Volunteering for the environment and young people

I had no idea I was going to become a "crew leader" when I showed up to volunteer to clean up Cesar Chavez park in Salinas on Saturday. But there I was, bleary eyed -- 8 a.m. is very early for a reporter -- and practically one of the few adults to "lead" about a dozen high school students, who needed to log the hours for the community service.

It was a beautiful morning. A bit chilly, overcast, but pleasant enough for the task at hand. No rain, thank heavens.

Two things became immediately apparent. Young people need all the guidance they can get, from willing, caring adults. The second thing: by the time teenagers reach certain age -- when they're too cool, too hip -- they're beyond guidance. They're either on a good path already, or it's going to take gigantic efforts to steer them back.

So this is my advice for the week: go clean a park. It's earth day, we're lucky we have tons of open space in our beautiful county, and these parks need all the TLC they can get. Take advantage of Monterey County Clean Up day, coming up Saturday, April 21. More information here.

Our young people also need lots of TLC. It's never too late to set a good example for them.