ABOUT US
We are
Rim of the World Interpretive Association
Rim of the World Interpretive Association (ROWIA) is a California nonprofit, public-benefit corporation founded in 1982. In close partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, we maintain and staff Heaps Peak Arboretum.
OUR MISSION. OUR VISION.
ROWIA’s mission is to raise public awareness of and inspire active interest in the San Bernardino Mountains through nature-focused educational activities. Our vision emphasizes caring for the National Forest, including area treasures such as Heaps Peak Arboretum.
We’re committed to protecting and conserving our natural resources for future generations to enjoy.
2025 Accomplishments
Because of your support we have...
- Marked our 40th Anniversary with celebrations and activities in May (postponed from fall 2024 because of snow)
- 14 volunteers who staffed the Information Booth for 670 hours
- Held Spring and Fall Native Plant Sales
- Awarded two $1,000 scholarships to Rim of the World High School seniors
- Held two clean-up days to prepare for the spring plant sale that included high school student volunteers
- Offered twice monthly guided bird walks from April to October
- Offered monthly guided nature walks from May to October
- Held an Edible and Medicinal Forest Plants guided walk
- Held “Music at the Arboretum” summer concerts by local performers, including a Lake Arrowhead high school student string quartet, high school saxophonists, and a guitar duo and drummer
- Provided monthly child-focused craft activities making peanut butter and bird seed pine cone
feeders, planting milkweed seeds, and coloring animal masks - Held two composting workshops
- Had a “Not Too Scary” Halloween hike for visitors the last weekend of October
- Offered a Holiday Tree for visitors to decorate with nature-focused items
- Had a guided educational field trip for Lake Arrowhead Elementary first graders
- Hosted a field trip for Redlands community families organized by the non-profit Tree People
- Hosted two family-oriented activities led by Rim Family Services
- Held Poetry Readings as part of the Rim of the World Road Concert on two days in July
- Printed our new Birds of the San Bernardino Mountains poster, which was designed by members with photos by local birders
- Printed Birds of Heaps Peak Arboretum field guide, which was designed by members
- New Heaps Peak Arboretum T-shirts for sale
- Created new Dogwood flower buttons
- Placed articles and ads in the local newspapers and magazines
- Participated in Chambers of Commerce activities and the Volunteer Recruitment Fair
- Created the new Best Friends of Heaps Peak Arboretum donation category, with a website page
- Created the new $1,000 Lifetime Membership category
- Hosted a Volunteer Appreciation Dinner
some cool ARBORETUM facts
Numbers speak for themselves
Our Story
From illegal dumping ground to forest treasure
NEGLECT, FIRES, NEW TREES
Heaps Peak Arboretum was not always a haven for trees, shrubs, flowers and wildlife. In the late 1800s, Fred Heaps owned a ranch on this location. When he died, his nephew built a lumber-harvesting operation—an ironic use of land that would ultimately become the Arboretum.
In 1922 a huge fire devastated the area, and only blackened trees remained. Six years later, the Lake Arrowhead Women’s Club, headed by Mary Putnam Henck, organized the first planting of new trees.
Mary Putnam Henck (left) and Grace Williams officiating at the Reforestation Project dedication, June 17, 1931
Club members and students from Lake Arrowhead Elementary School assisted in the project. In 1931 the site was officially named the Heaps Peak Reforestation Project.
All of the planting stopped, though, with the onset of World War II. There was another fire in 1956 and, sadly, the land then became an illegal dumping ground. It would remain in that sorry state until the early 1980s.
VOLUNTEERS TRIUMPH
Fast forward to 1982! Community member and revered schoolteacher George Hesemann was very disturbed by the neglect of this forest treasure, so he assembled a group of volunteers to create Rim of the World Interpretive Association (ROWIA).
George Hesemann (1929-1998), founder of ROWIA, was a highly respected local teacher whose passion for nature in general and the San Bernardino Mountains in particular inspired countless students over the years.
Together, members of the determined group cleaned up the site, created the Nature Trail and, eventually, a shorter wild-animal-footprint trail (especially for kids), and planted 175 new trees. Heaps Peak Arboretum opened on June 30, 1984.
Arboretum dedication and opening to the public on June 30, 1984
Today, the founders’ legacy lives on. Volunteers still take care of the 30-acre site, including tending plants and adding new ones, cleaning public areas and maintaining the trails to ensure that Heaps Peak Arboretum will be enjoyed by many generations of nature lovers to come.
