Finding Guide to the Florida Canyoneers Collection LA.2019.07.24
Yvette Casillas
San Diego Natural History Museum Research Library
2019-07-24
1788 El Prado, Balboa Park
San Diego, CA 92101
library@sdnhm.org
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
San Diego Natural History Museum Research Library
Title: Florida Canyoneers Collection
Identifier/Call Number: LA.2019.07.24
Physical Description:
1 Linear Feet
Date (bulk): 1970-1983
Abstract: The Florida Canyoneer Collection consists of two scrapbooks, one manila envelope of news clippings, and one folder of news
clippings. One large scrapbook album includes news clippings, photographs, letters, and museum documents relating to Florida
Canyon, the Canyoneers, Japanese beetles in Balboa Park, and the 1974 centennial of the San Diego Natural History Museum.
The smaller scrapbook binder contains news clippings of Helen Witham Chamlee.
Container: 209
Florida Canyon is a 150-acre natural area (mostly coastal sage scrub) in Balboa Park, San Diego, California. The Canyoneer
program of the San Diego Natural History Museum is a volunteer program which provides training by Museum scientists and local
experts on the natural history of the San Diego region. Helen Witham Chamlee (1907–1982), a botanist with the Museum, was
instrumental in the establishment of Florida Canyon as a Native Plant Preserve, advocating for the preservation of local plants.
Florida Canyon was opened to the public on November 17, 1973. Witham established the Florida Canyoneers, a naturalist-guide
program of the San Diego Natural History Museum, in 1973. The Canyoneers conduct free guided tours of Florida Canyon to provide
the public the opportunity to have direct contact with nature. The Canyoneers Program has expanded beyond the Florida Canyon,
providing guided tours of a number of locations in San Diego County. Notably, the Canyoneers remain one of the few trail-guided
groups nationwide affiliated with a natural history museum rather than a park or reserve.
The Florida Canyoneers Project Scrapbook was donated by Pat Knoll, husband of Paula Knoll (1953-2018), who was a 30-year veteran
Canyoneer. Paula Knoll was helped to introduce new hiking areas to San Diego residents and was an editor and contributor to
Coast to Cactus: The Canyoneer Trail Guide to San Diego Outdoors (2016). In addition, Knoll created a website, Southern California
Nature, (www.pknoll.net) which is archived at https://web.archive.org/web/20170705214221/http://pknoll.net/paula/.
The collection is open to researchers by appointment. Contact the Research Library Director, San Diego Natural History Museum.
[Identification of item], Florida Canyoneers Collection, ca. 1970-1983. Research Library, San Diego Natural History Museum.
1 box containing 2 scrapbooks, 1 manila envelope, and 1 folder containing newspaper and magazine clippings, photographs, and
artifacts. The manila envelope contains news clipping service loose newspaper clippings.
Copyright may be reserved. Consult the San Diego Natural History Museum Research Library Director for more information.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Balboa Park (San Diego, Calif.)
San Diego Natural History Museum
Native plant gardens--California
Japanese beetle
Nature trails--California
Chamlee, Helen Witham, 1907-1982
Knoll, Paula, 1953-2018
Box 209, Item 1
Scrapbook: Florida Canyoneers Project, San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego, California 1970-1975
Bound volume of newspaper and magazine clippings, photographs, museum documents, booklet and letters. The newspaper clippings
are primarily from local newspapers with dates ranging from 1970-1974; subjects include Florida Canyon, Japanese beetles in
Balboa Park, and the centennial celebration of the San Diego Natural History Museum. Magazine clippings re Florida Canyon
include an article written by Helen Witham, ["Florida Canyon return to the native?", San Diego Magazine, March 1971]. Photographs
include Florida Canyon opening ceremony on November 17, 1973 featuring Helen Witham cutting opening day ribbon and the first
graduating class of Canyoneers. Museum documents include a museum bulletin re the Canyoneers, a copy of the November 1973
issue of the museum publication Environment Southwest re Florida Canyon, a museum handout re Florida Canyon tour hours including
a map, a docent memo re Florida Canyon tours, and an event schedule re the Museum's centennial year and Florida Canyon. This
volume also includes letters re Florida Canyon and a booklet produced by the Department of Education of San Diego County re
Florida Canyon available to teachers as a pre- or post-tour aid; this booklet includes Canyoneer Tours supplemental material.
Box 209, Item 2
Box 209, Item 3