Winter 2007: Our Value Shape Our Actions

Page Page

Value: the wise recognize it and work

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):

“Through direct action,

alliances, partnerships, and joint

powers authorities, the Conservancy's

mission is to strategically buy back,

preserve, protect, restore, and enhance

treasured pieces of Southern California to

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.

If you look at a satellite photo

of the Los Angeles area, you

see an interlinking system of mountains

and valleys. If you look at the land we

have acquired, you see an interlinking

system of habitats. (cont. on page 2)

Our values shape our actions

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

2007

An interlinking system of mountains and valleys.

Photo courtesy of Dr. William Bowen,

California Geographical Survey

Symbiosis 2007 Page Symbiosis 2007 2

(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.

The MRCA also has a mission statement: “The MRCA is

dedicated to the preservation and management of

local open space and parkland, watershed lands,

trails, and wildlife habitat. The MRCA

manages and provides ranger services

for public lands and parks that it owns

and that are owned by the SMMC

or other agencies and provides

comprehensive education and

interpretation programs for the

public. The MRCA works in

cooperation with the SMMC and

other local government partners to

acquire parkland, participate

in vital planning processes,

and complete major park

improvement projects.”

The interlinking system model also works for describing

the MRCA’s organizational design. We are divided into

different divisions and units, with each division primarily

focused on what we do best within the boundaries of the

mission statement. But there are also areas of overlap, with

cross-functional teams working on projects in support of the

overall Agency mission. Like all analogies, this model has

its limitations. For example, Finance, Legal and

Interpretation support every division, and Interpretation

also functions as a liaison with the general public. But even

with its weaknesses, the model works reasonably well.

In this issue of Symbiosis, we will explore each of the major

divisions and units in more detail, giving you a summary

overview of the jobs we do and how we support the

mission statement. We will also highlight some of our

projects for 2007 and share a few stories about our people.

Mission statements and visual models are classic tools for

understanding organizational structures. But I’m an

interpreter by trade. We tell stories, an ancient tradition and

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

a firebreak at Parcel A or B. Paul, our agency liaison

(from natural resources), informs the IC that Parcel A

contains endangered plants but Parcel B does not.

So the order is given to create a firebreak

at Parcel B. The order is communicated

to the Franklin Emergency Operations

Center, or EOC. Jamie

(interpretation) and Elizabeth

(landscape architecture) transmit the

instructions to Pat (fire volunteer) in

the mobile command center, which

was driven earlier to the site by

Sabas (facilities and maintenance).

Dave (operations) gathers a

crew (construction, operations

and facilities) and starts

cutting a fire line. Paul (facilities)

and Jewel (operations) apply

protective fire foam to the nature center, using the water

tender that Tony (natural resources) has drive to the site. The

fire is stopped at the firebreak and our nature center (and

people) are safe.

Later in the day, Zenia (developed resources) delivers lunch to

the tired and hungry fire crew.

The neighboring homes are also safe, in part because the

homeowners brushed their properties. Earlier in the year,

Scott (construction) cleared brush along the perimeter of our

property. Alfredo (facilities) distributed flyers created by

Wendy (interpretation) to the neighbors, flyers that provided

homeowner brush clearance information.

Is this story overly simplistic? Perhaps, but it is a composite

of actual events and trainings I’ve observed and heard

about. I tell this story because it’s an example of the kind of

interlinking system we have been talking about—people

working together to “preserve and protect treasured pieces

of Southern California.”

Facilities &

Maintenance Construction

Developed

Resources Operations

Interpretation

Landscape

Architecture

Natural

Resources &

Planning

Greetings from the MRCA…Greetings from the MRCA…

From the Editor…..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

[email protected]

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 10-

week 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


Natural Resources and Planning…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

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.

LA River—a refuge for people and animals Vista Hermosa—nourishing the whole child

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.

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

visionary. We see the

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.

Snowy Egret.

Contributed by Lilian Darling Holt

…strategically buy back treasured pieces of Southern California…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 re-

created 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!

Contributed by Stephanie Landregan, ASLA

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

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.

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

A temporary PVC irrigation system is used to help new

plants get established in Caballero Canyon.

In-Lieu Fee Mitigation Restorative Environmental Justice


Operations…. 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.

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.

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

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.

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.

MRCA Rangers Jewel Johnson and Laura Just, along with

Interp’s Jamie Cabral and Brad Henderson from California

Fish & Game, visit Ballona Wetlands.

Speed and Safety

Ballona Wetlands

..preserve and protect...preserve and protect

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 two-

hour programs focus on nature education, conservation,

stewardship and wilderness skills.

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:

MRCA requirements for our Rangers are even more

rigorous - 420 hours - and we schedule periodic

recertification as required.

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.

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.

Dear Rangers

Laura and

Francine,

...On the hike, I

liked the encoun-

ter with the rattle-

snake, which was

pretty cool...

- a 4th grader

from Whittier

Ranger Jodi Thomas and her search and rescue dog

Caba, at the 2006 LACPCA demonstration.

Photo by Sue Chipperton

Law Enforcement 138 hrs

Resource Management 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

Community Outreach

PRAC Standards and Training


Developed Resources…provides memorable locations and services 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 [email protected].

You can also contact Marsha Feldman at (310) 589-3230

ext. 144. or [email protected].

Our 55,000 acres of parkland offer an

amazing diversity of landscapes, vistas,

and structures - almost all within the

30-mile zone.

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.

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.

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.

Filming

Meetings, Conferences, Retreats

Weddings & Special Events

Camping & Overnight Events

Landscape Architecture and Construction...create, repair and restore Landscape Architecture and Construction...create, repair and restore

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?

Or how about a pocket park along the Los Angeles River; we

have several of those too. Which native plants do you use?

How close together do you plant them? Will small children

be playing nearby?

These are places where you can experience the magic created

by the Landscape Architecture Division that helps us create

urban oases such as Vista Hermosa (see page 4 for details), or

Marsh Park on the LA River, or the Hollywood Bowl

Overlook along the 55-mile Mulholland Scenic Parkway.

The MRCA’s Construction unit provides a flexible and cost-

effective 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

Towsley and threatening the 100-year-old buildings at the

historic Mentryville site. MRCA personnel from Operations,

Facilities and Construction worked together to save the

historic buildings.

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”.

Construction Landscape Architecture

Heavy

rains

caused

minor

flooding

in Pico

Canyon

in 2005. Good design

begins with a

good

foundation.

Repair of the

entrance road to

Towsley

Canyon.


Facilities and Maintenance…. 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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Div. Chief Dan Tholund

Phone: 818 871-9645 x 31

E-mail:

[email protected]

M O U N T A I N S

R E C R E A T I O N A N D

C O N S E R V A T I O N

A U T H O R I T Y

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.

..preserve, protect, restore and enhance ...preserve, protect, restore and enhance

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 "post-

emergent" 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.

Vegetation Management Techniques RESOURCES

To learn more about landscaping using

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

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


Interpretation…. 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 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 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 [email protected].

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.

Public Programming

Education Programs

Junior Ranger Programs

..provides education, public access and resource stewardship...provides education, public access and resource stewardship

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/.

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.

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 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.

Chautauqua

Docent and Volunteer Programs

Public Access & Transportation Angeles Crest Scenic Highway


On any given day,

our MRCA staff and

volunteers can be

found carrying out

our mission in many

ways and in many

places.

MRCA crews clearing brush along Mulholland,

part of our ongoing fire prevention efforts.

We work

with LAUSD

students as

part of our

Temescal

Field

Science

Program.

CPR and First Aid refresher training.

Our Rangers pay a visit to local schools.

Even after a wildfire has been contained,

there are residual hotspots to put out.

We take schoolchildren out on the trail.

Winter 2007: Our Value Shape Our Actions

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