Winter 2007: Our Value Shape Our Actions

2007

Our values shape our actions

Value: the wise recognize it and work

form an interlinking system of urban, rural and river parks, open space, trails, and wildlife habitats that are easily accessible to the general public.” We recognize our land has value above and beyond what we can simply extract from it.

together to protect it, add to it and create with it; the foolish simply extract from it whatever they can. To value something is to treasure it.

Consider the mission statement of the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy (SMMC): If you look at a satellite photo “Through direct action, of the Los Angeles area, you alliances, partnerships, and joint see an interlinking system of mountains powers authorities, the Conservancy's and valleys. If you look at the land we mission is to strategically buy back, have acquired, you see an interlinking preserve, protect, restore, and enhance system of habitats. (cont. on page 2) treasured pieces of Southern California to

Inside this issue….

1 Feature Story 3 From the Editor 3 Greetings from the MRCA 4 Natural Resources & Planning 6 Operations 8 Developed Resources 9 Landscape Architecture 9 Construction 10 Facilities & Maintenance 12 Interpretation 14 Photo Gallery

An interlinking system of mountains and valleys.

Photo courtesy of Dr. William Bowen, California Geographical Survey

Page

(cont. from page 1) If you look at our organization structure, you see an interlinking system of divisions & partnerships.

One of these partnerships is the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA). The SMMC partners with the two local government agencies, the Conejo Recreation and Park District and the Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District to form the local joint power authority known as the MRCA.

increasingly post-modern method of communication. So let me finish by telling you a story, which may provide more insight as to how we work together.

In October, a wildfire breaks out that threatens one of our parks, nature center and neighboring houses. How do we respond?

The Santa Ana winds are light, so the Incident Commander (IC) decides we have a chance to stop this fire by creating The MRCA also has a mission statement: “The MRCA is a firebreak at Parcel A or B. Paul, our agency liaison dedicated to the preservation and management of (from natural resources), informs the IC that Parcel A Landscape local open space and parkland, watershed lands, contains endangered plants but Parcel B does not.

Architecture trails, and wildlife habitat. The MRCA So the order is given to create a firebreak manages and provides ranger services at Parcel B. The order is communicated for public lands and parks that it owns to the Franklin Emergency Operations and that are owned by the SMMC Center, or EOC. Jamie Facilities & Construction or other agencies and provides (interpretation) and Elizabeth Maintenance comprehensive education and (landscape architecture) transmit the Interpretation interpretation programs for the instructions to Pat (fire volunteer) in public. The MRCA works in the mobile command center, which cooperation with the SMMC and was driven earlier to the site by Natural other local government partners to Sabas (facilities and maintenance).

Developed Operations Resources & acquire parkland, participate Dave (operations) gathers a Resources Planning in vital planning processes, crew (construction, operations and complete major park and facilities) and starts improvement projects.” cutting a fire line. Paul (facilities) and Jewel (operations) apply The interlinking system model also works for describing protective fire foam to the nature center, using the water the MRCA’s organizational design. We are divided into tender that Tony (natural resources) has drive to the site. The different divisions and units, with each division primarily fire is stopped at the firebreak and our nature center (and focused on what we do best within the boundaries of the people) are safe. mission statement. But there are also areas of overlap, with cross-functional teams working on projects in support of the Later in the day, Zenia (developed resources) delivers lunch to overall Agency mission. Like all analogies, this model has the tired and hungry fire crew. its limitations. For example, Finance, Legal and The neighboring homes are also safe, in part because the Interpretation support every division, and Interpretation homeowners brushed their properties. Earlier in the year, also functions as a liaison with the general public. But even Scott (construction) cleared brush along the perimeter of our with its weaknesses, the model works reasonably well. property. Alfredo (facilities) distributed flyers created by In this issue of Symbiosis, we will explore each of the major Wendy (interpretation) to the neighbors, flyers that provided divisions and units in more detail, giving you a summary homeowner brush clearance information. overview of the jobs we do and how we support the Is this story overly simplistic? Perhaps, but it is a composite mission statement. We will also highlight some of our of actual events and trainings I’ve observed and heard projects for 2007 and share a few stories about our people. about. I tell this story because it’s an example of the kind of Mission statements and visual models are classic tools for interlinking system we have been talking about—people understanding organizational structures. But I’m an working together to “preserve and protect treasured pieces interpreter by trade. We tell stories, an ancient tradition and of Southern California.”

Symbiosis 2007 Page 2

From the Editor…..

Mission Statements—it seems as though no modern organization can exist without one. One wag even described them as “the full-employment act for business school graduates.” But mission statements serve a useful purpose. My B-school professors taught that a well-crafted mission statement prioritizes and directs your actions. It tells you when you are working on the right things and when you are working on the non-essentials. OK—we have one and what’s more, we use it.

But I was also taught mission statements should be short.

Pithy. Easy to understand, remember and communicate.

Ours is not short. Yet it seems to work. Why is that?

Maybe the real world is more nuanced and complex than the academics would lead us to believe. Maybe our mission statement is the equivalent of a 1000-word description of the photo on a jigsaw puzzle box. As the old saying goes, one picture is worth a thousand words.

And while I’m in the mood to ask quirky questions —I was

also taught that divisional structure is supposed to be clearly demarcated with minimal functional overlap. Ours isn’t.

Yet it seems to work. Why is that?

Maybe the real world is more irregular than we’ve been led to believe. Maybe our overlapping functional structure is what gives our small agency the ability to read a situation and react quickly and cooperatively when opportunities and challenges arise.

I hope you enjoy reading this edition of Symbiosis. In this issue, our goal is to provide you with a puzzle box photo of the SMMC and the MRCA—who does what and why we do it. Just don’t expect us to follow all the business school rules. The real world seldom fits in a neat and tidy box.

Neither do we.

Wendy Langhans 310-858-7272 x 115 Wendy.langhans@mrca.ca.gov

Greetings from the MRCA… Dear Friends As a retired educator and administrator, I’ve always been interested in how to create lesson plans that “stick” in student’s minds. So my attention was captured by a review of a new business book, Made to Stick. The book focuses on how to communicate ideas that will be remembered, ideas that will “stick” with their audience. But as I read further, I realized that the author’s conceptual scheme resembles the same basic principles of interpretation taught for years to our volunteers, Rangers and Naturalists.

This is just one example of the many ways the people of the MRCA are at the forefront of their professions. Our Natural Resources division brings leading-edge scientific knowledge into our land management decisions. Our landscape designers incorporate the best practices for capturing and infiltrating rainwater. Our Operations personnel are generalists and cross-trained to provide maximum flexibility. Our Developed Resources division supports diverse community needs—everything from weddings to non-profit fundraisers to programs for special-needs children. Our Interpretation division helps make our

parklands physically, intellectually and emotionally accessible to all the people of the Los Angeles region.

Our people function as multi-taskers in order to provide multiple benefits to our agency and to the community.

Our parklands are designed to provide multiple benefits to the entire community: public health, economic and sociological as well as ecological.

Dan Heath, one of the authors of Made to Stick, is an education consultant. The other, Chip Heath, teaches at the Stanford Business School, where tuition is about $41K per year. Right now our Interpretation Division is offering a 10week volunteer naturalist training class at Franklin Canyon.

Our training is free to our volunteers. I think we offer a bargain.

Now go outside and play!

Michael D. “Mike” Berger, Chair Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority Page 3

Natural Resources and Planning…

Overview:

These are the people who translate environmental science into land acquisition and management decisions.

They work with other government agencies— federal, state and local, to advise, identify and acquire key properties of ecological significance. Sometimes these properties are wide swatches of natural open space like

LA River—a refuge for people and animals

Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve, which was acquired because of its role as a wildlife corridor.

Sometimes they are a mosaic of parcels in the urban core, such as those along the Los Angeles River, where the whole functions much more than the sum of its parts. Once acquired, these properties are protected and, if necessary, restored.

Vista Hermosa—nourishing the whole child

It’s 51 miles long and only 11 miles are unpaved. But those 11 miles are teeming with wildlife—home to egrets, herons and wild ducks. Over 200 species of birds have been seen along the Los Angeles River, even in the concrete areas.

We want to help restore it and create a wildlife refuge.

That’s right—a federal wildlife refuge. By the end of the year we hope to have a proposal submitted to Congress. And no, we’re not crazy. We’re Snowy Egret. visionary. We see the Contributed by Lilian Darling Holt LA River as an important and valuable part of the watershed and ecosystem. We see the potential to change people's opinions about what an urban wildlife refuge can look like.

Consider the opportunities: In Los Angeles, we estimate 75 percent of children have no park within walking distance of their homes. Just in the city of Los Angeles alone, there are 32 miles of space along the river to help remedy that.

Rather than squander our precious rainwater by sending it to the ocean, we could use it to replenish our underground aquifers in the San Fernando valley, and provide habitat for native plants and animals.

Parks increase adjacent property values, small business opportunities, tourism and jobs. The San Antonio Riverwalk, for example, is considered the anchor of that city’s $1.2 billion tourism industry. Think what revitalizing the Los Angeles River could do for Los Angeles.

Symbiosis 2007 Page 4

Imagine you are growing up in the Westlake community of Los Angeles, one of the most densely populated urban areas in the U.S. Your future depends on receiving an education that supports your intellectual, creative and physical needs. But unfortunately, Westlake has over 8,500 youths under the age of 18 with no park, recreational facilities or open space within a one mile radius of most of their homes. Well, that statistic is changing.

The Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA) has partnered with the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) to build a soccer field as part of the 10-acre open space natural park Vista Hermosa, currently under construction. The park is adjacent to Central High School No. 10, which is being built in the Pico-Union/ Westlake area near downtown Los Angeles. This joint-use project with LAUSD is not your typical city park or high school playing field.

This field will be surrounded by native plants typically found in the Santa Monica Mountains.

…strategically buy back treasured pieces of Southern California (cont.) Combining sports and wild places will create a park that provides both passive, meditative places and the thrill of a soccer game. The MRCA's unconventional and successful approach to urban natural parks has focused on re-creating natural elements of the Santa Monica Mountains while still providing active recreation.

In the natural areas of the park, children and neighborhood families will be able to enjoy soaring hawks, dense oak groves, and wide expanses of wildflower meadows normally found in the Santa Monica Mountains and recreated in their front yard. Amenities of the park will include hiking and walking trails, bird watching, family picnic areas and an overlook with great views of the downtown Los Angeles skyline.

Vista Hermosa is slated to open in late October 2007. So plan to join us early next year. It should be teeming with families hiking, couples sitting in the sun contemplating nature, and boys and girls practicing their soccer moves for the next match, among the California poppies!

local wildlife species rely on riparian habitats for survival and use them to navigate through the mountains.

First a site is chosen, with an annual or perennial stream.

Then pre-existing exotic plants, such as giant reed, tamarisk, and milk thistle, are removed and properly disposed of offsite. We also use other methods such as chain saw and/or cut stump treatments or an appropriate herbicide such as “Ecoexempt”. When the exotic plants are gone and their seed banks are exhausted, the site is ready to be planted.

We install native plants such as western sycamore, arroyo willow, mulefat and mugwort. We encircle the new plants with gopher cages and sometimes deer cages for protection against grazing. We water the plants for 3-5 years or until they become established, using a temporary PVC irrigation or drip system. Some sites are so remote that they can only be hose watered by a water truck.

Contributed by Stephanie Landregan, ASLA

In-Lieu Fee Mitigation Restorative Environmental Justice In 2000, an agreement was signed between the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) and the SMMC which made the In-Lieu Fee Mitigation program available to outside parties. Here’s how it works: if a landowner gets penalized by a regulatory agency for damaging a protected resource or habitat, reparations must be made so that there is no net loss of habitat. If the outside party can’t make the reparation on their own site, they may turn to the MRCA to restore and mitigate the impacted habitat on our property. The MRCA charges a fee based on the severity and magnitude of the damage. The more valuable the resource damaged or destroyed, the higher the penalty charged.

The Natural Resources & Planning Department manages the program at several parkland locations in Los Angeles County. We have a full-time staff assigned to the restoration of “riparian” (streamside) habitats, a critical component of wildlife corridors throughout the Santa Monica Mountains, Simi Hills and Santa Clarita Woodlands watersheds. Most

A temporary PVC irrigation system is used to help new plants get established in Caballero Canyon.

In 3-5 years you have an improved and healthier, higher quality streamside habitat. This restored habitat now provides more shade, food, erosion control, shelter and nesting sites for indigenous wildlife. Restoration also improves the air, soil and water quality.

The MRCA’s In-Lieu Fee Program provides solid and tangible mitigation solutions and serves as an example of local restorative justice for the natural environment. Next year we will be continuing projects at Crummer and Pico Canyons and beginning new projects in Granada Hills and near Soledad Canyon in the Santa Clara River watershed.

Contributed by Tony Charness Page 5

Operations….

Overview:

The MRCA Ranger program operates on the principle of the Generalist Ranger. Our rangers are sworn California Peace Officers, experienced wildland firefighters and certified interpretive guides. On any given day, a ranger could explain to a group of children how to tell the difference between a dog and a coyote track, find a lost child, remove a downed tree limb, help put out a fire or write a ticket for speeding.

Speed and Safety Driving in and out of Franklin Canyon is always an adventure. Coming round the bend, you just never know what you are going to see - a covey of quail, a coyote or a class of school children. That’s one reason why the speed limit is set at 15 mph; drivers need to be able to stop quickly within a short distance. Did you know that the stopping distance for a vehicle going 15 mph is 47 feet? But for a vehicle going 25 mph, the stopping distance is 130 feet.

More drivers now are using Franklin Canyon as a “short cut”, avoiding the heavier traffic on Coldwater Canyon Drive. And many of these drivers are not obeying speed limits or stop signs. So we are faced with a growing traffic enforcement problem and limited options for solving it.

violations. If a violation is detected, a telephoto lens captures a close-up image of the vehicle and its registration plates.

All photos are reviewed before a citation is issued (for example, an ambulance with flashing lights might coast through a stop sign). A traffic citation notice is mailed to the registered owner and payment can be made online. The citation can also be contested through normal channels.

We expect to implement this program later this year and we will provide plenty of notice before it goes into effect. In an ideal world, everyone would drive safely. But given our options, we’d rather be handing out tickets than calling the paramedics.

Ballona Wetlands The MRCA has received a 3-year grant from the State Coastal Commission “to help implement interim stewardship activities to protect and enhance the Ballona Wetlands.” The MRCA is now providing ranger patrols to enforce local and state laws, protect the resources of the site and help ensure the success of restoration enhancement activities. This authorization will provide funds for part-time ranger services for up to three years.

An additional grant from the SMMC will support on-going site cleanups and community outreach programs such as Junior Rangers and public walks.

We could limit thru traffic by closing one entrance to the canyon. But that would limit accessibility, something the MRCA is passionately committed to preserving.

Or we could assign a ranger to full-time traffic enforcement.

But MRCA Park Rangers are generalist rangers. As well as being California Peace Officers, they perform maintenance, interpretation and fire and rescue duties. Every hour allocated to traffic enforcement is one less hour they have to perform other much-needed services to the community.

So this year the MRCA is doing what more and more local municipalities are doing: we are installing automated traffic enforcement systems that use conventional radar with digital cameras to detect both speeding and stop sign Symbiosis 2007 Page 6

MRCA Rangers Jewel Johnson and Laura Just, along with Interp’s Jamie Cabral and Brad Henderson from California Fish & Game, visit Ballona Wetlands.

...preserve and protect Community Outreach In eastern Los Angeles County, our Rangers work with the Puente Hills Landfill Native Habitat Preservation Authority to provide programs for local school children. These twohour programs focus on nature education, conservation, stewardship and wilderness skills.

...On the hike, I liked the encounter with the rattlesnake, which was pretty cool...

- a 4th grader from Whittier

PRAC Standards and Training To become a certified “Generalist Ranger”, candidates have to meet the training requirement of the Park Rangers Association of California (PRAC). A successful candidate must meet the minimum 364-hour requirement in the following areas:

Resource Management

MRCA staff are certified as trainers by a variety of state and national organizations, including the California Fire Marshall, National Wildfire Coordinating Group, National Association for Interpretation and California Peace Officers Training and Standards Commission.

Many of our rangers go above and beyond the MRCA training standards. For example, while all our rangers have Search and Rescue Training, one Ranger, Jodi Thomas, has a passion for working with search and rescue dogs.

Dear Rangers Laura and Francine,

Law Enforcement

MRCA requirements for our Rangers are even more rigorous - 420 hours - and we schedule periodic recertification as required.

You can’t hide from Caba It is always a pleasure to watch MRCA Ranger Jodi Thomas working with Caba, her search-and-rescue dog. Like any well-practiced team, much of their communication is non-verbal and appears almost magical to the casual observer.

There are three kinds of SAR dogs: trailing, tracking and air-scenting. A good air-scent dog can find humans by following the approximately 40,000 skin cells humans shed per minute. Caba is being trained in wilderness air scent; she and Jodi just qualified as a Type 2 Area Search Dog Team.

138 hrs Biology

32 hrs

Geography

24 hrs

Resource Protection

24 hrs

Interpretation

40 hrs

Fire/Rescue

44 hrs

Maintenance Operations

40 hrs

Emergency Medical

22 hrs

Ranger Jodi Thomas and her search and rescue dog Caba, at the 2006 LACPCA demonstration.

Photo by Sue Chipperton Page 7

Developed Resources…provides memorable locations and services Overview:

Our Developed Resources Division provide sites with facilities where people can observe significant events in their lives, whether it be a wedding, graduation, anniversary or memorial service. These sites also support our local business and Southern California film industry and the revenue they generate provides cost recovery to support those portions of our mission that are not funded by government dollars.

For all inquiries please visit our website at LAMountains.com or email events@LAMountains.com.

You can also contact Marsha Feldman at (310) 589-3230 ext. 144. or marsha.feldman@mrca.ca.gov.

Filming Our 55,000 acres of parkland offer an amazing diversity of landscapes, vistas, and structures - almost all within the 30-mile zone.

Weddings & Special Events For elegant weddings and receptions, you can choose from the lush garden courtyards of the Los Angeles River Center and Gardens in Los Angeles or the spectacular views of the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve (formerly Ahmanson Ranch) in Calabasas. Temescal Gateway Park in Pacific Palisades and Franklin Canyon Park in Beverly Hills offer charming rustic settings, while San Vicente Mountain Park and Marvin Braude Mulholland Gateway Park both offer sweeping vistas.

Camping & Overnight Events Sage Ranch in Simi Hills has a private group camp that works well for scouting groups and families. Temescal Gateway Park has a variety of cabins and dorms that will hold at least 150 people.

Towsley Canyon in Santa Clarita can house 18 people.

Symbiosis 2007 Page 8

Meetings, Conferences, Retreats

Many schools, businesses as well as philanthropic and religious organizations hold seminars, workshops, retreats and special events at our facilities. Temescal Gateway Park in Pacific Palisades can accommodate meetings ranging in size from 40 to 200 people in historic halls and other classrooms surrounded by the beautiful coastal mountains.

The MRCA presents monthly Chautauqua programs there that are open to the public. Franklin Canyon Park in Beverly Hills has both an indoor auditorium and an outdoor amphitheatre. Upper Las Virgenes Open Space Preserve (formerly Ahmanson Ranch) in Calabasas is a perfect spot for a private retreat in a secluded setting. The Los Angeles River Center and Gardens in Los Angeles has small meeting rooms and a larger hall to suit a variety of meeting sizes.

Towsley Canyon can also host small meetings.

Landscape Architecture and Construction...create, repair and restore Landscape Architecture Parking lots—every day most of us drive into at least one.

But did you ever consider the work that goes into designing one? How will you drain or percolate the rainwater? Where do you put the entrance/exit to minimize potential accidents?

Or how about a scenic overlook; we have several on Mulholland Drive. Where do you put the sign that helps visitors identify what they are seeing? How high do you construct it so people in wheelchairs can read it?

Construction The MRCA’s Construction unit provides a flexible and costeffective way of getting things done. We’re flexible because we can do it ourselves or hire and supervise a subcontractor.

We’re cost-effective because, as any car owner knows (or learns the hard way), routine maintenance now can prevent expensive repairs later.

Here’s just one example of how the different MRCA divisions work together: in the winter of 2005, heavy rains flooded parts of Pico and Towsley Canyons, washing out the road in Or how about a pocket park along the Los Angeles River; we Towsley and threatening the 100-year-old buildings at the have several of those too. Which native plants do you use? historic Mentryville site. MRCA personnel from Operations, How close together do you plant them? Will small children Facilities and Construction worked together to save the be playing nearby? historic buildings.

These are places where you can experience the magic created by the Landscape Architecture Division that helps us create Heavy urban oases such as Vista Hermosa (see page 4 for details), or rains Marsh Park on the LA River, or the Hollywood Bowl caused Overlook along the 55-mile Mulholland Scenic Parkway. minor flooding in Pico Canyon Good design in 2005. begins with a good foundation.

Later, a crew from Natural Resources and Planning supervised riparian restoration along the stream in Pico Canyon, in part to mitigate the effects of flooding in the future. And after receiving funds from FEMA, Construction supervised installation of a new section of road at Towsley.

Whether installing a kiosk or other park amenity such as a play structure, repairing a fence or a road, or shoring up a building during a flood, our people are “on it”.

Repair of the entrance road to Towsley Canyon.

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Facilities and Maintenance‌.

Overview:

Facilities and Maintenance are the people who keep things working. They do the essential work we seldom notice unless it’s not done - emptying trashcans, repairing broken signs, replacing light bulbs. They also clear trails, brush vegetation and when needed, they fight fires.

Vegetation Management: Keeping our Open Spaces Healthy While Keeping our Neighborhoods Safe Our Goals: Protect nearby homes from wildfires Rejuvenate plant communities Eliminate seed sources of invasive plants Cost-effective use of your tax dollars.

The MRCA is committed to using a variety of ecologically based land management practices to control invasive plants, re-establish native habitats and provide fire clearance for nearby homes.

Our Southern California wildland/urban interface poses unique challenges to maintaining healthy habitats while preserving human safety. We can no longer rely on naturally occurring cycles of floods and fires to replenish the fertility of our soils. Our oceans no longer serve as barriers to invasive, non-native species.

MOUNTAINS

So today we rely on vegetation management to maintain healthy habitats. We

RECREATION AND CONSERVATION AUTHORITY

plant native trees to provide the shade that discourages growth of non-native

Div. Chief Dan Tholund Phone: 818 871-9645 x 31 E-mail: dan.tholund@mrca.ca.gov

Symbiosis 2007 Page 10

weeds and grasses. We thin and remove brush that serves as fire fuels. We eliminate seedbeds of non-native plants. But vegetation management is costly, both in terms of labor hours and dollars spent.

As homeowners, you can help by landscaping with native plants and following Fire Department landscaping recommendations.

...preserve, protect, restore and enhance The best time to prepare for a fire is before you see the smoke.

One hot and dry July day in 2005, I arrived at the Victory trailhead to lead a hike. The nearby hills were scattered with homes. I stopped and spoke to one of our brushing crew. He was drenched in sweat and covered with grime and bits of dried leaves. He looked tired.

“Hot work,” I said. “Oh yeah,” he replied, as he took a long swig from his water jar.

I saw that man again in October, after the Topanga fire had burned within a few feet of those homes near the trailhead. Again he was drenched in sweat and covered with grime, but this time he was wearing his yellow fire gear.

“Last time I saw you here you were clearing away that brush. I’m sure glad now you did that, aren’t you?”

“Oh yeah,” he replied. Then he grinned and added, “And so are the neighbors.”

Contributed by Wendy Langhans

Vegetation Management Techniques

RESOURCES To learn more about landscaping using

In our Southern California Mediterranean-type ecosystem, vegetation dries out during our hot and dry summer months, and dead vegetation decomposes slowly. Firefighters have a term for this accumulation of dead and dry vegetation — fuel—and it burns fast and hot. Our goal is to prevent this hazardous fuel from accumulating in areas adjacent to private property.

The MRCA Vegetation Management program uses a combination of chemical application and hand labor to ensure public safety from wildfires. We are increasing our use of spraying for two reasons: (1) to prevent growth before it starts, and (2) to provide an efficient, flexible and cost-effective alternative to labor-intensive brushing.

We have two types of spraying programs. The "pre-emergent” program prevents seed germination and is applied early in the season. The "postemergent" program is designed to knock down growth in areas that were previously missed and is applied later in the season.

Diverse terrain and habitats, along with finite resources, require a flexible response. Because spraying is efficient and cost effective, it gives us more flexibility to go in with hand brushing crews to areas where that method is needed.

California native plants, go to the Southern California Water Agencies website: www.bewaterwise.com/ or the California Native Plant Society, www.cnps.org/.

To learn more about fire prevention landscaping guidelines, go to The Fire Safe Council website: www.firesafecouncil.org/homeowner/ index.cfm To learn more about local brush clearance requirements, go to the LAFD website, www.lafd.org/brush/ or for LA County, www.lacofd.org/ Forestry/VegetationManagement.asp

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Interpretation….

Overview:

Interpretation “creates an emotional and intellectual connection between the visitor and the meaning inherent in the resource.” In some ways, a skillful interpreter is like a skillful painter - you see the painting but you don’t notice the brush strokes. If we do our interpretive job well, we remain transparent while we focus your attention on our natural world and help you gather meaning from it. If we do our job well, we foster awareness and appreciation, which leads to stewardship and protection. Every division in the MRCA benefits from our activities.

Public Programming Public Interpretive programs are led by Rangers, Interpretive staff and trained volunteers, and cover a variety of themes. From Nature hikes to campfire programs, these programs are both educational and enjoyable for all ages.

All are designed to highlight the natural and cultural resources of our parks. Public hikes are thematic and organized around interests such as edible plants, wildlife and astronomy. Many people enjoy our monthly full-moon hikes. Campfire programs, a time-honored park tradition, are offered at three of our parks: Temescal Canyon, Franklin Canyon and Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve. They are offered once a month during the school year and weekly during the summer. We also offer our Chautauqua programs, a monthly special event at Temescal Gateway Park that covers diverse cultural themes.

Junior Ranger Programs Junior Ranger programs feature multiple sessions covering outdoor skills as well as the natural and cultural resources of a park. Participating youth have an opportunity to work closely with rangers and naturalists who serve as mentors and educators, passing on to the Junior Rangers the skills, knowledge and motivation to become stewards of the park.

Programs vary from site to site, and may contain special classes and field trips, as well as more typical skills such as plant identification and orienteering. 2007 will see the coming of two exciting new Junior Ranger partnerships, starting in March with the Playa Vista Little League at the Ballona Wetlands and later this year with Anahuak Youth Soccer Association located near the Los Angeles River.

For more information about upcoming Junior Ranger programs, contact Keith Jobson at keith.jobson@mrca.ca.gov.

Education Programs Our school programs are curriculum-based and tied to state standards. We offer a day program at Franklin Canyon for students who visit the park with their teachers as part of a classroom activity. This field study is combined with classroom learning and post-site activities.

We offer a 3-day 2-night residential camp for students and their teachers at Temescal Canyon Park. The curriculum combines the best of traditional outdoor education with the California State Science Framework and is designed to immerse students in the natural world through hands-on learning, experiential science and sensory experiences. The camp teaches basic environmental concepts that students can take with them to any environment.

Symbiosis 2007 Page 12

...provides education, public access and resource stewardship Public Access & Transportation One of the barriers to visiting the parks has been the lack of public transportation. We are involved in two programs to increase access.

The Recreational Transit Program (RTP) provides free or low-cost bus transportation for people who otherwise would not have access to a Santa Monica Mountains park or beach. RTP provides the critical link to the public resources that are our parks, open space and natural areas for thousands of city dwellers every year. This is a cooperative program funded by the Conservancy plus City and County of Los Angeles transportation funds.

The ParkLINK Shuttle is a way to visit 10 sites on weekends within the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area without using a car. From anywhere in LA, riders can take the MTA and link up with the shuttle in either Malibu or Calabasas. Riders can then visit any one of the ten parks along the route, hike the backbone trail one way and be shuttled back to their car, or tour the entire loop to enjoy the full spectrum of parks. This is a joint partnership between the National Park Service and California State Parks. For more information go to www.parklinkshuttle.com/.

Chautauqua In the 1920s and 1930s, Temescal Canyon served as a major center of the Chautauqua Movement, drawing visitors by the thousands. We offer a monthly Chautauqua event in keeping with the spirit of the original, described by Pres.

Teddy Roosevelt as “the most American thing in America.”

Upcoming events for this spring include: (March 20) World of Sand. Presented by Dr. Dave Douglass, Dean of Science at Pasadena City College.

(April 17) An Inconvenient Truth. Presented by Donald Strauss, Professor at Antioch College.

(May 15) Turtles. Presented by Rosi Dagit, Biologist for the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mtns.

(June 19) Life as Mark Twain’s Daughter. Presented by Steve Botts.

Angeles Crest Scenic Highway The Angeles Crest Scenic Highway. On a clear day, you can see for miles from the desert, past the cities, all the way to the ocean. This scenic highway stretches 55 miles along Hwys 2 and 39 through the San Gabriel Mountains, winding past a number of cultural and historic landmarks. The MRCA has received a grant to develop and improve several overlooks and erect a new entrance sign.

Docent and Volunteer Programs Docent programs throughout our parks are critical to meeting the MRCA’s goal of providing visitor service and education programs to the public. Volunteers take part in comprehensive training before leading educational and interpretive programs for schools and the general public as well as staffing facilities and helping with special events. In addition, the MRCA has a very successful wildland fire volunteer program, a trail maintenance volunteer program and participates in a joint Mountain Bike Unit and Mounted Horse Volunteer Unit with California State Parks and the National Park Service.

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On any given day, our MRCA staff and volunteers can be found carrying out our mission in many ways and in many places.

CPR and First Aid refresher training.

Our Rangers pay a visit to local schools.

We work with LAUSD students as part of our Temescal Field Science Program.

MRCA crews clearing brush along Mulholland, part of our ongoing fire prevention efforts.

Even after a wildfire has been contained, there are residual hotspots to put out.

We take schoolchildren out on the trail.

Symbiosis 2007 Page 14