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| Volunteers work hard to rehabilitate sites at Angel Island State Park. Photo: Tourism Cares |
On Friday, June 4, hundreds of travel industry volunteers from one hundred different companies, representing thirty states and four countries, joined forces to help make a difference at Angel Island State Park in San Francisco Bay for the eighth annual Tourism Cares for America restoration event.
Tourism Cares for America volunteers represent all facets of the travel industry; tour operators, hoteliers, destination marketing organizations, airlines, cruise lines, and attractions, who recognize the importance of protecting and preserving travel destinations for the benefit of future generations of travelers.
“We want to eliminate the use of the words ‘there used to be’ by parents and grandparents when they tell their children and grandchildren about the world’s natural, cultural and historic sites,” said Bruce Beckham, executive irector of Tourism Cares. “Places like Angel Island need to be restored and preserved so their stories can continue to be told.”
At Angel Island, volunteers were involved in a number of projects that would have taken park staff months to complete. Limited financial resources have curtailed the maintenance of Angel Island’s many natural and historic sites. Angel Island is listed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of America’s ten most-threatened historic sites. The island’s immigration station and military facilities dating back to the Civil War have suffered from the elements. Volunteer projects ranged from painting restroom facilities to replacing walkways to stacking the firewood that heats the buildings on the island, saving thousands of dollars in fossil fuels. Most of the tasks helped to improve aesthetic appearance to the thousands of visitors who come each year.
According to Angel Island State Park staff, Tourism Cares volunteers accomplished the following:
• Eighty-five cubic yards of slash and undergrowth were removed from the eucalyptus grove at Camp Reynolds, greatly reducing the spread of wild fire and protecting the historic site for many years to come. The reduction of fuel load will also promote a healthier grove and reduce wood boring insects from spreading tree diseases.
• Two cords of wood were split and stacked at the Quarter Master building, which will provide three months of firewood for the Environmental Living Program. The wood will be used as fuel for cooking meals for hundreds of inner city school children who will experience what life was like as a soldier during the Civil War in the late 1800s
• Forty-eight cords of firewood were stacked at North Garrison. It will be used to heat fourteen homes on Angel Island to reduce the total power bill annually by $20,000. The cost saving on the power will be returned to the general upkeep of the island and interpretive programs for schools and public use.
• Six hundred lineal feet of drainage ditch were cleaned and repaired. Removing the silt and leaves will promote drainage and protect sensitive environmental areas from erosion.
• Eighty lineal feet of decorative redwood 4x4 dividers were replaced in the passenger loading area thus reducing tripping hazards and improving visitor safety.
• Seventy-eight cubic yards of junk and garbage were picked up in the East Garrison warehouse area reducing unneeded clutter and improving the aesthetic appearance of the area.
• Twenty-five hundred terracotta roof tiles were stacked and organized, saving a valuable resource. The roof tile will be used to repair twenty-eight Mission Revival buildings that date back to 1910.
“The work that got done and the attitude of the people who pushed that work to completion was just fantastic,” said Roy Stearns, Deputy Director for Communications for California State Parks. “It was obvious from the start that these folks came to work, and work they did. In one day, they did tens of thousands of dollars worth of work and during these tough budget times—that is immensely valuable to our park system. We would welcome them back anytime!”
The Tourism Cares for America event has been held in seven different locations across the United States, the Angel Island project being the first held on the West Coast. Tourism is San Francisco’s largest industry and the third largest source of employment in California, and so therefore a project of this scope to help one of the more historically significant state parks in the state was of major importance to not only California natives, but to the tourism industry itself.
“We are grateful to Tourism Cares for selecting San Francisco for this year’s event. Angel Island State Park is a beloved part of San Francisco’s history and the TLC delivered by the hundreds of volunteers was remarkable,” said Joe D’Alessandro, president and CEO, San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau. “This event goes to show that you don’t have to live here to be a part of ‘the cool, grey city of love.’”
Tourism Cares will continue to give back through volunteer initiatives this fall with the Tourism Cares for America Volunteer Day event to be held in Washington, D.C., on September 10.
Source: Tourism Cares
