On December 9, family and friends celebrated Ranger Sandy Jones Birkland who was the ranger over Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, and her heart – Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park all operated through Napa County Regional Parks and Open Space District.
Here’s excerpt for the Napa Valley Register:
“Jones developed an interest in parks while attending San Jose State University. She earned a degree in parks and recreation and spent 30 years as a state park ranger, working in Carlsbad, Half Moon Bay, Bodega Bay and Sugarloaf Ridge State Park before transferring to the Napa Valley around 2003.
Friends say her greatest passion was the 19th century Bale Grist Mill. Celebrating its history became one of the great joys of her life, and in the mid-2000s she guided the restoration of the mill, including the complex sifting apparatus upstairs.
“She brought the mill back to what it was in 1860,” said Tyler Beach, who moved to Bothe as a seasonal lifeguard and later joined the staff.
“They installed elevators for the grist, cleaners for the corn and the wheat, and a bolter that sifted the milled flour into different grades,” Beach said. “That all ran off an upstairs gear that hadn’t been in operation for 140 years or so. She got it all restored, she got all the grant money for it, and she really put her heart and soul into making sure that huge project got done.”
‘More than a job’
Jones developed a miller training program, expanded tours for students, raised money to maintain the mill, and either created or revitalized events that became annual traditions, including the Harvest Dinner, Old Mill Days, Pancake Breakfast, Winter Dinner and Pioneer Christmas.”
Ranger Sandy will be deeply missed, but she spirit, positive energy, and laughter will live in us and at the parks.