month.

John Hiles, Monterey sector manager for the state parks department, told me Point Lobos has one of the best organized volunteer groups in the region and offers “fantastic educational programming.” Besides conducting tours, the docents staff information kiosks and a museum, help with trail maintenance and log sea otter sightings to aid in habitat restoration efforts.

When Cambier raised his hand to volunteer, he knew exactly what he was in for because his wife, Jan, a retired school teacher, had just begun her eighth year as a Point Lobos docent. She’s helped lead training efforts, among other administrative duties, and said she’s putting in 20 to 30 hours a month.

“If I didn’t enjoy it, I wouldn’t be doing it,” Jan said. “There’s a built-in camaraderie because we have something in common with all these people who have a desire to protect the reserve.”

Pebble Beach- Doug Cambier, 70, is a volunteer docent at Pt. Lobos State Natural Reserve. Ca
For docents, Doug Cambier said, “it’s enough for us to be here in nature, with all of this beauty, and to give back a little bit.”
(Steve Lopez / Los Angeles Times)

The docent program is funded by the nonprofit Point Lobos Foundation, which also sponsors park visits from fourth-graders who attend schools in the region’s poorest communities, including farming regions in and around Salinas.

“That’s our next generation of conservationists,” Jan said.

As many as 60 kids at a time arrive in buses, she said, and many of them have never seen the ocean.

“We do one docent for every six kids. That’s 10 docents on that walk,” with more volunteers setting up spotting scopes so the kids can get a closer look at the sea lions barking on nearby rocks.

“The first thing you want them to do is have fun… and if they can be impressed with the natural beauty, that encourages them to want to protect it,” said Jan, 70, who thinks the magic of Point Lobos can be a revelation for kids who’ve grown up in a trance, glued to their screens.

“A kid will spend five minutes looking at a rolly polly and recently we’ve been finding a lot of turret spiders and their webs. We talk to them about wood rats and how their nests are so similar to human homes,” Jan said. “It’s just an appreciation for what is in this world, and we spend a lot of time talking about native plants and invasive plants… Pods of Risso’s dolphins will go by, and they get excited seeing deer or rabbits, or they’ll say ‘oh, there goes a bird.’”

Pebble Beach- Doug Cambier, 70, is a volunteer docent at Pt. Lobos State Natural Rese
Besides conducting tours, the docents, including Doug Cambier, staff information kiosks and a museum, help with trail maintenance, and log sea otter sightings to aid in habitat restoration efforts.
(Steve Lopez / Los Angeles Times)

On my tour with Doug Cambier, 70, he was no less dazzled than those kids.

He pointed out warblers, lace lichen and tree limbs coated in an orange algae called trentepohlia. He saluted cypress trees that “originated biologically at Point Lobos” and speculated that maybe they developed their horizontal, wing-like limb structure here to withstand coastal gusts. He offered up a crash course on the 80-million-year history of geologic forces that sculpted this masterpiece at the edge of the continent.

People are inclined to tip docents after the guided tours, Cambier said, but he says no thanks. If they insist, he suggests a donation to the Point Lobos Foundation to further the cause of education and conservation.

For docents, he said, “it’s enough for us to be here in nature, with all of this beauty, and to give back a little bit.”

steve.lopez@latimes.com

Advertisement
seductrice.net
universo-virtual.com
buytrendz.net
thisforall.net
benchpressgains.com
qthzb.com
mindhunter9.com
dwjqp1.com
secure-signup.net
ahaayy.com
tressesindia.com
puresybian.com
krpano-chs.com
cre8workshop.com
hdkino.org
peixun021.com
qz786.com
utahperformingartscenter.org
worldqrmconference.com
shangyuwh.com
eejssdfsdfdfjsd.com
playminecraftfreeonline.com
trekvietnamtour.com
your-business-articles.com
essaywritingservice10.com
hindusamaaj.com
joggingvideo.com
wandercoups.com
wormblaster.net
tongchengchuyange0004.com
internetknowing.com
breachurch.com
peachesnginburlesque.com
dataarchitectoo.com
clientfunnelformula.com
30pps.com
cherylroll.com
ks2252.com
prowp.net
webmanicura.com
sofietsshotel.com
facetorch.com
nylawyerreview.com
apapromotions.com
shareparelli.com
goeaglepointe.com
thegreenmanpubphuket.com
karotorossian.com
publicsensor.com
taiwandefence.com
epcsur.com
southstills.com
tvtv98.com
thewellington-hotel.com
bccaipiao.com
colectoresindustrialesgs.com
shenanddcg.com
capriartfilmfestival.com
replicabreitlingsale.com
thaiamarinnewtoncorner.com
gkmcww.com
mbnkbj.com
andrewbrennandesign.com
cod54.com
luobinzhang.com
faithfirst.net
zjyc28.com
tongchengjinyeyouyue0004.com
nhuan6.com
kftz5k.com
oldgardensflowers.com
lightupthefloor.com
bahamamamas-stjohns.com
ly2818.com
905onthebay.com
fonemenu.com
notanothermovie.com
ukrainehighclassescort.com
meincmagazine.com
av-5858.com
yallerdawg.com
donkeythemovie.com
corporatehospitalitygroup.com
boboyy88.com
miteinander-lernen.com
dannayconsulting.com
officialtomsshoesoutletstore.com
forsale-amoxil-amoxicillin.net
generictadalafil-canada.net
guitarlessonseastlondon.com
lesliesrestaurants.com
mattyno9.com
nri-homeloans.com
rtgvisas-qatar.com
salbutamolventolinonline.net
sportsinjuries.info
wedsna.com
rgkntk.com
bkkmarketplace.com
zxqcwx.com
breakupprogram.com
boxcardc.com
unblockyoutubeindonesia.com
fabulousbookmark.com
beat-the.com
guatemala-sailfishing-vacations-charters.com
magie-marketing.com
kingstonliteracy.com
guitaraffinity.com
eurelookinggoodapparel.com
howtolosecheekfat.net
marioncma.org
oliviadavismusic.com
shantelcampbellrealestate.com
shopleborn13.com
topindiafree.com
v-visitors.net
djjky.com
053hh.com
originbluei.com
baucishotel.com
33kkn.com
intrinsiqresearch.com
mariaescort-kiev.com
mymaguk.com
sponsored4u.com
crimsonclass.com
bataillenavale.com
searchtile.com
ze-stribrnych-struh.com
zenithalhype.com
modalpkv.com
bouisset-lafforgue.com
useupload.com
37r.net
autoankauf-muenster.com
bantinbongda.net
bilgius.com
brabustermagazine.com
indigrow.org
miicrosofts.net
mysmiletravel.com
selinasims.com
spellcubesapp.com
usa-faction.com
hypoallergenicdogsnames.com
dailyupdatez.com
foodphotographyreviews.com
cricutcom-setup.com
chprowebdesign.com
katyrealty-kanepa.com
tasramar.com
bilgipinari.org
four-am.com
indiarepublicday.com
inquick-enbooks.com
iracmpi.com
kakaschoenen.com
lsm99flash.com
nana1255.com
ngen-niagara.com
technwzs.com
virtualonlinecasino1345.com
wallpapertop.net
casino-natali.com
iprofit-internet.com
denochemexicana.com
eventhalfkg.com
medcon-taiwan.com
life-himawari.com
myriamshomes.com
nightmarevue.com
healthandfitnesslives.com
androidnews-jp.com
allstarsru.com
bestofthebuckeyestate.com
bestofthefirststate.com
bestwireless7.com
britsmile.com
declarationintermittent.com
findhereall.com
jingyou888.com
lsm99deal.com
lsm99galaxy.com
moozatech.com
nuagh.com
patliyo.com
philomenamagikz.net
rckouba.net
saturnunipessoallda.com
tallahasseefrolics.com
thematurehardcore.net
totalenvironment-inthatquietearth.com
velislavakaymakanova.com
vermontenergetic.com
kakakpintar.com
begorgeouslady.com
1800birks4u.com
2wheelstogo.com
6strip4you.com
bigdata-world.net
emailandco.net
gacapal.com
jharpost.com
krishnaastro.com
lsm99credit.com
mascalzonicampani.com
sitemapxml.org
thecityslums.net
topagh.com
flairnetwebdesign.com
rajasthancarservices.com
bangkaeair.com
beneventocoupon.com
noternet.org
oqtive.com
smilebrightrx.com
decollage-etiquette.com
1millionbestdownloads.com
7658.info
bidbass.com
devlopworldtech.com
digitalmarketingrajkot.com
fluginfo.net
naqlafshk.com
passion-decouverte.com
playsirius.com
spacceleratorintl.com
stikyballs.com
top10way.com
yokidsyogurt.com
zszyhl.com
16firthcrescent.com
abogadolaboralistamd.com
apk2wap.com
aromacremeria.com
banparacard.com
bosmanraws.com
businessproviderblog.com
caltonosa.com
calvaryrevivalchurch.org
chastenedsoulwithabrokenheart.com
cheminotsgardcevennes.com
cooksspot.com
cqxzpt.com
deesywig.com
deltacartoonmaps.com
despixelsetdeshommes.com
duocoracaobrasileiro.com
fareshopbd.com
goodpainspills.com
hemendekor.com
kobisitecdn.com
makaigoods.com
mgs1454.com
piccadillyresidences.com
radiolaondafresca.com
rubendorf.com
searchengineimprov.com
sellmyhrvahome.com
shugahouseessentials.com
sonihullquad.com
subtractkilos.com
valeriekelmansky.com
vipasdigitalmarketing.com
voolivrerj.com
zeelonggroup.com
1015southrockhill.com
10x10b.com
111-online-casinos.com
191cb.com
3665arpentunitd.com
aitesonics.com
bag-shokunin.com
brightotech.com
communication-digitale-services.com
covoakland.org
dariaprimapack.com
freefortniteaccountss.com
gatebizglobal.com
global1entertainmentnews.com
greatytene.com
hiroshiwakita.com
iktodaypk.com
jahatsakong.com
meadowbrookgolfgroup.com
newsbharati.net
platinumstudiosdesign.com
slotxogamesplay.com
strikestaruk.com
trucosdefortnite.com
ufabetrune.com
weddedtowhitmore.com
12940brycecanyonunitb.com
1311dietrichoaks.com
2monarchtraceunit303.com
601legendhill.com
850elaine.com
adieusolasomade.com
andora-ke.com
bestslotxogames.com
cannagomcallen.com
endlesslyhot.com
iestpjva.com
ouqprint.com
pwmaplefest.com
qtylmr.com
rb88betting.com
buscadogues.com
1007macfm.com
born-wild.com
growthinvests.com
promocode-casino.com
proyectogalgoargentina.com
wbthompson-art.com
whitemountainwheels.com
7thavehvl.com
developmethis.com
funkydogbowties.com
travelodgegrandjunction.com
gao-town.com
globalmarketsuite.com
blogshippo.com
hdbka.com
proboards67.com
outletonline-michaelkors.com
kalkis-research.com
thuthuatit.net
buckcash.com
hollistercanada.com
docterror.com
asadart.com
vmayke.org
erwincomputers.com
dirimart.org
okkii.com
loteriasdecehegin.com
mountanalog.com
healingtaobritain.com
ttxmonitor.com
nwordpress.com
11bolabonanza.com