Black Range VolunteersTRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, NM - Like so many other high school students during spring break, Hot Springs High School (HSHS) students took a trip. However, their trip was not to the beach, it was to the Black Range Ranger District on the Gila National Forest to help protect cultural and historic resources over a three-day period in mid-March.

The high school students are members of the Black Range Volunteers led by HSHS Biology teacher Mark Hedge. On this trip, the students helped Christopher Adams, Zone Archaeologist of the Black Range Ranger District and other district employees clean and protect petroglyph archaeological sites in Chloride Canyon. "The students were very excited to be a part of the project" said Hedge. "Learning with the heart as well as the mind is the best way to describe our spring break work." The students also helped the fire crew prepare for an upcoming prescribed fire by wrapping several wooden historic sites including an old cabin and clearing three miles of fence line to protect wooden posts.

Hedge has developed the Black Range volunteers into an efficient, effective, and well-organized community minded group. He began his work locally with student volunteers in the mid-1990s. Past volunteer projects have included construction of several miles of Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (CDNST), rebuilding of the stairs and steps for the Catwalk National Recreation Area in Glenwood, New Mexico, and assisting with several wildlife projects. Most recently, they made repairs to Black Mountain trick tank, and prepared for prescribed fire around the local community of Kingston, New Mexico and other forest acreage. Hedge, a twenty-five year veteran teacher of HSHS has spent seventeen summers working as a fire lookout for the Forest Service on the Black Range District.

Student participants as well as Forest Service employees build lasting memories and life-long bonds and while a dollar amount can be put on volunteer labor, the community relationships built during these spring breaks are priceless.