Volunteer Spotlight: Julian Navarrete
Curiosity, Connection, and Giving Back to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
For Julian Navarrete, a love for Anza-Borrego began with a camera, a sense of curiosity, and a willingness to follow the desert a little farther.
His first guided overnight trip to the Park inspired him to begin returning on his own to photograph the Park. Before long, those trips became adventures into washes, searches for familiar landmarks, and discoveries of the remarkable geology hidden deeper within the landscape.
Eventually, Julian began bringing friends along to share the places he’d discovered through day trips, camping, and hiking.
“I started wondering if there was something else I could do for the Park, as well as learn more about it,” Julian says.
The answer appeared while scrolling through social media. Julian had been following Anza-Borrego Foundation and Anza-Borrego Desert State Park when he came across a volunteer spotlight featuring ABF volunteer Matt McArdle.
“I was like, ‘Wait, there are volunteering opportunities. This is perfect.’”
Finding a Deeper Connection to the Park
Volunteering offered Julian exactly what he had been looking for: a chance to learn more about the Park, help with guided hikes, meet others who share his love for the desert, and introduce more people to the Park.
One experience captures much of what keeps him coming back: his first drive through Split Mountain and Fish Creek Wash.
Surrounded by towering canyon walls, Julian and his friends explored on foot before camping for the night.
“It felt like the perfect escape into a vast, remote desert—even just for a weekend,” he remembers. “The best part was sharing the awe that my friends had, given that they had experienced a new place.”
That experience of discovery, and then sharing that discovery with someone else, is now part of what Julian brings to volunteering.
There Is Always More to Discover
The more time Julian spends in Anza-Borrego, the more he realizes how much remains unseen.
“I’ve learned how diverse the Park is in fauna and flora,” he says. “I keep going back in hopes of seeing a new animal. It’s amazing how much animal activity there is.”
Even the frequent appearances of Peninsular bighorn sheep in Palm Canyon continue to remind him how alive the desert really is.
“That’s the beauty of the desert—there is so much happening on the desert floor you don’t see in action on a typical visit.”
For Julian, volunteering has become another way of looking closer.
Giving Back to a Place That Gives So Much
Julian says he hadn’t done much volunteering before becoming involved with ABF. That has made the experience particularly meaningful.
“Being able to give time back to a place that has brought me so much peace just feels really good,” he says.
It’s also given him a new community.
“I feel happy doing activities with like-minded people who love Anza-Borrego and connecting with them on our personal stories in the Park.”
Along the way, he’s building practical outdoor skills that make his own desert adventures safer. The experience has even inspired a new goal: becoming Wilderness First Responder certified someday.
Helping Others Discover Anza-Borrego
Julian sees supporting ABF as a way to help preserve the place he loves while making its extraordinary landscapes and stories accessible to others.
“I want to give back and support these folks in any way I can with my time—to learn, educate others, and help provide safe guided trips to all those who are curious about this desert.”
And for anyone who loves Anza-Borrego but hasn’t considered volunteering, Julian’s advice is simple:
“If you love coming out here for whatever reason, do it.”
“There are opportunities for all levels of experience and interests with the Foundation,” he says. “You get a chance to connect with the community and learn about the roots of the Park.”
And perhaps the best advice of all:
“Always stay curious. There is so much to learn!”
For Julian, that curiosity is what first brought him deeper into Anza-Borrego. Now, through volunteering, it’s helping him give something back and helping others discover what makes this desert so extraordinary.
Want to start volunteering? Fill out our Volunteer Interest Form here.