Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Non-Profit Group Works Behind The Scenes To Support Education, Research In Santa Monica Mountains

The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area includes more than 150,000 acres of land in Ventura and Los Angeles Counties

It’s a group dedicated to supporting a huge slice of nature in our region.

The odds are good you’ve never heard of it, but the Santa Monica Mountains Fund  is a key supporter of the 150,000 acre plus Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

Sara Horner is President of the Fund. She says the nearly two decade old group plays a key role in preserving, and supporting the Recreation Area.

The National Recreation Area includes huge swaths of land in Ventura and Los Angeles counties. It’s made up of a number of pieces of land owned by a variety of agencies, including the National Park Service, California State Parks, plus local government agencies. The nearly four decade old Recreation area is so diverse it includes Griffith Park, and Pt. Mugu State Park. The National Park Service oversees its operation.

The Santa Monica Mountains Fund raises money, and helps administer programs and services to enhance the far flung recreation area. Horner says one example is supporting trips for kids into the park. The Fund also provides money for research, like ongoing efforts to track the movements of mountain lions to learn more about their lives.

One of the fund’s current major projects is working with the National Wildlife Federation on a plan to build a wildlife crossing over Highway 101 in the Agoura Hills area. Numerous mountain lions, and other animals have been struck and killed trying to cross local highways, and the idea is to create a cutting edge new crossing to allow them to cross from the mountains, to the Simi Hills, and Santa Susana Mountains areas.

(This Sunday, the Fund is going to honor some of the women who have been involved in creating the National Recreation Area, and the Fund, in an event at King Gillette Ranch.)  Link to SMMF Event: www.samofund.org/2017/04/26/honored-women-of-the-santa-monica-mountains/

Lance Orozco has been News Director of KCLU since 2001, providing award-winning coverage of some of the biggest news events in the region, including the Thomas and Woolsey brush fires, the deadly Montecito debris flow, the Borderline Bar and Grill attack, and Ronald Reagan's funeral. 
Related Stories