Welcome

What is ANFVolunteers.org?

My motivation in creating this site was to foster a sense of community among volunteers by bringing the volunteers across the Angeles National Forest together in one central place, and to make some of the boring parts of volunteering a little bit easier and faster. As it stands now, the volunteer community is highly segmented and isolated. The volunteers in the San Gabriel Canyon never meet the volunteers at Chantry Flats, nor do they meet the fire lookouts manning Vetter. The isolation isn't limited to geography. It is often the case that the volunteers of one organization never meet volunteers from the other groups working at the same locations. It is my hope that this Web site can do a little bit to create a more cohesive volunteer community in the Angeles National Forest.

Upcoming Features

This Web site should become a lot more useful in the near future. I'm hoping to have the major features working before the big summer volunteer season is underway. Some of the features I plan on implementing are:

• Calendar - A unified calendar with events from all across the forest. With luck it will be possible to filter out events by group, by location, and other criteria. I'm hoping that current and prospective volunteers will be more motivated and excited about volunteer opportunities once they see the wide variety of goings on across the Angeles.
   
• Wish List - A list of projects, large and small, that need to be done. I'm envisioning a place where a volunteer can browse a list of things that need work and maybe find something to do that interests them.
   
• Paperwork Center - A place where current and prospective volunteers can go and download forms, fill out paper work online, and where repetitive tasks are automated. For instance, having a feature where volunteers can enter their daily logs and have them automatically emailed to their volunteer coordinator at the end of each month, and a grand total at the end of the fiscal year. Another potential use might be to have prospective volunteers fill out a volunteer agreement online and have it emailed to the volunteer coordinator.

These are just some of my ideas. If you have any ideas, feel free to post them in the suggestions forum.

Conclusion

If you are a USFS volunteer on the Angeles National Forest, please register yourself on the forums and don't feel shy about beginning a conversation. If you are not yet a volunteer, please sign up by contacting one of the volunteer organizations or one of the following Forest Service offices:

• Los Angeles River Ranger District
  Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
  12371 N. Little Tujunga Canyon Rd.
  San Fernando, CA 91342
  (818) 899-1900
  FAX (818) 896-6727
  CRS 1-800-735-2922
   
• San Gabriel River Ranger District
  Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
  110 N. Wabash Ave.
  Glendora, CA 91741
  (626) 335-1251
  FAX (626) 914-3790
  CRS 1-800-735-2922
   
• Santa Clara/Mojave Rivers Ranger District
  Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
  28245 Avenue Crocker, Suite 220
  Valencia, CA 91355
  (661) 296-9710
  FAX (661) 296-5847
  CRS 1-800-735-2922