Santa Monica Mountains Task Force

A team of student researchers from the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability (IoES) at UCLA is conducting visitor counts and surveys at trails in the Santa Monica Mountains this spring.

Their work is a collaboration between UCLA IoES, the Anthony Pritzker Family Foundation, the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority (MRCA), and the Grateful Bench Project.

The visitor counts will provide a better understanding of trail use since the last SMMNRA trail survey conducted in 2018. The data collected will help the Grateful Bench Project improve visitor access to trails, inform their efforts to educate visitors about the trails, and deepen visitor appreciation of natural resources in the park.

The UCLA IoES team is recruiting volunteers to help with the visitor counts.

Volunteers will be stationed at one of 20 trailheads (see map below) and will count visitors for four-hour shifts on Saturdays, April 26th or May 3rd.

If you would be interested in volunteering with this team of UCLA researchers to perform visitor counts at certain Santa Monica Mountains trailheads, please RSVP using their Volunteer Registration Form

In addition, the team will be installing fliers on newly installed benches with QR codes linking to a short visitor survey. These surveys will gather data on trail usage and visitor experience, helping Grateful Bench design outreach and educational material for park visitors.

The goal is to eventually install permanent QR codes on benches that will bring visitors to location-specific information about park natural history and ecology. While benches throughout the park provide a place for hikers to rest and enjoy the mountain scenery, equipping them with these electronic “plaques” transforms the otherwise simple amenities into educational tools. Their goal is to offer visitors a wealth of information about the habitats and ecosystems in front of them, fostering a deeper appreciation for the nature that surrounds them.

Join our annual celebration of local trails and parkland!

There’s an important task for everyone at Santa Monica Mountains Trail Days, from seasoned trail builders to first-time volunteers, as well as age-appropriate activities for children.

Registration is required. Sign up here.

There will be trail projects on Saturday and Sunday, a complimentary BBQ dinner on Saturday evening, a jumbo thank-you gift drawing on both days (generously sponsored by our organizers and community members), and much more.

Come out for a day to help clean up trails — or perhaps stay for the weekend, and enjoy a night or two of free camping at Danielson Group Campground.

Organizing partners are the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council, the Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Association, and ourselves, with support from California State Parks and the National Park Service.

We hope to see you there!

Many concerns have been voiced about the news of the EPA setting up a three-month “hazardous waste” site to consolidate and manage the materials from the Palisades Fire. In fact, there was a protest about it: yesterday’s March to Save the Sea, which took place on the Santa Monica Pier. The RCDSMM, or, the Resource Conservation District of the Santa Monica Mountains, issued a statement which, in part, reads:

As a local agency facilitating resource protection and public connections with the environment in the Santa Monica Mountains, the RCDSMM has concerns regarding the chosen site and would have preferred a different location. Critical habitat for the endangered steelhead trout and tidewater goby is located directly adjacent to the motel site within Topanga Creek and Lagoon and is at risk if contaminated materials are inadvertently spread into these areas. Adjacent beaches and near-shore areas located just downstream could also be harmed, degrading recreation uses and unique fish and wildlife habitats.

Located at the mouth of Topanga Canyon near Topanga Lagoon, the site is one of ecological sensitivity and cultural significance. The lagoon itself is slated to undergo restoration in the near future.

Debate presses on, with organizations such as Heal the Bay decrying the project, arguing they were not consulted, and that such toxic materials, left exposed, could well seep into the soil and the ocean. Others counter that the waste pile had to go somewhere, and any decision would necessarily be controversial. See the bullet points of Heal the Bay’s meeting with the EPA. Somewhat unsettlingly, the EPA’s own FAQ for this issue returns a “Cannot Find The Page You’re Looking For.”

The EPA has also announced it will use the parking lot of Will Rogers State Beach as a staging area for removal of fire debris. Councilwoman Traci Park is against this proposal.

Related: Oceanographers are now studying the impact of the toxic ash on marine life.

For those wishing to make their voice heard, here are the relevant contacts for EPA representatives and other organizations:

EPA INCIDENT MANAGER:

Steve Calanog, Calanog.steve@epa.gov

EPA Representative:

Rusty Harris-Bishop, harris-bishop.rusty@epa.gov

Los Angeles County Department of Public Works: 

Mark Pestrella, mpestrella@dpw.lacounty.gov

California Dept of Parks and Recreation Director

Armando Quintero, Armando.Quintero@parks.ca.gov

Maria Chong Castillo, MCCastillo@bos.lacounty.gov

Dylan Sittig, LA County, Dsittig@bos.lacounty.gov

Ben Allen, Senator.Allen@senate.CA.gov

Supervisor Lindsey Horvath , ThirdDistrict@bos.lacounty.gov

Congressman Brad Sherman, Mail@bradsherman.com

Assembly Member Jacqui Irwin, Assemblymember.irwin@assembly.ca.gov

Governor Gavin Newson, Gavin.newsom@gov.ca.gov

Newsom Chief of Staff:

Ann O’Leary, Ann.oleary@gov.ca.gov

PRESS RELEASE
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
March 6, 2025

In response to community feedback and a comprehensive review of hazardous tree removal procedures, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has implemented updates to its tree marking system and clarified details regarding the newly available hazardous tree removal waiver.

To enhance transparency and improve processes, USACE has added two new color markings in addition to the existing blue dot, which signifies a tree that has been assessed and determined to be hazardous.

Blue Dot – Trees marked with a blue dot at the base and a barcode have been determined to be hazardous and are scheduled for removal.

Yellow Dot with Yellow Ribbon – Trees where a property owner has submitted a hazardous tree removal waiver will be marked with a yellow dot at the base and a yellow ribbon wrapped around the tree. The barcode will be removed, and this update will be cataloged in the contractor’s system to ensure the tree remains in place.

Brown Dot – If a tree is reassessed and determined to be non-hazardous by a higher-level ISA-certified arborist, it will be marked with a brown dot over the existing blue dot. The barcode will be removed, and this update will be recorded in the contractor’s tracking system, confirming the tree will not be removed.

The Waiver of Hazardous Tree Removal form is linked here and also available at recovery.lacounty.gov. Owners are encouraged to express their intent to waive tree removal during the 72-hour and 24-hour notification calls.

In response to community concerns, USACE has amended its waiver submission process. Property owners may now submit the Waiver of Hazardous Tree Removal via email or to the contractor during the 360-degree walkthrough, which is the last step before debris removal operations begin. Completed forms must be emailed to Eatoncallcenter@ecc.net for Altadena properties or Palisadescallcenter@ecc.net for Palisades properties. USACE contractors are making every effort to accept supporting information in a variety of formats—including photos, emails, and other documentation—to meet property owners’ requests and properly record their decisions.

“We are committed to listening to the community and improving our processes,” said U.S. Army Col. Eric Swenson, commander of the USACE Los Angeles Wildfires Recovery Field Office. “Our goal is to provide a clear, fair, and transparent system that respects property owners’ choices while prioritizing safety. The new tree markings and flexibility in how information is received reflect our commitment to making this process as accessible and efficient as possible.”

To expedite the waiver process, property owners are encouraged to assess the trees on their property as early as possible. This will ensure they have the necessary information ready when contacted by the USACE contractor for their scheduled walkthrough.

Important Reminder: Do Not Self-Mark Trees Community members have been self-marking trees in an effort to preserve them. USACE urges members of the community not to paint trees. Some paints contain toxic substances that can harm trees and the surrounding environment. Property owners should follow the official waiver process to document their decision to retain a tree.

USACE is committed to transparency, continuous improvement, and supporting the recovery of wildfire-affected communities. By listening to community concerns and optimizing our processes, we are working to ensure that property owners have clear information and meaningful choices as they navigate the recovery process.

For more information and updates on the wildfire debris removal effort, please visit recovery.lacounty.gov.

For media queries, contact the Army Corps of Engineers’ Wildfires Recovery Field Office Public Affairs team at SoCalWildfires@usace.army.mil.

Thank you to everyone who attended the March meeting. For those who Zoomed in, we apologize for the difficulties with the audio. Rest assured, we’re in the process of upgrading our tech, rendering such issues a thing of the past come the next meeting on May 13th. (We meet every 2 months, on the first Tuesday—occasionally the second Tuesday, or skipping a month, if needed for a quorum).

We’re considering the need for a Zoom meeting facilitator. If this happens to be your area of expertise, let us know!

Also: several people had not received the Zoom link, which was an oversight. Please join the mailing list and choose “Task Force meetings” under Mail Preferences. To update your mailing list subscription at any time, simply sign up again using the same email address, and your profile will update automatically.

While we don’t keep recordings, we’re working on a series of updates for the news blog which will cover all the salient points from Tuesday’s meeting, the most important of which will also be emailed to you as a mailing list subscriber. Thanks for staying engaged!

Since this recent past meeting, we’ve been giving a lot of thought to one particular question which came up: What are the bottlenecks? The biggest problem seems to be getting information out efficiently, and providing a clear resource for information such as when the parks and trails will be reopened, when and how people will be able volunteer in the restoration effort, fast-developing news such as the Topanga toxic waste site, the health and safety of the affected areas and other concerns.

Right now, what we need most urgently is to expand our Communications Team. As the Task Force continues its multi-pronged effort to protect and maintain the Santa Monica Mountains, across several domains, we need volunteers to take on a “pet” issue and keep track of its progress, attend key meetings elsewhere, write about it for the blog, report on it at our meetings, help coordinate action campaigns, and so on. Interested? Email us!

We’ve always been a small group of 8 or 10 people, discussing a small agenda. Carrying the torch. (Our predecessors were instrumental in the decades-long effort to establish a Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.) But it looks like we’re encountering a significant growth in engagement. Our founders, Ron and Mary Ann Webster, would be proud.

We’ll be sharing many more updates over the coming days and weeks, especially details for March 15th and other upcoming trail work events. Feel free to contact us with any specific questions that come up.

Thank you for your interest! We look forward to meeting you!

Since Elon Musk and his DOGE cohorts have taken it upon themselves to chew their way through the government, firing park officials and scientists and torching budgets, supporters of the Santa Monica Mountains have asked us: What can be done to stop the administration from their attack on the environment?

Well, the Sierra Club is lacing up for a fight. They’ve joined up with other organizations to sue Musk and DOGE.

You can help, too, by donating right here.

Here is a message from Ben Jealous, the Executive Director of Sierra Club:

DOGE’s actions are more than just political moves—they directly attack the very places we hold dear. The National Park Service (NPS) and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) are being systematically undermined, and the workers who manage these lands are being unfairly fired.

Stopping DOGE is urgent. The harm is immediate, and the consequences are severe. These actions threaten your access to our public spaces, endanger communities and ecosystems, and put critical conservation efforts at risk.

The Sierra Club has joined Campaign Legal Center, Union of Concerned Scientists, Organization of Chinese Americans, and Japanese American Citizens League to sue Elon Musk and DOGE over their devastating budget cuts and firings of federal workers. This is what we are fighting for:

The Sierra Club is taking action against DOGE and Elon Musk for unlawfully firing National Park Service and US Forest Service employees, cutting budgets and staffing, and violating contracts. We are joining other groups in a lawsuit to protect the public lands and parks you care about, fighting back against Congress’s attempts to cut budgets and offer lease sales, and rallying support nationwide

We need your help to keep this momentum going. Make a gift to the Sierra Club today to make a lasting impact in the fight to protect our parks, forests, and the future of our planet.

We were scheduled to meet in January, and as usual, I penned a “Message from the Chair” in anticipation of the meeting. It was cheery and positive and upbeat, and discussed the fact L.A. is the only major city in the world bisected by a mountain range.

On the morning of January 7th, I was meeting with a client in his brand-new house in Pacific Palisades. About 11 AM, an assistant ran in and told us there was an evacuation order and we had to get out, fast. We stopped the meeting, got in our cars, and took off. I looked left up to the intersection of Sunset and Bienveneda, saw cops with lightbars flashing directing cars west – which turned out to be into the fire. On an instinct, knowing the rabbit-warren of streets there as I do, I turned south (away from the intersection) and navigated my out of the Palisades and got home. I escaped. I was also the last person to see the client’s beautiful new multimillion-dollar house, which burned to the ground.

But later in the afternoon came the evacuation order for Mandeville Canyon. We had to hastily pack up pets, important papers and a few clothes. I wasn’t particularly concerned: we’ve had evacuations before, and they typically last a day and a night, two at the most. This time it was 12 days, camping out with our daughter, son-in-law, and three grandbabies (delighted by a long sleepover with grandma and grandpa).

No longer at home, we watched the action remotely from our Ring cameras (until power was cut off). From our front and rear cameras we watched a huge pillar of black smoke marching toward our neighborhood on the west ridge of Mandeville Canyon (“Brentwood Hills”). We also saw a cloud of black smoke in Sullivan Canyon, next door to Mandeville. The last thing we saw, before the power and the cameras failed, were firemen swarming across our backyard and deck, running hoses out to the big ravine below our deck.

As the fire approached Mandeville, the firefighters mounted a massive Defend the Alamo attack on the fire, with helicopters dumping water and jumbo jets dropping retardant. The first indication our house was still there was not until Saturday, four days later, as ABC interrupted Good Morning America to show live aerial coverage of our street and our house, intact, on ABC7. We watched the jumbo jets and helicopters bombing the fire, which they stopped from spreading into our canyon. No homes in Brentwood Hills were lost.

Most of our friends live in the Palisades, and most lost their homes. The staggering degree of the loss caused by this disaster is difficult to exaggerate. Although police are not letting outsiders in, the Palisades today looks like a war zone. Almost everything in the Village area is gone, including two supermarkets, the library and rec center, the Catholic church, and several schools. Palisades High School, while it didn’t burn down, is damaged and unusable. Several other schools as well.

More to the point of our organization, the Santa Monica Mountains have suffered a severe blow. Many trails we enjoy are closed, including the Westridge Fire Road above my house, the Sullivan Canyon and Sullivan Ridge Trails, Rustic Canyon, and the Kenter-Canyonback Fire Road from Kenter up to dirt Mulholland. The fire is believed to have started at the Skull Rock formation on the popular Temescal Ridge trail, which of course is closed.

I haven’t said anything about the Eaton Fire, which also started in a beautiful ecological preserve above Pasadena and wiped out much of Altadena. Those are the San Gabriels, outside our jurisdiction.

Combined with the shocking political developments underway in our country, 2025 is off to an overwhelming, discombobulating and gloomy beginning. For environmentalists, the new administration’s neutering and dismantling of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), established by Richard Nixon in the 1970s, is alarming. And that’s just a small piece of the coming attack on the environment, and aggressive attempt to unwind everything accomplished over the last several decades.

The national Sierra Club is mounting a massive and expensive fight against all this, and we need to support that. For our Task Force, plenty of trail work and remediation lies in our future.

Eric Edmunds, Chair
Santa Monica Mountains Task Force