To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Wilderness Act, members of the Los Padres Forest firefighting crew will accompany a vintage 19th-century wagon in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s morning, followed by an all-mule equestrian entry that salutes the packers who supply firefighters and wilderness rangers. These particular animals worked the summer and fall fires in Northern California. The three-mule pack strings will be led by Forest Service rangers in period uniforms, Los Padres personnel among them. The head of the U.S. Forest Service, Mike Tidwell, will be riding in the wagon, along with Smokey the Bear and the service’s Volunteer of the Year, Mike Heard, representing the tens of thousands of people who regularly volunteer in the national forests.
