LGBTQ Service at Fort Ord National Monument, Monterey, California

The Trip

Enjoy your love of the outdoors "out of the closet," in the company of other lesbians and gays (friends, family, and allies are also welcome). While there are a number of Gay/Lesbian Sierrans (GLS) local chapters, this will be one of the first nationally run GLBTQ Sierra Club outing.

Fort Ord National Monument is home to some of the last natural wildlands on California’s scenic Monterey Bay. Located on the former Fort Ord military base, this new national monument -- designated by President Obama on April 20, 2012 -- hosts 35 species of rare plants and animals along with their native coastal habitats, which are protected by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).

While a former military base sounds like an odd choice for a Sierra Club trip, many are surprised by the sheer volume of undeveloped land found on installations such as Fort Ord. BLM’s mission for the area involves providing both habitat preservation and high-quality, environmentally sensitive recreation opportunities. The roads and trails crossing this landscape of rare Central Coast maritime chaparral and vernal pools are used by a multitude of hikers, runners, bicyclists, and equestrians.

The historical significance of these lands far predates the U.S. military’s presence from 1917 to 1994, when Fort Ord was a major training facility for the army from World War II through Desert Storm. Centuries earlier, the Spanish explorer Juan Batista de Anza forged an overland route from Mexico to San Francisco Bay that passed through what is now Fort Ord National Monument.

More than a million service people passed through Fort Ord when it was an active military base. We particularly welcome to the trip those who spent time at Fort Ord when it was an active base. Hearing their recollections was a compelling aspect of the inaugural trip in 2012. (See also the Sierra Club's Military Families and Veterans Initiative.)

The maritime climate of Monterey keeps the region at moderate temperatures. Fall, however, is the most glorious time of year in the region -- between the summer fog and winter rains -- and the weather is usually pleasantly warm (not too hot) and sunny, with cool evenings. 

The Project

We will spend three to four days working with BLM at Fort Ord National Monument. Our work will probably involve a combination of trail cleanup, invasive plant removal, and native seed collection. Part of the group will also spend one day working at the campsite. This property has been used as a group campground in the past, but currently has no facilities on it. The site property has been set aside for the development of an environmental education-based youth camp.

The trip will begin Sunday at our campsite. We will get acquainted over lunch before an afternoon hike from our campsite, which will introduce us to the BLM lands and surrounding area. After dinner in camp, we will discuss the plan for the week.

Planned off-day activities: On one of the non-working days, our group will visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium at the historic Cannery Row in Monterey (admission included in the trip fee). On the other off-day, the group will visit the beaches and shoreline around Monterey Bay.

Additional off-day activities: There are numerous alternative options that participants can choose to do on their own, either in lieu of the planned activities, or before or after the trip.

Work Days We’ll work four days during the week (M,Tu,Th, Sa) with a two days off. On work days, we will rise early to have breakfast in camp and pack our lunches before heading out to our work site for the day with BLMstaff.  We will ask participants to volunteer to take turns shuttling fellow participants to and from the work sites each day. We will work under the supervision of BLM staff, taking breaks when needed to rest and rehydrate.  We will aim to finish work in the early afternoon, in time to return to camp and enjoy dinner before nightfall.

Those wanting a wilderness experience can explore the 86 miles of trails on 7,200 acres of land within Fort Ord National Monument, or hike some of the rugged coastal peaks in the area that offer breathtaking views of the Pacific. There are multiple ways to experience the nearby Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary -- scuba diving in the kelp beds, going on a whale-watching cruise, horseback riding on the beach, kayaking, etc. Literary types might want to visit the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, 20 miles to the east, which pays tribute to Salinas native John Steinbeck. For history buffs, several of the 21 California missions are a short drive away (Carmel, Santa Cruz, and San Juan Bautista). Feel free to contact the leader (a Monterey local) for more information on these activities.

Getting There

The Monterey airport is less than 15 miles away, and the campsite can easily be reached via a short taxi ride from the airport. The campsite is accessible by a paved road that we will be able to use, but it is not open to the general public. The San Jose airport is 65 miles to the north, and the San Francisco airport is about 120 miles to the north. The trip leader will provide accepted participants with detailed instructions on how to access the campsite, as well as roster information to facilitate ride sharing. Please do not make travel arrangements until the leader has confirmed you as a trip member.

Accommodations and Food

We will be tent camping in a site set aside for future development of a youth camp. You will need to provide all of your own camping gear, including your tent. Currently this is a very rustic site, with only an open shelter available to serve as our kitchen area. There is no running water (however, water will be provided), no electricity, and no flush toilets (there will be Porta-Potties). Think of our week as a hybrid experience between car camping and backcountry camping. This will be a great opportunity to see how you like a "backcountry" experience if you have never tried it. We will have the site to ourselves, with the exception of the occasional runner or mountain biker going by on one of the trails.

This area of California is considered the salad bowl of America and the options to purchase local, organic vegetables are abundant. As much as the budget allows, we will use these local sources when planning our menus and purchasing our groceries. Menu planning also has to take into account that the only refrigeration will be the use of coolers with ice, some foods must be protected from animals, and only portable propane stoves will be available for cooking.

Come with the attitude that food is part of the adventure. Food weight and quantity is carefully calculated to eliminate waste. Our meals will satisfy both appetite and be a social gathering after a day’s work or play. The menu will be a healthy, nutritious, vegetarian-friendly cuisine. We will have a group commissary with everyone taking turns in preparing meals and cleaning up afterward. Before applying for the trip, folks with food allergies, dietary restrictions, and/or strong preferences must contact the leader and cook to see if reasonable accommodations would be possible within the limits of the group commissary. The first meal will be dinner on October 18 and the last meal will be breakfast on October 25.

Trip Difficulty

All service trips are considered to be moderately strenuous. However, our work will involve only light-duty hand tools and there will be a variety of tasks to suit each person’s abilities. We'll each work at our own pace. Health and safety is a very high priority, and you are the best judge of your abilities.

Equipment and Clothing

BLM will provide the tools for the work project. In addition to your regular camping gear, come prepared to work with sturdy boots, long pants, long-sleeved shirts, and leather work gloves. You will need a day pack to carry your lunch, water, raingear, sunscreen, etc. You will need hiking boots while we are working on the project, although it is not anticipated that there will be much hiking necessary to get to the work sites. 

We will provide food and the necessary equipment for cooking it. You will need personal eating utensils such as bowl, cup, and spoon. A plastic food container (preferably two) with a tight-fitting lid is necessary for carrying your lunch to the work site each day.

We will provide a first-aid kit for emergencies, but you should bring Moleskin, Band-aids, and Tylenol (or the like) for dealing with the little aggravations of life, as well as any personal medications you require. Please do not forget that all participants must have a current tetanus shot within the past 10 years. This injection is most commonly available from your doctor or at your local public health department for a modest cost.

A full list of needed equipment will be sent to you after you've been accepted onto the trip. If you have questions, please contact the trip leader.

References

Websites:

• BLM’s Fort Ord Public Lands: http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/content/ca/en/fo/hollister/fort_ord/index.html
• Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary: http://montereybay.noaa.gov/
• Kayaking: http://www.montereybaykayaks.com/
• Whale watching in Monterey Bay: http://www.gowhales.com/trips.htm
• Horseback riding on the beach: http://www.montereybayequestrian.com
• Scuba diving in Monterey Bay: http://www.scubadiving.com/travel/pacific-western/monterey-bay-calif?page=,0
• National Steinbeck Center: http://www.steinbeck.org
• California missions: http://www.missionscalifornia.com/

Books:

• Steinbeck, John, Cannery Row.
• Steinbeck, John, East of Eden.
• Steinbeck, John, Sweet Thursday.
• Steinbeck, John, Tortilla Flat.
• Palumbi, Steven, R, The Death and Life of Monterey Bay: A Story of Revival

Conservation

We will learn about the different habitat types -- such as riparian forest, perennial grasslands, and vernal pools -- that the BLM is conserving and protecting on the Fort Ord Public Lands. These lands are essential to the survival of sensitive plants and animals. For many of the rare plants, 50-90% of their worldwide habitat occurs here. 

After the Fort Ord military base was decommissioned, a large chunk of the land was given to BLM; however, much of the land surrounding the BLM Public Lands is facing some controversial plans for development. We will also learn about these development issues.