He dedicated thousands of hours over six years to native plant restoration work, especially for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) at Fort Ord, and the Beach Garden Project performing such tasks as surveying for rare plants and noxious weeds, seed collecting, planting, and pulling noxious weeds. His commitment, work ethic, and enthusiasm for nature was an inspiration to those who had the good fortune of knowing him. Chuck Haugen died suddenly on July 18, 2002 "on the job" after a fatal allergic reaction to a few yellow jacket stings while engaging in his true love, volunteer plant restoration work on BLM lands at Fort Ord.
Well Chuck, you continue to inspire us, and just today we were out at Fort Ord digging up French broom and bull thistle near Barloy Canyon Road and we saw a non-native grass called Crypsis in a dry pond and . . .