History

A Brief Bit of History

The Eldorado National Forest Interpretive Association (ENFIA) is a nonprofit  organization that is dedicated to helping the Eldorado National Forest serve the public. ENFIA entered into a formal agreement with the National Forest Service and the Eldorado National Forest in May of 1988 to assist in the educational, historical, scientific and interpretive activities of the Forest Service.

Over the past 30 years, we have developed projects which help inform docents, visitors and the membership about the history, the natural history, and the many special features of the Forest. 

Currently our work is concentrated in several areas –

• Carson Pass Information Station provides information and assistance to visitors to the Mokelumne Wilderness and Carson Pass areas.  The construction and development of the station was accomplished through the cooperative efforts of The Eldorado National Forest, which provided  the materials needed, and ENFIA, which provided the labor and docents who continue to operate the station from May through September.
  
• The Forest Walkers program was established on the Highway 50 corridor in 2015.  ENFIA Walkers interact with hikers on designated trails, provide information needed to manage and improve trails, and conduct light maintenance of trails. The Forest Walkers program is currently being reorganized. We are looking for some ENFIA members interested in developing an interpretive program with organized walks on the Highway 50 corridor. If you are interested, please let us know.
• Interpretive walks are offered by docents at the Carson Pass. We are hoping to have interpretive walks along the Highway 50 corridor in the future.
• Maintaining a website and Facebook pages, Carson Pass Information Station and Highway 50 Forest Walkers, for the benefit of ENFIA’s membership and the general public.

Previous projects in the Eldorado include –

• Hiking the Greater Carson Pass Region was written by Dick Brock, an original ENFIA volunteer. This book details where all the trailheads and trails are located in the area from Hwy. 89 on the east to west of Silver Lake and from Hwy 4 on the south to Hwy 50 on the north. It is the most comprehensive guide within the covered areas and is available at all ENFIA sales outlets.
• The Traverse Creek Restoration Project is a stream reconstruction management project that has increased the native marsh and riparian vegetation along a section of creek in the Traverse Creek Botanical Area. Steve Dowty alone with the Georgetown Ranger District managed this project. Using several ENFIA volunteers, all non-native plants were removed from the creek and the parking/picnic area was improved. 
• The Bridal Veil Picnic Area Interpretive Trail Restoration Project was a combined effort between ENFIA members Ford and Ellen Osborn and Eagle Scout Patrick Terwedo. The trail was re-mapped and re-constructed with a new parking area and signage.
• The Bridal Veil Falls picnic area project was started and maintained by Steve Dowty. He oversaw the building of the old growth trail, signage, and seating areas. He maintained this project for several years.
• Joel and Mary Knowles researched and wrote brochures that are published by ENFIA. These are made available at no cost to the public.
• ENFIA has also paid for publishing Forest Service materials and then distributing them free to the public at the Carson Pass Information Station including a multi-page brochure about the Round Top Mountain Special Interest Area with information on the botany and geology of the area.
• Lola Schuette assembled and annotated a comprehensive collection of samples of wildflowers that grow in the Carson Pass area. This collection is available for study at the Carson Pass Information Station.