News & Columns > Michael P. Neufeld > Annual Native Plant Sale Held

Annual Native Plant Sale Held

Rim of the World Interpretative Association

By Michael P. Neufeld
Sunday, October 5, 2008

Running Springs, CA – The Annual Native Plant Sale staged by the Rim of the World Interpretative Association was held October 4 at the Heaps Peak Arboretum.

Over two-dozen varieties of native plants and shrubs zoned for the mountain communities will be available for purchased. They include wild rose, manzanita, flannel bush, wild strawberries, coral bells, and penstemon. All plants are recommended for elevations above 4,500-feet.

The Annual Native Plant Sale will be held Saturday at the Heaps Peak Arboretum starting at 9 a.m. Volunteer Elaine Shaw displays some of the trees and plants avilable. (Photo by ROTW Interpretative Association.)

Proceeds from the annual sale go directly to support the operation of Heaps Peak Arboretum. The Arboretum is located just above the site where pioneer Fred Heaps established a ranch in the 1800s.

According to the Heaps Peak Arboretum website at http://www.heapspeakarboretum.com, a fire in 1922 swept through the area leaving on the remnants of blackened trees. Several years later, the Lake Arrowhead Women's Club, headed by Mary Putnam Henck, organized the first planting of new trees.

The Heaps Peak Arboretum is located in Skyforest. (Photo by Michael P. Neufeld.)

In 1931, the site was designated the Heaps Peak Reforestation Project. Another fire devastated the area in 1956.

Then in August 1982, construction began on what today is known as Heaps Peak Arboretum and it's open year round under the direction of Rim of the World Interpretative Association.

For additional information contact Bob Reed at (909) 337-2190 or Elaine Shaw at (909) 867-7187.