Posts tagged as:

Santa Monica Mountains

New Mountain Lion Kittens in the Santa Monicas

June 23, 2010

The Santa Monica Mountains are home to some great local hiking, but we also share this territory with some of the most urban mountain lions in the country. Since 2002, researchers have been tracking and monitoring 19 mountain lions in the mountains, and over the past month they were witness to the birth of three [...]

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More Pot Found in the Santa Monica Mountains

April 14, 2010

Last year, there was a $10 million pot bust in Malibu Creek State Park and Zuma Canyon, netting over 3,500 plants. Apparently, the illegal growers didn’t get the memo that people are looking out for them now, because another 900 plants and 3,000 seeds were just seized again in Malibu Creek State Park. Two men [...]

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Family Backpacking Question

April 13, 2010

Chuck posted in the Forum a little while back, looking for a good place to take his family on a first-time camping trip. He writes: I’m looking for a hiking/backpacking/camping option that would be a good first trip for my daughters and I. The wife is a “Car camper”, but I think it’s important to [...]

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Become a TreePeople Reforestation Supervisor

March 16, 2010

If you’ve always wanted to help out with reforestation in our local mountains – and also want to have the title of “Supervisor” at some point in your life – you might be interested to know that the TreePeople will be hosting a Reforestation Supervisor training session this Saturday, March 20th in Calabasas. This training [...]

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Thanksgiving Hiking

November 24, 2009

At one of the four pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinners I’ve been invited to, one of my friends remarked that Thanksgiving in L.A. was becoming like Halloween – an extended 2-3 week celebratory period that may or may not have a party or dinner scheduled on the actual holiday itself. And I like it that way. For [...]

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Trails and Photos in the Santa Monica Mountains

November 13, 2009

With the Angeles National Forest still mostly closed off, the Santa Monica Mountains are the place to be this weekend. With some cooler temperatures in the forecast, it’s the perfect time to bundle up (SoCal style) and hit a trail in the mountains. The longest stretch of the Backbone Festival is tomorrow, Saturday the 14th, [...]

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The Backbone Festival is Back

November 6, 2009

Starting this weekend and continuing through December, the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club will celebrate the annual Backbone Festival by leading free group hikes along sections of the Backbone Trail – that *almost* finished 68-mile trail through the Santa Monica Mountains from the Pacific Palisades to the Pacific Ocean. Each section will highlight a [...]

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Smartphone Botany

October 23, 2009

So I know I just wrote a story about someone who got attacked by a bear while she was checking something on her iPhone, but if you’re careful about when and where you use your smartphone on the trail, you can actually help out with an important project. Invasive plants have long been a problem [...]

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Reminder – Spirit of the Mountains Contest is This Month

October 1, 2009

A while back, I wrote about the announcement of the Spirit of the Mountains Contest – a photo-contest for the Santa Monica Mountains, with winners being published in the official newsletter of the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, OUTDOORS. Well, the contest is officially on – and the park service is accepting entries through [...]

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Hike the Backbone in Photos

August 13, 2009

This Saturday, August 15th, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Visitor Center in Thousand Oaks will let you take a virtual tour of the nearly-completed 67.79 mile Backbone Trail. National Park Service volunteer photographer Jim Belsley will present a virtual tour of the trail with photographs and maps, with the assistance of experienced Backbone [...]

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