From the Guide’s Desk

The thing that I haven’t really mentioned enough in all of these reports from the ranch is that none of this would be happening right now without the irrepressible efforts of Coon Camp Springs, Inc. President, Dave Allen.  

When I first visited this place six or seven years ago, I thought it was beautiful.  But it was also covered up in juniper.  As Dave showed me around, he talked about the little springs he remembered, but all that was left of them was low spots and maybe a little green cover.  The junipers were sucking the groundwater dry.  Left alone, the property would soon be little more than another patch of high desert sage and juniper, without enough food or water for anything bigger than a pack rat.  Dave told me about how he remembered the place, with cottontails, upland birds, and most memorable to him, some frogs around a couple of the springs.  The frogs had long ago gone silent.

A couple years later, after some false starts and some changes of plan, Dave was able to get a forester to start cutting down some of the juniper.  The forester chipped the trees up, and sent them to a local power plant to be burned for fuel.  The arrangement worked out great for Dave (and the property) because it got rid of the junipers, and it was also profitable for the forester.  At the same time, he started the groundwork to form the Coon Camp Springs, Inc., a 501-C non-profit organization (of which I am a proud Board Member).  With this non-profit status, we were able to recruit occasional volunteers who could write off their travel and various expenses as donations.  We were also able to acquire some donations of equipment and even a little cash. 

But all of this was a drop in the bucket.  The bulk of the work (besides the large-scale juniper clearing) was carried out by Dave… often working alone.  He had a dream, and this project would be his lasting mark on a place that has given him so much joy. 

Several weekends per month, he’d load his dogs in his truck and take off on the six or seven hour drive, and then spend the entire weekend putting up fence, working on a cabin and bunkhouses, planting native plants such as bitterbrush, wildflowers, and grasses, and working on water sources. 

All of that work costs money, and while he was able to acquire the occasional grant or assistance from donors, Dave often digs into his own pocket to pay the costs of this dream.  As an organization under Dave’s leadership, we were fortunate to qualify for four deer tags and an antelope tag under the PLM (Private Land Management) program which we can sell to generate funds for the project, and these help to offset the costs.  That’s where these hunts come from, and the quality of the hunts is a direct result of Dave’s hard work. 

The thing is, all of this work is paying off for the habitat.  What was already a beautiful place has become even more beautiful and getting better every year.  We have flowing springs again where there was only rock.  Bitterbrush, a prime food for deer and other wildlife, is growing and spreading where juniper once ruled.  The deer herd is growing and thriving, and from the signs they’re staying on the property longer.  Cottontails flit from brush pile to brush pile, while golden eagles, hawks, and owls hunt from above.  Waterfowl nest on the restored spring ponds, and occasionally loaf on them again during the migration.  We even have a covey of quail, something I’d never seen on this property until last year. 

And on a warm, summer evening, if you happen to be out beside the right spring at the right time… you’ll hear frogs.

You can click to enlarge this image for a better look.

Related Articles:

• Coon Camp Springs 2009 Wrap-Up
• Coon Camp Springs Mule Deer Hunts – Part 3
• Coon Camp Springs Mule Deer Hunts – Part 2
• Coon Camp Springs Mule Deer Hunts – Part 1
• Outta here!
• Family Time – Be Right Back!
• False starts?
• CA Mule Deer Hunt Opportunity
• Hog Hunting on Military Bases in CA – Fort Hunter Liggett
• Weekend Updates – Hard work, high temps, good times